Dear TAHS Members,

I hope and pray this message finds you, your family, and friends in good health.  In March, our world changed without warning.  Everything we did was altered or stopped by the COVID-19 virus.  In my last message in February, we were ramping up for a bigger and better Home and Garden Tour, a major Museum revitalization, and lots of new and fun activities. We had to cancel all our events and activities for the year, but with a small group of dedicated volunteers and staff, following safety guidelines, moved forward with the Museum Revitalization project! 

Now, after 40- plus years, the Museum has a new look and feel. We first rebuilt and updated the office with new shelves, computers, and a data center to host and save all our historical information. Then we removed and stored all our Museum artifacts in preparation for the revitalization.  We hired trade professionals to refinish the wood floors, upgrade our lighting and electrical, and to paint the entire Museum interior. Next we purchased new display cabinets, new exhibit partitions, and display area monitors and computers. We are now buying equipment and software for the Vivien Owen Learning Center that will be dedicated to the memory of Bob Gray. And finally, we are adding a vintage-themed store located as you enter the Museum. A Grand Opening date will be announced shortly after State and local approval.  We are complying with the Governor's order regarding reopening of museums in Orange County.

To inform our members, friends, and community about all the Museum upgrades and changes, we have posted a series of video interviews entitled “What’s Happening at the Tustin Museum.” on Youtube.com. We emailed links for the first two videos to our members a few weeks ago. We will be posting additional links to all our new video interviews on Tustinmuseum.com.

A new first for the TAHS Board was a Zoom video board meeting held in April, which seemed appropriate since our newsletter is now digital and we are sending information and updates using email.  With our new Museum Office Datacenter and Learning Center, which can interface with our new monitors we will have the ability to add webinars, podcasts, Zoom conferencing, and instructional classes along with hosting special events, celebrations, and tour groups.

We are looking forward to our Grand Opening and showing you, our members, what your generous donations and support have done to make a difference.  From myself and the TAHS Board...a heartfelt "Thank You!".

Most sincerely,

Pete

Pete Beatty, TAHS President

Dear TAHS Members, 

As winter winds its way toward spring the Tustin Area Historical Society is gearing up for our annual Home and Garden tour, The Heart of Tustin…Home Grown. On Saturday, May 2nd, we will be adding more activities, entertainment, cars and vendors. Our goal is to offer more diversity while building on our successful past. Mark your calendars and
look for our pre-sale brochure coming out in March.

With regard to our Museum Revitalization, our deepest thanks to everyone who donated funds to make dreams come true. Vivian Owen will get her research center and Joyce and Bill Miller with their dream of an updated Museum. Dreams can come true if you reach out to people who care…and that’s you, our members.

Just after our Home and Garden tour, the Museum will be closed for a few weeks to make all the changes needed. We are dedicated to making the Museum a great place to visit for all ages. We are hoping to add additional weekday hours, Saturdays and a small store offering a variety of interesting items.
One of the first changes in the Museum was to move the fire engine to the back area to give us room up front to host special events and seminars. We have already hosted two events since the change and are in the planning stages to start a series of “Let’s Talk History” get-togethers and “A Night at the Museum” theme for special events.

The Coffee Club is back! Phil Cox has given me the honor of restarting an Old Town tradition which started at the corner drugstore around 1940 until it closed. Phil continued the tradition at his prior restaurants, and thanks to him the owner of the new restaurant at the Cox Center will be working with us when it opens.
Finally, plan to attend our upcoming General Meeting, which will take place on Tuesday, February 18 (because of the Monday holiday), at Tustin Library, at 7 p.m., when local author Douglas Westfall will present “Martin Field, Early Orange County,” about pioneer aviator Eddie Martin who created the first airfield in Orange County. This should be another most interesting program and you will not want to miss it.
Looking forward to another great year!

Most sincerely,

Pete 

Pete Beatty, President 

REMINDER: Check out www.TustinMuseum.com and on the upper right-hand side, click there for additional Museum-related announcements and changes.

Dear TAHS Members, 

What a great year! Most of the goals that were set in January of this year were not only met but exceeded all expectations.

I have recently announced that a Museum Revitalization Committee was formed to study all aspects of making changes to the Museum. Their master plan was completed and submitted to the TAHS board and was approved unanimously. We had originally set a time schedule starting in 2020 but decided to update the office this fall. It is the hub of our organization and supports all Museum and Historical Society activities. In the past few weeks we have installed new shelves, cabinets, and a data center which houses our new main computer (8 terabyte hard drive) and is linked to all the Museum computers. Starting early next year, we will begin revitalizing the Museum itself.

Nine years ago, we asked our membership to help fund and update of the Museum computers and office equipment. We were grateful for the tremendous response we received. Today, like the past, we need your support.  To help make this Museum Revitalization project a success, we need your help. If you haven’t already done so, please respond to our recent letter requesting your financial support for this amazing project. For those of you who have already responded with your generous donation, we are extremely appreciative.

Vivian Owen, our first TAHS president, once told me she had a goal to make the Museum a major center for research. And Joyce Miller, former TAHS president, shared with me a few years ago that she and her husband Bill Miller wanted to update the Museum, but it was never realized. The goals I set are not new; they are ideas started years ago. My part is to complete their dreams with help of a TAHS board comprised of the finest people I have ever worked with and, most importantly, who have the drive to make this project a reality.

Our Goal: To preserve and protect our history and support the community and Museum visitors with the tools to learn more about their past and to make this information available to future generations who can enjoy our rich and colorful history.

Make sure to mark your calendars and join us on at our General Meeting on Tuesday, November 19, at 7 p.m. at the Tustin Public Library, 345 E. Main Street. The Voices of Tustin Community Chorus will be performing songs to usher in the holiday season. Plan to attend this fun evening, and bring your friends!

NOTE: At www.TustinMuseum.com  -  On the upper right hand side, click there for additional Museum-related announcements and changes.

Most sincerely,

Pete 

Pete Beatty, President 

Dear TAHS Members,

I hope everyone has had a wonderful and healthy summer. Our expanded Home and Garden Tour-our major annual fundraiser-was a success! We had more vendors, music, vintage cars and local artists. We are now forging forward in the goals that were set in my last message plus a couple more that you will be hearing about soon.

Make sure to mark your calendars to join us on Monday, September 16th at 7 p.m. at the Tustin Library for a very special tribute honoring the victims of 9-11. Tustin resident, patriot, and Tustin Area Woman of the Year 1993, Angie Kardashian, will share with us her incredible journey. In the aftermath of the disaster, she felt compelled to do what she could as an American. Angie sold her restaurant, moved to New York, cooked meals at her own expense for two years to feed thousands of firefighters in more than 100 firehouses until her money ran out. For her presentation, there will be a display of items related to her time there and the memory of the people who lost their lives on 9-11. The Museum window will be exhibiting a "Remember Sept 11 Tribute" from August 15th through September 15th.

Check out our local DAR Chapter (Daughters of the American Revolution) Museum window display starting on September 18th - The national DAR organization started on October 11, 1890.

Again and as always, a big thank-you to the TAHS board and Museum staff for the support and enthusiasm they have given me on a very full and aggressive list of goals. All of this would never happen without the help and support of the City of Tustin, the Tustin Unified School District, the Knights of Pythias, and you-our loyal and generous members.

Our Goal: To preserve, protect our history and support the community and museum visitors with the tools to learn more about their past and to make this information available to future generations who can enjoy our rich and colorful history.

NOTE: At www.TustinMuseum.com - On the upper left is TAHS: President's Message. Click there for additional Museum-related information, announcements and changes.

Sincerely,

Pete

Pete Beatty TAHS President