Dr. James A. Sandos will be the featured speaker at the Redlands Area Historical Society meeting September 22.  His latest book, “Converting California: Indians and Franciscans in the Missions” was published by Yale University Press.

     Sandos is a University of Redlands Farquhar Professor of the Southwest.  He is an eminent authority on the American West.  The book traces the history of the Franciscan missions from the founding of Mission San Diego in 1769 to their final demise in 1836.  His scholarship addresses the theology of the Fransican order and especially Father Junipero Serra.  

     Sandos discusses the historical California Mission two major fields of thought.  One group of historians has nothing but praise for the mission efforts in California and applauds the padres as architectural wizards, economic stewards of efficient fiefdoms, and protectors of the Native Americans.  This group of historians contends that Father Serra and the mission system he founded was superior to the English wars of extermination conducted on the East Coast of America.   Native Americans following this line of history became good Catholics, citizens of Spain, artisans, vaqueros, farmers and loved the founding padres for their benevolent gifts of civilization. 

     The other group of historians condemns the Mission System as nothing more than “slavery” under a clever disguise.  They quickly note the dismal record of Indian deaths at the hands of the padres.  Most of the civil authorities in Spain and later Mexico found the Franciscans like the former Jesuits controlling and anything but enlightenment thinkers.  Bashing Catholic theology and concluding the complete failure of the California Missions is foremost in their work

     Dr. Sandos discusses these two fields of historiography but adds an additional scholarship missing in the previous histories.  Sandos delves into the mission Native American point of view and with balance discovers new primary source evidence to reach a refreshingly well-supported conclusion concerning the California Missions. 

     Dr. Santos and Dr. Larry Burgess wrote “The Hunt for Willie Boy,” in 1994.  This historical account also incorporates Native American perspectives in the 1909 sensational killing here in Southern California. 

     Dr. Santos is also the author of “Rebellion in the Borderlands: Anarchism and the Plan of San Diego, 1904-1923.”

     Dr. Santos will have copies of his latest book on Converting California at the 7:00 p.m. Redlands Area Historical Society meeting on September 22 at A.K. Smiley Public Library Assembly Room.   

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     March is Women’s History Month and what better way to celebrate the month dedicated to women’s history than have Carole Beswick, Redlands’ first female mayor to present “her history” to the Redlands Area Historical Society March 23rd.

     Beswick a previous “Woman of the year” of Redlands has many accomplishments in her long civic history.  She epitomizes the creative spirit of Redlands with her early involvement in the Redlands Bicycle Classic. (This March marks the events’ 25th year.)

     Carole Beswick was especially concerned about saving historic downtown Redlands.  Under her leadership the Redevelopment Agency tackled the refurbishing of infrastructure on State Street and Orange Street.  Sewer and water connections had not been replaced since 1888, when the city first incorporated. 

     Challenged by critics that the paving of downtown with bricks in the 1980’s would be unwise, Beswick’s leadership brought a new renaissance to downtown Redlands.  New shops, revised business block facades and streets ornamented with red bricks soon appeared.  Redlanders happily purchased $25 bricks to record their family names and become part of the revival of downtown.  Market night and strolling the downtown became a Thursday event in Redlands.

     The City Counsel hired a historic planner and then hired a firm, Aegis, from Claremont to research the downtown history and formulate a tour guidebook.  The tour guide-book has been sold out for years.  Some businesses restored their 1890 facades and placed historic markers to indicate proudly their construction dates.

     Controversy was ever on the heels of Carole Beswick and the City Counsel in the 1980’s.  Her efforts revised the downtown and left Redlands with the ever-popular Redlands Bicycle Classic.  She is identified as a “mover and shaker” within the community.  Her singing talents match the previous mayor, Chuck DeMirjyn’s band performances. 

      Carole Beswick left Redlands with improved architecture and landscape design guidelines.   Under her leadership the first “Historic Districts” passed.

      Her presentation for the Historical Society will be recorded for posterity.

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     Following the theme of “history makers” the April program features Robert Hodges, retired Superintendent of the Redlands Unified School District.   His talk will discuss the five new schools built in the Redlands District since 1995 and the sixth under construction now.   Building schools encompasses passing bonds and that embroils the superintendents’ office in the thick of politics.  Hodges was able to retire February 1, 2008 as he successfully passed the bond to complete Redlands Citrus Valley High.

      Redlands is noteworthy for Victorian homes, Smiley Library, The Bowl, University of Redlands, Lincoln Shrine and the rural citrus atmosphere.  But if one asks parent newcomers on another great attraction the community offers; the answer will be the strong education system of the schools.  Real Estate brokers understand this well and sell Redlands on the basis of good schools.

     Redlands has a tradition of experienced school superintendents.  The first was Lewis B Avery, who helped form the Redlands Unified School District in July of 1906.  Avery was the first principal of Redlands Union High (Redlands High) in 1891.  His background was in science and he quickly took the new school to statewide recognition and open enrollment for all Redlands grads to Stanford Junior College.  Avery had to convince a reluctant citrus community that reading, writing and arithmetic were not wasted “book learnin” objectives in an agricultural community.  When he left Redlands in 1908, the district ranked above Los Angeles in scientific improvements, business education (we had typewriters!) and winners in Speech and Debate.  Latin and Greek were the two foreign languages stressed.

     Dr. Wayne Prescott Smith replaced Avery and gave a memorable “Discourse on Moral Education of Youths” for the Redlands Review in February of 1909.  Smith fought for higher teacher salaries and emphasized teacher training in the district.  Redlands continued to lead the county, especially after the University of Redlands opened, giving local grads a proximity college experience with a Baptist anchor.

     Henry G. Clement, another previous Redlands High principal, took the reins of the district throughout the 1920’s.  He held the first school bond election in Redlands that ever failed.  Clock Auditorium was deemed expensive and unnecessary by the citizens of Yucaipa and voted down as a community auditorium for Redlands at the expense of Highland and Yucaipa taxpayers.  Clement also faced down a “Student Strike” in 1936 because the school board would not allow boys to use the new Girl’s Gym.  Through diplomacy and tact, Clement convinced the conservative board that Redland’s morals would stay intact, even while girls dressed and boys bounced a basketball.

     Clement pioneered the idea of educating “Junior High” students on their own campus, rather than the elementary or high school level campus.  Redlands Junior High was born in his tenure.  State compulsory school attendance law was explained by Clement and he is remembered today in the name Clement Middle School, which was formally Clement Junior High.

     Clement believed in bringing in name recognized architects to complete school buildings at Mission, Crafton, Kingsbury,  Lugonia and Redlands High.

     Succeeding Clement in 1937, John Branigan built McKinley and Lincoln while remodeling the junior high shower and locker rooms.  He passed the bond to build Mentone Elementary and fought to keep Redlands competitive with a higher teacher salary schedule, college training and health programs.

     Our last superintendent in Redlands, Ron Franklin has just stepped down from the Banning-Beaumont District.

      Bob Hodges is a product of the Redlands Schools.  He attended the old Lugonia School, Franklin, Crafton and Mentone.  He attended Redlands Junior High and graduated from Redlands High in 1963.  He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from California State University, San Bernardino, where he received an administrative services credential.

      His teaching career began in 1970 teaching sixth grade at Mission Elementary where he became principal six years later.  He has also served as a principal at Franklin and Victoria.

     In 1987, Bob transferred to the District Office to work as assistant superintendent business manager and finally in 1994 was named interim superintendent and in 1995 superintendent of the Redlands Unified School District

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     Under his tenure, the federal “No Child Left Behind Act” has intertwined with state education, county and district curriculum goals.  Academic performance and the co-curricular programs have thrived and Redlands still dominates Speech and Debate, Academic Decathlon and Mock Trial competitions.  Very often it is Redlands High v. Redlands East Valley in the final county competitions.

     Rarely does a modern school superintendent retire with praise from students, parents, teachers, fellow administrators and the teacher’s union all singing the same praise song.  Bob Hodges kept the Redlands District educationally strong following the previous tradition but in the process crossed the line and made it better.   He is a Redlands “history maker” in the strongest sense of the definition.

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San Bernardino Sun features editor and columnist, John Weeks is the January 26^th speaker for the Redlands Area Historical Society meeting held at A.K. Smiley Library Assembly Room at 7:00 p.m.

Weeks has written a book titled “Inland Empire” published by Arcadia Publishing, which is available locally and at the meeting.

Dubbed the “Emperor of the Inland Empire” Weeks has collected Inland Empire artifacts, memorabilia, books and postcards for the past 40 years.  The 200 postcards in “Inland Empire” are from his personal collection.  His collection numbers over 1000 postcards.

Weeks will discuss his selection process and routine discoveries while writing the appropriate caption for each photograph.  The book features San Bernardino Valley as a wonderland of old growth vineyards, citrus groves, thermal hot springs, Wild West landmarks, Native Americans, Route 66, Idyllwild, Big Bear Lake, Lake Arrowhead, Palm Springs, Mojave Desert, Death Valley and Joshua Tree.  His book is a post-card perfect grand tour of the entire region.

Weeks is a avid member of the San Bernardino Pioneer Historical Society.  His column covers the issues of the Inland Empire with thoughtful, sometimes satirical commentary on the issues of education, transportation, and the entertaining ethics of county government.

John Weeks will take us all on a armchair tour of the Inland Empire. 

Historical Society meetings are open to the public with the goal of inspiring membership and scholarly interpretation of our history.

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We have begun to record history at every regular meeting of the society. You can see incredible programs that are making history today.

Contact Gerry & Linda Brassfield at Blue Eagle Video

909-882-2003 or 909-520-3830

Email blueeaglevideo@aol.com

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