Sierra Sun Times - Linda Gast - Bob Dewitt Memorial Concert

Bob DeWitt died at his beloved Red Mountain Ranch on Ben Hur Road on August 22, 2007. He was 94 years old. He lived a full life with his wife Doi, who he met at UCLA, and married in 1940. He was a long time Real Estate Agent in Topanga Canyon before he moved to Mariposa..

He was a lifelong artist, working in ceramics, oils, watercolors, and pen and ink. Bob and Doi owned and operated a health food restaurant and concert stage in Topanga that hosted numerous performers such as Will Geer, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Lord Buckley, Odetta, and violinist Marshall Moss, along with numerous beatnik jazz groups. Moving to Mariposa County in 1963, Bob continued to support folk, Americana, and international musical artists by providing performance venues throughout the communities of Mariposa, Oakhurst, and El Portal in cooperation with The Finegold Trust and the Mariposa County Arts Council. Local concert goers may remember attending concerts by Utah Phillips, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Kate Wolf, Kim Angelis, and Peter Rowan. (from the Topanga Canyon Messenger by Robert L. Dewitt)

From Ted Quinn's Blog

"We hiked together on his 1000 acre ranch, while his wife Doi made supper out of the food they raised. DeWitt had owned a cafe in Topanga Canyon, where Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie were frequent guests. Their home was a stopping off point for traveling musicians, poets and artists of all kind. I still have some of the pen and ink drawings DeWitt made for me. The narrow highway through Mariposa filled with army trucks, Bob Kuhn and me standing on the side of the road like two teen dharma bums. goats and buddhas dancing. Bob DeWitt, himself, was a wild old goat and bodhisattva who stood upside-down and naked in the stream every morning at sunrise. He said the "Indians" had taught him that trick, so you wouldn't be cold all day. he threw beautiful, rough pottery in his barn, half-joking that he was a cracked pot that could still hold some water." Ted attended the Memorial with son Sage even though he hadn't seen Bob for 30 years.

The Memorial at the Art Park in Mariposa was a happy affair that included music and poetry. People of all ages lay on the hillside enjoying the music and celebrating the life of Bob DeWitt. Kim Angelis played a number of tunes that Bob loved to dance to. Utah Phillips, who was unable to attend, sent a letter that was read. There were many stories, from people much younger than Bob and Doi, that could not match their pace and stamina while climbing Red Mountain. Jimmy Collins stood in for Utah Phillips as Master of Ceremonies.