June 19th, 2005
OLETA KIRK ABRAMS’ memorial service is being held today, June 19th, in Berkeley, CA. Oleta was born in Bozeman to Howard Manning Kirk and Margaret Maxey ,both long time families of Bozeman, on July 12, 1927. Much of her childhood was spent in Bozeman except when traveling to Cuba, Haiti and Turkey with her mother and petroleum geologist father. After age 10, she was raised by her aunt, Marguerite Kirk, and grandmother, Oleta Hensley Maxey. She spent some of her school years in New Castle, PA. with her uncle and aunt, Herbert and Eleanor Kirk.
She earned a degree in drama from Emerson University in Boston and taught elementary school in Boston for a short time. She studied at the University of Pittsburgh toward her Masters Degree, concentrating on autistic children.
In 1947, she married Jim McClintock in New Castle, PA. From that union she had a son, Maxey and a daughter Rebecca Mary McClintock. She divorced Jim and while pursuing her degree at Pitt, she met and married Harry Anderson in 1956. They were divorced in 1958 and there were no children of that marriage. In 1959 she met and married Mel Abrams whom she met at Pitt. They moved to Berkeley, CA. where she lived until her death on Jan. 8, 2005. From that marriage, she had Alexandra Abrams and Simon Peter Kirk Abrams.
A lifetime activist, Oleta with two friends created the Bay Area Women Against Rape (BAWAR) in 1971 after Oleta’s 15 year old foster daughter had been raped and received no help from either police officers or doctors. BAWAR has become an international model. Oleta also became the first victim-witness advocate for the Alameda County District Attorney’s office, often escorting rape survivors to court to support them during testimony, a position that has been copied nationwide. From 1984-1999, Oleta taught at Hintil Kuu Ca, a preschool for Native American children in the Oakland public school system. Oleta’s home was open to any person in need and many stayed with her through a crisis. She was a very loving, caring person, with a delightful sense of humor. She was fun to be with, and still very intense in her desire to help those less fortunate because of circumstances not of their own making. She will be greatly missed by many.
In addition to her daughter, Rebecca Abrams, she is survived by sons Maxey McClintock (Margie Steiner) of Berkeley CA and Simon Peter Kirk Abrams (Jessica Lombardi) of Oakland, CA. daughter Alexandra Chordas(Frank) of Berkeley, CA. and five grandchildren., Her husband, Melvin Saul Abrams, preceded her in death. For more information one can contact her daughter Rebecca at 3020 Bateman, Berkeley, CA. 94705 or e-mail to [email protected]
Donations may be made in Ms. Abrams’ name to Hintil Parent Committee, %Hintil Kuu Ca, 11850 Campus Drive, Oakland, CA. 94619.