Ron Cabral

Ron Cabral was born in San Francisco in 1941. Grew up in both the Bernal Heights and Noe Valley neighborhoods. Attended both Catholic and Public schools. Attended Poly High, but graduated from Mission High, City College of SF, SF State U. Married Rita Milani in 1965 at St. Peter and Paul's Church in North Beach. Lived in the Sunset District, Westlake and Daly City before moving to Concord in 1974. Ron has 3 grown children and 5 grandsons. Ron and Rita were married 52 years. Rita passed away in 2018. Served in the California Army National Guard, The Navy Reserve, and the Coast Guard Reserve a total of 27 years. Retired from the Coast Guard as a Chief Petty Officer in 2001. Taught English, ESL, Spanish, Social Studies, Geography, US History, Journalism, and Radio Production in San Francisco in both the Junior and Senior High schools. Also taught evening English classes to Immigrants in San Francisco and Spanish and California History at South San Francisco Adult SchooL. Became a Dean and Vice-Principal then a Middle School Principal in 1992 at Potrero Hill Middle School and in 2000 at Luther Burbank Middle School. Retired as a School Administrator in 2001 with 35 years of service. Since his retirement Ron has traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti, American Samoa, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Panama, The Caribbean, Germany, Denmark, Holland, Iceland, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Scotland, England and The Azores. Has also visited all 50 states with the exception of Delaware. Ron's first book COUNTRY JOE AND ME came out as a paperback in 2003 and in hardcover in 2OO4. He first met Joe McDonald (Country Joe) while both served in the Navy in Japan in 1960. Joe and Ron remained friends for many years and in 2004 and 2005 Ron went on two West Coast tours with the Country Joe Band as a driver and concession seller. He also sold his book at all the gigs from LA to Canada. The Country Joe Band was made up Joe McDonald, Bruce Barthol, David Bennett Cohen, and Gary "Chicken" Hirsh - all original members of Country Joe and the Fish. Ron did several readings from the book prior to several Country Joe concerts and appeared with Joe on radio and TV shows on behalf of the book. In 2005 Ron began work on his second book AND THEN THEY WERE GONE this time as a co-writer with Judy Bebelaar. The book is about the Rev. Jim Jones period in San Francisco - Jones enrolled over 100 of his teenaged members, and his three sons in the school we taught at (Opportunity High School) in 1976. Opportunity was an alternative High School and was part of the San Francisco Unified School District. The book is about the many teenagers who we got to know well before they all departed suddenly in 1977 to a place in South America called Jonestown. The second half of the book takes place in Jonestown and is based on research and eye witness accounts of life and events in Jonestown. The book is being published by SUGARTOWN PUBLISHING and will be out this year (2018) around March. Ron and his co-writer Judy Bebelaar were selected as San Francisco Library Laureats for 2019 - A high honor for a select group of San Francisco writers.