Sunset Stories

For Kirsten Masters, Sunset Center is more than a cultural landmark. It is part of her family's history, connecting three generations of women through childhood, education, performances and community life in Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Her grandmother, Donalee Gravelle Masters, attended Sunset School with her younger sister, Eva, during World War II. Through historic newspaper articles, Kirsten has discovered a remarkable glimpse into her grandmother's childhood and the community that surrounded her.

On Jan. 1, 1942, just weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Carmel Cymbal published New Year's resolutions from local schoolchildren. Donalee shared a simple but meaningful promise:

"I'm going to be extra courteous and try to help people as much as possible."

Other newspaper accounts captured the everyday joys of being a Sunset School student. As a sixth grader, Donalee wrote enthusiastically about the school lunchroom's prune cupcakes with buttercream frosting, created a Baby Mercury statuette during a Greek mythology lesson and displayed a desert box garden at a community flower show.

Donalee often spoke fondly of her Sunset School years, particularly field trips to Big Sur and the lifelong memories they created. After school, she enjoyed walking to the Carmel Dairy for an ice cream cone. She and her sister were also active in the Carmel Girl Scouts and participated in local wartime efforts.

Donalee eventually attended UC Berkeley, where she studied childhood education and met her future husband, Lawrence Masters. Together, they raised three children, and their family grew to include five grandchildren.

Decades later, that connection to Carmel continued through Kirsten and her own daughter, Donalee's great-granddaughter.

Kirsten's daughter attended Carmel schools from kindergarten through seventh grade, following a childhood path similar to her great-grandmother's, although generations apart.

Today, Kirsten and her family live just two blocks from Sunset Center. The building remains a familiar and cherished part of their lives.

Her daughter performed there in ballet recitals, school music programs and choir concerts. The family has attended the Carmel Bach Festival, Authors and Ideas events and numerous concerts. Sunset Center even serves as their longtime voting precinct.

For Kirsten, the building represents something especially meaningful: a place where family history continues to unfold.

From her grandmother's school days during World War II to her daughter's performances on the same historic campus, Sunset has remained a constant presence across generations.

As Sunset looks toward its next 100 years, Kirsten hopes it will continue bringing families together through education, the arts and community traditions.

"I hope Sunset stays what it has always been: a place where families in Carmel-by-the-Sea of every generation can learn, perform, and gather, and where stories like my grandmother's are kept for the next hundred years."

Kirsten's family reminds us that Sunset's history is not simply found in its architecture or on its stage. It lives in the memories of the people who have learned, performed, celebrated and grown up there, generation after generation.