Franklin Buscher
Retired Tiburon Fire Chief Franklin J. “Frank” Buscher, a respected and beloved community leader who was named Citizen of the Year in 1993, died August 25, 2010, of cancer. He was 76.
“We mourn not just the loss of a leader, but the loss of a colleague, mentor and great friend,” said current Tiburon Fire Chief Rich Pearce. “He was a man of principle, kindness, dedication and loyalty.”
A native of Tiburon, Mr. Buscher grew up in Old Tiburon. His parents were Marie Buscher and Northwestern Pacific Railroad (NWPRR) Company supervisor Fred Buscher. Mr. Buscher went to the local elementary school and, after graduation from Tamalpais High School, served a four-year apprenticeship as an electrician and a two-year journeyman stint with the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Company (NWPRR) here.
He served in the U.S. Army for two years, stationed in Korea. Afterward, he studied at Golden Gate College (now Golden Gate University) briefly.
In 1954, he joined the Tiburon Volunteer Fire Department. (For their first date, he took his future wife, Maureen, to a volunteer fire department event.) He was quickly promoted to captain and then to a paid position as assistant chief, earning a princely salary of $25 per month. He then was appointed chief of the NWPRR fire brigade. In 1959, at the age of 25, he was named fire chief of the otherwise all-volunteer Tiburon Fire District, the youngest fire chief in California.
During his 34 years as chief —a period in which Tiburon evolved from its identity as a gritty end-of-the-line train town to an affluent bedroom community — Mr. Buscher established a master plan for the district, managed the transition from an all-volunteer to professional crew augmented by highly trained volunteers, supervised the construction of two firehouses, installed new fire hydrants and water systems, adopted new fire codes and prevention regulations and established the paramedic system here.
Mr. Buscher was what one contemporary writer calls a “connector.” He built networks of people and relationships through the force of his personality. “He was constantly seeking opportunities to get people together,” said Chief Pearce.
From 1972 to 1983, Mr. Buscher served as Marin’s Mutual Aid Fire and Rescue Coordinator. He was a member of the Marin County Fire Chiefs Association and, in 1969 and 1986, he served as its president. He also served on its various committees. He served as the liaison to the Fire Prevention Officers Association for more than a decade. He sat on the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Fire and Rescue board of directors. He was instrumental in the development and success of many fire service organizations in California, including Cal-Chiefs, Rural-Chiefs, Fire Districts Association of California, Fire Agency Self Insurance Services, Fire Agency Insurance Services, Fire Agency Insurance Risk Authority and Fire Executives of Long Long Ago.
After he retired as chief, he continued to provide the benefit of his knowledge, skills and abilities whenever needed.
Tiburon Battalion Chief Ed Lynch worked with Mr. Buscher his entire career. “He hired me when I was 17 as a volunteer firefighter,” said Lynch. “To him, everything was about the people. He knew that fire stations and fire engines don’t put out fires, people do. He treated everybody with the same respect. He was just a wonderful guy, a leader of people.”
Mr. Buscher had served on the Tiburon Heritage and Arts Commission and the Landmarks Society board of directors, which reflected his nicely developed sense of history. In recent years, he spearheaded a drive to put a statue of baseball major league player Sam Chapman in downtown Tiburon.
He helped establish Christmas toy drives with the San Francisco fire and police departments and later served as the Bay Area fire service coordinator for the Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots program.
A longtime member of the St. Hilary Church parish, Mr. Buscher had served on its finance committee. He taught catechism to seventh graders who were attending public schools for two years and managed a Little League team.
Mr. Buscher is survived by his wife, Maureen; three children, Jeff Buscher of Sonoma, Kathleen Buscher of Novato and Theresa Buscher of San Mateo; and seven grandchildren, Yvonne, Kelly, Patrick, Ryan, Andrew, Joseph and Brendan. His brother Fred predeceased him.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be sent to Sisters of the Holy Faith at St. Hilary, Attn: Sister Delores, 95 Beach Rd., Apartment A, Belvedere, CA 94920; or to Wildland Firefighters Foundation, 2049 Airport Way, Boise, ID 83705.
Robert ‘Rob’ Ham
Robert “Rob” Binford Ham died August 23, 2010, of cancer. He was 65.
A native of San Rafael and a fifth-generation Californian, he grew up in Marin and graduated from San Rafael High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from San Jose State University.
He and his wife, Delsa, first met at The Cove Apartments, where both were renting apartments as singles. He spent his entire career as a land developer and home builder in Marin.
He enjoyed boating and berthed his cruiser at the Corinthian Yacht Club. He loved art and antiques and spending time at the couple’s second home in Paris.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Delsa, of Tiburon; two children, Tyler Ham (and his wife Courtney) of Mill Valley and Trevor Ham (and his wife Sharon) of San Rafael; a brother, Don Ham of Ross; and three nieces, Kim Jahn of Idaho, Kelsey Ullsmith of Bellingham, Washington; and Courtney Kopp of Bellingham.
Services will be private. Donations in his memory may be sent to a charity of one’s choice.
Mark ‘Mickey’ Morris
Mark “Mickey” Martin Morris, a resident of Tiburon for 42 years, died August 17, 2010, of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was 70.
Born in San Francisco to Mark and Aileen Morris, Mr. Morris attended Lowell High School and did three years of undergraduate preparation at U.C. Berkeley for his professional studies in optometry. He went on to attend the Los Angeles College of Optometry (now Southern California College of Optometry or SCCO) and received his Doctor of Optometry degree in 1963.
Turning down more lucrative opportunities, he went into practice in San Francisco’s Mission District “because he was determined to bring sight to a community in need,” said his family.
He and his wife, Susan, who met at a high school dance, were married in 1962 and they treasured their solid, easy, loving marriage. “He believed in honesty, hard work, service, and family,” said his wife.
The Morrises settled in Tiburon and their children attended local schools. A former Boy Scout himself, as his boys grew up, he became an Indian Guide leader, Cub Scout leader and scoutmaster for Tiburon’s Troop 48. Parents of children in the organization consider him one of the best scoutmasters Troop 48 ever had. Eventually, he proudly pinned an Eagle Scout badge on his own son, Steve.
He served on both the Cal Alumni Association Board and the SCCO Council of Regents. He also served as president of the San Francisco Optometric society and as trustee of the California Optometric Association. He was supportive of Reed Union School District fundraising and other activities.
A Cal fan since he was a boy, he and his wife held season tickets to the Cal Bear football and basketballs games for more than four decades and camped at Lair of the Bear. He was a devoted Giants fan.
The Morrises were members of the Tiburon Peninsula Club.
Mr. Morris is survived by his wife of 48 years, Susan Smith Morris, a former Reed Union School District trustee and Magnes Museum executive director; two children, a daughter, Kathy Morris of Santa Rosa, a son, Steve Morris of Santa Rosa; a brother, Russell Morris of Los Gatos; four grandchildren and many cousins.
A memorial service was held at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco. Donations in Mark’s memory may be made to the following organizations or charity of your choice: ALS Association Golden West Chapter, 1 Embarcadero Center, Ste 1530, San Francisco, CA 94111; and Cal Alumni Association, 1 Alumni House, Berkeley, CA 94720.