Download or read book Legendary Locals of Oakland written by Gene Anderson and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2015-12-07 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Oakland has been shaped by the transcontinental railroad, freeways, earthquakes, and its location on the shores of San Francisco Bay. But what makes Oakland such an amazing city are the people who have called Oakland home over the years, like Mayor Samuel Merritt, who helped make Oakland the terminus of the transcontinental railroad; Elizabeth Flood, who worked to desegregate Oakland schools in the 1870s; and F.M. "Borax" Smith, who created the Key System. Oakland has been home to game-changing athletes like "father of modern tennis" Don Budge and Curt Flood, who helped bring free agency to sports; artists like writer Jack London, dancer Isadora Duncan, poet Joaquin Miller, and cartoonist Morrie Turner; and culture-shaping movements like the Black Panther Party. However, the impact of Oaklanders is not just historical. From Oscar Grant to Favianna Rodriguez to Marshawn Lynch to Jerry Brown, people in Oakland continue to shape not just "the Town," but the entire country.