Fresno Historical Society Grapevine Newsletter

Monthly news & updates

April 1, 2020

A WORD FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in. - Graham Greene

Leaning against the doorjamb of M. Theo Kearney’s private office, within reach of the Estate Office file drawers labeled Cotton, Raisins, Wheat, and so forth, it occurred to me that my connection to this place took root as a child during Sunday drives with my McFarlane grandparents in the 1950s. It was a bit of a journey for Valley east-siders, but the trip past Chandler Field through the dappled shade of lush palms and flowering oleanders on Kearney Boulevard is a poignant memory. The Fresno City & County Historical Society, where I have served as Chairman of the Board, and our physical location at Kearney Mansion weigh equally on my affections.

In 2019 the Society celebrated a century of collaboration by citizens who stepped forward to preserve our past. City and County leaders who formed the Fresno Historical Society in March of 1919 were visionaries who recognized that the records and artifacts of our Central Valley—past, present, and future—must be cared for and cherished. As we begin a new century, shouldering this responsibility is our mandate.

This past year has been a pivotal one. In April we celebrated our first century with a spectacular Centennial Gala at the Mansion, and I am deeply grateful to the Eaton, Smittcamp, Assemi, Woolf, Chandler and Harris families who joined me as major sponsors of our jubilant celebration. In August the Board of Trustees engaged Elizabeth Laval as President of the Society and administrator of affiliated entities preserving the M. Theo Kearney legacy. In October we presented our 30th annual Civil War Revisited weekend event, preceded by two Time Traveler days in Kearney Park where approximately 4,000 Valley students experienced interactive history lessons. December brought an expanded Christmas at Kearney , with decorated trees representing each decade of the past century placed in rooms throughout the Mansion. A dazzlingly impressive makeover converted office space beyond the gift shop into our first on-site Museum gallery, with life-size photographs of Christmases past by the legendary Pop Laval, courtesy of the Pop Laval Foundation. In the New Year, our President and dedicated staff have continued to assess and reboot every aspect of the organization in order to effect our mission of collecting, preserving, and sharing the history of our County. An energized Board has supported this dramatic transformation with confidence and optimism for a second century of service to the citizens of Fresno.

The need for succession planning on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee is something I have taken very seriously. The strides we have taken to leap into the next century, indeed into the new millennium, require a broad base of membership and demographic.

With an eye to the future, in 2018 I inquired of a young father, accompanying his delightfully inquisitive toddler daughter to Civil War Revisited , whether he might be interested in joining our Board. This was Martin Ilic, a talented designer and Associate at Darden Architects…and he agreed! Soon thereafter, he accepted a position on the Executive Committee as Board Treasurer, while also providing extraordinary vision, imagination, and support as Co-chair of the Centennial Gala event.

I am exceedingly pleased to announce that, at our March 23 Board of Trustees meeting, Martin was elected Chairman of the Board. I have every confidence in Martin’s leadership, his innate ability to turn work into fun, his tremendous creativity, and his resourcefulness in pitching local history to post-Boomer generations. Look forward to being charmed (if not astonished!) by the fresh look and community engagement of the Fresno Historical Society in the coming year…and when you see Martin be sure to thank him!

Cordially,

Sayre Miller

FCHS 2020 SLATE OF OFFICERS & BOARD OF TRUSTEES ANNOUNCED

With our new fiscal year beginning today, we are honored to introduce our current Board of Trustees. Without their dedication and selfless commitment to service, the Fresno County Historical Society could not be celebrating our 101st Anniversary.

Certainly, especially now, history is being made every day and your FCHS has prepared an extraordinary budget that will include exciting upgrades to our infrastructure that will allow for virtual exhibits, video oral histories, interactive educational components and so much more.Within this month, our new streamlined website will be launched. Stand by for a couple of really important announcements that will make all of you smile very soon....

As you can imagine, this is a difficult time for organizations such as ours and your support has never been more vital. Please consider becoming a member or renewing as soon as possible.

DONATE TODAY

We are working hard to ensure our history doesn't become history! And if you happen to speak with one of our Trustees (since you can't see them right now). tell them thanks .

Officers:

Mr. Martin Ilic, Chairman

Mr. Chris Woolf, Vice Chair

Mr. John Chandler, Treasurer

Ms. Sayre Miller, Secretary &

Immediate Past Chair

Board:

Mr. Dan Adams

Dr. Brad Jones

Hon. Robert Oliver, (Ret.)

Mr. Gary Renner

Mr. Walter Smith

Honorary Trustee:

Mr. Vincent Petrucci*

Legal Counsel:

Mr. Chris Campbell

* In Memory

ROOTS OF THE VALLEY: 1918 SPANISH FLU PANDEMIC

Two photos in downtown Fresno taken on November 11, 1918 as Americans celebrated the end of World War I with the announcement of Armistice despite being in the midst of the pandemic known as Spanish Flu. First identified in military personnel in spring 1918, it is estimated that about 500 million people or one-third of the world's population at the time, became infected with this virus.Infectious diseases already limited life expectancy in the early 20th century, but life expectancy in the United States dropped by about 12 years in the first year of the pandemic.

To maintain morale, wartime censors minimized early reports of illness and mortality in Germany, the United Kingdom, France and the United States.Papers were free to report the epidemic's effects in neutral Spain (such as the grave illness of King Alfonso XIII).These stories created a false impression of Spain as especially hard hit,giving rise to the pandemic's nickname, Spanish flu.

Photos by Claude C."Pop" Laval.

For a real-time account of the 1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic in Fresno, compiled and updated almost daily by Dr. Ethan Kytle, Professor and Chair of the Fresno State History Department, please

click here.

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: BILL FENTON

A dedicated volunteer since August 2017, Bill Fenton has worked on several archival projects for the Society. Originally from upstate New York, Bill became interested in the study of local history by his work in throughout the San Joaquin Valley as a Professional Land Surveyor for Caltrans.

Now retired, Bill has created detailed finding aids for the Seeberg & Donahoo Sporting Goods Store Records, the C.S. Pierce Lumber Company Records and the extensive Henry Mattei Andersen Papers. He also helped to research the history of the Society for our Centennial Gala exhibits in April 2019. Currently, Bill is part of the Parcel Photograph Project team. He has prepared image sheets for digitization and is helping to create the database which is the ultimate

goal of the project.

Bill is a genuinely cheerful person who loves to tell stories and make his colleagues laugh. A diverse volunteer, he also does data entry for several genealogy organizations, has mapped local cemeteries for the Fresno County Library’s Heritage Center and is a dog rescue transport volunteer. Bill and his wife Patty have both volunteered to decorate for Christmas at Kearney for several years. Patty Fenton is an amazing baker who has donated many treats for our Christmas at Kearney events. A fan of basketball and hockey, on New Year’s Day 2018, Bill and his son, currently serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, attended an outdoor hockey game in New York City.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

As you can imagine, our Archives are currently closed to the public and our volunteers are mainly on hiatus. We sure miss seeing their friendly faces each week. Fortunately, I am able to work while s heltering in place on a variety of projects including the REACHABLE grant partnership with Fresno State.

One of the main tenets of the mission of the Fresno County Historical Society is to preserve local history as it happens for the generations yet to come. With that in mind, we are actively gathering materials that document the COVID-19 pandemic in Fresno County so that the full impact of this crisis can be understood far into the future.

And, your help is needed! We are collecting and archiving official statements from local businesses, organizations and government offices as well as looking for photographs, videos and personal stories of how the pandemic is affecting you. On the 100th anniversary of this pandemic, what would you like to see or know? How will you want this time chronicled for your great-grandchildren?

Ideas include photos of buying lines, empty shelves, streets and businesses and any other images or videos that seem relevant. There are hundreds of memes and social media posts that have become signs of the times. As you see them, take a screen-shot for us.

Please email your content to archives@valleyhistory.org , along with your full name, hometown, the location and date of the content and its originating source. For collection purposes, send what you have via email and not through social media. If you would like to submit your personal COVID-19 experience, Click Here for a form you can complete and submit. Never before has a crisis of this type occurred in a digital world. Be a part of this County-wide documentation project.

Stay tuned for more news from the behind-the-scenes activities of the Fresno County Historical Society Archives. Check valleyhistory.org for updates on reopening the Archives.

Archivist Katy Hogue has a B.A. and M.A. in History from Fresno State where she graduated with honors. Since 2016,

Katy has been dedicated to preserving the Society’s collections and sharing them with the public. Contact her at

archives@valleyhistory.org for research requests or donation queries.

YOUR MEMBERSHIP SUPPORT IS VITAL

As shelter in place orders remain in effect though this month, the Society offices continue to be closed to the public. Like many others, much of our work is now virtual so we continue to make exciting plans for the future and look forward to sharing them with you after the crisis has passed.

To realize all of the opportunities that the Society has to preserve, learn and share the story of the Fresno County, we rely on the on-going generosity of our community through financial investment.

Help us keep our history alive with a membership gift now.

JOIN TODAY

THE FRESNO HISTORICAL SOCIETY

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