THE BURLINGAME HISTORICAL SOCIETY FALL 2011, ISSUE #128

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THE RECORD

Two Great Meetings This Fall

“Then and Now”Thurs. Oct. 27, 2011

7 p.m. Lane RoomBurlingame Library(see more page 3)

AND

Quarterly Meeting:“California Suffragists”

Thurs. Nov. 17, 20117:00 p.m.

Woman’s Club241 Park Road

(see more on this page)

Also in this Issue:New Acquisitions, New

Members, Did You Know? and President’s

Message

Centennial of California Women’s Right to Vote

! Nine years before the rest of the nation -- on October 10, 1911 -- California women received the right to vote. The marches and political campaigning organized by Woman’s Clubs throughout the state, including the influential Burlingame Woman’s Club, were instrumental in winning the vote. At our next quarterly meeting, we will honor the women (and men) who led the movement. Our meeting will be held at the site of some of the most ardent activism -- The Burlingame Woman’s Club -- thanks to the current members of the Club who graciously agreed to donate the use of their clubhouse. ! The program will feature the California Suff ragist Singers, comprised of three Masterworks Chorale singers (Jan Robertson, Katie Riggs and Elsa Schafer) as well as two AAUW/San Mateo members (Cathy Foxhoven and Kiki Arnaudo). The five women were the official singers at the Centennial Celebration held at the state capitol on October 10th. Kiki, Jan and Katie are all Burlingame residents and Cathy is a Burlingame Historical Society board member. Our program will also feature two Living History Presentations, honoring two noteworthy suffragists. Clara Shortridge Foltz, a lawyer at a time when most women were hardly allowed or encouraged to receive any higher

education, will be portrayed by Burlingame resident and AAUW/San Mateo member Les l ie Ragsdale. Selina Solomons, best known for her San Francisco “suffrage clubs” that served working women meals while educat ing them about the benefits of the vote, will be portrayed by Cathy Foxhoven.

THE BURLINGAME HISTORICAL SOCIETY FALL 2011, ISSUE #128

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New AcquisitionsThanks to Constance Cohen for B H S p r o g r a m f o r Commencement Ceremony, May 27, 2011; to Russ Cohen for the brochure, “California Historical Landmarks,” 1990 by Office of Historic Preservation, Calif. Dept. of Parks and Recreation, for a milk bottle marked: Spreckels Creameries Inc., Burlingame, Calif. and for 2 trophies: “Burlingame Majors, 1950 E. Collins” and “Airline League 1950-51 Hi Series, E. Collins;” to Rosalie McCloud for misc. information on local buildings; to Maribeth Farcich for posters advertising the “Peninsula Royalty” library talk given by Joanne Garrison; to Bernie Borok for 3 illustrated BHS football programs by Lon Keller: SM vs. BHS 1944, 1945 and SSF vs. BHS 1946; to Carol Bria for a b&w undated photo of 8 5 0 S a n M a t e o D r i v e a t P e n i n s u l a Av e ; t o J o a n Constantino for a framed original G. Wallace Johnson watercolor of the Burlingame Train Station c. 1980s; to Mary Packard for misc. archive supplies; to Joanne Garrison for paper ephemera; to Carl Martin for a digital copy of the Hanchett Dredge watercolor; to Jim Nantell for a Proclamation of the 1906 earthquake; to Cathy Baylock for a vinyl LP of the 41st Annual Spring Concert of BHS, 1965; to Wally Mersereau for copies of the following items related to the Wurlitzer Family: “The Lady of the Casa” biography of Helene V.B. Wurlitzer c. 1959, a memorandum on the Wurlitzer Family dictated by Rudolph H. Wurlitzer c. 1935 and “The Story of Rudolph H. Wurlitzer Family Business” by Lloyd Graham; and to Walt Vielbaum for 4 color scans of the Burlingame freight train wreck of August 19, 1953.

The next Little Big

Game is Saturday, November 12, 2011

at San Mateo; kickoff at 11

a.m.

THE BURLINGAME HISTORICAL SOCIETY FALL 2011, ISSUE #128

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“BURLINGAME: THEN AND NOW” THURS. 7 P.M. OCT. 27

Gates Family

Did You Know?

Hoover Elementary School

At 5:50 a.m., on August 19, 1953 , a 65-car freight train traveling southbound at 50-mph dera i led in the v ic in i ty of Cambridge and Oxford streets in Burlingame -- the worst train wreck in Peninsula history. Thankful ly, because of a 3-minute delay in the northbound commuter rail line, nobody was hurt. Eighteen cars derailed; a dangling brake beam catching the swi tch wa s to b l ame . Residents and other onlookers recall empty beer bottles and

airplane motor containers (marked “do not drop”) strewn all over. This photo was taken by resident Walt Vielbaum the day of the event. (see also President’s Message, page 4)

Welcome New Members and Upgrades

Zoran Joksimovic - IndividualKenneth Schiring - IndividualJok and Kirsten Legallet - IndividualNancy McGee - IndividualJeannie Howard Siegman - Benefactor Life

RPlease remember our

book when making your

holiday gift lists!(Available at Books Inc.)

Historical Society Board Vice President Russ Cohen will present “Burlingame: Then and Now -- a Photographic Comparison” on Thursday, October 27th as part of the Burlingame Centennial Lecture series at the Burlingame Public Library. This popular program will begin at 7 p.m. in the Lane Room.

Then

Now

President’s Message Each year we do our best to fill dozens of local and statewide research requests, including

occasional international inquiries. This quarter alone, we have provided numerous materials for research conducted by a university professor in Seoul, Korea, who is analyzing Shirley Jackson’s 1948 novel, “The Road Through the Wall.” Another request originated from Canada from an individual who, as a child, remembered having seen the worst train wreck in Burlingame’s history in the early

1950s, and needed to know the precise date of the incident. This type of question often falls into the “needle in a haystack” category that can easily become very time-consuming without enlisting the help of our longtime residents and members. Member Walt Vielbaum, with his extensive knowledge and vast collection of vintage photography of trains and streetcars, was able to determine the exact date of the crash easily, having photographed the calamity himself, in August 1953. We depend on the eyes and ears of those in the community who continue to observe and document life in Burlingame--history in the making! -Jennifer Pfaff

CalendarLibrary Centennial Series

“Burlingame: Then and Now”

Thurs. Oct. 27th, 7 p.m. Presented by Russ Cohen Lane Room of the Burlingame Library

Quarterly Meeting:

“California Suffragists”

Thurs. Nov. 17th, 7. p.m. Burlingame Woman’s Club 241 Park Road

Museum Open:

1st Sun. of each month, 1-4 p.m. Nov 6, Dec 4

Docents Needed! Please call 340-9960

Burlingame Historical SocietyP.O. Box 144Burlingame, CA 94011

www.burlingamehistorical.org650-340-9960

Address Service Requested - Time Dated Material

non-profitU.S. Postage

PAIDpermit #596

San Mateo, CA

Current Officers 2011:President - Jennifer Pfaff VP - Technology & Membership Diane Condon-WirglerVP - Museum Russ CohenTreasurer - Cathy BaylockSecretary - Rosalie McCloudLiving Histories - Cathy FoxhovenCorresponding Secretary - Mary PackardNewsletter - Joanne Garrison

THE BURLINGAME HISTORICAL SOCIETY ! FALL 2011 ISSUE # 128

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