Lynn C. Woolsey: “On March 16, 2003, my boyfriend, Boyd Stewart, of Olema, California, in Marin County will celebrate his 100th birthday.…”

“On March 16, 2003, my boyfriend, Boyd Stewart, of Olema, California, in Marin County will celebrate his 100th birthday. Born on a dairy ranch in the rural town of Nicasio on March 16, 1903, Mr. Stewart has been active in ranching and community issues his entire life. After graduating from the Nicasio Elementary School with a student body of 17, Boyd attended Tamalpais High School where he rode a horse to San Geronimo and then boarded the steam train to Mill Valley, where there were cows grazing in the town center. Later, he attended Stanford University, earning money as a relief milker at the Palo Alto dairies and doing far better than his peers who were mowing lawns for cash. He left Stanford to run the family dairy when his father was killed by a horse. In 1923, Boyd married Joseffa Conrad, a music teacher whom he met on the steps of Tamalpais High School when returning to see a favorite teacher. Joseffa died in 1980 at the age of 78. Today, daughter Jo Ann Stewart, granddaughter Amanda Wisby, and great grandson Stewart Campbell reside at the family ranch where, by the way, the two women run the business. Over the years, Boyd has been an advocate for progressive ranching practices which many of his peers greeted with skepticism. Early on, he realized that overgrazing could destroy the land they relied on and that sound environmental practices would enhance their work.”