Possible Light the Lanterns lead: Debra/Debbie Stanley from Fort Bragg

A possible local lead has come up in the search for the singer of “Light the Lanterns.”

In a Fort Bragg alumni discussion about the song, someone specifically suggested Debra/Debbie Stanley as a possible singer from the area. Another suggested singer, Katheryn Stern, was researched further and appears to have had a soprano/choir background that may not fit the recording as well, but I haven’t seen the Debbie Stanley suggestion properly investigated yet.

The current theory places the songwriter somewhere around the Fort Bragg/Mendocino music scene in the early-to-mid 1960s, potentially connected with Grace and Delpha Atkinson and later San Francisco.

I’m trying to establish whether this Debbie Stanley:

• attended Fort Bragg High School around 1960–1966
• sang or played guitar
• participated in folk music, choir, talent shows, hootenannies, etc.
• later used the surname Newman (this is currently unconfirmed)
• had any connection to Grace or Delpha Atkinson
• later moved to or performed around San Francisco

This is NOT an identification yet. I’m posting because someone with access to Fort Bragg yearbooks, Mendocino newspaper archives, alumni records, or local knowledge may be able to confirm or rule out the lead.

Please don’t contact or harass private individuals based on this speculation.