T H E CO N CO R D H I S TO R I A N “ P R E S E R V I N G T H E P A S T T O P R O T E C T T H E F U T U R E ”

Inside This Issue:

The Soldier’s Memorial ............. 1, 4

President’s Message .................... 2

New Members ................................ 3

Announcements/Events ................. 3

Dinner-Auction Fundraiser ............ 5

Dinner-Auction Reservation .......... 6

CMEC Capital Campaign Update .. 7

Donations ........................................ 8

Business Members ........................ 9

Membership Application .............. 10

Spring Tea Items Needed ............. 10

THE SOLDIER’S MEMORIAL MONUMENT By Vivian Boyd

How many times in your life have you passed the Monument? You know,

the big white, concrete obelisk found on a corner in Pleasant Hill. Have you

ever used it as a landmark when giving directions? Have you had occasion to

witness a ceremony at its base? Do you remember driving on either side of it?

It stands 45 feet high and weighs 150 tons. There is a circular staircase lead-

ing to an observation platform at the top, but it has been closed for many years

due to public safety concerns. The Monument was originally located at the

junction of Victory Highway and the Pacific and Redwood Highway. In 1954

when a new highway was built the Monument was moved to the intersection of

Boyd Road and Route 21 (later changed to Monument Blvd.). Years later it was

moved to its current location, as roads were reconfigured and plans for the cur-

rent alignment of Interstate 680 were under way. It was surveyed by the County

in 1994 and restored with funds from Contra Costa County Supervisors, Vet-

eran's fundraising, and the City of Pleasant Hill in 1998. On Memorial Day of

that year it was also rededicated.

When the Soldier's Memorial was dedicated on December 11, 1927 to com-

mentate the soldiers of World War I (“The Great War”), it created quite a stir.

The soldiers wear green trench coats and hold the butts of their rifles on the

ground with two white crosses on either side. Three of the soldiers are painted

white and one is black. It wasn't until the memorial was first rededicated to the

warriors of World War II and the Korean War that people said that the memorial

actually depicted the realities of a modern army. Today it stands in recognition

of all who serve in the armed forces.

Beyond its relevance in honoring the servicemen of our county, it has sig-

nificance to art historians. The bas-relief sculpture at the top was created by one of the most important sculptors in the Bay

Area during the 1920s and 1930s, Ralph Stackpole. Born in 1885 in Williams, Oregon, Stackpole worked as a laborer to

help support his family after the death of his father in a sawmill accident. He came to San Francisco at age 16 to study at

Continued on page 4

A Quarterly Publication of the Concord Historical Society

Concord, CA

Volume 44, Issue No. 3 August 2015

Editor: John Carlston © 2015, Concord Historical Society

VETERAN’S MONUMENT,

PLEASANT HILL

August 2015 THE CONCORD HISTORIAN Page 2

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Wow, the summer has been flying by.

The Society has been rolling along. Marc

Willis and Chuck Gabrysiak, after getting our

much anticipated building permit from the

City of Concord, are working on the Concord

Museum and Events Center. If you look at

our website, concordhistorical.org, you’ll see

a picture of the progress. This historic pro-

ject could not continue without our generous

supporters, as our membership continues to

grow and we see the real progress made to-

ward opening a permanent museum, the

fruits of our labor will be clearly seen by the

community.

Lind Higgins now has three volunteers at

the Resource Center. If you want to see what

goes on behind the scenes of the Society, stop by the Resource Center on 1700

Farm Bureau Road on any Tuesday afternoon from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. Lind is doing

a superb job. She has the organizational skills and the knowledge of the Society of

ten people!

Joanne Fryer, Barbara Strehlitz, John Keibel and myself have been at Thursday

night Music in the Park and we’ve been having a fun time listening to the good mu-

sic and seeing friends while attracting new members. People are interested in their

history and, we hope, share the enthusiasm we have for our historic project.

Our new Board members have passed the spring and summer working on their

assigned projects and helping in the planning of the Dinner/Auction fundraiser that

will be held on October 17. You should have received your invitation to the event

by e-mail or US mail. There are only 20 tables and 9 of them have been reserved

already. There is a little competition between a few different graduating classes of

Mt. Diablo High School, ‘57, ‘60, ‘61, ‘63, and ‘70, as to how much money they

can raise. So far the class of ‘57 is the one to beat and we thank you for your sup-

port. Various parties have already reserved tables at the event. Stan Gaunt and Jim

Trolan have kindly volunteered to serve as out bartenders for the evening. It prom-

ises to be a fun event which will give us all a chance to visit with old friends, enjoy

delicious meals from Englunds, and raise a lot of money to benefit your historical

society and its museum project.

I realize that we regularly express our need for more members and larger dona-

tions. I want to reiterate that our immediate need for funds is great in order to accom-

plish the tasks at hand in the form of the construction project we have underway.

However, once our museum and event center project is complete the society hopes to

be in a better position to support and sustain itself by offering a beautiful and historic

venue for receptions, reunions, luncheons and meetings. Adjacent to it will of course

be our first class museum for the community to enjoy. Our current and ongoing edu-

cational programs will make you proud. With the support of our Mt. Diablo Uni-

fied School District Board, local 3rd grade teachers, and because of our Board mem-

bers Vivian Boyd, Judy Trette, Karen Mangini, Martha Riley and Dick Allen, the

field trips to the Galindo Home and Gardens in the Fall and throughout the year will

be one of a kind.

I know you’ll have a fall, full of fun and adventures, and I look forward to seeing you in October or just around town.

Your President, Carol Longshore

Board of Directors

President:

Carol Longshore

First Vice President:

Vivian Boyd

Second Vice President:

Jim Trolan

Secretary:

Carole Kelsch

Treasurer:

Jan Trolan

At Large Members:

Board Member Emeritus:

Paul Larson

Kay Massone (1937-2014)

Dick Allen

John Carlston

Lloyd Crenna

Barry Cunningham

Evelyn Cunningham

Joanne Fryer

Chuck Gabrysiak

David Gagliardi

Lind Higgins

John Keibel

Terry Kremin

Karen Mangini

Marv McKean

Brad Morimune

Larry Prosper

Martha Riley

Barbara Strehlitz

Tom Wentling

Concord Historical Society’s

Resource Center

1700 Farm Bureau Road

Concord

(925) 827-3380

Open Tuesdays 1:00 to 4:00 PM

Visit us on the web at:

www.concordhistorical.org

www.concordhistory.com

August 2015 THE CONCORD HISTORIAN Page 3

Honorary

Board of Directors

Willard Ballenger

Horse Rancher/Breeder

and World War II Veteran

Dave Brubeck (1920-2012)

Musician/Composer

Richard A. Cuneo

Winery Executive

Joseph L. Campbell

Pres. - Contra Costa Water Dist.

Hart Fairclough (1924-2013)

Educator/Athletic Coach

Judith Morgan

Author/TV Writer/Artist

James Serventi

Colonel, U.S. Air Force (Retired)

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Christmas at the Galindo Home at the Historic Galindo Home Museum

December 2015

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Anne Eggleston

Letizia Dale

Dinner and Auction Concord Senior Center

Saturday, October 17, 2015

August 2015 THE CONCORD HISTORIAN Page 4

Continued from page 1

the California School of Design (later the San Francisco Art Institute). After

establishing himself as an artist, Ralph Stackpole had a studio at 716 Montgom-

ery Street in San Francisco and he rented space to photographer Dorothea Lange

and her husband Maynard Dixon. It was said of Stackpole, "… he knew every-

body in town from top to bottom ...", and his friends credit him as being a

“remarkable draftsman who painted and sketched constantly.” Both Stackpole

and Dixon were members of the Bohemia Club and had established an extensive

artist’s community. After the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, Ralph Stackpole

traveled to Paris and studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. After returning from

France, he married his first wife Adele in 1912, and in 1913 his son Peter Stock-

pole, a notable photo journalist, was born. Friends with artist Diego Rivera,

Stackpole also spent time in Mexico and helped Rivera obtain commissions in

San Francisco. Much of Rivera's style is reflected in Stackpole's sculpture.

During the Great Depression, he was part of the Public Works of Art Project,

the Federal Art Project, the Works Progress Administration, and the Section of

Painting and Sculpture for the Treasury Department.

You can see other works by Stackpole: the stone figures, "Industry", outside

the San Francisco Stock Exchange, the Art Deco bas-relief masterpiece in Oak-

land's Paramount Theatre and the public art project of murals within Coit

Tower. He also designed architectural features on the Palace of Varied Industry

at the Panama Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco in 1915.

Stackpole taught at the California School of Fine Arts (CSFA) for almost twenty years. He also met and discussed pho-

tography with Edward Weston and Ansel Adams in Carmel.

He sculpted an eight-story figure of Pacifica, the theme of the exposition, for the Golden Gate International Exposition

held on Treasure Island in 1939, which took two years to complete. The sculpture was dynamited in 1942 when the U. S.

Navy took over the island as a base in World War II. Ralph Stackpole moved to France with his second wife Ginette in

1949, returning to San Francisco periodically to visit family and old friends. Stackpole died in France in 1973 at the age of

88. Some of his sculptures, paintings and drawings, kept by Stackpole’s son Peter in his Oakland home, were destroyed in

the 1991 Oakland Hills Fire in which Peter’s home was destroyed.

We have wonderful public art in our midst, take a minute to reflect on it as you pass on the freeway.

RALPH STACKPOLE, SCULPTOR OF

THE PLEASANT HILL MONUMENT

THE STATUE “PACIFICA” AT THE GOLDEN GATE

INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION IN 1939

RALPH STACKPOLE WORKING ON “PACIFICA”

August 2015 THE CONCORD HISTORIAN Page 5

Our 1st Annual CMEC Dinner-Auction Fundraiser

“Building a Future That Preserves the Past!” As many of you know, the City of Concord (originally named Todos Santos) was founded in 1868, and 2018 will mark the 150th anniversary, our “sesquicentennial”. We don’t know if there are any plans for a citywide celebration that year, but we can’t think of a more appropriate venue to hold one than our proposed Concord Museum and “Event Center”, provided our building project is complete. It would be easy to look back over the past six years and applaud what our non-profit organization has been able to accomplish with the Galindo Home & Gardens, but even as we move forward with our Concord Museum & Event Cen-ter project, we still have a major challenge ahead of us. Fundraising remains a key factor for us to stay on track for a 2017 completion date as our progress is dependent on receiving adequate funding. As part of our Capital Campaign to raise funds for our CMEC project, we are excited to be holding our 1st Annual Con-cord Historical Society Dinner-Auction Fundraiser and would appreciate your assistance in the following three areas: 1) Volunteer your time and talents! Our Planning Team has been busy organizing this event and we are looking for volunteers to assist with organizing, set-up, donations, registration and check out. If you can serve on one of our com-mittees, please contact Carol Longshore at 685-6710 (or clongshr@astound.net). 2) We need donations! For any auction to be successful, we need to solicit donations that can be used in our Live, Si-lent, and Dessert auctions, and our raffle. Some suggestions include: a one week stay at your vacation home, tickets to a game of one of our Bay Area sports teams, golf outings for four, day trips to the wine country, a catered dinner for eight, gift certificates to a local restaurant or merchant, vouchers for professional services, bottles of wine for our raf-fle, etc. If you have a special recipe or favorite bakery, we are also looking for delicious desserts (that will serve 10) for our dessert auction. If you have a donation, or know of any local business or person that can provide us with a dona-tion, gift certificate, or service, please contact Vivian Boyd at 818-2312 (or vivianboyd84@yahoo.com) with your con-tact information (name, phone #, and email). If you can assist us in reaching out to our community for donations, please contact Judy Trette at 682-7271 (or jtrette@aol.com) and she can provide you with our CHS donation letter.

Please note that all gifts to the Concord Historical Society are tax deductible as allowable by law. 3) Plan to attend our event and bring a guest! Invitations have been mailed out and general information regarding our event can be found on our Concord Historical Society website at www.concordhistorical.org .

Individual tickets are available at $50 and table sponsors for 10 at $500, subject to availability. We have a limit of 200 attendees for our first year so make your plans early! We are looking forward to a fabulous evening of delicious food, wonderful fellowship, and an incredible fundraising opportunity for our Concord Museum and Event Center project and hope you can join us! Thank you again for your participation and support! Your Dinner-Auction Fundraiser Planning Team, Carol Longshore, Vivian Boyd, Carole Kelsch, Karen Mangini, Brad Morimune, Judy Trette, and Pam Martin

August 2015 THE CONCORD HISTORIAN Page 6

1st Annual Concord Historical Society Dinner-Auction Fundraiser

(To benefit our Concord Museum & Event Center building project)

October 17, 2015 5:00-8:30pm

Concord Senior Citizens’ Center 2727 Parkside Circle - Concord

“Building a Future that Preserves the Past”

As part of our Capital Campaign to raise funds for our Concord Museum and Event Center project, please join us for a fabulous evening of delicious food, wonderful fellowship, and an incredible fundraising opportunity! Englund’s Café will provide the catering, we will have a variety of exciting opportunities (including our live, silent, & dessert auctions, raffle and balloon pop) to support our CMEC project, and we hope to see you there! If you have any questions regarding our event or registration, please give us a call or send us an email. Thank you for your ongoing participation and support!

Carole Kelsch, Reservations, at 934-8631 (email: ckelsch@astound.net) Brad Morimune, Event Chair, at 674-9126 (email: blmorimune@gmail.com) Carol Longshore, CHS President, at 685-6710 (email: clongshr@astound.net)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------- ***** cut here *****

(Please complete the lower response section and return with your check to the address listed below) Yes, I would like to attend this event! Individuals: # of reservations requested x $50 = $ Table sponsors: # of tables (for 10* attendees) x $500 = $ (*Full list of guests must be provided by October 1st; follow-up email will be sent by our Auction Comm.)

Make check payable to: Concord Historical Society (write “Dinner-Auction” in memo section of check)

Name(s): Guests (if applicable): Address: Phone #: Email address: Mail your completed reservation form and check to: CHS Dinner-Auction Fundraiser c/o Judy Trette 3881 Palmwood Drive Concord, CA 94518

August 2015 THE CONCORD HISTORIAN Page 7

Concord Museum & Event Center (CMEC) Capital Campaign Update By Brad Morimune

At our Annual Membership Meeting back in March, we had our CMEC ‘Capital Campaign Kickoff’ and outlined the projected costs to complete our museum project by 2017. Based on current estimates, we need to raise at least $450,000, or approximately $150,000 per year for the next three years, to stay on schedule. Chuck Gabrysiak and Lloyd Crenna, our CMEC project co-managers, have been hard at work to keep us moving forward, so fundraising re-mains a primary focus.

The Board decided earlier this year to organize one major annual event that would serve as our ‘fundraising’ out-reach to the community, and we have scheduled our 1st Annual Dinner-Auction Fundraiser for October 17, 2015 at the Concord Senior Citizens’ Center. The event will provide an opportunity for 200 attendees to show their support and we hope to raise at least $30,000 that evening!

That leaves another $120,000 we need to raise this year, and while that may appear to be a daunting challenge, we have an incredible offer from our major benefactor for which we need take full advantage of! The Betty Barnes Trust is providing “matching funds” for all monetary donations made to the “CMEC project” by the end of this year! That means a donation of $50 becomes $100, or $1,000 becomes $2,000, and gets us that much closer to having the CMEC project finished in three years!

Based on approximately 300 members and donors, I have provided the following illustration of how a unified ef-fort by our financial supporters over the next three years could provide the necessary funds to achieve our annual goals. The amounts shown below are for example only and your donation can be made for any amount you can pro-vide.

200 x $ 50 = $10,000 We have an incredible opportunity to leave a 50 x $ 100 = $ 5,000 lasting legacy to our community and we appreciate 30 x $ 250 = $ 7,500 and thank you for your ongoing support! 10 x $ 500 = $ 5,000 5 x $ 1,000 = $ 5,000 If you are unable to attend our October event, we 3 x $ 2,500 = $ 7,500 would appreciate your consideration of a donation 2 x $ 5,000 = $10,000 to our CMEC project using the form below. 1 x $10,000 = $10,000 301 donations = $60,000 x 2 = $120,000 towards our CMEC project!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ** cut here and return lower portion with your check **

Name: Address: Phone #: Amount of donation: $ Make your check payable to: Concord Historical Society Be sure to write ‘CMEC project’ in the memo section to qualify for the matching funds. Mail a copy of this completed form, along with your check, to: Concord Historical Society P.O. Box 404 Concord, CA 94522

August 2015 THE CONCORD HISTORIAN Page 8

THANK YOU FOR

YOUR GENEROSITY

AND CONTINUED

SUPPORT

Paul Larson

In Memory of Kay Massone

In Memory of Dolores Quinlan

Janet Mundy

Reynold & Maybel Johnson

Robert Massone

In Memory of Tillie Larkins

William Larkins

Donations—Photos, Artifacts, Library Materials

Nancy Brennar via Vivian Boyd - Intermediate School teaching kit containing: booklets, Mount Diablo, The "Devil"

Mountain of California (2), The Indians of Contra Costa County; copies of newspaper articles on Mt. Diablo and Black-

hawk quarry; Historical map of Contra Costa County; photos on early Concord mounted on cardboard (13); Portfolio - Cali-

fornia Gold Rush 1849, containing maps, letters, photos, documents (2)

Beverly Brooks - Polk’s City Directory, 1962; book, High Country Canvas, by Vada Carlson; Concord City Budget 1959;

Lioness Club Minutes book 1979-1990; Photos, B&W: Florence Leon; Concord Elementary School 8th Grade 1944; Con-

cord Lioness: Lioness Club Charter May 3, 1949; Charter Night, Ladies at Chubby Humble’s, waitresses at Chubby Hum-

ble’s, installation of Dorothy Blackwell and Susan Humble, installation of Trudy Jones 1949; Lions Club 1948; Aerials of

Concord (25)

Sandra Burns via Peter Vasconi - Antique clothing: hat 1920s – purple, mourning, flapper, black (3); women’s shoes (4);

men’s spats; dress - 1920 flapper, hand beaded (5); 1920 afternoon dress (2);feather caps (2); fan (2); gloves (5 pair); seal

skin muff; purse (8); afternoon hand bag, embroidered; top hat (3, one with box); silk stockings (3 pair); women’s hat (6);

1900 sheared beaver jacket and stole; nurse’s uniform, WWI (2); sailor’s midi WWII; coin purse (2); 1956 ball dress, black

cut velvet; 1880 day dress (2); 1890 dress (2); blue and purple dinner dress 1901; evening dress, black lace 1914; 1958 wed-

ding dress, white; cocktail dress 1960; evening dress, black 1960; dress, white and silver beaded; shirtwaist, black lace;

skirt, black lace with white satin underskirt 1840; white underskirt 1900 (3) vests, black formal (3;) night gown, cotton (5);

night gown, men’s; apron; skirt, black; cape, black velvet; robe, black velvet; 1914 jacket, sterling silver with fur; 1914

jacket, gold velvet; shirtwaist, various colors (7); skirt and blouse, green; worker’s white with dots outfit; skirts, black (5);

skirt, 2 pieces, black velvet; collar, cotton (2), fur; glasses; gloves, stockings, purses, lace handkerchiefs, fan

Cara Butler - Guitar from Concordstock, “Memories” by Wentling Studio, Dirk & Nancy Wentling

Joan Carrico - Youth Council Scrapbooks with clippings, photos, posters, programs; 1961-1978, 1983-84, 1984-84, 1985-

86, 1990-91; Photo album, Olympic Torch relay 2002; binders, sponsorship packages for Holiday Lightfest at the Pavilion

1998 (4); Video, In Focus, April 1999; Olympic Torch relay celebration 2002; Color negatives, unidentified subjects (116)’

Photos, color Lightfest 2000 (50+/-); 1998 (40 +/-; CDs with color photos of Christmas activities (3)

Frank Dibetta - Photo, B&W, Boys in a Concord City recreation program 1998; Concord Elks Lodge No. 1994 newslet-

ter, Elk-A-Zette April 1972, April 1973, November 1975, April 1976, June 1976

Marie Fryer - Photos, B&W, Eniwetok Village, Todos Santos Plaza w/wisteria pergola

Tom Green - Photos and materials 500 items +/- related to the Naval Weapons Stations. Most not identified

John Keibel - Abstract from Pacific States Telephone Companies phone book, 1899, showing Concord (6) and Clatyon (1)

phone numbers

Joan Reed - Pavilion memorabilia: puzzle in a can, 10-year service plaque, merchandise bag, money clip, pencil, flash-

light. Dairy needs indicator

Gene Rideout via Gerry Argenal - Photos, B&W, (2) Dr. George McKenzie

Howard Shelley - Blotter from Bud’s Shoe service, Map, Concord 1951 w/advertising; negatives: Cowell Bay Point Rail-

road steam engine; Salvio Pacheco Adobe remodeling 1976 (10 sets of photos); brochure, St. Michael’s and All Angels

1951

Judy Trette - 10 china cups & saucers for use at Society teas

D O N A T I O N S

In Honor of Mark Willis

Stephen Weir

Donations—Financial Contributions

Museum Building Fund

Quester’s 49ers Chapter No. 652

Pierrette Spetz

Anne M. Eggleston

GFWC Clayton Valley

Women’s Club

Quentin M. Sweeny

Willard Ballenger

James & Gayle Serventi

Fr. Richard Mangini

August 2015 THE CONCORD HISTORIAN Page 9

CONCORD HISTORIAN NEWSLETTER AD APPLICATION

One Year – Four Issues $100.00 Business Card reduced to fit (2 ½” x 1 ¼”)

Double size (2 ½” x 3 ½”) $200.00

Date ___________________________

Name _________________________________________________________________________

Company Name _________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________ City State Zip Code

Business Card Enclosed________ Amount Enclosed_____________

Non-Profit Tax ID No. 23-7094512

PLEASE CONSIDER

ADVERTISING WITH US

The Concord Historical Society has a steady regular

circulation to its membership. Also, we hand out cop-

ies of our newsletter at all of our events, as well from

our booth at special community events such as those

held in Todos Santos Plaza. When it comes to adver-

tising for your business, please consider advertising

with us. Thank you.

We would like to thank our business members for their contributions

which help publish the Concord Historian

August 2015 THE CONCORD HISTORIAN Page 10

DONATIONS APPRECIATED

The Concord Historical Society (CHS) welcomes gifts of funds, stock or property, and bequests in Wills and Trusts or in

honor or memory of someone. Because CHS is an all volunteer organization, 100% of your gifts goes to its projects. Un-

specified gifts will be placed in the General Fund. All gifts are tax deductible and will be acknowledged personally and in

the newsletter unless you request otherwise. Checks should be made out and mailed to: Concord Historical Society, P. O.

Box 404, Concord, CA 94522. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

CONCORD HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

NAME (please print):

Mailing Address:

E-mail Address:

Telephone:

Annual Membership Categories:

Supporting (1 or 2 people): $30.00; Supporting Family Household (more than 2 people): $50.00;

Nonprofit: $50.00; Business: $100.00; Benefactor: $200.00; Life Membership: $500.00

Additional Tax deductible donation:

General Fund:

Museum Fund:

Oral History Fund:

Archive Preservation Fund:

Landmark Plaque Fund:

Total Amount Enclosed

If you would like to volunteer, please select your choice:

School Programs Fund Raising Newsletter Administration Docent

Documentation Membership Oral History Walking Tours Research

MISSION STATEMENT

The Mission of the Concord Historical Society is to discover, preserve and dis-

play objects and materials of significant historical interest, importance and value

in relation to Concord and its vicinity, to identify and preserve Concord’s histori-

cal structures and to discover, preserve and disseminate knowledge of Concord’s

history.

SPRING TEA COMMITTEE NEEDS BUTTER KNIVES

The Concord Historical Society is in need of butter knives (similar to those pic-

tured) that are used at its annual Spring Tea. If anyone has extra butter knives

they would be willing to donate, it would be a tremendous help to our wonderful

Spring Tea Committee in charge of organizing and putting on this event. Thank

you in advance for your generosity.