Among his gifts to the Harley archives are the 1953 Comet yearbook and two copies of the 1952 edition of The Harlequin. That magazine, Weldon notes, holds treasured family connections: “See page 13 for Life in a Large Family by my sister, Janine Travis (now Bray).” Jan is a member of the class of 1957.
Harley was very much a family affair for the Travis’. Weldon’s mother, Ruth Laura Travis, taught in the Lower School from 1948-53, and her children filled the pages of The Harlequin that year—his older brother Marvin; Weldon; his sisters Jan and Auralee; The only one missing was his younger sister Carla. Weldon jokes, “most likely tending to an injured animal.”
For Weldon, his time at Harley was filled with friendships that has lasted a lifetime including Truman Bullard ’56, Bobby Johnson ’56, and his first girlfriend, Sally Small Worthing-Davis ’57.
In 1953, the Travis family left Rochester and moved first to Reno, then to Colma, California—where, Weldon notes with a nod to history, “my hero Wyatt Earp is buried”—and finally to Woodacre, CA. He earned his Associate of Arts degree from the College of Marin and began a five-year stint at Hills Bros Coffee on the San Francisco waterfront.
That job led to a 33-year career with the Marin County Sheriff’s Department, a vocation that became the foundation of several books he’s authored. Weldon has published two books chronicling his career—Resident Deputy Sheriff, 1964 to 1969… and then some! and Resident Deputy Sheriff Continuum, 1964 to 2023… and Beyond!—as well as a follow-up, Resident Deputy Sheriff in Retirement, 1992 to 2023, written at age 85.
He is now living in Rough and Ready, California, a small town he says “takes up about 2 blocks”, named after 12th President Zachary Taylor (nicknamed Old Rough and Ready). He shared that the town “declared its secession from the Union” in April 1850, only to rejoin three months later. “It’s an annual celebration and something we’re proud of!”
Although his time at Harley was brief, he has vivid memories and is appreciative of his time as a Harley student.
