Composed and posted on March 24, 2015
A few miles south of San Francisco lies the country estate known as Filoli. Contrary to the Italian sounding name, the name Filoli is actually derived from the original owner's motto: " Fi ght for a just cause; Lo ve your fellow man; Li ve a good life." You can see the estate at
and you can read more about the estate at
I toured the estate over the weekend and came away with the sad reminder that even for the rich and powerful, life does not go as plan. As fate would have it, the original owner, William Bourn, finished the estate in 1917 but only fully enjoyed it for five years before suffering a stroke and being confined to a wheelchair. It is said that after the stroke he also confined himself to the upper floor of mansion, limiting his full enjoyment of his rather splendid estate. It is also known that this country estate was intended to be a place where he could enjoy the visits of his only child -- his daughter -- and his grandchildren, but sadly his daughter died from pneumonia at the age of 46 in 1929.
In thinking about William Bourn's motto and his life after 1922, I wondered if he had "fought for a just cause"; if he had "loved his fellow man"; if he had "lived a good life." And perhaps even more importantly, I began to wonder what those phrases mean. What is a "just cause"? How does a person truly love his fellow man? And what actually constitutes living a good life? And are they actually still important to us in this modern world of ours.
Hoping that you have answers to these questions ... and that you have found your Filoli ... I am
Everett "Skip" Jenkins
Class of 1975
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