Museum
Tidings
Summer Issue
2002
The official quarterly newsletter of the Tehama
County Museum
(WebPage edition)
Editor's note
It has been much too long since the last issue of
the Museum Tidings newsletter. We apologize for
that. For the past year, Margaret Bauer's health
issues made it physically impossible to for her
carry out all of her Museum responsibilities. When
she passed away in April of this year, she left
several pairs of important shoes to be filled. The
secretarial shoes are being filled by Paul Quinn.
He says they feel a little loose. The newsletter
editorial shoes are being filled by her son, Chris
Bauer and by Jim Stevens. They both have big feet
but they, too, say the shoes feel a bit loose. It
has taken several new members to fill her Board
member shoes. Her membership chairman duties are
being handled by Marty Graffel and her special event
organizational duties are being tackled by the entire
Museum Board.
Because she did so many things herself, in some
cases we will be reinventing the wheel as we learn
to drive the car. Our plan is to resume quarterly
publication of the newsletter. If you would like
to get some item in the newsletter or offer suggestions,
phone Chris Bauer at 384-1463, or send an e-mail
to: cbauer@rbuhsd.k12.ca.us Thank you.
Margaret C. Bauer 1915-2002
By Paul Quinn, Secretary
It is with great
sorrow that I inform you that our friend, our Museum
founder, Margaret Bauer has died. She passed away
April 20, after several years of struggling with
health problems. She leaves a legacy second to none.
That familiar voice on the telephone and in print
as editor of the Museum Tidings newsletter is now
silent. Her passing was honored and her life was
celebrated in a fine memorial gathering at the Museum
at the request of the family. "This is what
she would want," her son told us. Even though
the Annex building is unfinished inside and we wanted
the place of gathering to reflect the respect we
all held for her, we offered it is case of bad weather.
The family said she would not fret about it being
unfinished. You see, after God and family, the Museum
was where her heart was.
Mrs. Bauer served as secretary for many years and
held most of the other major offices as well. But
that does not adequately define the many ways she
applied herself to make the Museum operate smoothly
and successfully. The Museum came into her life
as one of those unexpected events that start so
innocently, so simply - an ad in the newspaper announcing
that this piece of property with its old building
was for sale - "a good buy for the bricks and
other salvageables."
And so, her characteristic curiosity led to a phone
call which resulted in the creation of the Tehama
County Museum for the preservation of and education
about the local history and to serve its people.
Her hand and her heart were in every fund raiser,
every task. With her love and dedication, the Museum
has become a creation of the people, by the people,
and for the people. In many instances, citizens
have stepped forward and generously donated their
time, efforts and money because of contact with
Mrs. Bauer. As a teacher at Los Molinos High School,
she taught their kids. She scolded them when they
needed it, she inspired many of them to make something
of themselves, and she affected their lives for
the better. She challenged them with a strong hand
… and a soft heart.
She and her late husband were recently honored at
a special River Boat Gala. She was truly moved by
the evening of festivities and memories, and typical
of her feisty nature, she was frustrated with herself
for being physically unable to handle all of the
arrangements as she had hoped to do. The community
came together that evening to say "thank you"
and she graciously accepted it.
Several years ago, she responded to the Museum President's
request for a cultural event by holding a piano
recital in her own living room. It was an evening
of Chopin. She loved Chopin's music, and it was
a delightful evening of music and friendly commentary
on all of the pieces. Most people did not know that,
because of the effects of arthritis in her fingers,
her linear spacing was off and she had to relearn
the fingering of all of the selections. It is just
so easy for those of us who are younger to overlook
the courage she showed and to fail to appreciate
the monumental obstacles she overcame for that performance.
This briefly expressed the excellent example she
set for us. Her depth of intellectual curiosity
kept her going. Her generosity kept her fully involved
in activities. And she was just plain nice. We miss
her…and we love her. As she said in an interview
by the Red Bluff Daily News on 7/10/96:
"One of the things I want to do when I get
to Heaven is to ride on one of those Clipper ships
[from History], one without scurvy on it."
You get an A+, Mrs. B. We bid
you adieu. Keep the wind to your sails.
Paul Quinn -Secretary
President's Message
Greetings to everyone!
It is a shared sadness that we all have upon the
passing of Mrs. Bauer. I use this formal address
as I did when I was a senior in Mrs. Bauer's government
class in 1971. She was always willing to listen
to the laments of an extremely average student as
I sat on her wastepaper basket between classes.
Later on as I would visit her classroom during breaks
in my college education, she would show great interest
in my latest adventure, always encouraging me to
pursue my educational goals. Just a week before
her passing she shared with me that she felt assured
that the museum was in good hands and on the verge
of attaining some long sought after goals. I would
like to share some of those goals with you today.
The Annex building is coming along fine. Dean Gorby,
Annex Project Director, has taken a job with the
Stockton school district and had to resign, but
left us in good shape. We now have some of the color
coat stucco on the building and it sure looks good!
We have been able to hold several events (Quilt
Show, Archaeology Week Lecture series, and Margaret
Bauer's Memorial service) in the building even though
it is not finished inside.
We have written a proposal to get a Vista Volunteer
appointed to our organization. This program is part
of the new entrepreneur corps, created by the Corporation
for National Service to help non-profits attain
financial sustainability. Our appointee is Todd
Hamer of Los Molinos, who comes to us with a lot
of experience in the public sector. His assignment
will be to help us establish an endowment fund that
will help with operating expenses. Also he will
be researching and writing grants to help repair
and restore our building. The third thing Todd will
be working on is writing grant applications to help
find matching funds for the completion of the Annex
building. He will represent our first full time
staff person!!
We have another
volunteer person from Chico State. Her name is Shelly
Reno and she comes from Red Bluff (although she
lived in and graduated from Los Molinos schools)
and is working on a Bachelors degree from the Department
of Anthropology, specializing in Historic Archaeology.
Shelly will be helping with collection management
and exhibits and has already volunteered to help
with the Jubilee.
We have added new
board members Chris Bauer and Ann Bianchi. Both
come from the teaching fields and are anxious to
help expand our school outreach programs. Sandy
Clarkson from Red Bluff is another new member and
she brings with her years business management and
organizational skills. Brian Jaton also from Red
Bluff, brings his construction skills and community
involvement to the Board. I look forward to working
with everyone to help us bring the Museum to the
forefront in our community. In the future I hope
that we can make the Museum a center of community
activity with a variety of programs and events.
Stay Tuned!!
Darrell Mullins
President
FAREWELLS
The Board of Directors
bids a fond farewell and many thanks to Dick Chamberlain,
Pat Felthouse and Dean Gorby.
Dick served on the Museum board for many years and
exemplified all that is exceptional in a board member.
He and his wife Judy are life members and remain
active in Museum events and as docents. Their past
and continued support is much appreciated.
Pat also served for many years and is one of the
charter members of the Museum board. She co-chaired
the very successful Quilt Show earlier this year,
and continues to be an integral part of the docent
program. The Board appreciates Pat's past, present
and continued involvement in the Museum.
As is mentioned elsewhere in this newsletter, Dean
Gorby has accepted a position in Stockton. He served
on the board with great energy and dedication, leading
the effort to construct the Annex. The Museum Board
wishes to recognize Dean for the huge amount of
time, energy and money he put into the Annex project.
Just one example of his contribution was the fact
that he published and mailed the last Annex Newsletter
entirely at his own expense. Many thanks, Dean and
good luck in your new job.
NEW EXHIBITS
St. Elizabeth Community
Hospital has expressed an interest in showing its
beginnings and growth serving Tehama County. Many,
many people have benefited from the Hospital, either
through treatment or employment. Its ties to Red
Bluff and the surrounding communities are historical.
The Bauer Gallery has been selected for this exhibit.
In the Harvey Room downstairs, the Museum plans
a new exhibit to show people what actually goes
on in the Museum during a typical twelve-month period.
The Museum plans to show all artifacts donated during
this one-year time span. This is a different kind
of exhibit - we will attempt to show the visitors
examples of the types of things we collect and to
tell the story of Tehama County history, and it
will show what would be lost to the people it serves
if the Museum wasn't here. More on this later, especially
for those who live out of the area and are unable
to visit.
Mark Your Calendar
SEPTEMBER 7th, 2002
21st Annual Jubilee
This will be like
no other Jubilee we have ever had. Come early and
stay late. We are really excited about the central
feature of this year's Jubilee, which is our own
version of the antique appraisals you see on TV.
Sam Kissee is lining up top appraisers from all
over the north state to give their time and knowledge
to the Museum. For a $5 per item donation to the
Museum, they will be ready in the Annex building
to help you get better acquainted with the quality
and value of your family heirlooms. Sometimes what
you thought was a piece of junk turns out to be
a piece of Junque. And sometimes what you thought
had only sentimental value turns out to be priceless.
We expect to draw from Sacramento to the Oregon
Border, and this may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,
so plan to get there early. Appraisals will run
from 11 AM to 3PM.
There will be fun for all! Start off your day with
a rib-stickin' breakfast served by the Los Molinos
Kiwanis Club from 8 to 10 in the morning. Then enjoy
the Children's Parade at 10 AM. Stay and be entertained
by all sorts of performances during the day. There
will be games for the children in the park from
10:30 until 4 in the afternoon. We have lots of
cakes lined up for the cake walk through the county
4-H clubs, so bring your confectionary sweet tooth
and plan on being persistent. Judy Chamberlain wants
you to stock up on home made "stuff" from
the Country Store. Visit the Museum, enjoy the exhibits,
and have something cool and wet to drink. There
will be a drawing at 4PM so get those ticket stubs
and donations in. The grill will be busy all day
with hamburgers and hot dogs. We'll have delicious
Tri-tip sandwiches and salads, so plan to stay for
dinner and enjoy the street dance which will go
from 7 to 11 in the evening.
COUNTRY STORE
Again this year
the traditional Tehama County Museum Country Store
will be a feature of the Jubilee on Saturday, September
7. Donations for the Country Store may be brought
in that morning beginning at 8 a.m. Jams, jellies,
pickles, other home canned items, cookies, candies,
breads, pies, fresh or dried fruits and vegetables,
nuts, hand crafted items, and needlework are needed.
Each year the Country Store brings in several hundred
dollars ($450 in 2001) to the Museum treasury, all
clear profit thanks to the generosity of our wonderful
donors. Shoppers will have only one day this year
to stock up on all those delicious goodies and other
items so let's make sure they have a varied selection
to pick from.
If you have donations, can spare a couple of hours
to help at the store on Saturday, or need more information
call Judy Chamberlain at 833-5461 or e-mail her
at: nomelackee@dm-tech.net
