KAREN WHITAKER - MICHAEL STEVENS ELECTED TO MUSEUM BOARD

Los Encinos Historical Monument
Ventura Boulevard March 2007
photo by Jerry Fecht, from his walk across the Valley


What better way is there to celebrate the coming of May in the San Fernando Valley that the election of Michael Stevens and Karen Whitaker to the Board of our Museum.

Karen has a background in journalism and non-profit management. She is an advocate for arts in the schools and is dedicated to civics education at all academic levels. She resides in Agoura Hills.

Michael Stevens specializes in the marketing of non-profit organizations. Prior to making his home in North Hollywood, Michael resided in Northridge. His chief focus with our Museum will be acquiring sponsorships for our Virtual Musuem for the 21st Century Initiative.

CITRUS SUNDAY IS COMING SOON

Early 20th Century Orange Grove in Southern California
Historic Post Card Collection
The Museum of the San Fernando Valley
Gift of Gary Fredburg - Spring 2007

Here's a special message from our Museum Advisor, John Bwarie.

It's time for Citrus Sunday again in the Valley. On Sunday, May 6,
2007, join with neighbors from across the Valley in providing fresh fruit
for those who are in need. This is a community-wide effort, and we need
your help. Perhaps you know a neighbor or friend who you could tell
about the project? Perhaps your school, organization, or workplace wants
to participate as a group and do an independent collection in
conjunction with Citrus Sunday? Spread the word, and join in Citrus Sunday!

This year's event is even easier than last year, with two easy ways to
participate:

1. Collect fruit from your own trees and deliver them to one of the 13
drop-off locations (see flyer below for drop-off locations). Or...............

2. Join the Citrus Sunday team at various locations to pick fruit by
signing up in advance as a volunteer (with lunch provided!).

Information on how to participate and to sign up to volunteer with the
group can be found here:
http://www.lacity.org/council/cd12/pdf/CitrusSundayFlyer2007.pdf

Hope you'll be able to join in the Citrus Sunday effort,

John Bwarie Deputy District Director
Office of Councilmember Greig Smith
Chatsworth office: 818-701-5253
Northridge office: 818-756-8501

**Participate in Citrus Sunday on May 6th!**
(check out www.cd12.org for more information)

MOTHER OF MRS ARMITAGE FORBES

The mother of Mrs. Armitage Forbes.

Ms Forbes was a majr leader in the
preservation of California historical
sites in the 1930s.

She inspired the bells of the El Camino
Real and helped save Campo de
Cahuenga.


Thanks to our newest "Museum Community" member, Phyllis Hansen we had added several photographs of Mrs. Armitage Forbes' family to the Museum's Virtual Photo Achieves. This photograph is inscribed "To Kay with fondest love from Mother 1894." At the bottom of the photo's back is printed: "Mrs. ASC Forbes Mother, presented to her sister Kate Smith."

You can achieve your historical photographs in The Museum of the San Fernando Valley's Virtual Photo Achieves, by scanning the images you want to share. Put them in a pdf format and send them to jerry@anchoreducation.com
In a week or so, you will receive an official donation form with details about sharing your historical treasure.

GONE WITH THE WIND

Olivia de Havilland and baby Patrick Curtis 1939


Lots of Valley folks got their starts, and are still breaking into show business early in life. Patrick Curtis writes:
"I played "Baby Beau Wilkes" the son of Melanie & Ashley Wilkes, (Olivia De Havilland, & Leslie Howard)." Patrick, was the baby in Gone With The Wind, lives in St. George, Utah.

NOTRE DAME HS 50TH REUNION BLOG

One of the best ways to create or re-create a community of people with a shared interest is through a Blog, like this one.

To help Notre Dame High School get the 50th reunion of the Class of 1957 up and running, I've created a Blog for the group. In response to the first Blog posting, messages came from one-time Valley students now living in Sweden and Thailand, and an alumnus traveling in Sicily.

Their blog address is:
http://ndhs1957.blogspot.com/


The virtual world is here, and your Museum is preparing an entirely new kind of museum to work within it. Check into this Blog often to read our the Museum's progress creating our Virtual Museum for the 21st Century.

Don't forget to have some tea and an English muffin on Monday, Saint George's Day.

"The San Fernando Valley deserves a great regional Museum of history and culture."

"A VIRTUAL MUSEUM" TOPIC FOR MUSEUM BOARD MEETING IN ARPIL

The Greek God Apollo
Guards Beauty Salon
Woodland Hills
Spring 2007

Photo by Jerry Fecht
on his walk from
Calabasas to the
Caheunga Pass






The April meeting of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley's Board of Directors and Advisors will take place this next Wednesday at 2pm (until 4:30pm) at Campo de Cahuenga. April 25th.
Our topic of discussion will be the Museum's goal of being a VIRTUAL MUSEUM COMMUNITY. (If you are reading this on the Museum's blog/journal - or, as an email, you are already in "virtual" communication with our Museum.
My wife Janne, who is a CPA, told me that the Valley's Post Offices had almost 45% fewer tax forms sent by mail this year. So many forms were submitted electronically, that the IRS had to extend its due time for e-returns. The virtual age is not coming in the future; it is here now!
Bring you thoughts and ideas about a VIRTUAL MUSEUM COMMUNITY to our meeting. Or, if you can't join us, use the comment section at the end of this Blog entry, or send an email with your thoughts on a Museum Without Walls.
Cell Phones - E-Mail - I-Pods - Digital Cameras - Text Messages - Blogs - E-Books - Yahoo Communities - Blue Stars with Cell Phone messages - and, more and more and more!

"The San Fernando Valley deserves a great Museum of history and culture." Join our Museum adventure today!

CAMPO DE CAHUENGA ACQUIRES HISTORIC PORTRAIT OF MRS. ARMITAGE FORBES

Mrs. Armitage Forbes
"California's Bell Lady"

Portrait by Orpha Mae Klinker
(1891-1964)

Acquired by Campo de Cahuenga
April 2007




Phyllis Hansen, board member of the Campo de Cahuenga Historical Memorial Association, knew she had seen the pastel portrait of Mrs. Armitage Forbes somewhere before. Fortunately she had in her files, a 56-year-old clipping about a "Ceremony to Pay Honor to (John C.) Fremont" from the January 11th, 1951 Los Angeles Times.

There in the news article, about ceremony honoring the role that Fremont played in the signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga, was a photograph of the California artist, Orpha Klinker with a painting of Fremont, the soldier who would become the first Republican candidate for the Presidency of the United States. And, to the right of the painting was a pastel portrait of Mrs. Armitage Forbes, the woman who spearheaded the creation of California's famous El Camino Real bells.

With great excitement, Phyllis Hansen told her fellow Campo board members of her discovery; she had found the pastel portrait of Mrs. Forbes and it was for sale!

Acting quickly, the Acquisitions Committee of the Campo de Cahuenga Historical Memorial Association authorized the pastel's purchase from a Riverside estate-sales company. On April 16, the pastel along with a preliminary sketch of her painting of John C. Fremont, was shown for the first time in over a half century at Campo de Cahuenga, at the site Mrs. Armitage Forbes helped preserve for generations yet to come.

The pastel portrait of Mrs. Armitage Forbes is being framed and will be on display after the completion of the Campo's renovation now underway.

Orpha Mae Klinker, is an important California artist. Her series of color portraits, Speaking of Pioneers, created a wide spread respect for her talent and subject matter. Orpha held a lifelong commitment to preserving the site where the
Treaty of Cahuenga was signed in North Hollywood, ending the Mexican-California War of 1847.
She was vice president of the Campo de Cahuenga Association and was "one of the best qualified and most genuinely interested historical painters in California."

IMPORTANT NEWS ABOUT LATINO FAMILY HISTORIES

Garden of El Torito Cafe
Tarzana
Cafe and Garden
demolished 2007






Among the first commitments made by The Museum of the San Fernando Valley was to retrieve the "missing histories" of Latino individuals and families among our 1,800,000 Valley residents.
Your Museum is determined to bring more Latinos onto our Board and our decision-making process.
The Museum of the SFV is pleased to support the efforts of the Genealogical Society of Hispanic America (GSHA) in its efforts to promote knowledge and awareness of Hispanic culture and genealogical research. If you would like to learn more about GSHA, call Ms. Donie Nelson at 310-839-3140 or e-mail her at doniegsha@earthlink.net

MUSEUM LIBRARY RECEIVES HERITAGE GARDENING GUIDE

Shrine to the historic Buddha
Japanese traditional statue
Hanna Carter Garden - UCLA
Spring 2007







Special thanks to the Family of Southern California Water Agencies for its gift of "Southern California Heritage Gardening Guide."

The Museum of the San Fernando Valley, through our "Green Museum Initiative" is committed to educating Valley residents about ways homes and neighborhoods can be enhanced with "California Friendly" plants. This guide features over 1,000 water-responsible plants.

Learn more about the Southern California Heritage Gardening Guide at bewaterwise.com


Shrine of the Buddha in the Japanese tradition
Ventura Boulevard - Spring 2007

VISIT WEBSITE OF LOS ANGELES FORUM FOR ARCHITECTURE & URBAN DESIGN

Toluca Lake San Fernando Valley 2007


Board members and Advisors of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley are encouraged to visit the website of the Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design. The Forum's address is: info@laforum.org

The LA Forum for Architecture and Urban Design was founded in 1987; "dedicated to supporting innovative art, architecture, design, and urbanism that takes this city as a laboratory." The Forum initiates, presents, and debates architectural and urbanistic speculations about Los Angeles.

Reading about LA Forum's responses to the unique challenges of our City and its future is an important guide for those of us now debating the structure and possibilities for The Museum of the San Fernando Valley.

MEET ARTIST CYNTHIA MINET AND CELEBRATE WOMEN'S RIGHT TO VOTE

Squid Flower Fabric Sculpture by
California Artist Cynthia Minet



87 artists celebrate the passage of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution (Women's right to vote) in a special exhibit entitled: Pillow Talk - Small Comforts in Hard Times. Meet Cynthia Minet and other artists at the opening reception:

April 14 (from 4 to 6 pm) Ruth Bachofner Gallery Bergamot Station
2525 Michigan Avenue Santa Monica

Cynthia is a Los Angeles-based sculptor and a teacher at Moorpark College. The exhibit is particularly important to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley, since it celebrates both art and history. Learn more about Cynthia by visiting her website: www.cynthiaminetstudio.com/ - 5k
Exhibit ends on May 26th

SAVE DATE FOR MUSEUM BOARD MEETING

WEST VALLEY
GAS STATION 2007
tumbled glass stream and landscaping


Don't forget!
There is a meeting of the Board of Directors of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley on April 25, 2007. Campo de Cahuenga - 2:00 pm until 4:30 pm. Universal City Subway exit. Bring a sweater - Campo gets chilly.

WORLD ART TREASURE STILL IN CALIFORNIA

Detail from the Keiskamma Altarpiece

For those of us who missed the amazing Keiskamma Altarpiece on exhibit at the Fowler Museum (UCLA) or at the United Methodist Church in Santa Monica, there is now one terrific reason for a weekend in San Francisco. Grace Cathedral will host the display of this world-class treasure, the Keiskamma Altarpiece until May 29, 2007.

The wonderful hand sewn Keiskamma is a profound statement of hope against the darkest hours of plague and suffering. The "grandmothers" of Hamburg, South Africa have seen the loss of over 60% of their community within a decade. Virtually without young mothers and fathers, these elderly women are raising HIV infected children against colossal odds.

Not since Mattias Grunwald great Isenbeim Altarpiece in 1515 has such a profound artistic statement been made in the form of an altarpiece. In the 1500s the plague was called St. Anthony's fire, in Hamburg, South Africa it is called AIDS. Jerry Fecht www.gracecathedral.org www.keiskamma.org/ - 7k

Can you see the footprint of mankind on nature in the tapestry?

SAVE THE DATE - CALABASAS FINE ARTS FESTIVAL

Plummer House House
Leonis Adobe Museum


The Calabasas Arts Council will hold its 10th Annual Fine Arts Festival on May 5 and 6 at 23975 Park Sorrento in Calabasas. The event is free and paid parking is convenient. Information: (818) 878-4225 ex. 270

Plan to visit the historic Leonis Adobe Museum and Plummer House too. They are located at 23537 Calabasas Road. Information (818) 222-6511

TO WHOM DOES THE MUSEUM OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY BELONG? WELL ... TO YOU OF COURSE!

Dr. Tina Chang and medical team members, Courtney Wilson and Tammy Shugerman
The Animal Clinic of Encino

The health of domestic animals has been a vital interest in the San Fernando Valley, since Spanish colonists introduced them here in the last decades of the 1700s. When the great rancheros were established, an on-going concern for cattle and sheep became a way of life in Southern California.

Domestic dogs were brought here from Spain through Mexico for sheep herding and even for military purposes. House cats were introduced by Catholic missionaries and early Spanish and Mexican families for the purpose of rodent control and companionship. Cats had the run of the Mission San Fernando Rey de España through special little doors, still viewable by visitors.

Your Museum wants those who work at The Animal Clinic of Encino to know the role their profession has played in the development of the San Fernando Valley. But a great Museum also uses its collections and knowledge of the past to teach about important animal-related issues today and the future.

The Animal Clinic of Encino is located at:

18010 Ventura Boulevard
Encino, CA 91316
Tel: (818) 342-7900

How many pet dogs and cats do you think share the San Fernando Valley with us today?
Jerry Fecht

DARING MUSICAL COMEDY BEGINS AT NOHO ARTS CENTER

Willard Simms, the Chairman of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley's Performing Arts Committee, introduced me last year to the completely renovated NoHo Arts Center in North Hollywood. When I saw NoHo's play Lizard, I knew that first class little theatre was in the Valley - big time!

After seeing two performances at the NoHo, I asked my wife for season tickets as a Christmas present. The first play that we saw in this year's series was called "Feed", a science fiction story starring one of LA's best young actors Paul Denniston. (Paul has just bought his first home in Studio City.)

This week NoHo Arts Center features a no-holds partisan production called Bush is Bad. We are looking forward to this musical that has been playing to sell-out crowds in New York for two years. It takes courage to do politics-based theatre, and NoHo Arts Center compliments the San Fernando Valley by bringing challenging theatre to our town.

NoHo Arts Center
11136 Magnolia Boulevard North Hollywood, CA 91601
Information and Reservations call: 818-508-7101
tickets@thenohoartscenter.com

CHARMING GIFT ARRIVES FROM WASHINGTON STATE

Flower Bed on Tapanaga Canyon Boulevard - Chatsworth

This last week, Genevieve Rebbe of Granite Falls, Washington sent The Museum of the San Fernando Valley an especially nice little gift. Ms. Rebbe, sorting through a jewelry box, found her Van Nuys Junior High School graduation pin from 1948. The pin is a little gold shield with the letter LA at the top, JHS at the center and VN at the bottom. Thanks Ms. Rebbe for thinking of your very own Museum down in California.
Building a Museum for today and for future generations requires all kinds of activities and support. Sometimes its a little donation such as Genevieve Rebbe's Van Nuys Junior High School pin that is especially important. The small pin is now, not only part of our San Fernando Valley history collection, but tells us that someone, all the way up in Granite Falls, Washington is rooting for our success. Thanks a million!

A SPINGTIME TELEPHONE CALL FROM IRAN

Here's a snapshot of "Peanut Man" at his final day before retirement last year at Dodger Stadium. He was part of what going to see our Dodgers play was all about. After he left, I wondered why in the heck I hadn't asked him for his autograph.
Jerry Fecht


I received a telephone call very early this Easter morning from my lifelong friend Aladdin Zarrinpour, who became my Fraternity Brother in Phi Delta Psi at Pierce College, long ago.

Aladdin was the first Moslem, whom most of us at Valley and Pierce Colleges had met. He taught those who became his lasting friends that loyalty and caring are treasures that transcend national boundaries or religious beliefs.

Aladdin gave his friends in the San Fernando Valley many treasures, not the least of which was an exposure to the magnificent Persian poet and scholar, Umar ibn Ibrahim al-Nisaburi al-Khayyami - known best in the western world as Omar Khayyam. The great Omar Khayyam created one of the world's oldest museums and a magnificent center for the study of history, mathematics and astronomy. His Rubiat remains one of the great love poems of all time.

When I told Aladdin about The Museum of the San Fernando Valley, he reminded me that Omar Khayyam would have encouraged us in our ambition to create a great Museum of history and culture - but that we need to do it without delay!

Preserving and sharing the history of one of the world's most important creative communities must not be passed by!

As Omar said,
"The moving finger writes, and having written moves on. Nor all thy piety nor all thy wit, can cancel half a line of it."

SPRINGTIME COMES TO LOS ANGELES

"Ptolemy III" by Jean (Hans) Arp

One of the greatest treasures of Los Angeles is the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden on the north campus of UCLA. The garden is especially enjoyable in springtime. I took this photograph just a few weeks ago while visiting the terrific Fowler Museum. Make a day of it at UCLA by adding the Botanical Garden to your visit. A great way to usher in springtime. Parking is $8 per car, and admission to the Fowler is free. Jerry Fecht

HAPPY EASTER AND A JOYOUS PASSOVER
to all the friends of
THE MUSEUM OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

MARK YOUR CALENDAR CALABASAS ARTS FESTIVAL

The 10th Annual Calabasas Fine Arts Festival will be held May 5 and 6 from 10 to 5 daily.
Free - Good Parking
23975 Park Sorrento, Calabasas for information (818) 878-4225 ex. 270
www.cityofcalabasas.com

CHARMING POST CARD COLLECTION UNDERWAY AT YOUR MUSEUM

Since the invention of the printing press, vital historical information has been encoded onto paper. One charming way your Museum learns about our City and Valley is through the collection and archiving of Post Cards. Thanks to our officers Gary Fredburg and Fred Berk, we've been actively collecting San Fernando Valley Post Cards for the last three years.

In this very short time, your Museum has aquired rare and colorful images such as: "Satan" The Movie Wrestling Tiger (Van Nuys), "The Capital of Filmland" (Universal City), "The San Fernando Motor Court", and "Mickey Rooney's Home" (Encino). Putting together the history of the San Fernando Valley and the greater Los Angeles community, is a lot like finding the pieces to a jigsaw puzzle. And, amassing a comprehensive collection of vintage post cards is one really fun ways of working at it.

The Museum's friend Jim Cavener has just alerted us to an April 2nd article in the Los Angeles Times about a special exhibit of Los Angeles vitange post cards going on at the City's wonderful Heritage Square Museum. We agree with Jim that the article by Time Staff Writer, Bob Pool is a great insight into the historical value of vintage post cards. Check it out. And, by the way, if you want to help us build The Museum of the San Fernando Valley's Post Card archieve, give us a call: (818) 347-9665.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-postcards2apr02,1,3233260.story

CHECK OUT THE TARZANA COMMUNITY CENTER

A couple of years ago, early on Sunday morning, a woman knocked at our door in Tarzana. She introduced herself as Helen Baker, a neighbor. Her reason for coming by, she explained was that a land-mark statuary store on the corner of Vanalden and Ventura Boulevard had been sold, and there were plans to convert the site into a self-storage facility. Such a facility would massively alter our residential neighborhood. Helen said that a community center would be a far better use of the land. My wife and I agreed and gave her a check for a hundred dollars, and wished her luck.

That was before we knew Helen. And, that Helen makes luck happen!

Today the Tarzana Community Center stands as a tribute to the vision and very hard work of Helen Baker and many others. It benefits not only Tarzana, but also the entire San Fernando Valley. The Center is the home of the Tarzana Historical Society, which maintains a terrific little museum (with lots of great Edgar Rice Burroughs memorabilia.) Some Saturday morning when you meet a friend for breakfast at the Little Café, or have lunch at California Pizza Kitchen, walk down the block and visit the center. Or, preview the Center at its website:
www.mytarzana.org

The Tarzana Community Center's Mission Statement

The Tarzana Community and Cultural Center will be an environment conducive to community activities, the resource for cultural experiences and local historical information, and treasured for its sensitive response to Tarzana’s residents’ and businesses’ shared desire for a place in which to come together, dream, create and grow.

Glad Tarzana Community Center shares our Valley - Jerry Fecht

MUSEUM'S MISSION STATEMENT

MISSON STATEMENT of
THE MUSEUM OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

The Museum of the San Fernando Valley collects, preserves and interprets documents, artifacts and oral and video histories related to the culture and history of the San Fernando Valley and its residents, for the benefit of scholarly research and public enjoyment.

BETH PERRIN APPOINTED TO VISIONARY TREASURES COMMITTEE

The Museum of the San Fernando Valley is pleased to announce the appointment of Beth Perrin to our prestigious Visionary Treasures Committee. Ms. Perrin, Past Grand President of the Native Daughters of the Golden West, will help in the selection of men and women whose lives and careers mark them as "visionaries" and "treasures" of the greater San Fernando Valley. She joins Susan Ingham of Reseda and Michael Broggie of Thousand Oaks, who will be soliciting nominations for inclusion in this hall of honor to those who have changed history. Three to five persons who have made a major impact on our lives in the San Fernando Valley will be added annually to the Visionary Treasures rolls.

Beth Perrin, a member of the Board of Directors of the Campo de Cahuenga Historical Memorial Association, has a lifetime of service to the preservation of California history. She has worked tirelessly to preserve and enhance the Campo, one of the San Fernando Valley's most important historic sites. Beth and her husband Deuk Perrin were part of the effort to create the Tarzana Community Center. The Perrins reside in the Simi Valley.

RANIA PALLAD TREASURER MUSEUM OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

RANIA PALLAD

A major voice in the development of a strong regional Museum of History and Culture for the San Fernando Valley is our Treasurer, Rania Pallad. Rania was raised in the Valley and has a commitment to the arts and the preservation of history. She is Vice President and Executive Director of the non-profit theatrical organization, Theatre of Will.
Rania is gifted with amazing organizational skills and a relentless work ethic. She manages Theatre of Will's educational productions for San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles area schools. She understands the challenges of non-profit fund raising and has the vital experience to develop a solid economic foundation for the Museum's future.
A part of the San Fernando Valley's Greek community, Rania was trained as a professional dancer and has important insights into all aspects of the performing arts. She is the Board's representative on the Museum's Performing Arts Committee.
In the last three years, Rania Pallad has not only served as Treasurer of our Museum, but has submerged herself in the process of grant writing and organization building for Theatre of Will. She also has an in-depth knowledge of California educational standards as well as skills in grant writing techniques.
Rania is a graduate of California State University Northridge. She and her husband, the award-winning playwright Willard Simms live in Tarzana, California.
You are encouraged to visit Threatre of Will's website at:
http://www.theatreofwill.org

Rania Pallad will be happy to discuss your personal or organizational support for The Museum of the San Fernando Valley. You may leave messages for her through Anchor Education Foundation at: (818) 347-9665.

ARTICLE ABOUT OUR MUSEUM IN SAN FERNANDO VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Here's an article about The Museum of the San Fernando Valley's disassociation with LA Valley College. Our Museum did not disband as indicated in the story. Please post you comments at the end of this article. I'll pas them on to Mark Madler, or you can do so directly:

Mark R. Madler
San Fernando Valley Business Journal
818-316-3126
mmadler@sfvbj.com

MUSEUM GROUP TO REACH OUT TO BUSINESS
By Mark R. Madler
Valley Glen
Having severed ties with Los Angeles Valley College , a group of Valley residents that operated the college’s historical museum now set their sights on a bigger mission.

Gerald Fecht and other members of the disbanded board of the Museum of the San Fernando Valley still want to see a museum with a contemporary history collection that will appeal to young people. 

The San Fernando Valley as well as the city as a whole deserves to have a museum of its own, Fecht said. 

“ Los Angeles is the only major American city that does not have a city historical and cultural museum,” Fecht said. 

The group promoting the museum met on March 28 to discuss how to proceed, just a month after their association with Valley College ended.

The group of volunteers including Fecht came on board in 2004 and later incorporated under the name of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley to operate a historical museum on campus.
 Then the museum board was told that its incorporation violated community college district policies and that the museum’s artifacts and the $110,000 it had in the bank all belonged to the college. The board members’ roles were lessened in running the museum. 

The campus museum now falls under the care of the Valley College Foundation and a new advisory committee while Fecht and the board members embark on a new project. 

Fecht said there are no hard feelings in that the college was only following the advice of its lawyers. 
“In my opinion there was no one at fault. The college president was concerned we would move artifacts off campus,” Fecht said. “That was never our intention.” 

Foundation Executive Director Raul Castillo said he was sorry to see Fecht and the board go but there had been a difference of philosophy on the future of the museum. “We can have a regional museum and still stay on campus,” Castillo said. 

The college museum currently occupies a bungalow that was one of the original administration buildings. In a few years it will move to a new 1,500 square foot facility, Castillo said.

The school’s budget will determine how much can be spent on programs and marketing for the museum, Castillo said.

“That has always been our hurdle,” Castillo said. “Our success has always been through word of mouth.”

As Fecht and his colleagues go about bringing their museum to fruition, they will reach out to the business community.

Often times, Fecht said, cultural institutions treat business merely as the cash cow to get donations and sponsorships from but otherwise they don’t want them around. But that’s not the case in the Valley where the area’s evolution is so strongly tied to business, he said. 
The aviation industry helped the Valley grow and the entertainment industry put it on the map. But there was also, Fecht pointed out, the sports industries, clothing manufacturing, the automotive industry, and agricultural – from ranches to horse breeding. 

“The Valley has a far richer history than people realize,” Fecht said.

MILESTONE FOR BOARD MEMBER GARY FREDBURG

Congratulations to Board Member Gary Fredburg on his retirement as Vice President - Investments. for UBS PaineWebber. Gary has served our Museum as our Vice President since our reincorporation in 2005.

A resident of Burbank, California, Gary Fredburg is a graduate of Van Nuys High School and an alumnus of Woodbury University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business. He is the Chairman of the Museum of the San Fernando Valley's acquisition committee. Gary collects and sells rare printed materials, and has been instrumental in building the Museum's collections of rare Los Angeles / Valley area postcards and related artifacts and documents.

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR MUSEUM AT THIS VITAL TIME.

Several of you have requested information on how you can make contributions to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley, now that we are no longer affiliated with L.A. Valley College or its historical museum. Tax-deductible contributions can be made through the good offices of Anchor Education Foundation, a 501c3.
Checks should be made to:

The Museum of the San Fernando Valley
c/o Anchor Education Foundation

21031 Ventura Boulevard
Suite 419
Woodland Hills, CA 91356

During our three year affiliation with Valley College, donations to the Museum were made through the school's "Patrons Association" (a non-profit foundation) and its 501c3 tax exempt status with the Federal Government.
As a California non-profit corporation, with a strong record of public service, The Museum of the San Fernando Valley is eligible to file for our own 501c3 and will be doing so within the month. This procedure is a major priority for your Museum, and the first $500 donated to the Museum through Anchor Education will be used for this filing for our own tax-exempt status.

Thank you for supporting the Museum. The San Fernando Valley deserves a great Museum of History and Culture.

Jerry Fecht