Meeting Speaker for January 13, 2015

Mead B. Kibbey was born in San Francisco on January 12, 1922. His family moved to Sacramento 2 weeks later. Mead attended San Juan High School and graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and naval architecture in 1942.

Mead was a Navy lieutenant junior grade when he lead invasion forces sweeping mines off Normandy during the D-Day invasion of France. In July 1945 commissioned Lieutenant, USNR, he was ordered to Okinawa in preparation for the invasion of Japan.  After the war ended he continued his service in Tokyo bay to sweep mines at Kobe/Osaka, Kure and Hiroshima.  Mead was ordered to inactive duty in April 1946 after 8 years in the U.S. Navy.

In April 1950 Mead married Nancy Turner. They have six children, twelve grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

For decades, Mead  Kibbey has helped preserve and shed light on the history of Sacramento and California.  He also is the author of "The Railroad Photographs of Alfred A. Hart, Artist."