Mary Ann Steinberg (Kolb)

This amazing memorial for Marty was sent to me by Sarah Barnes:

Wow1 It was 50 years ago today that me + my dear sweet friend Marty + our 2 boyfriends - Jack + Jeff- found ourselves mesmerized by + in a place called "Woodstock" ! I + Celeste Birkeland had taken an apartment right after our graduation ...friends would stop by after perhaps having stopped by the "West Bank" -   an area with streets with many different kinds of hippie shops + most importantly - record shops selling old + new LPs (eg, the new Dead album or Neil Young or a Stones etc etc etc) + maybe over in an alley way cubby hole a chance to buy a spliff of  that illicit bud ! So one August afternoon Jeff stopped by our apartment - about 10 of us were hanging out -having a cool time of listening to all the new music + a few tokes of weed. As soon as Jeff arrived he pulled a small piece of paper out of his pocket + started to read off all the names of bands that would be playing at a "love fest' in New York state (somewhere) + then yelled out "WHO WANTS TO GO?"!  We all had a big discussion - we were truly awed that so much music was going to happen there ! And I still clearly remember that 3 of us put up our hands to say " YES ! " So that night -( actually early am) Marty, Jeff, Jack and I hopped on a cheap flight to NY city - just bringing 1 pup tent + our sleeping bags + a little money.  We then took a bus into the city + walked quite a long ways to a big bus depot.  It was quite hot that day + we were hungry so we bought alot of fruit from vendors along the way for our bus trip to Bethel, New York. The bus was packed with people going "there"-wherever that was ! Sometime later we began to see  a few  people walking along, then pretty soon more + more - 1/2 million people managed to show up and all just by word of mouth!  We were on a little country road + then the bus driver yelled " Get out - I cant go anymore ! "- the bus was surrounded by throngs of people. I remember as I was stepping off the bus I said loudly -" Why ! I' have never seen so many people in my life! " - we were dazed and confused . PS. - there were no food or coffee or alcohol kiosks nor any outhouses ...we wandered to the top of a hill- there were rolling grassy hills all around us just jammed with "us" + we sat down.  The music stage looked about 1/2 " tall + I don"t think we could hear any music.-  so a group of us shared our pot ,our fruit and sat in the sunshine and sang a loud rendition of the Plane's " White Rabbit".- everything was great + full of LOVE.  In the late afternoon it started to sprinkle, then rain, then pour.... we made it back into a wooded area + got into our sleeping bags + tried to sleep a bit thru the night but the rain continued to pour + we were soaked + muddy ( + thirsty + hungry) when we woke in the early am.+ started to try to head to a town (as this was a farm) +/or back to NYC.  Somehow we made it back to the airport + flew home, all muddy + bedraggled to Minnneapolis ...

Mary Ann Steinberg (Kolb)

From Sarah Barnes, this great picture of smiling Marty!

Mary Alette Hinderlie (Davis)

Thanks Sarah for this memory, of Marty and description of being so immersed in the time and events that so many of us just read about!  Marty was a seeker and questioned a lot, as well as being a spirited cheerleader of West and its community, which seemed in conflict in those times...  But that’s how it was in those years, a lot going on, not unlike today.  I wish you could have joined us for the 50th, I think we all acknowledged ‘what  a long strange trip it’s been’.  And we celebrate it all!