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What have you to share?
When I'm not contemplating the possibility that Gary Coleman or Chris
Ranken might become our next Governor by winning two percent of the recall
vote, I've been reviewing family photos. I have pictures of guys I knew in
the army. I've lost track of their names, and I wouldn't know how to get in
touch with them if I remembered. Then again I have lots of family photos,
which I have started scanning into the computer. At least I'm still aware
of who most of them are. However, it would be wise of me to identify those
I know for the benefit of those who might cherish a photo of Uncle Joe if
they had a clue what he looked like.
You too may have some very precious photos stashed in old boxes or photo
albums that might be a valuable part of Pacifica's history. That applies to
many of us, but especially to those whose families date from the
Pre-Cambrian era of local history, which is any time before 1954. San Pedro
Valley ranch families, the first residents of Westview and Pacific Manor
subdivisions, early residents of Vallemar and Rockaway and Pedro Point are
in a position to share their photographic wealth with the Pacifica
Historical Society. Note I said share. Photos can be copied and returned.
If you've seen the recently published book of Pacifica images which has
delighted so many readers, you're probably aware that few of the pictures
seemed extraordinary at the time they were taken. Even Lloyd Easterby's
aerial photos just recorded the scenes he saw below the airplane.
Lloyd took pictures of artichoke fields. They're now filled with houses.
The photos of the folks who worked so hard to incorporate this city are
close to a half-century old. Mortality is moving at an ever-faster pace.
Did you ever take a picture of Lydia Comerford Fahey? Share it, please. Do
you have a picture of Father Mullen of Good Shepherd Church? Please share
it with the Historical Society. Do you have photos of the predecessors of
Herschel Harkins at the Little Brown Church? Do you have pictures of the
local resident who ran Suga's Shack? or Suga's Shack itself? or Dolly Fine,
or, to go back farther, Robert Inches? Actually even much more recent
pictures might be a major contribution to the archives. I have only one
picture of George F. Sharp, and that is a photocopy. My photo of Honora
Sharp was on the front cover of a newspaper in 1905.
A relative might have been just visiting, but you took his picture in front
of Nick's Restaurant in 1950, or near Hazel Nickola's famous bar on Ocean
Blvd. (now Beach Blvd.). Perhaps you've pictures of old Sharp Park, or the
Edgemar Club, or the Surf Lounge before it moved to Aura Vista? There are
folks who are saving their photos for a book that is never compiled. Why
not let the Society have copies, and ask they be embargoed until after a
specific date, or until you're gone?
History has a way of getting away from us. There is attrition to contend
with. Pictures deteriorate. Memories fade. Death is a fact of life. Take
the time to loan, give, bequeath, identify. Your photos are part of the
common heritage. When one my cousins celebrated my mother's family by
compiling a book on our family's genealogy, I found a photo I had taken in
Italy, one I was very proud of. I was not credited, but the value of the
picture is undeniable. I'm glad that the picture was saved and is part of
his book. Credit is less important than preservation and reproduction.
Paul Azevedo can be e mailed at Paul@thereactor.net.
The Pacifica Historical Society can be e mailed at Pachist@earthlink.net
Check The Reactor's website at www.thereactor.net.
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