We have had a good year! When we were children, the saying was, “Will Christmas ever get here?” Now we say, “Is Christmas here already?” We had many good things happening in 2017. Our accomplishments include:
- Contributing SAAAB photo displays and volunteer hours for the grand opening of Heroes Hall at the Orange County Fair & Event Center in February.
- Hosting successful meetings which attracted new members to the society including January’s installation dinner with speaker Michele Richards and From SAAAB Barracks to Heroes Hall; February’s Bring A Friend event; presenter Bob Minty and Whaling Along the Orange County Coast in March; historian Richard Duvall and Early California Days in May; historian Craig MacDonald and Old West WOW! in September; editors Lisa Alvarez & Andrew Tonkovich and Orange County: A Literary Field Guide in October; and author David K. Heyward and A Young Man in the Wild Blue Yonder in November.
- Participating in community events and setting up booths at 70th Annual Fish Fry, Concerts in the Park and Uncovering Hidden Histories in OC held at Irvine Ranch Historic Park.
All in all Society volunteers gave more than 6,000 hours of service to the organization and to the community in 2017. Thank you to our dedicated members:
Lead volunteer Art Goddard for all the amazing things he does from producing high-quality prints of old photographs to managing our technology needs. Head archivist Mary Ellen Goddard for everything, including handling the many requests from the public for historical information to organizing the acquisition and preservation of our collections. Tess Bernstein for taking on the role of 2nd VP of Membership, cataloging items, and overseeing Scarecrow Festival in the past. Nancy Pedersen in her role as Secretary while she devotes hours to the upcoming boat building exhibit The Hull Story. Kathy Bequette for managing the newspaper files, scheduling tours of the museums, helping out with refreshments, and overseeing the adobe. Susan Weeks in her role as treasurer – many thanks for an excellent job. Annette Watson who gave us four years of engaging newsletters – we will miss you.
Thanks to 1st VP Terry Shaw for his persistence in organizing our speaker events and excellent programs. Bob Palazzola, past president, SAAAB newsletter editor, and our representative to Heroes Hall – your efforts are appreciated. Dave Rusher for taking on projects involving hours at the computer. Cynthia Humphreys for chairing the adobe event in May and helping out where needed. Karl and Hope Von Herzen for their dedication to helping build a database of local newspaper articles. Sid Hallburn for coming in each week and cleaning up the building.
Thanks to docents Vickie Alcala Kelley and Lynn Alcala who captivate visitors with stories of growing up in the adobe. Sharon Dearing for the many projects you take on. Jean Nomura for cataloging our collection. Jan Rovan, Dolores Minerich and Ursula Hartunian for helping whenever needed. Estelle Hughes for cataloging the clothing and other textiles. Beth Refakes for setting up at the refreshment table during our programs. Alex Golson in your new role as adobe docent and more – thanks for joining us.
And lastly thank you to Gladys Refakes and your many years of service to the society. You are our ROCK!
Enjoy the holidays and we’ll see you next year!
– Dave Gardner, President, Costa Mesa Historical Society
