Alta Mesa Memorial Park Explained

Alta Mesa Memorial Park is a non-denominational burial ground located in Palo Alto, California, United States. It was established in 1904 as a 72acres cemetery.^[1] It includes traditional burial plots, a mausoleum and a columbarium.^[1]

Notable burials

• Frank Bacon (1864–1922), actor and playwright
• Thomas A. Bailey (1902–1983), American historian
• Larry Wu-tai Chin (1922-1986), Chinese spy who worked for the U.S. government for 37 years
• Arthur Bridgman Clark (1866–1948), architect, professor, first Mayor of Mayfield
• Birge Clark (1893–1989), architect
• Leonid (Joseph) Dukhovny (1938–2022), Soviet and American songwriter, poet, musician, bard, producer.
• Tennessee Ernie Ford (1919–1991), musician^[2]
• Wilhelmina Harper (1884–1973), successful children's author in the 1930s and 1940s, and published more than 40 compilations of children and young adult stories
• Steve Jobs (1955–2011), co-founder of Apple Inc. (unmarked grave)^[3]
• Henry Seymour Kaplan (1918–1984), American radiologist and pioneer in radiation therapy and radiobiology, and the first physician credited with the Atoms for Peace Award.
• Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (1945–1973), keyboardist, harmonica player and lead vocalist, founding member of the Grateful Dead^[4]
• Glenn McQueen (1960-2002), Canadian animator at Pixar
• Charles Gilman Norris (1881–1945), novelist
• Kathleen Thompson Norris (1880–1966), American novelist
• David Packard (1912–1996), co-founder of Hewlett-Packard and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense^[5]
• Guy H. Preston (1864–1952), US Army brigadier general^[6]
• Herold Ruel (1896–1963), major-league American baseball player^[7]
• William Shockley (1910–1989), developed transistor and won Nobel Prize for Physics
• Shirley Temple (1928–2014), American film and television actress, singer, dancer, and public servant
• Frederick Terman (1900–1982), considered (along with Shockley) the father of Silicon Valley^[8]
• Stephen Timoshenko (1878–1972), Professor of Applied Mechanics, Stanford University and namesake of the Timoshenko Medal
• Y.A. Tittle (1926–2017), football player
• Sidney Dean Townley (1867–1946), Professor of Astronomy, Stanford University
• Ray Lyman Wilbur (1875–1949), physician, third president of Stanford University and 31st U.S. Secretary of the Interior^[8]
• Bertha Wright (1876–1971), founder of the Children's Hospital Oakland

Notes and References

1. Web site: Welcome to Alta Mesa Memorial Park, Palo Alto, California . Altamesafuneral.com . July 5, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120425061951/http://www.altamesafuneral.com/ . April 25, 2012 . dead .
2. https://books.google.com/books?id=9eEPAQAAQBAJ&dq=%22alta+mesa+memorial%22&pg=PA420 The Tombstone Tourist
3. News: Despite Unmarked Grave, Steve Jobs Fans Continue Searching Palo Alto Cemetery . 4 June 2023 . CBS San Francisco KPIX 5 . 20 October 2015.
4. https://www.jambase.com/article/remembering-ron-mckernan-pigpen-era-live-grateful-dead-spotify-playlist Jambase
5. Web site: Shan Li. October 11, 2011. Steve Jobs buried in Alta Mesa among other technologists - latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. October 12, 2011.
6. Book: Alta Mesa Memorial Cemetery . 1963 . Sexton's Records, Alta Mesa Memorial Cemetery . II . Salt Lake City, Utah . The Genealogical Society . 478 . subscription . November 10, 2024. FamilySearch.org.
7. https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=ruelmu01 Baseball-Almanac
8. https://scvas.org/self-guided-birding/alta-mesa-memorial-park-in-fall-and-winter Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society