David Nesmith

Aug. 11, 1944 - April 26, 2025

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Remembering David Earl “Chicken” “River” Nesmith Aug.11, 1944 - March 26, 2025 A champion for San Francisco Bay and California’s rivers passed away recently, ending decades of dedicated activism balanced by time playing and mentoring others on the rivers of the Western U.S. David Nesmith was born Aug. 11, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois to Claire Nesmith and Gladys Mae McAllister. The son and grandson of Methodist ministers, David was a charismatic leader and comm unity builder dedicated to social justice, the environment, mentoring young people, and engaging people with nature. He passed away March 26, 2025 in Oakland, CA 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 against nuclear arms and for civil rights. As a high school junior, he was thrown out of social studies class for his opinions. As a college junior in 1964, he organized a statewide conference for California Methodist Students. It focused on racial justice, and it was called “No Hiding Place. In 1965, he and his father registered voters in Mississippi, experiencing harrowing encounters with the Ku Klux

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