Remembering David 'Chicken' Nesmith, protector of Oakland's water and the San Francisco Bay, and mentor to Oakland's youth

"Nesmith was born Aug. 11, 1944, in Chicago to Claire Nesmith and Gladys Mae McAllister. The son and grandson of Methodist ministers, David was a charismatic leader and community-builder dedicated to social justice, the environment, mentoring young people and engaging people with nature. A 53-year resident of Oakland, he passed away after a week of visits and messages of love and appreciation from many of the thousands of people whose lives he touched."

"In high school and college, he followed in his father's footsteps, fighting against nuclear arms and for civil rights. Among many endeavors, he organized a statewide conference for college students focused on racial justice. In 1965, after passage of the Voting Rights Act, he and his father registered voters in Mississippi, experiencing harrowing encounters with the Ku Klux Klan. He studied animal science with a concentration in poultry management at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo."

"When David was drafted in his senior year of college, he became the first in Santa Barbara County to attain conscientious objector status during the Vietnam War. He trained in the Peace Corps (to raise chickens) and ended up serving with International Voluntary Services (IVS), of USAID. IVS sent him to Vietnam where he taught poultry farming in the midst of the Vietnam war, which earned him the nickname "Chicken.""

David Nesmith was born Aug. 11, 1944, in Chicago to Claire Nesmith and Gladys Mae McAllister. The son and grandson of Methodist ministers, he became a charismatic community-builder dedicated to social justice, the environment, mentoring young people, and engaging people with nature. He fought nuclear arms and for civil rights, organized a statewide conference on racial justice, and registered voters in Mississippi after the Voting Rights Act. He studied animal science with a concentration in poultry at Cal Poly, attained conscientious objector status during the Vietnam draft, and served with IVS teaching poultry in Vietnam, earning the nickname "Chicken." He returned with his wife Carlie and son Christopher, did peace work through the Methodist Church, lived in a commune in Brooklyn, and later settled in Oakland for 53 years, passing away after a week of visits and messages of appreciation.

Read at The Oaklandside