Sharing our stories

St. Cyprian's Oral History Project:
The story of a community and a neighborhood


We all have stories to tell. Your stories and the stories of the people around you are unique and valuable treasures for your family, and for your community. These stories, these oral histories, open up new views of the past, by turning history inside out: history is not only to be found in dates and key events, but also in the memories of people who witnessed or lived through them.

The history of St. Cyprian's is a fascinating collection of stories of community and neighborhood: from its origins in the early 1870s, when a group of Black Episcopalians gathered together to form a new church; to the completion of the Panama Canal, when West Indian laborers from that project, born and raised in the Church of England, began migrating to California; to the completion of the building on the corner of Turk and Lyon Streets, marked by its first service in 1960; though the enormous changes of the 60's and 70s, and the decades that followed.

We'd like to know who you are, how you came to join St. Cyprian's, and what changes you have experienced and seen in the church, the neighborhood, and in San Francisco. How long have you been part of St. Cyprian? How many family generations are connected with St. Cyprian's? How many family members have attended St. Cyprian's (former and current)?

Through St. Cyprian's Oral History Project, our goal is to discover and preserve unwritten histories, large and small; to engage with the past through specific and personal experience, and by doing so, understand in a deeper and more resonant way, who we are.

On scheduled Sundays throughout the coming year, we invite you to share your stories with us, directly following the service. We will also reach out to elders in the community, through visits to their homes. We welcome your ideas, advice, support, and help.

Rebecca Nestle (rebeccanestle@gmail.com)

& Doe Yates (doedeartoo@sbcglobal.net)

About Rebecca Nestle:
Rebecca is a Bay Area native and has lived in the Western Addition since 1991. She was trained as a theatre stage manager, and has worked as a production manager and producer for many years, most recently at American Conservatory Theater and at Grace Cathedral, where she produced The Forum with Alan Jones for two seasons.

About Doe Yates:
Doe was born in Edwards, MS & in 1959, she moved to San Francisco to attend the Louise Salinger Academy of Fashion and graduated with a credential in Dress Design, Pattern Making, Fashion and Modeling. Doe remained in San Francisco and ultimately was confirmed to the Episcopal Church in 1962 at Grace Cathedral by The Rt. Rev. James A. Pike, Bishop of California. She was employed in various departments of the U.S. Federal Government until retirement in 2009. Doe’s hobby is gardening. She grows a sustainable garden on her patio. Vegetables include are Mustard, Turnip, Collard, Cabbage, Broccoli, Green Beans, Artichokes, Carrots and Tomatoes. Fruit trees include Lemon, Orange and Tangerine. She grows enough to eat, some to freeze and some to share.