Manifesting a life in the mountains

The image, held so dearly in her mind’s eye could not be shaken. It grew like a young sapling, setting its tap roots into the rarefied soil of the California Alps, spreading its branches to hold the people, places, and circumstances that would allow them to call Markleeville their “home.”

Her daughter was only 2 years old when Beverly Crawford envisioned the wildness of living in this remote location. “It has always been my happy place,” reports Bev “No matter where I was in my life, I would come here as much as I could on weekends and summer vacations. We would cross-country ski, ride our bicycles, hike to the waterfall, and especially go to the hot springs. My connection to the natural world was made palpable and real here.”

Choreographed like the opening scene of a romantic movie, Bev met Lewis Tower Ames on a streetcar in San Francisco. Lewis was the Finance Manager for the $1.6 Billion San Francisco new subway project and liked to ride, observe, and evaluate the system on a regular basis. He certainly had no expectation of finding the love of his life that day, but there she was.

Bev entered at Fisherman’s Wharf, and together, mesmerized by each other, Bev missed her stop. Unable to separate, they went to the final station, continued on into the Castro, went back to the Embarcadero, and finally traveled over to Berkeley. It was the start of a new chapter for each of them. They have been together for 15 years now.

In a way, they lead double lives. Both, in their own professions are enamored of “the big picture.” World systems on an urban scale have been the focus for them. Their accomplishments have been grand, but both have found places to be of service here in the microcosm of the universe, the tiniest county in California by population.

Bev serves on the School Board at Diamond Valley, and Lewis is a Board member of the Markleeville Public Utility District. Daughter Erin just had her dream wedding at a magical site near Blue Lakes.

They have found not one, but two houses to hold their family and those they care about who come to visit. Bev and Lewis have fallen into the rhythm of the untamed country with a unique type of grace, granted by the contrast of the worlds they navigate. They are filled with appreciation, and truly acknowledge the importance of their surroundings.

Both have had “large lives” before retiring a decade ago. They continue to travel between here and Berkeley, since there are so many birthday parties, graduations, and joyous occasions to share with people still there. Living in two worlds is not easy, but they find it worth the extra effort.

Bev is Professor Emerita of political science and political economy at the University of California at Berkeley. She was the director of Berkeley’s Center for German and European Studies. A well-respected scholar, she has authored and edited books, policy papers, articles, and is a regular contributor to the Berkeley Blog. She has written on ethnic and religious conflict, refugee crises, the European Union, international trade and foreign policy.

Transitioning from Berkeley, she combined teaching and research assignments with support work for refugees. In Turkey, Bev and Lewis led a successful fund drive to provide children’s food, baby care supplies, and toiletries for hundreds of Syrian, Afghan, and Iraqi women in makeshift camps. In Berlin, they both tutored refugee arrivals in English and German. In Israel, they met and visited with Druze, Bedouin, and Palestinian communities. Bev also worked on transporting and filling water stations in the Sonoran desert. She continues to visit her refugee colleagues in Europe as they build new lives.

Growing up, she went to church camp in the Sierra, eventually becoming a counselor there. She graduated from High School in Modesto before attending Davis and then Chapman. She taught English in the Central Valley, but her passion was German language.

It is no surprise that, as a Fulbright Scholar in 1970, she studied international politics in Berlin and gave English lessons for the US Army. She was there with her first husband when her daughter was born, and they returned to the states to be near family. Lewis officially adopted Erin when he and Bev got married.

She taught in Pittsburg, Pa, did postdoctoral work at Stanford, and then taught at the University of California at Santa Cruz. She received her doctorate at Berkeley, eventually returning to be a lecturer before becoming a full professor.

Lewis carries a real heart for the history of his family and his ancestors. Their pathways, challenges, world views, and decisions have greatly affected who he is. Born in Los Angeles nine months after World War II ended, he was raised in California and Washington.

He displays adaptation and resilience that seem to be part of his intrinsic nature. He defines who he is on his own terms. Even when very young, he made conscious decisions, studying and weighing the actual facts, and evaluating them, guided by his moral compass.

Graduating from Berkeley, he received a bachelors in the sociology of art with a minor in journalism. His master’s was in urban transportation and planning from San Jose State. Later, he earned an additional degree in business administration from the University of San Francisco.

He took a break during college to help the UFW union organize farm workers and provide health services. Lewis and his first wife were married in 1986 in Mexico. They raised four children who continue to be an important part of his life.

He navigated a career in public transit, beginning in the early eighties. In New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and the Bay Area, his work concentrated on developing and expanding rail transit systems. Since retiring, Lewis says “I am focused on combating the climate crisis by providing free consulting to those who seek to purchase an electric vehicle, solar panels, or electrical appliances.”

Bev and Lewis exist directly at the crossroads of the rural/urban interface, balancing on air between the two while keeping one foot firmly grounded in each place. Both continue to hold an openheartedness to everything around them. Bev shines her beautiful smile and says, “We are so happy. Markleeville is where we belong.” Having traveled extensively throughout their lives, they find they are at ease being right where they have landed.

“There is an awareness and caring about each other that is as great as one can find here in Alpine.” observes Lewis. “This community has a consciousness of itself as an organism, and a recognition of the fragility of life in a place where it sustains itself with the barest minimum in human necessities. It engenders a respect for the integrity of each individual and allows them to be who they truly are.”