Published quarterly by the Pinole Historical Society

PinoleHistorical

SocietyNewsbriefs

P.O. Box 285, Pinole, CA 94564www.PinoleHistoricalSociety.org info@PinoleHistoricalSociety.org

WWiinntteerr 22001111

MARCIA KALAPUS NAMED RECIPIENT OFNATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH AWARD

inole Histor-ical SocietyPresidentMarcia

Kalapus has beenselected by thePinole City Councilas the city’s Nation-al Women’s HistoryMonth honoree atthe 11th annualWomen’s History Month celebration Thursday,March 24, at 7 p.m. in the John & Jean KnoxCenter for the Performing Arts at Contra Costa

College, 2600 MissionBell Drive, San Pablo.

The event is spon-sored by Contra CostaCollege and the WestContra Costa Branchof the American Asso-ciation of UniversityWomen (AAUW), whojoin together with thenation’s observance

of Women’s History Month in March to honor

Continued on page 14

PHS CONTINUES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAMShe Pinole Histori-cal Society contin-ues to bring localhistory to children

attending the five Pinoleelementary schools.

The PHS brought in thenew year with a Pinolehistory lesson for fourth-graders at Collins Ele-mentary School on Janu-

ary 4. Late last year, wedid programs at ShannonElementary School andSt. Joseph School.

The program was cov-ered by Rob Shea, editorof Pinole Patch, the newon-line newspaper. Robwrote a story and pro-duced a video of GeorgeVincent (photo, page 13),

our historian and instruc-tor, at work with about50 students in theschool’s multi-purposeroom.

Read the article andview the photos at:http://pinole.patch.com/articles/pinole-history-comes-to-collins-school

This is the second year

the PHS has gone intolocal schools to workwith fourth-graders. Stu-dents learn about Califor-nia history in the fourth grade, but Pinole historyis not taught.

PHS Director EmeritusGeorge Vincent wrote an

Continued on page 13

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P

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WHERE TO FIND NEWSBRIEFS

900 San Pablo Ave., Pinole, CA 94564

Pick up Newsbriefs at these locations:AccuTech Auto Care, Adela’s Piano Studio,

A.D. Dern Insurance, All-Bay Locksmith, TheAlley Cafe, Antlers Tavern, Bank of the West,Barry Evans Studio, Bay Park Retirement, TheBear Claw, Big O Tires, Blue Sky Sports, BookSmarts, Cafe Soleil, China House, Cindy’s ShearCuts, Coldwell Banker (Allen Faria), CompleteAutomotive Repair Service (C.A.R.S.), CrockettsPremier Auto Body, Feriel El Ghaoui, D.D.S.,Embers, Farmers Insurance (Madeline Crandall),Garden of Gems, Douglas Gordon, D.D.S., Grocery Outlet, Hairitage Bead and Boutique,Happy Sashimi, Kaiser Permanente MedicalOffice Building, K&L Automotive (Rodeo),Kendall Financial Services, Ladies WorkoutExpress, Lakeridge Athletic Club, Masala Special-ty Gift Store, Mechanics Bank (Pinole Valley andPinole Vista), Old Time Realtors, Park Pharmacy,Attorney Donald E. Patterson, Pinole Art Center,Pinole City Hall, Pinole Creek Cafe, PinoleLibrary, Pinole Paws, Pinole Police Department,Pinole Senior Center, Pinole Valley CommunityChurch, Realty World (Viktor Manrique), Ricky’sCorner, Ristorante Due Rose, Sam’s Dog House,State Farm Insurance (Mark Bucklew and RickChalk), Sunshine Floor Covering, TaqueriaSanchez, Tenax Law Group, 10th Inning BaseballCards, The New Deli, The Red Onion, The UPSStore, Top Floor Salon, Albert M. Tsang, D.D.S.,Waffle Stop, West Contra Costa Transit Authority,Windermere Rowland Realty, and Wilson &Kratzer Mortuaries.

It’s also posted on the PHS website.FOR ADVERTISERS: More than 2,500 print-

ed copies of PHS Newsbriefs are distributedevery quarter, generating readership among thousands of Pinole residents. Hundreds morereceive the newsletter directly from the PHS viaits database and website. If you’re interested inadvertising, please contact Jeff Rubin atinfo@PinoleHistoricalSociety.org or call him at(510) 724-9507.

PHS CALENDAR OF EVENTSMEETINGS

ONGOING

February 17: Quarterly membership meeting,Alex Clark Room, Pinole Public Safety Facility, 880Tennent Avenue, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Program: How toCreate a Family Tree: An Introduction to Genealogy.Veteran PHS genealogists Marcia Kalapus and ShirleyRamos will teach you about all of the resources avail-able to create a history of your family. This will be aninteractive program with handouts. Please bring apencil.

May 19: Quarterly membership meeting andPHS Annual Meeting, Alex Clark Room, PinolePublic Safety Facility, 880 Tennent Avenue, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Program: Images of America: Hercules. Joinauthor Jennifer Posedel as she talks about her soon-to-be-published Arcadia book about the history of ourneighboring city. Jennifer will share interesting storiesfrom Hercules’s past and photos from long ago.

Pinole Library history exhibits. Two exhibits atthe library, 2935 Pinole Valley Road. Library hours:Monday (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), Wednesday (2 to 8 p.m.),Friday and Saturday (12 to 5 p.m.).

PHS booth at Pinole Farmers’ Market. The society will be off the first quarter of the year andresume being at our booth on Saturday, April 2. We’llbe there every other Saturday through December.

Barbara CroninVice President/ManagerPinole Office2690 Pinole Valley RoadPinole, CA 94564510.741.5009 PHONE • 510.741.2010 FAX

barbara_cronin@mechanicsbank.comwww.mechanicsbank.com

Tina LavioletteCorporate Officer/ManagerPinole Vista Office1518 Fitzgerald DrivePinole, CA 94564510.243.9634 PHONE • 510.243.9636 FAX

tina_laviolette@mechanicsbank.comwww.mechanicsbank.com

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A Pinole Landmark

President’s Message

Marcia Kalapus

Marcia Kalapus, President, Pinole Historical Society

our economyshowed promisetoward the endof 2010, and

more folks are gettingback to work. Some folkswho haven’t been able tofind work spent most oftheir free time during theholidays doing volunteerwork.

It was good to see thegreat numbers of peoplesupporting and giving oftheir time to all kinds oforganizations, socialgroups, nursing homes,homeless shelters, andfood banks, etc.

The largest populationof volunteers is olderadults over 75, andyoung adults. But thispast fall there were notonly senior citizens butentire families, individu-als, teenagers, and evensmall children servingtheir communities.

Volunteering has beenaround a very long time.According to somerecord keepers morethan 44% of the popula-tion in the world doessome form of volunteer-

country, more land wasbeing used to providehomes, farms, factories,and government build-ings. Older buildingswere torn down to buildnew ones. This also hap-pened after World War II,when housing develop-ments sprang up as fastas they could be built.Many old historicalhomes and buildingswere destroyed.

For more than a hun-dred years these sameconcerned citizens haveformed historical soci-eties, donated many

OVOLUNTEERS: THE BACKBONE OF PRESERVATION

hours to preservation,and formed foundationsto raise money to pur-chase and maintain oldbuildings, land, createnew parks, etc.

Many who offer theirservices have not hadformal training in preser-vation. And that is okay,because it takes all kindsof talent to preserve his-tory. At some museums,for instance, volunteersuse their talents in carpentry, electrical,plumbing, landscaping,painting, secretarial, filing, and sorting.

Societies and muse-ums plan projects, makelists of things to be done,and then recruit volun-teers to help them. Thisway, the job gets donewith the right persondoing the right job at theright time.

The Pinole HistoricalSociety will be establish-ing a volunteer programthis year.

Also, our goal is tohave more educationalprograms for all ages.

Continued on page 4

ing in their busy lives.In the past, because of

the need for more helpin non-profit organiza-tions and those who offersocial services, volun-teerism increased pro-foundly. There is morecompetition in recentyears among all thegroups to have qualityprograms that attractindividuals to give oftheir time and serve theircommunity.

I am writing about vol-unteers because it wasthrough small grassrootsorganizers that historicalpreservation programsstarted. Concerned citi-zens many years ago rec-ognized that famouslandmarks, documents,records, history books,and many artifacts wereliterally being destroyedor demolished becauseof lack of knowledge orcare that these thingswere priceless and couldnever be replaced.

In the 1880s and1890s, as America con-tinued to grow and moreimmigrants entered this

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We have postcards, greeting cards, and refrig-erator magnets—featuring photos from our book,Images of America: Pinole. You can order themfrom our website: www.PinoleHistoricalSoci-ety.org. To order on-line, print the order formand mail it with your check to the Pinole Historical Society, P.O. Box 285, Pinole, CA94564.

PHS PRODUCTS FOR SALE

Continued from page 3

We would like to havemember/volunteers,interested persons wholove history in general,and experienced orretired educators whowould be willing to helpus in planning, preparing,and teaching history.

We want to have theseprograms in conjunctionwith the Pinole Library so we can utilize itsresources. We hope toencourage adults, chil-

dren, and young adults to preserve and learn history, to do research,to use all of the library’sfacilities—and one daybecome docents or volunteers for a plannedmunicipal museum inPinole.

If you have any sugges-tions or ideas, pleaseshare them with us via e-mail at info@PinoleHistoricalSociety.com.

I hope 2011 will be a rewarding year foreveryone.

VOLUNTEERS: THE BACKBONE OF PRESERVATION

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U.S. WAR DOGS ASSOCIATION NEEDS ASSISTANCEifetime PHS mem-ber Gail Snyder(Von Aspern) is aCivilian Liaison

Officer for the UnitedStates War Dogs Associa-tion (USWDA), a non-profit organization of for-mer and current U.S. military dog handlers andsupporting memberscommitted to promotingthe long history of mili-tary service dogs, estab-lishing permanent war-dog memorials, and educating the publicabout the invaluable service of these caninesto our country.

Thousands of traineddogs are deployed in Iraqand Afghanistan andother undisclosed loca-tions. They hold rank andhave served in all branch-es of our military.

USWDA objectivesinclude:

• Establishing a U.S.War Dog Memorial.

• Having the U.S. PostalService issue a commem-orative stamp honoringmilitary dogs.

• Finding homes forretiring military canines.

HISTORY OF MILITARYWAR DOGS

Several countries inEurope used dogs for military work duringWorld War I (1914-1918).

The United States mili-tary didn’t allow dogs,but soldiers began smug-gling their pet dogsaboard ship whenshipped overseas.

One dog smuggledaboard a troop shipheaded for France—a pitbull named Stubby—became a true hero.Stubby saved our troopsfrom poison gas, caughtenemy soldiers, was in17 battles, and wasinjured many times.When he returned homein 1924, he was present-ed with many medals atthe White House.

Dogs were officiallyallowed in the U.S. mili-tary during World War II(1941-1945). They werecalled “Dogs of Defense.”Americans were asked todonate their pets. Nine-

teen thousand dogs weregiven, and 10,000 weresuccessfully trained tobecome war dogs.

During World War II,the Korean War, the Viet-nam War, and OperationFreedom, these dogsmade wonderful sol-diers—sentry, scout,Explosive OrdinanceDevice dog (EOD), searchand rescue, and SecretService to protect thepresident.

In 1998, Lackland AFBin San Antonio, TX,began breeding BelgianMalinois, German Shepherds and DutchShepherds specifically for military service.

Military War Dogs(MWDs) work for 8-10years and, until recently,were euthanized whentheir active duty ended.

In 2000, Congress estab-lished a law to allow handlers of MWDs toadopt them when theyretire. Now, civilians mayalso adopt these militaryheroes.

The USWDA mails outcare packages to U.S.military K9s and handlersdeployed overseas, somein extremely remote loca-tions with no supplies ormedications. All pack-ages are packed half withK9 care and half withhandler needs.

To help the USWDA,contact Gail Snyder at(510) 724-6619 (office),(510) 417-1794 (cell), orat thebushwoman@comcast.net.

For more informationabout the USWDA, visitwww.uswardogs.org.

L

Team of U.S. Marine combat trackers and war dogs in Afghanistan.

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2718 pinole valley road • pinole, california 94564510.758.8881 www.eathappysashimi.com

Back in the day

THREE FAMILIES THAT SHAPED PINOLEhe early federalcensus takersnoted Pinole asTownship #11 in

Contra Costa County. The lists are revealingneighborhood maps offamilies, their ethnicbackgrounds, and occupations.

Among the names ofthe young community arethree notable familieswho came to Pinole,stayed here, and dedicat-ed themselves to enhanc-ing the community theyloved.

While the Martinez andTennent families werethe founders of Pinole’searliest roots, the laternames of Fernandez,Downer, and Collins alsomade important contribu-tions to Pinole’s growthas an urban township.These families sawPinole’s potential asmore than just a dustyspot between the bigcities of San Pablo andMartinez.

Bernardo Fernandezwas responsible for thebeginnings of Pinole as a city. His economic eyeenvisioned the Pinole

waterfront as the nucleusof a new city and busi-ness center.

After his arrival in1854, he acquired thebayfront from the Tennent estate in 1856.By 1859, he had a deep-water wharf, schooners,warehouses, and home.His embarcadero andshipping industry expand-ed with the coming ofthe Northern Railway(later Southern Pacificand now Union Pacific) in 1879, and Fernandezalso carried the mail forPinole. The depot areabecame the hub of activi-

ty in Pinole. Fernandez’long wharf became a popular place forswimmers, singers,and sweethearts.

Bernardo married Carlotta Cuadra in1859 and raised a family of six children inthe 21-room mansionby the bay built in1894. Fernandez even-tually acquired morethan 20,000 acres ofland in the Pinole andRodeo Valleys andbeyond. One son,Manuel, served asphysician to Pinole andHercules for nearly 50

years. Dr. Fernandezdonated the land thatbecame Fernandez Parkto the city in the 1930s.

In 1909, Bernardo andCarlotta celebrated their50th wedding anniversaryat their home, now onthe National Register ofHistoric Places. Bernardodied in 1912 at the ageof 87, a Pinole pioneerand benefactor, and oneof Contra Costa’s wealth-

Continued on page 7

T

By George Vincent

Bernardo Fernandez Dr. Manuel Fernandez

7

THREE FAMILIES THAT SHAPED PINOLEContinued from page 6

iest and most prominent citizens.

Edward M. Downer wasalso an energetic vision-ary of Pinole’s future as acity.

Young Downer leftNevada City for Pinole in1889 at age 20 tobecome station agent forthe Southern Pacific Rail-road at the waterfront.He also began a laundryagency and was thetown’s first postmaster,with mail coming by trainto Pinole. In 1894, heteamed with youngManuel Fernandez toestablish Pinole’s firstnewspaper, The PinoleWeekly Times.

Downer was an entre-preneur with a heart inmany other community-building ventures. He waslargely responsible forthe growth of the down-town Main Street busi-ness section of Pinole.He moved the post officefrom the waterfront to adowntown building. Hewas also responsible forinfluencing Hercules tobuild the reservoir on the hill to provide freshdrinking water to Pinolein 1902, when mostwater was from wells andoften alkaline in taste.

building that still standsand is on the NationalRegister of HistoricPlaces, and erected thetwo-story brick DownerBuilding, side by side onMain Street. By 1915, hehad controlling interest inthe Mechanics Bank ofRichmond and its branch-es. Downer’s descen-dants still carry on hisbanking tradition andname.

In 1895, Downer married Elizabeth BoquetPoinsett and built a mansion on a hill east ofPinole in 1900. Their twochildren, Hazel Downerand Edward M. DownerJr., were raised in thathouse, today the home

Continued on page 8

In 1905, he estab-lished the Bank of Pinolewith $12,500 in a rentedwooden storefront on

Main Street (now SanPablo Avenue). By 1915,he expanded to a newlybuilt classical stone

E.M. Downer (left), president of the Bank ofPinole, and Thomas W. Hutchison, assistantcashier, inside the bank.

The DownerBuilding oncehoused Greenstein’sPharmacy(lower level)and theoffices of Dr. ManuelFernandez(upper level).It was razedafter the 1989Loma Prietaearthquake.

8

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Saturday – Sunday7 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Continued from page 7of Don and Lynda Bar-tels. Edward M. Downerwas above all, a personalfriend to Pinoleans, andhis charitable acts weremany. He was instrumen-tal in Pinole being incor-porated as a city in1903.

The Downers werebenefactors of the Pinole-Hercules Methodist Episcopal Church, andthe new brick churcherected on Valley Avenuein 1925 (now the Churchof Christ) was dedicatedin Elizabeth Downer’smemory. Downer served

on the Pinole-HerculesSchool Board, was atrustee when Pinoleincorporated in 1903,served as the city’smayor for 25 years, andwas also president of thePinole Light and PowerCompany.

Edward M. Downerdied from a heart ailmentin 1938 at the age of 69.The Downer family todaystill carries on his tradition of communityinvolvement and gener-ous support of localcauses, including thePinole Historical Society.

The John Collins fami-ly left San Francisco inthe late 19th century andsettled on north TennentAvenue near downtown.John Collins and his wife,Julia, were both Irishimmigrants. Johnbecame a U.S. citizen in1889 at the age of 17and was a civic-mindedbusinessman.

John Collins was asaloonkeeper. He ran the Klondike Saloondownstairs while his family lived upstairs.

Turn-of-the-20th-centu-ry Pinole did a boomingsaloon business, andCollins’s tavern was oneof many along TennentAvenue.

The great Pinole fire of 1908 that destroyedForester’s Social Hallalmost burned down theCollins’s wooden homeclose by. In 1931, thePinole Opera Houseburned down, and againalmost took the Collins’shome with it. In the late1930s, the home wasstuccoed as it lookstoday for fire protectionfor the Collins familymembers still livingthere.

John Collins served for many years as town constable in the early

Continued on page 9

THREE FAMILIES THAT SHAPED PINOLE

The Collins home on Tennent Avenue, acrossthe street from the Pinole Youth Center.

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THREE FAMILIES THAT SHAPED PINOLEContinued from page 8

1900s. He died onDecember 12, 1909, atthe age of 37, leaving his wife, Julia, with seven young children—Margaret, John, Martin,Robert, Francis, Georgeand Edward. Julia wouldlater marry her hus-band’s brother, JerryCollins, and have twomore children, Geraldand Marie.

The Collins childrenwould grow into a com-munity-spirited family ofprofessionals who con-tributed much to Pinole’ssocial fabric. All wereactive in town events andwere greatly respected.

Oldest daughter Margaret was nine and athird-grader at the Pinole-Hercules School #1 whenher father died. Shewould become a teacherand principal of theschool, and later serve

as superintendent of thePinole-Hercules SchoolDistrict from 1940-1967.Pinole-Hercules School#2 was renamed Mar-garet Collins School inher honor.

Margaret’s sister,Marie, also taught manygenerations of Pinole’schildren. Brother MartinCollins was Pinole post-

master for 35 years,while another brother,Francis, was ContraCosta County districtattorney and Pinole’s cityattorney for many years.Another brother, Gerald,served in World War II inEurope, driving for General George Patton.

Always kind to chil-dren, kids could always

count on a whole Her-shey bar at the Collins’shome on Halloween.Descendants of theCollins family still live inthe Pinole area.

It is a fortunate coinci-dence that the homes ofall three families stillstand as a visualreminder of their legacyof service to Pinole.

Dr. Joseph Mariotti andhis late wife, Gretchen,restored the FernandezMansion. The Downerhome has been lovinglypreserved and cared for by Don and LyndaBartels.

The Collins home is the last remaining original home on upper Tennent Avenue and isowned by the city ofPinole. Its current fate is unknown, but it hassurvived more than 100years as a monument toa family dedicated toPinole’s betterment.

Francis Collins Margaret Collins

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NEW RESOURCE AT CONTRA COSTA HISTORY CENTER

Best of the Bay – KRON-TV✰✰✰✰✰

4 Forks – West County Times

PEDRO CANJURA, Proprietor

young womancame into theContra CostaHistory Center

the other day. She wasjust “killing time” until afriend came to meet her.Less than a half hourlater, she had seen thenaturalization papers ofher great grandmother.

These included notonly the naturalizationpetition itself, but theship on which her grand-mother had entered theUnited States, her resi-dence address at thetime, the names andbirthdates of all of herchildren, and personalinformation like heightand eye color.

Many times there isalso a picture of the indi-vidual in the file. Formany, this is the mostexciting kind of informa-tion they can find. And itis exciting for the HistoryCenter that they are ableto help such people tothis great historical infor-mation.

The Contra CostaCounty Historical Societyat 610 Main Street (homeof the History Center) is a treasure house oforiginal documents,indexes, compilations,and historic photos. Pro-fessional research firms,

scholars, and studentsuse its resources as therichest one-stop shop inthe county for East Bayhistorical materials.

Less known is the factthat it holds valuablerecords for family histori-ans and genealogists.

As anyone who hasdone much genealogyknows, not everythingone needs to trace one’sgenealogy is found onthe Internet. Althoughwonderful resources existat www.familysearch.org, www.ancestry.com,and hundreds of otheron-line sites, manyrecords are off-line andin local historical reposi-

tories. Also, the kind oflocal records that bringlife to family histories arefound exclusively at thelocal level.

The Contra CostaCounty Historical Societyis the Mecca for thesekinds of records.

As of October 2010,one of the most impor-tant genealogical sourcesfor Contra Costansbecame much moreavailable. Margie Newton,one of the regular volun-teers at the History Cen-ter, completed indexingthe naturalizations forContra Costa County.

The Contra CostaCounty Historical Society

holds many volumes ofnaturalization documentsin care for the ContraCosta County SuperiorCourt. The index to morethan 11,000 naturaliza-tion records can beviewed on the society’swebsite at www.cocohis-tory.org.

Naturalizations are thesingle most importantrecord class used totrace immigrant ances-tors to their home coun-tries. They contain directevidence of specific dateand place of birth,among much other infor-mation, as noted above.

Naturalization recordshave been the responsi-bility of different federal,state, or county courts.From 1850-1980, natu-ralizations in ContraCosta County took placein the county’s superiorcourts. After 1980, thenaturalization processmoved to San Francisco.An extensive article onU.S. District Court natu-ralizations is on-line atwww.sfgenealogy.com/norcal/resourcecenter/natural.htm.

Now, the only place tofind naturalizationrecords created in ContraCosta is at 610 MainStreet, Martinez.

— By Dean McLeod

Naturalization documents from 1850-1980 arenow part of the CCHS archives.

A

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In memory of: _______________________From: _______________________________Street address: ______________________City/state/zip: _______________________Phone: ______________________________Donation: $____________

Please clip form and send with check to

Pinole Historical SocietyPO Box 285

Pinole, CA 94564

PHS interviews on city of Pinole website

Miss one of our programs on Pinole Communi-ty TV?

Not a problem. The city’s website now has adedicated section devoted to PINOLE HISTORY onits “Videos Online” page.

You can view the numerous PHS programs right

on your computer. Go to www.ci.pinole.ca.us/about/videos.html and scroll down to PINOLEHISTORY. You’ll find our interviews, Veterans’ Dayprograms, George Vincent’s Walking Tour of Historic Downtown Pinole, and the very fine PCTV-produced, 12-part series based on the Historic Walking Tour brochure. It’s great TV!

CINDY MADRUGA

CATHY MADRUGA RICHARDSON

MASHACKIE ALLEN-CARSON

$5 off chemicalfor first-time clients

Check the Pinole Historical Society website for information on PHS

activites and events — and, of course, the history of the

sweetest city in the East Bay.www.PinoleHistoricalSociety.org

The Pinole Historical Society is grateful for donations of artifacts,

photos, newspapers, memorabilia—anything of historical significance.

Please contact us at info@PinoleHistoricalSociety.org

or call (510) 724-9507.

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PHS RECEIVES PHOTOS, DOCUMENTS FROM DONORS

City of Pinole Department of Public Worksannual report donated by Stanley Grogan.

Pinole historian Jessie Howe Clark (seated)was honored with a plaque and a tree (lowerleft) by the Pinole Garden Club at the dedica-tion of the Pinole Public Safety Facility onFebruary 3, 1985. This photo was donated tothe PHS by Claire Baker (standing)

he society thanks Stanley J. Grogan andClaire J. Baker for their donations of photos,documents, newspapers, and other memora-bilia. Included among these items are:

FROM STANLEY J. GROGAN• Several copies of the Pinole-Hercules News• City of Pinole Department of Public Work 1964-

1965 Annual Report.• 1965 Contra Costa CountyAnnual Report: “A

Report to the Citizens from the Board of Supervi-sors.”

• Pinole History in Pictures, 2nd edition, January1976

• Oakland Tribune newspaper article: “HighwayLeft but Pinole Didn’t Die,” June 2, 1963.

• 1964 Fiesta del Pinole books. • Rancho El Pinole: Early History of Pinole.• West County Times article: “What’s inside the

Fernandez Mansion,” May 18, 1977.• Contra Costa Gazette article: “Pinole—Founded

and Named By Spanish Explorers! City BecomingArea Of Suburban Living!” Nov. 28, 1958. FROM CLAIRE J. BAKER

• Program from the dedication of the Pinole PublicSafety Facility and the unveiling of the mosaic tilecity seal along with Poetry Landmark #10, February3, 1985.

• West County Times article: “Citizens asked forhelp pay for city seal,” February 4, 1985.

• 6 photos of Jessie Clark’s plaque, ThelmaMcPherson, Mrs. Clinton Lindell (Janie), Mrs. WadeOlds (Eleanore), Mayor Louis Borges Jr., and JessieClark, who was almost 95 at the time.

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The Pinole Historical Society promotes awarenessand appreciation of history through preservationand education, and chronicles the city’s heritage

for current and future generations.

PHS ELEMENTARYSCHOOL PROGRAMSContinued from front page

interesting, interactive program for the children,focusing on students and teachers who lived inPinole 100 or more years ago.

Pinole Historical Society Director Emeri-tus George Vincent (far right), a longtimeteacher in Pinole schools, presented a

Pinole history program to fourth-gradestudents at Ellerhorst Elementary Schoolin 2010.

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FAMOUS FOR OUR BBQCelebrating 26 years

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NATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTHContinued from front page

women who have made contributions totheir communities. West County mayorsand county supervisors select the honorees.

How March came to be Women’s History Month

The origin of women’s history monthgoes back to 1911 in Europe, whenMarch 8 was first celebrated as Interna-tional Women’s Day.

Women’s rights was a political hottopic in the early 1900s in Europe andthe United States. Women’s suffrage—the right to vote—was a priority of manywomen’s organizations. Also, womenauthors wrote and published books onthe contributions of women to history during thatera.

The depression of the 1930s, which hit on bothsides of the Atlantic, and World War II pushedwomen’s rights out of the public arena. The move-ment was not revived until the 1950s and 1960s,when author Betty Friedan described the “problemthat has no name,” referring to the boredom andisolation of the middle-class housewife who oftengave up intellectual and professional aspirations.With Friedan’s and others’ efforts, interest inwomen’s issues and their history blossomed.

By the 1970s, there was a growing sense that

history as taught in many schools wasincomplete and that women were invisible in most history courses. In that decade, many universities began to include the subjects of women’s history and the broader field of women’sstudies in their curricula.

In California, the Education TaskForce of the Sonoma County Commis-sion on the Status of Women began a“Women’s History Week” celebration in1978. The week was chosen to coincidewith International Women’s Day onMarch 8. The response was positive, andsoon schools began to host their ownWomen’s History Week programs.

The next year, a California groupshared its project at a Women’s HistoryInstitute at Sarah Lawrence College.

That presentation inspired participants to have theirown programs and to support an effort to have Congress declare a National Women’s History Week.

The National Women’s History Project began distributing materials specifically designed to sup-port observance of the week and to enhance theteaching of history throughout the year by includingnotable women and women’s experiences.

In 1987, at the request of the National Women’sHistory Project, Congress expanded the week to a month. Congress issued a resolution and the president issued a proclamation for Women’s History Month.

Marcia Kalapus

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CUSTOM-WRITTEN AND DESIGNED NEWSLETTERSFOR COMPANIES, NON-PROFITS AND ASSOCIATIONS

ESTABLISHED 1981

PHONE: 510/724-9507; 877/588-1212FAX: 510/741-8698E-MAIL: Jeff@TheNewsletterGuy.comWEB: www.TheNewsletterGuy.com

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JEFF RUBIN1517 Buckeye CourtPinole, CA 94564

Paula Harvey Christina IsleyJanine Smith Carol CarpenterSusan Burch Liz Tharpe

TOP FLOOR SALONFull-Service Salon

Skin & Spa Treatments Color-Coded CosmeticsRelax & Rejuvenate Makeovers

1690 San Pablo Ave., Suite EPinole, CA 94564 (510) 741-1150

NEW ADVERTISERShe PHS thanks all of its advertisers for their support and welcomes these new advertisers:— Embers

— Wilson & Krazter Mortuaries— Sam’s Dog House— Windermere Rowland Realty— West Contra Costa Transit Authority— Contra Costa County Green Business Program— Feriel El Ghaoui, D.D.S.— California Complete Gardening Service— Grocery Outlet

T

PinoleHistorical

SocietyBoard of Directors

Marcia Kalapus, President; Jeff Rubin, Vice Presi-dent; Sheila Grist, Treasurer; Jo Ann Gannotti, Secre-tary; Dr. Joe Mariotti; Vicki Martinez; Shirley RamosDirectors Emeritus

Jack Meehan, George VincentNewsletter Editor

Jeff Rubin

Tiep Vo(Kelley Nails)

MAIL TO: PINOLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY,

P.O. BOX 285, PINOLE, CA 94564

16

Name __________________________________

Address ________________________________

City __________________ State __ Zip ______

Phone ( ) _________________________

E-mail__________________________________

# of books @ $27.40 (book, tax, postage) ____# of books @ $24.14 (book, tax, pick up) ____Total amount due $________________

METHOD OF PAYMENT

Check: ❏ Payable to Pinole Historical SocietyCash: ❏

PinoleHistoricalSociety2011 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

PLEASE PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION,AND SEND CASH OR YOUR CHECK, TO PINOLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY,

P.O. BOX 285, PINOLE, CA 94564

Business ($50)Sustaining ($500)

AMOUNT ENCLOSED:[ ] Cash $________[ ] Check $________

Date paid: ________________________

MEMBERSHIPS ARE FOR THE 2011 CALENDAR YEAR (EXCEPT LIFETIME MEMBERSHIPS)

(PINOLE RESIDENCY NOT REQUIRED FOR MEMBERSHIP)

Name __________________________________

Address ________________________________

City ___________________State __ Zip ______

Phone ( ) ______________________

E-mail__________________________________

CIRCLE ONE:Annual ($30)Life ($150)

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PinoleORDER FORM

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