Fall, 2012 - Pleasant Valley Historical Society and Museum

Pleasant Valley Historical Society
720 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, CA 93010
Fall, 2012
Vol. 8, Issue 2
Published four times a year, Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring
TheEcho
News from the Pleasant Valley Historical Society
48th Don and Doña Barbeque a Gala Event
Almost 250 people gathered on Sunday, August 26 in the Red Barn at the Camarillo House to
welcome the eleven newest Dons and Doñas into the ranks of those who had come before. The
day was beautiful, the food was tasty and the beverages flowed freely. The honorees were surrounded and cheered by their friends and families. For you who were not there, we are providing a brief bio of the honorees.
Pictured left to right: Thomas Maloney, David Edsall, Richard Wagner, Kathy Long, David Fowble, Susana Reeder, Patrick Reeder, Judy Crenshaw, Jane Donlon Waters, Janett Whitlock, Joe Yaeger.
Photo by Bert Misevic
JUDY CRENSHAW touched the lives of many children in our community while teaching at
Santa Rosa, Tierra Linda, La Mariposa and Dos Caminos Elementary Schools and at the University Preparation School at CSUCI (UPS). She was a Mentor teacher and served in many leadership rolls in our schools. She was the Chamber of Commerce Educator of the Month in 2009.
She was co-founder of “No Room At the Inn,” an annual fundraiser for Homeless Shelters of the
county. This event has collected and donated over $300,000. She and her husband, Keith
Crenshaw, have two grown children.
DAVID EDSALL is a fourth generation Ventura County resident, the great grandson of Caspar
Borchard of Newbury Park. He began his law practice in Camarillo in 1985 and has been active
in the community for many years. He has served for twelve years as a City of Camarillo Planning Commissioner. He is past president of Rotary; past chair of the YMCA; past Team Commissioner of PV Pony Baseball. He is current chair of the St. Mary Magdelen Fiesta and chair
of the St. John’s Hospital Foundation. He was a founding parishioner of Padre Serra. He married Terry Limon 31 years ago and they have three adult children.
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NEW DONS AND DOÑAS Continued from Page 1
DAVID FOWBLE has lived and worked in Camarillo for 21 busy years. As a businessman, he
joined the Chamber of Commerce in 1991 and has served as Director and Chairman of the Board.
He has been given the Chamber’s Small Businessman of the Year, the Volunteer of the Year and
Man of the Year Awards. He has been involved in the community’s health by serving on committees with St. John’s Hospital and the Health Care District. He has also been active in the education
community, the United Way, Boys and Girls Club and others. He was the 2006 Jefferson Award
winner representing Ventura County. He and his wife Carol have two adult children.
KATHY LONG is entering her fifth term on the V.C. Board of Supervisors, representing the third
district, which includes Camarillo and other cities. She and her husband moved to Camarillo in
1988 where they started their family and a small pest control business. As a business woman, she
was active in the Chamber, serving on numerous committees, including the Presidency. In 1991,
she began working for former Supervisor Maggie Erickson Kildee as an Administrative Assistant.
In 1996, Maggie retired and Kathy was elected to office. She has been widely recognized for her
community involvement with numerous awards. She and her husband, Keith, have one son.
THOMAS MALONEY spent 38 years with Grumman Aircraft Corp., at first in Florida ,where he
was involved in the Lunar Module (Moon Lander) and the Apollo Space Program and then locally
when he was transferred in 1972 to Point Mugu to work on the F14 Aircraft. He retired in 2002.
As a volunteer, he has been active with the Knights of Columbus, with St. Mary Magdalen, and in
the Old Town Camarillo Assn. where he helps with Cruise Night. He is also a member of the
Camarillo Fiesta Association. He and his wife, Eileen, are proud parents of a daughter, Kathleen, a
lawyer who was recently admitted to the Bar and certified for the U.S. Supreme Court.
SUSANA REEDER is the daughter of Carmelita FitzGerald Nicholson and the great granddaughter
of Adolfo Camarillo. Her family has been farming here since 1875. Her mother and her aunt,
Shirley FitzGerald, are also Doñas. She worked at several Bank of Americas in the county over her
35 years in banking and is currently with Rabobank NA. She has been a Director for the Camarillo
Ranch Foundation since its inception in 1998. She is very proud of her heritage and where it fits in
Ventura County and California. She is also proud of all of the accomplishments of the Ranch Foundation. She is married to Patrick Reeder.
PATRICK REEDER’s family has been farming in this area since 1886. His family is significant in
the root history of the Pleasant Valley. His mother’s parents, Gregory and Margaret Gill, came to
Camarillo in 1886. This Gill family was one of the original families in the Springville area. They
started farming on a small piece of leased land in Moorpark just after the turn of the century. In
1908, they bought their ranch on Laguna Road in Oxnard and have been farming row crops and citrus and avocadoes ever since. His mother, Margaret Marie Reeder, was named a Doña in 2002. He
is married to Susana Reeder.
RICHARD WAGNER spent 25 years with IBM. He retired in 1992 and started a new career with
Edward Jones Investments in Camarillo. He holds the designation of Certified Financial Planner.
His volunteer activities have included serving on the Boards of the YMCA , Boys and Girls Club,
Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club and the Studio Channel Islands Arts Center. He was instrumental in establishing a new four year public university in the county (CSUCI) and serves on the
Associated Students Governing Board. He is currently assisting with the planning of the new
Camarillo Academy High School. He is the father of three daughters and three grandchildren.
JANE DONLON WATERS was born and raised in Oxnard. She is a third generation Doña. Both
her mother and grandmother were Doñas before her. Her grandfather started the Livingston Foundation. Jane is a fifth generation Ventura County Farmer. From 1997 to the present, she has managed Donlon Ranch in Somis, growing lemons, avocados and blueberries for the commercial
Continued on Page 5
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PRESIDENT’S MESSEGE
IMPLEMENTING OUR MUSEUM EXPANSION PLAN
As you recall from the last ECHO, we have created a new “Vision:”
“The PVHS Museum shall be a widely recognized, comprehensive and user-friendly resource to the people
of the Pleasant Valley and environs.”
One of the goals adopted by the Board was to create and implement a Museum expansion plan.
On Wednesday, September 12th, 2012, our Site Committee Chair, Bill Manzer, I, and several of our officers, met with the City Council of Camarillo at a study session and presented our plan for a 2500-3000 ft.
building on the existing site. We also requested a long term lease for the Museum property. We were well
received by the Council and staff, and after our presentation, the Council directed their staff to further
explore our request including negotiations for a longer term lease. The first big step in the Museum Expansion Plan has been completed. Keep tuned for more information in the next edition of the ECHO.
“CROWNING” OF DON AND DOÑAS AT ANNUAL BBQ HUGE SUCCESS
Almost 250 members and guests attended the Annual Don/Doña BBQ on Aug. 26 th at the Camarillo Ranch House Barn. A great time was had by all in honoring our new and returning Don and Doñas.
A special thanks to all for attending.
INTALLATION OF THE NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS
At our Annual Meeting in June, we re-elected the following Board members for a three year term:
Ira Grooms, Renee Higgins, John Kitchens, Bill Manzer, Raelene Manzer, Albert Misevic, and Pat Roth.
New Board members elected to a three year term are: Max Copenhagen, Paul Hawblitzel, and Bill
Todd.
Elected to a two year term was Valerie Tackett, and to a one year term was Barbara Wagner
(these last two Board members were elected to fill current Board vacancies.)
Under a rotation system, 1/3 of our board is elected each year. We have a maximum allowable of
30 members on our Board, of which we currently have 29 filled. As you can see, the returning and new
Directors are an outstanding “Class of 2012-2013.”
NEW OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY
The 2012-2013 Officers were elected by the Board at the first meeting in July. They are: Hon. Stan
Daily-President, Frank Roth-Vice President, Liz Daily-Recording Secretary, Renee Higgins-Corresponding
Secretary, Bob Rust-Treasurer, and Ira Grooms-Parliamentarian.
SEE YOU AT OUR DINING OUT FUNDRAISERS: PRESTO PASTA ON OCTOBER 17 AND AT SOUPLANTATION ON
NOV. 5TH (See information on Page 4 and coupons on Page 7.)
Always,
Stan
Hon. Stanley J. Daily
President, PVHS and Museum
Mayor Emeritus
City of Camarillo
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PVHS at the Fair
Our handsome display at the Ventura
County Fair was constructed by Bert
Misevic with the assistance of Stan
and Liz Daily.
The theme this year was Rodeos,
Ribbons and Rides. Our display included VC County Fair RIBBONS
won by Mrs. E. W. Daily in the
1920s. For RODEOS, we added
chaps, spurs, a halter and reins, and a
curry comb from the Bert Culbert
collection plus an award to Joel
McCrea consisting of a cowboy on
his horse. Then we added pictures of
wagons for RIDES.
Serving on the planning committee
were Pat Roth, Liz Daily, Bert Misevic and Betty Sullivan.
Photo by Bert Misevic
DINING OUT
Come to Presto Pasta any time between 10:30
a.m. and 9 p.m. on Wednesday, October 17 and a
percentage of your dinner bill will be donated to
the Society.
Present the coupon on Page 7 to the cashier when
you are ordering. They are located at 1701 Daily
Dr. in Camarillo.
Souplantation’s dining hours on Monday, November 5, are 5 to 8 p.m. You must purchase a
beverage with your meal in order for us to receive
credit. No other discounts (such as for seniors) or
coupons will be honored. You must present the
coupon on Page 7 at time of purchase. Their address is 375 West Ventura Blvd., Camarillo.
We look forward to seeing you at both events
THE GIFT SHOP
A sign to identify our Gift Shop has been donated by Roy and Toni Farmer, former owners of The Gift Gallery in Mission Oaks. The
store was originally located in Somis and purchased by the Farmers in 1982. At that time,
it was in the 3200 block of Somis Road in the
“Yellow House.” About 18 months later, the
store was moved to the then new Mission
Oaks Shopping Center, next to what is now
the Mission Oaks Café (“MO”). The store
featured collectible gifts, such as Hummel and
Precious Moments figurines as well as greeting cards.
The Gift Gallery sign was purchased as part
of the move to Mission . The store closed in
1994 but the sign lives on and can be seen
whenever you visit the Museum and shop in
our gift store.
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STREET NAMES PROJECT
Bill Todd, one of our new board members, has taken on the research project of finding out the reasons for
the naming of over 1,070 streets currently in Camarillo. He started with the City’s Public Works Department and Bob Burrows, Community Development Director where he received not only maps of 10 different tracts as a beginning but one example of the naming process. Bob noted that Curt Stiles, an engineer
for one tract, named intersecting roads CURT Dr. and STILES Ave. after himself.
Other early finds are what might be called Honor Your Wife with a Street Name. BARRY Street is most
likely named after Marie Barry Fulton, wife of William Fulton. NANCY Street is named for Harold
Neish’s wife. NEISH Street is also in the area of his large avocado orchards in Camarillo Heights.
RAEMERE Street was named for John Arneill’s wife, Elizabeth Rae Arneill. “Raemere” means home of
the Raes.
Bill asks that any information that you, or relatives, friends, etc, know, have heard, rumored or proven,
about the naming of any street in the Camarillo area, be sent to him. Please email him at [email protected] . He will record and cross reference it with other information to be shared in subsequent issues of the Echo.
NEW DONS AND DOÑAS, Continued from Page 2
JANE DONLON WATERS, continued: market. She has a Masters Degree in Nursing and, prior to
1997, was Director of Nursing and Chief Nurse Executive at St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital. She
has several current and past board affiliations, relating to her love of the land. She and her husband,
Ed, have three grown daughters.
JANETT LARUE WHITLOCK ‘s grandmother, on her father’s side, is a direct descendant of Juan
Francisco Ortega who came with Father Junipero Serra and Portola in 1769 when they discovered San
Francisco Bay. On her grandfather’s side, his descendants were part of the first five families sent by
Spain from Mexico to establish a city in the area of Los Angeles. She is a distant cousin of Adolfo
Camarillo. She is an active member of the Friends of the Library and a member of the Pleasant Valley
Historical Society. She and her husband Roger have four daughters and seven grandchildren.
JOE YAEGER is a retired pilot with Western/Delta Airlines. In the community, he has served as a
coach for Pleasant Valley Boys Baseball, chairman of the Christmas Parade for six years, and president
of the Rio Mesa Athletic Boosters Club. For six years, he was a docent at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. He also served three terms on the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District Board.
He chaired the Ventura County Golf Club from 1989 to 2011. His hobby is “Golf, Golf and more
Golf!” He had three children with his late wife, Ruth Ann, and has six grandchildren. He is currently
married to Beverly.
MEMORIALS AND HONORARIUMS
In honor of Bruce and Kristi Colell’s 44th Anniversary by Adele Walsh
In honor of Christine Pellerino’s 90th Birthday by the Thiessen Family and Adele Walsh
In memory of Ralph Finfrock by James Thomas
In memory of George Kroll by Robert and Donna Lutz
In memory of Don Waters by his family.
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IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE THE COLORS OF AUTUMN AT THE
CHARLES HONN GARDEN
Betty Jo MacDonald, Garden Chair
You don't have to be in New England or Colorado to enjoy fall colored foliage--true, it is not often as spectacular
but for consolation you can view it locally through the palm fronds. I think we southern Californians never want
to stop boasting of our beautiful natural surroundings. So this fall, here are a few places that give us boasting
rights. Our own little garden has a grove of Populus Fremontii, Western Cottonwood, whose leaves turn bright
gold in the fall. The leaves of this tree quiver and shimmer in the slightest breeze creating a beautiful effect of
movement. We also have Cercis occidentalis, Western Redbud, whose heart shaped leaves turn gold and the
large Sycamores with leaves that turn from yellow to a burnt copper.
If you need a larger dose of color, head out to the coast to Pt. Mugu State Park. Go up Sycamore Canyon and the
fall colors there will literally be flying off the trees. Amid the golden and brown of the turning leaves of the Platnus racemosa, Western Sycamore, you will find living autumn color--migrating Monarch butterflies and the year
round resident Acorn woodpecker, in brilliant black, red and white.
If you travel to Placerita Canyon in Newhall, the site of the first gold discovery in California, the gold you will
find is in the many shades of yellow and red autumn leaves and golden grasses.
There is actually a grove of Populus tremuloides, Quaking Aspen, in southern California in the San Bernardino
Mountains on Highway 38. Six miles past Barton Flats on Trail 2E05, you will find the only place to see these
trees outside the Sierra Nevada. If you travel here on the weekend when the trees are in color, be sure to get a
wilderness pass in advance.
And for glorious color, visit Julian, AZ in the fall. There are colorful leaves aplenty but the real thrill is the brilliant reds and gold of ripening apples there for picking, and the reds of wine in the tasting rooms-- quite a unique
celebration of fall.
Closer to home, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden has many native plants which show fall color in reds, golds
and yellows and, if you want to plant native, their tremendous fall plant sale starts Sept 29 and continues through
Oct. 31. Celebrate the cooler weather by planting a native plant! If you want to create your own fall color, now
is the time to shop for plants at the nursery while they are showing their true colors. This is the best time to buy
as each tree has its own individual coloration and, when better to buy it than fall ,when you can see what it will
look like in your garden?
For reliable fall color in our warmer climate, here is a list of trees to begin your search for the perfect color:
Cotinus coggyira, Smoke tree, is a small desert tree with dark red leaves which stay on until cold weather. Cercis occidentalis, Western Red Bud, is another small tree whose leaves turn yellow in the fall. Japanese Maple
and Lagertroemia, Crape Myrtle, are two small trees with reliable fall color. For medium size trees, Diospyros,
the persimmon, is a stunning tree. Its leaves turn gold, then drop leaving its brilliant orange fruit hanging like
Halloween globes. Pyrus calleryana, the Bradford Pear, is another medium tree which develops beautiful fall
color. Its leaves, which turn deep red, hang on the tree until the end of November. A place to see this tree is on
Wendy Drive, north of the freeway where it is used as a street tree. Another beautiful street tree with slender,
drooping red and gold leaves is the Pistacia chinensis, or the ornamental Pistache. This is a beautiful tree but it
does get a lot of negatives on internet chat for being messy and invasive.
A beautiful conical tree, Gingko Biloba, the Maidenhair tree, takes the prize for fall gold. It is a slow growing
tree and is probably not used often enough in the landscape. It is on Camarillo's street tree list and the city has
planted several in the past few years. Liquidamber is one of the most popular trees for fall color in our region,
and it is surely a tree which you should buy now while it shows its fall color. Many of the trees for sale are not
named varieties and therefore you can't predict what color or how colorful the fall leaves will be if you plant it in
the spring when its leaves are green.
A glorious fall to you all! Celebrate by looking at trees with colorful leaves, going apple picking and Monarch
butterfly watching and pick a pumpkin or three at Underwood farms.
Have a great autumn and don't forget to plant your wildflowers when the rains begin.
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Executive Committee and Board of Directors, 2012-2013
Honorable Stanley J. Daily, President
Renee Higgins, Corresponding Secretary
Frank Roth, Vice President
Ira Grooms, Parliamentarian
Bob Rust, Treasurer
Ted Daniel, Member at Large
Liz Daily, Recording Secretary
David Hibbits, Member at Large
Directors:
Scott Baum
Max Copenhagen
Liz Daily
Honorable Stanley Daily
Ted Daniel
Ira Grooms
Paul Hawblitzel
Bob Hernandez
David Hibbits
Dr. Renee Whitlock Higgins
John Kitchens
Bill Manzer
Raelene Manzer
Ron McCown
Betty Jo McDonald
Bill Milligan
Albert Misevic
Carol Pinto
Roger Putnam
Val Rains
Franklin Roth
Patricia Roth
Bob Rust
Bill Todd
Tina Sanchez
Betty Sullivan
Valerie Tackett
Barbara Wagner
Adele Walsh
Committee Chairs of PVHS for 2012-2013:
Accessions, Cleaning, Display: Liz Daily; Annual Meeting, Facilities, Don and Doña BBQ, Grants: David
Hibbits; Docents: Adele Walsh; Don and Doña and Site Selections: Bill and Raelene Manzer; Gazebo Events:
Val Rains; Finance/Budget: Bob Rust; Policies: Burt Misevic; Garden: Betty Jo McDonald; Gift Shop: Carol
Pinto; IT: Max Copenhagen; Living History Day, Sunshine: Pat Roth; Membership: Bill Todd; Newsletter:
Betty Sullivan; Fundraising: Stan Daily; Publicity: Renee Higgins; Supplies: Tina Sanchez.
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NEWS FROM THE
PLEASANT VALLEY
The Pleasant Valley Historical Society Mission is to identify, preserve, classify, restore and acquire artifacts, buildings, landmarks, photographs and historical documents
HISTORICAL
of the greater Pleasant Valley area for the education and
SOCIETY
focal point for the dissemination of the history of the area.
use of the general public, and to make the museum a
720 Las Posas Road
REMEMBER
PO Box 570
Camarillo, CA 93011-0570
(805) 482-3660
E-mail address: [email protected]
Web site address: pvhsonline.org
Newsletter Editor:
Betty Sullivan, 482-6340
Let’s Dine
at Presto Pasta on
Wednesday, October 17, 10:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.
And
At Souplantation on
Monday, November 5, 5 to 8 p.m.
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
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Permit No. 128
12 noon to 4 p.m.
Oxnard, CA
Museum Open: Saturday and Sunday
PAID
Camarillo, CA 93011-0570
U.S. Postage
P. O. Box 570
Non-Profit Org.
Pleasant Valley Historical Society