Rachel’s father, Richard Krech, grew up in Berkeley and was the son of Hilda Sydney Krech and David Krech, an esteemed UC Berkeley psychologist who branched out from the discipline of social psychology (he co-wrote textbooks in the field) to perform pioneering research in brain chemistry.
The family had roots in Berkeley, as Richard’s father David had received his PhD from Cal in 1933.
Richard began to hang out on Telegraph Avenue as a teenager, where he met Rachel’s mother Martha.
Richard became a father at a relatively young age: he was just twenty years old when Rachel was born.