{"id":8696798,"date":"2022-12-24T05:00:08","date_gmt":"2022-12-24T13:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/?p=8696798"},"modified":"2022-12-27T04:58:01","modified_gmt":"2022-12-27T12:58:01","slug":"snapp-shots-berkeleys-elmwood-district-mourns-late-beloved-member","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/2022\/12\/24\/snapp-shots-berkeleys-elmwood-district-mourns-late-beloved-member\/","title":{"rendered":"Snapp Shots: Berkeley’s Elmwood district mourns late, beloved member"},"content":{"rendered":"

How do you measure a life? For Jeremy Caughlin, it was the people he met and the conversations he had sitting in a chair every day on the corner of College Avenue and Russell Street in Berkeley\u2019s Elmwood district, right in front of the Baker & Commons caf\u00e9, engaging everyone who stopped to talk with him in spirited conversations. There was a cup at his feet for donations, but he was not a panhandler. He was there for the social interaction, not just the money he needed to live on.<\/p>\n

\"Martin<\/p>\n

\u201cHe could talk about anything,\u201d says Kara Hammond, the owner of Baker & Commons. \u201cHe had a wealth of knowledge and read a lot on his cell phone while he was there. He was a very intellectual guy who knew a lot about history, current events and other cultures.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe saw it as his job, but some days he had an appointment that morning and would show up a little later. When that happened, he was like, \u2018Huh, I\u2019m really late to work today,\u2019 but he\u2019d compensate by staying later that afternoon, even after we closed at 6:30. He and I had an interesting relationship. He had his business, and I had mine, and we\u2019d compare notes on the foot traffic: \u2018How was your day? \u2018Oh, kind of slow today. Not too many people out.’\u2009”<\/p>\n

In the process, he became beloved. For many people, it wasn\u2019t a visit to the Elmwood unless you had a chat with Jeremy. But the sentiment wasn\u2019t universal.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people would complain about him, usually folks from out of town,\u201d says Hammond. \u201cThey were appalled. They couldn\u2019t understand why he was there. Some even questioned whether he was legit. But the people in the neighborhood were never bothered by him. He was always nice, always talkative but also kind of quiet. He didn\u2019t intrude himself on you, but he was always there, part of our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeremy passed away Dec. 2 at the age of 88. The next day, one of the neighbors named Sadie Radinsky posted a sign on the corner reading, \u201cRest in Peace, Jeremy Caughlin. Born in the outskirts of Seattle, Washington, to a long line of radical and big-hearted folks, Jeremy was the son of a labor rights attorney, grandson of a Methodist minister and great-grandson of a colonel in the Union Army.<\/p>\n

\u201cJeremy went on to study biology at the University of Washington and later studied kelp, plankton and other sea life in graduate school. He knew an incredible amount about the natural world. He lamented the loss of nature in his once-green hometown but talked about the changes, albeit sad ones, with a twinkle in his eye.<\/p>\n