Alvin Joseph (Matsuyama) Wallman Biography
Sonoma, CA
Alvin Wallman, 1927- 2005, was the youngest son of Georgiana
Wallman (Dolcini) Matsuyama and Frank Atsuo Matsuyama.
Alvin was half brother to George Dolcini, Georgiana Wallman’s
first child by a currently unknown, Swiss, Italian-speaking immigrant. One Alvino Dolcini may have been George
Dolcini’s father and Alvin’s namesake. (see George Dolcini bio) Alvin was the grandson
of a Prussian, German-speaking immigrant, George Wallman.
Alvin was half Japanese, half American. In 1942 not long
after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Alvin was taken away from his mother
to a Japanese internment holding facility. He was 15 years old. On the way he
became ill with pneumonia and spent two weeks in a hospital after which they
took him by Greyhound to the Tanforan Racetrack holding area in San Mateo where
he stayed in a horse stall along with other Japanese-Americans and Japanese
immigrants. Alvin was released after better than a month of being held.
This was not an auspicious beginning to the life of a young
man in Sonoma, CA in the 1930s and 1940s. Anti-Japanese nativist sentiment must
have been present and troubling. Like his other male siblings, Alvin went on
the change his surname from Matsuyama to Wallman, thereby avoiding an obvious
trigger to social discrimination. And like his other male siblings, Alvin went
on to serve in the US military, some with long and distinguished careers; they proved
their loyalty with their actions.
Alvin Wallman was a farmer on the Broadway family ranch; a
ranch that was in the Wallman-Dolcini-Matsuyama family for 97 years. Alvin ran
unsuccessfully for Sonoma city council four times. Alvin supported city water
for the 8th St East industrial corridor south to Napa Rd. Alvin had
some connection to Pinelli Park. Alvin graded the Parmelee’s lot on 3rd
Street East. Bob Paremelee said Alvin was ‘sort of an agricultural handyman”. This
was seconded by Patricia Cullinan who said Alvin used to disc her mother’s
field.
Upon the death of George Dolcini, half brother of the
Matsuyama children, the settling of the 20-acre estate and adobe residence at
20160 Broadway brought up a number of inheritance and land use issues for the
family. There would be a $400,000 inheritance tax and the property was under
the Williamson Act, allowing lower taxes for agricultural land. Williamson Act
land use status meant the value of the property was less than if it could be
used for commercial or residential purposes. The local historical preservation
community also contested the status of the 100-year-old adobe building. They
wanted to save the adobe. Designating the adobe as a historical structure would
potentially block the family’s ability to profitably sell the lands and pay the
inheritance tax. The Dolcini heirs prevailed, the Williamson Act status was
rescinded the adobe was permitted to be torn down and the land sold at market
value.
As with any family,
people have different ideas about the best way to proceed, what is important,
what to do and who is in charge.
Alvin was “deeply distressed about the simmering feud with
his sister, (Alice Hannah Kemper,) over
ownership of the property”. There was a long-standing family feud over control
of property. “(Alvin) Wallman was reportedly claiming that half of the family
property (owned by his 1/2/ brother, George Dolcini) belonged to him. Mrs.
Kemper was said to be trying to gain control of the property too.”
Alice threatened to take complete control of property,
taking over the partial ownership of half brother George Dolcini, and kick
Alvin off the ranch. Charles Kemper, Alice’s husband and Alice wanted to evict
Alvin because they felt he was taking advantage of ½ brother George Dolcini.
Part of the dispute was also about selling part of property for a sewer line. Regardless
of all the particulars, they had it going on.
During the fig harvest, on July 15th 1985, Alvin
came to the shack where Alice (age 70) and Charles (age 82) were packing figs.
Alvin shot Alice point blank with a 12-gauge shotgun killing her on the spot.
He shot Charles as well, hitting him in the gut and hand. Charles threw a box
of figs at him after he shot Alice. Charles survived the shooting.
George D. Wallman (Matsuyama) and Frank Wallman (Matsuyama),
elder full siblings of Alvin were picking figs in the orchard at the time of
the shooting. They didn’t hear the shots because the orchard had a propane
powered gun-type of noisemaker that fired every few minutes to scare away birds.
The bird gun masked the real gun.
Five years after the shooting and killing, Alvin was found
unfit to stand trial and ended up in the Napa State Hospital. A psychologist
for the defense said Alvin had a ‘cognitive deficiency’.
Alvin was released at the end of his life for humanitarian
reasons. Bob Parmelee saw him just
before his death. Bob and Patricia say they always liked Alvin.
Mormons officiated the funeral service for Alice Kemper. She
and Charles are buried in the Valley cemetery. Alvin, his parents, half brother
George Dolcini, uncle George J. Wallman and grandfather George Wallman, are
buried in the same plot in the Mountain Cemetery.
Apparently Alvin’s son still lives on a house remaining on
the property.
References
Sonoma Index Tribune,
7/24/85, Bill Lynch
9/11/85, Bill Lynch
5/22/90
Nancy Parmelee
Bob Parmelee
3/11/14 Patricia Cullinan: “Alvin
was first at Atascadero State Hospital (criminally insane at the time) as my
mother and I visited him there. From a personal viewpoint, it was sad to see a
person who lived his life outside and really loved the land, have to be
incarcerated.
“Alvin was indeed a
agricultural handyman as he yearly disked my mothers back field. He did other
chores periodically. As you probably know there were lots of farmers who did
what we now call landscape work for residents because they were very skilled.”
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