www.montereycountyweekly.com october 26-November 1, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 23 in longhand, and then he would type it and read it over and over again making changes. “He wanted to be sure it was just right,” says Debbie. Erick remembers writing as a physical experience for his dad. “He would literally sweat as he wrote,” Erick says. It would take Reinstedt a half a day to write a paragraph at times, he would “wrestle and wrestle” with the words. Despite how hard the writing process was for him, it was his love of history and wanting to share it with others that motivated him, Debbie believes. “He was an incredible teller of tales. And he just so loved the history of the area and of California,” she says. “His heart was just for history and sharing it.” “There are two things a writer should possess before sitting down to write about nearly any subject. He would know it and he should love it,” Reinstedt wrote in an introduction to the textbook he wrote in the early 1980s, More Than Memories; History & Happenings of the Monterey Peninsula. Reinstedt possessed both the knowledge and the love of the region when he sat down to write. He was born in Monterey and raised in both Pacific Grove and Monterey, where he went to Monterey High School and worked as a paperboy delivering newspapers by bike. He said in interviews he wasn’t a good student. He graduated from San Jose State with a degree in recreation, and upon graduating got a job working as a supervisor of recreation programs in the City of Vallejo. Reinstedt also worked as a tour guide for an international tour company, traveling throughout the world, which led him to develop a deep appreciation of the history of his hometown. He went back to school and got a teaching credential at Fresno State, and returned to the Monterey Peninsula, purposely choosing to teach fourth grade because it was the grade that focused on California history. Although he left teaching for writing, he never lost the drive to teach, which led him to the project he was most proud of, the More Than Memories textbook. (Erick calls it Reinstedt’s “crown jewel.”) It was an enormous undertaking not just to write the book, but also to find the funds to pay for it. The Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce was the lead supporter, with many other organizations and individuals contributing. When it was published in 1985, full sets of the books were provided free to every fourth grade classroom on the Peninsula. With the publication of the books came a More Than Memories contest, where students would create projects based on local history and compete for prizes. The projects included the students interviewing longtime residents. “He was really, really big on getting kids to interview old-timers, he said he just felt that [the adults] would open up to the children,” she says. After Reinstedt’s death, there was a surge in interest in his books at Bookworks in Pacific Grove, says co-owner Nell Flattery. He and Debbie were some of the shop’s best customers, coming in to deliver copies of books and drink coffee inside the adjoining coffee shop. Tourists are the ones who buy most of them, although locals come in and ask for his books specifically. Reinstedt’s books will live on in local bookstores and libraries. They are written in an accessible way and some of his books are organized in an easy format for self-guided tours, like Ghosts and Mystery Along Old Monterey’s Path of History, and Ghosts of the Big Sur Coast. Between the hundreds of thousands of books sold, his former students and the schoolchildren who experienced More Than Memories, Reinstedt’s reach is enormous and his many, many stories of local lore and history mean he will not be soon forgotten. “His legacy is one that I think we will never know,” Erick says. Spooky Season “He wrote it down and shared it the way it was told to him.” “I brought my Subaru to Hartzel on advice of a friend and I was so pleased with the service & attention I got from them. Not only finished on time, but under the estimate I was given. Very rare these days. So pleased with the whole experience & great peace of mind knowing it was done correctly. Highly recommend this guy.” —David F., Seaside 2/14/19 510 California Avenue | Sand City | 394.6002 hartzelautomotive.com EXPERT SERVICE WHEN YOU NEED IT. Subaru Mazda Lexus Infiniti Saab vintage MG SCHEDULE YOUR NEXT SERVICE ONLINE TODAY Showroom DiSplayS for Sale 70% OFF! 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