At that time, an advertisement of the school, complete with a large picture, appeared in the classified section of the San Francisco telephone directory announcing “a boarding and day school offering superior advantages for pursuing both Common and Special Studies.” A distinguished educator, Dr. Willey was instrumental in helping to develop California’s educational system. He arrived in Monterey in 1849 and opened a school there. He played an important role in the establishment of Benicia’s Young Ladies’ Seminary, later to become Mills Seminary, and then Mills College. He was also one of the founders of the University of California, which, in his day, was the College of California in Oakland.

Samuel H. Willey