Meet SBTHP’s new Maintenance & Security Supervisor, Iran Gonzalez

By Kevin McGarry

Since Iran Gonzalez joined the SBTHP team as our Maintenance & Security Supervisor in August 2023, El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park and Casa de la Guerra have never looked better taken care of. Iran’s wealth of maintenance and security experience, as well as his wide range of construction and handyman skills, have already been put to very good use and have helped enhance the look and feel of the many historic structures and spaces in SBTHP’s care. Recently, Kevin McGarry, SBTHP’s Associate Director for Public Engagement, sat down with Iran to learn more about him; including his family story, his professional journey, what drew him to apply for his role at SBTHP, and what activities he enjoys when he is “off the clock.”

Tell us a little about yourself, your upbringing and family story.

I was born in Sinaloa, Mexico, but grew up here in Santa Barbara. My parents brought me to the United States when I was just one month old. My mother and stepfather were property managers which meant that we moved around the Santa Barbara area a lot when I was growing up. Every time we moved I went to a new school. I was a student at most, if not all the public elementary schools here in town. I went to Santa Barbara Junior High and then La Cumbre Middle School. As a freshman I attended Santa Barbara High School, and later San Marcos High School. I definitely know a lot of people all over town because of how many places I lived and how many schools I attended. I actually didn’t finish high school in Santa Barbara because at age 15, I moved out of California to Scottsdale, Arizona, where I lived with my aunt. I finished high school out there, but I missed Santa Barbara. I returned to live and work in Santa Barbara just after I turned 18. Santa Barbara is my home and I love it here.

What did you do professionally before joining the SBTHP team?

Before coming to SBTHP, I ran my own general construction, handyman service and maintenance company, full time, called AG Builders & Son’s Inc. I also owned and operated a private security company called AG Protection. I still own and operate these companies part time, outside of my full-time schedule here at the Trust.

Why did you choose to work at SBTHP?

I applied to be the Maintenance & Security Supervisor at the Trust because when I saw the job description in an advertisement online, I immediately knew that the role was what I was looking for. I knew I could do the job and do it well. The position jumped out to me because it was a good fit with my professional background and experience in the fields of construction, maintenance and security.

I also immediately felt connected to the history of this place, and I love learning about the history of Santa Barbara and the Presidio Neighborhood. I enjoy the responsibility of this role, and like that I get the opportunity to maintain, preserve, protect and enhance the beauty of these historic buildings and natural spaces here in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara.

Tell us something interesting or surprising about yourself we would never guess…

I love horses. On my days off, I go to a family friend’s ranch and ride my horse. I enjoy going to rodeos and “Jaripeos,” and I love bringing my son. We both wear cowboy hats and spend the whole day together. I love being with creating memories with my son. I try to take him on fun adventures in the great outdoors, regularly.

In Memoriam: Donald G. Sharpe

By Mary Louise Days

Donald Sharpe received the Pearl Chase Historic Preservation and Conservation Award at SBTHP’s 2015 Annual Meeting. Photo by Clint Weisman Studio.

The Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (SBTHP) community has lost a longtime volunteer, board member and friend. Donald G. Sharpe was a man of many talents and interests. In 2015, he was recognized by SBTHP as its recipient of the Pearl Chase Historic Preservation and Conservation Award because of his contributions to many of our projects, and to the community.

Don received his Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering in 1960 from California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. A prominent local architect, he was licensed in California in 1965, and began practicing in Santa Barbara in 1967. Don contributed widely to the built environment of Santa Barbara. In 1970, he commenced partnering with other prominent local architects or worked in his own firm as a sole practitioner.  For a time, his partners were architects William Mahan and Henry Lenny. 

His community service included thirteen years on the City of Santa Barbara’s Architectural Board of Review and another sixteen years on the City of Santa Barbara Historic District Landmarks Commission. For several years he was board chair of the Santa Barbara Conservancy, and he served on its committee which produced the 2016 book Santa Barbara: A Guide to El Pueblo Viejo. Don’s additional civic involvement included the Montecito Association Board of Directors, Montecito Association Architectural Review Committee, and the Pine Mountain Club Environmental Control Committee.

A devoted family man, Don also played the tuba in the Santa Barbara City College Concert Band. One of his hobbies was enjoying ownership of a few vintage and unusual automobiles. He carried out restoration work on his business properties and was interested in efforts toward good community planning and protection of Santa Barbara’s character.

Donald Sharpe (middle left) was chair of SBTHP’s Restoration Committee. Photo by Michael H. Imwalle.

Don Sharpe was elected to the board of directors of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation in 2007 and he retired in January 2019. He served on several board committees including Historic Resources, El Paseo Façade Easement, Property Management, and Restoration. He chaired both the Restoration and El Paseo committees. He devoted a considerable amount of his time advising SBTHP on its Alhecama Theatre restoration and its plans for the Presidio’s second defense wall reconstruction and paseo design. Don generously consulted on our other property matters, as well. These contributions to the organization’s preservation projects went beyond his loyal committee service.

Prior to the acquisition of the Santa Ines Mission Mills property by the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation in 1996, Donald Sharpe provided architectural services to the then-owners, Ellen and Harry Knill, for restoration work on the mill buildings. Don also sourced the salvaged lumber used for the roof of each building.

Don passed away on February 10, 2024, in his home in Fort Collins, Colorado. He was surrounded with love by his wife Kay and his daughters Cindy, Whitney and Meagan. The SBTHP community is forever grateful for Don’s countless contributions, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to the Sharpe family.

Mary Louise Days is a past president of SBTHP’s Board of Directors and currently serves as editor of SBTHP’s publication, La Campana.

2023 Santa Inés Mission Mills Olive Harvest

By Michael H. Imwalle

SBTHP Member Connie Petry helping to harvest olives. Photo by Michael H. Imwalle.

On Saturday November 18, 2023 a dedicated group of Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (SBTHP) staff, volunteers, and Lupe Peña’s crew of olive pickers harvested twenty bins of olives from the Santa Inés Mission Mills State Property. The following day, Lupe’s crew picked another fourteen bins for a total of 34 bins or 8.42 tons of olives. Lupe hauled the olives five miles to the olive mill at the base of Figueroa Mountain. The mill was formerly operated by Figueroa Farms. The new owners operate the mill as SY Olive Mill, LLC. They crushed our olives on November 20^th. The oil was stored in four 50-gallon barrels until it could be bottled and labeled.

SBTHP member David Stone and SBTHP staff Jordan Hitchens and Sarah Fenenga hard at work during the harvest. Photo by Michael H. Imwalle.

On December 20^th Mills Agricultural and Maintenance Supervisor Leeann Haslouer picked up two 50-gallon barrels of olive oil and delivered them to the Olive Oil Source in Santa Maria where it was bottled and labeled. On December 29^th Leeann and Tom Walton picked up the last two barrels of oil from SY Olive Mill and delivered them to El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park.

A portion of the harvest. Photo by Leeann Haslouer.

The two barrels delivered to the Olive Oil Source produced a total of 75 cases of Olio Nuovo, the first pressing of the season’s harvest. Labeled bottles were delivered to the gift shop at El Presidio SHP on January 12th.

Prolonged drought and heat in Europe have led to a severe decline in the production of olive oil by Spain, Italy, and Greece this year. Luckily, there is no shortage of olive oil in Santa Barbara! The oil is currently available for sale in the gift shop at El Presidio SHP and at the Casa Cassara Winery and Vineyard Tasting Room in Solvang, California.

2023 Olio Nuovo is available for purchase in the gift shop at El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park. Photo by Michael H. Imwalle.

SBTHP Intern Conducts Important Research on Historic Structures Related to Santa Barbara’s African American Community

By Mayson Canley

Hello, I’m Mayson Canley, and I began interning for the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation during the summer of 2023 in a collaboration project with the City of Santa Barbara. With the guidance of City of Santa Barbara Architectural Historian Nicole Hernandez, I completed over a dozen historic significance reports detailing the history of each building in Santa Barbara and defining how each meets criteria for historic designation due to their significance to the African American/Black community. Among these buildings were churches, houses, businesses, and commercial spaces. To write these reports, I accessed newspaper archives, old city directories, Sanborn maps, original drawings and permits, and more, giving me multidimensional and comprehensive details of every property.

As a high school junior, I’m younger than the average intern, but my personal connection to Santa Barbara’s Black history and background in creative writing helped me maximize this opportunity. I found this position with the help of Healing Justice Santa Barbara, a nonprofit organization committed to preserving African American/Black history. I found them by chance on Instagram and reached out, intrigued by their mission and hoping to archive some of my own family’s history. After exchanging emails and eventually meeting in person, they recommended me for this position. 

Since history is easily one of my favorite subjects in school, this primary source work was an enriching opportunity. I’ll admit that prior to this experience, I never really thought about the significance of buildings. However, learning about architectural styles and how they reflect different eras, housing movements, and patterns of discrimination against minorities through time really captured my interest.

I am from Los Angeles, but this project was impactful on a personal level. My great-grandparents settled in Santa Barbara in the 1950s after escaping race-based violence in Arkansas. When a group of white men threatened my great-grandfather LV and demanded he relinquish his truck, LV stood up for himself and fought back. However, in the Jim Crow South, his actions were practically a death sentence, so my great-grandparents had no choice but to pack up their life and flee. Ever since then, the Canleys have helped Santa Barbara’s Black community evolve.

Over the summer of 2023, I drove up to photograph all the properties I would be writing about. My grandpa, Donald Canley, accompanied me, and it was so cool to see him recognize the houses, history, and people I would be researching. For example, he told me that Dr. McMillan, Santa Barbara’s first and most prominent African-American physician, treated my Pop Pop and his seven siblings when they were kids. I learned that the doctor’s home in the Mesa neighborhood, at 338 Cooper Road, made him one of the first African American/Black residents in the area; he had been denied housing in other areas like Mission Ridge Road due to his race. I also reported on the first office building he had designed for his practice at 111 W. Arrellaga St. (in the Mid-Century Modern style). With so many of their childhood memories being recognized and preserved, my extended family has been very invested in what I’ve been learning.

Dr. McMillan’s House. Photo by Mayson Canley

During my internship, I decided to use my newfound research tools, particularly the newspaper archives, to search up my own family. I found several gems: mention of my grandpa as class president when he was in sixth grade at La Cumbre Junior High; birth announcements; and even a picture of my great-uncle Lavell helping the mayor announce June as “Recreation Month” in 1958. However, one discovery stood out in particular — a 1963 advertisement for the Pan American grocery store that featured both a photograph and a quote from my great-grandmother Louise. She was without question the beloved matriarch of my family, and she passed away fairly recently, so it was really special to find this little piece of her story that no one knew about.

1963 Pan American article feature Louise Conley, Santa Barbara News Press.

The research skills I’ve learned during this process have already had a positive impact in other areas of my life. I am currently in an AP research class that requires identifying, summarizing, and synthesizing information. After spending so many hours piecing together a story from articles, family information, pictures, and other documents, I was well-prepared to integrate the scholarly information this class requires. 

I’m so grateful I was given the opportunity to do the important work of preserving the heritage of this vibrant, resilient, and inspiring community.

SBTHP manages an endowed student internship program called the Higman Internship. The internship funds projects within the organization, and also funds work with external partners throughout Santa Barbara County that support the organization’s mission. SBTHP has supported the City of Santa Barbara’s African American Black Context Statement since its development and is pleased to fund an internship that makes progress toward the implementation of this important plan. 

Pearl Chase’s Legacy Continues to Inspire

By Sarah Fenenga

On Wednesday, November 15, 2023, the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (SBTHP) hosted a special evening program in the Chapel at El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park with British historian Simon Kerry who shared research from his new book, Miss Chase: Santa Barbara’s Trailblazer. In Miss Chase, Simon Kerry traces Pearl Chase’s early life and collegiate years at UC Berkeley to her return to Santa Barbara and the indelible impact she had on California and the greater nation.

Director of Programs Sarah Fenenga welcomes guests and introduces Simon Kerry in the Chapel at El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park. Photo by Kevin McGarry.

Against the backdrop of the Presidio Chapel, Kerry captivated the audience with new insights into Pearl’s younger years and highlighted some of her lesser-known environmentalist and humanitarian efforts. Kerry also detailed how Chase’s influence extended to the realm of women’s participation in politics, both at the federal and local civic levels. The event provided a unique opportunity to explore Chase’s compassionate and charitable nature, showcasing her vocal support for cultural groups and causes, notably her commitment to the Indian Defense Association and preserving the lands and traditions of Native Americans in the Southwest.

The choice of the Presidio Chapel as the venue added an extra layer of significance and resonance to the event and provided a fitting atmosphere for reflecting on the enduring impact of Pearl Chase’s legacy that lives on in the city she loved and cherished. Following the talk, audience members were given the opportunity to ask Kerry questions and were also encouraged to share their stories about and connections to Pearl Chase. The audience left the event not only with a deeper understanding of Santa Barbara’s history but also with a profound appreciation for the trailblazing efforts of Pearl Chase helping to shape the city’s cultural, architectural, and environmental landscape.

Simon Kerry concludes his talk and answers audience questions about Pearl Chase. Photo by Kevin McGarry.

Many of those who attended met and conversed with Simon Kerry and purchased a signed copy of his book, Miss Chase: Santa Barbara’s Trailblazer. For anyone who could not attend the event, Simon’s book is available for purchase in the Presidio Gift Shop. A recording of his talk is available on our Lectures page.

For upcoming SBTHP programs and events, please visit our Events Calendar.

Sarah Fenenga is Director of Programs at the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation.

Collections News: Filipino Community Oral Histories Project

By Dez Alaniz

The Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation’s (SBTHP) Presidio Research Center has focused on collecting and providing access to a range of resources and materials related to the diverse communities that have lived in the Presidio neighborhood past, present and future.  Although many readers may not be familiar yet with the Presidio Research Center’s collections, our archive and research library contains a range of materials, including architectural plans, historic maps, organizational records, and several collections of recorded oral histories with community and SBTHP members. This work has evolved over the years to place particular focus on the many multi-racial Asian American communities that have lived and continue to thrive in Santa Barbara, and the Filipino Community Oral Histories Project, launched in Summer of 2022, has built on this focus by recording oral histories with Filipino American community members that reside in Santa Barbara and the greater Central Coast.  

Dated July 4, 1955. The FCA would create floats for the annual independence day parade. This photo is dated from 1955. Courtesy of Patria Van Tassel. From the Fuentes Family Papers (MS-36)

Although there are sources dating the presence of Filipino sailors arriving on Spanish Galleons on the Central Coast as early as 1587, the first documented Filipino to have lived in California was Antonio Miranda Rodriguez. A soldado de cuera, gunsmith and eventual iron smith for the Santa Barbara Mission, Antonio was buried in the Presidio Chapel on May 26, 1784. A plaque donated in 1986 by the Santa Barbara Filipino Community Association (established in 1951), now commemorates not just the incredible story of this individual, but also hints to deeper ties between communities in the Presidio neighborhood and beyond. Although the FCA continues to operate out of their building on 425 State Street, there is little public visibility of the history of the FCA and the communities which brought “The Club” as members fondly recall, into being.  

When we began this project in the Summer of 2022, we moved intentionally to address this gap in larger local histories and build on our existing collection strengths in community oral histories and collections that document Asian American communities in Santa Barbara.  Since our last update in the Winter/Spring 2023 issue of La Campana, we have recorded an additional eight oral history interviews and have excitedly welcomed three newly donated collections from our culture-bearers. This mix of digital and physical materials document the activism and professional careers of local Filipinos in areas such as service in state and county government, teachers in K-12 and higher education, and independent research on Indigenous Filipino religious beliefs to name a few topics. These collections are currently being processed by the Presidio Research Center Director, Dez Alaniz, UCSB Religious Studies Doctoral Student Shannon Toribio, and a small team of volunteers. We hope to make them accessible to researchers and the public in the new year through our digital collections website. 

Cover of a banquet program for the 1988 Filipino American Friendship and Independence Day Celebration. Courtesy of Patria Fuentes Van Tassel From the Fuentes Family Papers (MS-36)

Thanks to support provided by a Community Arts Grant administered by the Santa Barbara Office of Arts and Culture, we have also been able to provide greater description and access to these oral histories through automated and human transcription, as well as support quarterly meetings to share materials with oral history culture bearers. Heading into 2024, we are planning to expand the oral history program to interviewing other historically excluded and marginalized groups in Santa Barbrara, as well as starting a longer project to debut an exhibit focused on Filipino American communities and contributions in Santa Barbara.  

Cover of the pamphlet created for a joint event hosted by the FCA and the SBTHP. Courtesy of Patria Fuentes Van Tassel. From the Fuentes Family Papers (MS-36)

Dez Alaniz is the Director of the Presidio Research Center at the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Making of Monuments – A Partnership Between UCSB’s Interdisciplinary Humanities Center and SBTHP

By Christoffer Bovbjerg, Ph.D.

Monuments stand to commemorate what is important to a community, telling a story about the people they represent. But who gets to decide what stories are told? And what happens when the values of a community change, and when the community itself changes?

This summer, the UC Santa Barbara’s Interdisciplinary Humanities Center (IHC) brought together eight local teachers, three history Ph.D. students, and community partners at the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (SBTHP) to create lessons for elementary school students around questions of history, memory, and representation, organized around a statue of a Spanish king located at El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park.

The week-long workshop consisted of daily meetings, discussions, and collaborations in small groups. Working with graduate students, teachers explored the meaning and importance of monuments and then used these insights to design activities to encourage students to recognize and reconsider the monuments in their communities.

Teachers got to know the statue of King Carlos III, the object of their study. Carlos III was the King of Spain when the Santa Barbara Presidio was founded in 1782. The statue was a gift to the city of Santa Barbara from King Juan Carlos I of Spain to commemorate the Presidio’s 200th anniversary. Initially installed near De La Guerra Plaza, it now stands in the back courtyard at the Presidio, where it was relocated in 1992 following repeated defacements and calls for its removal. A tour of the Presidio and surrounding neighborhood helped teachers build on their understanding of the history of the community and put the statue in its local and historic context.

SBTHP’s Presidio Research Center archive was the next stop. The archive houses a variety of sources related to the statue, from newspaper clippings to city council records, to correspondence with the King of Spain. From these firsthand accounts, teachers learned about the story that the statue was intended to tell and the controversy that ensued when it was initially installed and later relocated.

These archival materials became the primary sources for their lessons. Partnering with graduate students from the UCSB History Department, teachers developed creative approaches to bringing these sources into the classroom. In mock debates, travel brochures, letters to civic leaders, and artistic designs, students will now consider how these sources help them understand the statue and what it represents.

By the end of a week that teachers described as “amazing” and “inspiring,” each educator left with a deeper knowledge about the multilayered history of Santa Barbara, new connections with colleagues from across the school district, and exciting lesson plans to use in their classrooms this year.

The Making of Monuments project will continue throughout the 2023-24 school year. Field trips to the Presidio and the statue of Carlos III will complement lessons in the classroom. And a journey to the UCSB campus will provide students with the opportunity to apply their analytical skills to another statue, Gaucho Argentino, located at the Mosher Alumni House.

Students will finish the year with a new understanding of the significance of monuments and the stories they tell, as well as their relationship with the communities in which they reside. Students will also develop a stronger appreciation of their own power and responsibility as community members to preserve, change, or reimagine the monuments and stories that represent them.

The project is a collaboration between the IHC, educators from the Santa Barbara Unified School District, SBTHP, and graduate students from the UCSB History Department. The IHC would like to extend a special thank you to educators Jonathan Combs (Adams Elementary), Shalon Edwards (Santa Barbara Charter), Jen Griffith (Washington Elementary), Erin Mitchell (Adams Elementary), Donna Nelson (Adams Elementary), Elizabeth Oakley (Adams Elementary), Geraldine Salhuana (McKinley Elementary), and Jenny Witherell (Santa Barbara Charter). We also extend our thanks to our amazing colleagues at SBTHP: Executive Director Anne Petersen, Board Member Mia Lopez, Associate Director for Public Engagement Kevin McGarry, and Director of Presidio Research Center Dez Alaniz. Thank you also to our skilled and enthusiastic graduate students Emma Bianco, Casey Haughin-Scasny, and Dana Hughes for their outstanding contributions to the project.

Dr. Christoffer Bovbjerg is Assistant Director at UCSB’s Interdisciplinary Humanities Center. All photos by Paula Schafer, courtesy of IHC. This article first appeared on UCSB’s Interdisciplinary Humanities Center website.

Meet Megan Sheard, SBTHP’s 2023 UCSB Public Humanities Graduate Student Intern

By Kevin McGarry

This summer, the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (SBTHP) once again offered its Public Humanities Graduate Fellows Program internship, a partnership with UC Santa Barbara’s Interdisciplinary Humanities Center (IHC) that has been going strong since 2019. In early August 2023, SBTHP’s Public Engagement Department and Presidio Research Center welcomed Megan Sheard, a PhD candidate in the History of Art and Architecture at UC Santa Barbara. These co-hosted paid internships allow fellows to apply their academic training within organizations in community settings, as part of a longer training in publicly engaged humanities.

Originally from Perth, Western Australia, Megan’s doctoral research focuses on the environmental and Aboriginal cultural histories of architectural materials in Tasmania. When we asked what she would bring to her internship at SBTHP, she spoke about her interest in grappling with what decolonial approaches to history might look like at colonial sites, and expanding interpretive materials that address Indigenous histories of place at sites that are often exclusively commemorated through the lens of colonial history. Megan began with us as a Public Engagement Fellow at SBTHP and quickly began researching and working. She worked on helping our Programs Department staff develop materials, activities and lessons for school-aged student field trips to El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park.

Drawing on her training in architectural and art history, Megan’s contributions expanded our resources and interpretive approaches in sharing migrant stories of the historic sites, encouraging students to reflect upon their own identities and stories of place.

When asked about her short but meaningful time and work at SBTHP, Megan said: “It’s been amazing to learn about the layered multiethnic histories of the Presidio Neighborhood and to consider what it means to take these big ideas like empire and race and work out how to make them really concrete in their relationship to a particular site, while also digestible in a short lesson format for students much younger than those I’m accustomed to teaching at university. The dynamics of Spanish colonial history in California are quite different from my own research connected to the British empire, but there’s a lot in common in the way that materials, objects and landscapes can help us to tell richer and more complex stories about migration and change.”

Megan says she’s been felt supported by the amazing SBTHP staff and their deep knowledge of materials and the objects in SBTHP’s collections. She expressed her gratitude for the advice and encouragement she received from Chumash community leader and SBTHP board member, Mia Lopez.

“It’s been great working with people who are so committed to foregrounding minority histories and who are open to experimenting with different interpretive approaches, and I’ve learnt so much about doing public history from the staff expertise here. I’ve felt like my skills are really welcomed here, and at the same time, the internship has helped me to work out how to apply them.”

Kevin McGarry is the Associate Director for Public Engagement for SBTHP.

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