I Visited - Discovering a Family Connection to Sonoma - Patrick Garcia
Patrick’s Sonoma Journey — I Visited
This is the first of three stories about Patrick’s relationship with Sonoma.
🟩 Discovering a Family Connection to Sonoma — Chapter 1 (You are reading this story.)
🟥 Finding a Place for Humanistic and Bicultural Psychology — Chapter 2
Click on the Chapter 2 link above to continue Patrick’s journey. He comes to Sonoma County to continue his education and discovers a community where his interests, heritage and commitment to helping others can come together.
🟦 Helping People — Chapter 3
Patrick creates a pioneering mentoring program, becomes Sonoma State University’s first Hispanic professor, serves the courts and state parks, and is named an honorary mayor of Sonoma.
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Patrick Garcia’s path to Sonoma was shaped by education, cultural identity and family history. After traveling and living abroad, he came to Sonoma County to study humanistic and bicultural psychology. Here, he also discovered a family connection to General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo and to the early history of California.
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My name is Patrick Garcia. I first came to Sonoma County because I was looking for a place where I could study humanistic and bicultural psychology.
My life had already taken me to many places. I was drafted into the United States Army in 1960 during the Vietnam era. I later lived in several European countries. I lived in Germany for two years, Italy for a year, Spain for several months and Paris for a while.
I lived in the Black Forest in Germany and learned to speak a little German. Living in different countries gave me an opportunity to learn about different languages and cultures. I also helped Americans and soldiers while I was there.
Those experiences were important to me. I had to learn many different things about people, cultures and languages. I loved it because it helped me become the psychologist I wanted to be.
My professional training actually began when I was still in high school. My uncle was the general manager of the Santa Clara County Road Department. During my freshman year, he arranged for me to be trained as a topographic surveyor, mapping the land.
At that time, San Jose, Cupertino, Sunnyvale and Palo Alto were rapidly expanding into what we now call Silicon Valley. I became the first young Hispanic freshman from my school to be paid by the county to work as a topographic surveyor.
Later, when I decided that I wanted to become a humanistic and bicultural psychologist, I could not find the kind of program I needed in Santa Clara County. A psychologist who headed the psychology department at Santa Clara University became interested in helping me. His daughter had gone to a new program at Sonoma State University.
Five university psychologists sent letters of recommendation on my behalf. There were about 150 people seeking admission, but the program could accept only thirty. I was selected as one of them.
I moved to Sonoma County around 1970 to begin my studies. Sonoma State was the right place for me. It allowed me to focus on the humanistic needs of people while also recognizing the importance of culture.
I loved the area. Sonoma was a beautiful town, and it was connected to the history of California.
After I came here, I learned more about my own family history. Through research done by friends and relatives, I discovered that General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was my cousin. They prepared a detailed brochure tracing my family through nine generations.
I also learned more about my great-grandfather, José Antonio Garcia, and my family’s connection to the early development of California. There is even a Garcia Avenue in San Francisco.
Learning about those connections made me feel that I had become part of California’s history. I had come to Sonoma County for my education, but I found a connection that was also personal.
My relationship with Sonoma began with a visit for education and opportunity. It deepened when I discovered that my own family story was connected to the history of the place.
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Education Opened the Door
Patrick’s search for a program in humanistic and bicultural psychology brought him from Santa Clara County to Sonoma State University.
Experience Across Cultures
His years in Europe exposed him to different languages and cultures, strengthening his desire to understand and serve people from many backgrounds.
An Early Professional Opportunity
Patrick’s training as a topographic surveyor gave him professional responsibility while he was still a high school freshman during Silicon Valley’s early expansion.
A Personal Connection to History
Research into his ancestry connected Patrick’s family to General Vallejo and California’s early history, giving Sonoma a personal significance beyond education.
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This story was created from an interview with Patrick Garcia conducted by Don Lundgren. Patrick’s words have been edited for length and clarity while preserving his voice, experiences and meaning.
