On July 11, the City's recreation coordinator for the youth program, Hailey Villalobos, led a group of 37 high school students to the Monrovia Historical Museum (MHM) for a private, educational tour. The group comprised those students who were accepted to the Youth Employment Services (YES) Summer Internship program, sponsored by the City of Monrovia's Community Services’ Recreation Department. 

by Vicky Hansen, MHM Exhibit Chair and Development Coordinator

Long-time councilman, six-time mayor, past president of Rotary Club of Monrovia, Realtor (Century 21 Adams and Barnes) and generous sponsor for the Monrovia Historical Museum's Historic Homes Exhibit, Tom Adams, came to tour the Museum on Saturday, June 15th, with his family on the occasion of a pre-Father's Day celebration. The honor was ours, of course!

"For years I knew the Monrovia Historical Museum existed but it never occurred to me to be a tourist in my own town," says Cory Adams. "My family has many connections to Monrovia and I thought a great way to celebrate Father's Day would be connecting all those dots.  My father, Tom Adams, was born at the Monrovia Hospital in 1951 and moved back to Monrovia in his early 20's to raise his family.  My Uncle, James Adams, served as a member of the Monrovia City Police Department back in the 1960's. My late mother-in-law, Sandra Freeman, who passed last year, graduated from M.A.D. High School in 1954. Seeing her pictures in the yearbooks was really heartwarming for my husband, Gage Freeman. It was so great to learn more about this wonderful community and its history. We had an amazing time and really appreciate Oliver Beckwith, Mark Harvis and Sharon Motheral for taking time out of their Saturday. Thank you!" 

Board member, Oliver Beckwith, who served as the main tour guide said, "Tom really enjoyed the tour and admitted he hadn’t been through the museum in a long time." Well, Tom, it was a pleasure getting re-acquainted with you and meeting your wonderful family! And thank you, Cory, for choosing to visit us as part of your Father's Day weekend celebration!

The Monrovia Historical Museum opened bright and early on June 6th, for a special, private tour. We welcomed over 20 of the city staff, who walked almost a mile from their various offices after their city-sponsored Thursday Morning Coffee. 

Just like recent years, the Monrovia Historical Museum took part in the ‘Monrovia Days’ festivities. 

​Wearing a few hats for some of the Monrovia Historical Museum (MHM) board members is not uncommon. And that is true for Mark Harvis and Vicky Hansen. Dedicated citizens of Monrovia, they are purposeful in their mission to serve, to help make our community a better place for everyone! Don't be surprised if you see them around town, and if you do, go ahead and shake their hands! 

Mark Harvis, MHM Vice President, is also part of the Monrovia Public Library Board and he also volunteers with the Monrovia Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)! In the photo on the left (left to right) are CERT members: Jose Gonzalez, Roger Foster, Michelle Jensen, Mary Davis, Lynn Robinson, George Klass, Suzanne Dobson and Mark Harvis.

Board member and exhibit chair, Vicky Hansen, recently spear-headed a ‘build a wall’ task, in conjunction with our upcoming Historic Home exhibit (not pictured). The able-bodied gentlemen volunteers, handymen and all-around tool-aficionados are board members Mark Harvis and Oliver Beckwith, along with Tom Ferris, husband of board member, Nennette Ferris. Together, the three gentlemen took to task and got it done! "Hey, we did great," Mark Harvis chuckled. "We managed to get a two-hour project done in only five hours!"  ​And there you have it... just another fine day at the Museum! Come and see us soon!

Dedicated volunteers and board member staff clocked in very early on Sunday morning, May 5th, to prepare for this annual event. Soon, the Monrovia Historic Preservation Group (MOHPG) members led by Lee Schamadan, came in to set up their table where day-of tickets were sold and will-call ticket holders checked in.

To complement this annual tradition made possible by MOHPG's Historic Homes Tour, the Monrovia Historical Museum (MHM), as one of the tour stops, holds its annual yard sale. All proceeds benefit the Museum operations.  Thanks to our donors, the Museum raised funds to help with the upkeep of our displays and exhibits.

The Museum would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to its dedicated staff and volunteers for another successful yard sale!  Seen in the photos are MHM board members: Franci Bolen, Mark Harvis, Oliver Beckwith, Vicky Hansen, Sharon Motheral, Nennette Ferris. From MOHPG are Lee Schamadan and Kathleen Fresquez. MHM volunteers in the photos are Lea Robinson, Andrew Miller, Carina Arias, and Eliazar Diaz.

IT’S LIKE COMING HOME!

For 17 years, Denise Trentalange (pictured on the left) served as board member, collections manager and archivist at the Monrovia Historical Museum. 

Collection Management is an arduous process that requires meticulous steps, from researching to documenting and cataloging of data, not to mention special handling of vintage, fragile artifacts. During her time with the Museum, Denise processed over 12,000 artifacts. Her unsurpassed knowledge and dedication led to the naming of the second-floor office and library at the Museum, the Trentalange Research Center, an honor so befitting of her major contributions. 

In April, Denise revisited the Museum, along with her friends from her PEO* Chapter EC group.  Museum Board President, Franci Bolen was on hand (pictured on the right) to give them a private, VIP tour!  The photo was taken in our vintage telephone exhibit, where the ladies had the most fun, sharing memories of the good old days of landline telephone communications! 

*PEO, Philanthropic Educational Organization is a Sisterhood of purposeful and passionate women celebrating, supporting and motivating women around the world to advance through education, including scholarships, loans and grants. They also support Cottey College, a four-year liberal arts women's college in Nevada, Missouri. Please contact us if you would like to know more about PEO.