Vignette > The McCurdy Family

Alexander Steele McCurdy was born in 1875 on a ranch in Bolinas.  His wife, Mary Wilkins, was born in 1876, also on a ranch in Bolinas. A daughter, Mary Adeline McCurdy, was born in 1915 and a son, William Wilkins McCurdy, was born in 1916.  Having grown up on ranches, Alex and Mary were comfortable with the idea of moving their family in the early 1920s to Hill Ranch, the house in Homestead Valley that was formerly the headquarters of the vast Dias dairy ranch. Alex McCurdy was Mill Valley chief of police from 1925 until 1935. Alex died in 1936 at age 61.  His wife Mary died in 1972 at age 96.  She had lived over 50 years in the old Dias ranch house. Both McCurdy children were brilliant. Mary McCurdy, a graduate of UC-Berkeley, taught English and History at Tam High.  She was later chairman of the physical education department, dean of girls and assistant principal. William McCurdy, a graduate of Stanford, won awards for his athletic ability while in the army during WW II. He went on to coach track and field at Harvard from 1949 to 1982. Harvard named its new track facility in 1985 the McCurdy Track .