So, like I said before, on Friday, October 29, 2010 the Friends of the Michael White Adobe hosted an open house so that folks could see the adobe before, during and after San Marino's homecoming game against South Pasadena. It was a tremendous success - hundreds of people came through including a couple of school board members, a bunch of alumni cheerleaders, students, faculty, some Raven Jake fans and some Michael White / Eulalia Perez family members, making it a very happy Halloween indeed. Check out the photo album over there on the left side of the page, towards the bottom, right above the ravens.
Here's the official scoop on the open house:
San Marino High School football fans received a rare treat at the homecoming game on Friday – entrance to the Michael White Adobe. Opened to the public for the first time since the 1990’s, the Adobe offered visitors a glimpse into San Marino’s past.
Hundreds of football fans streamed through before, during and after the game at the urging of Friends of the Michael White Adobe. Inside, curious visitors saw displays of the Adobe through time and some artifacts depicting San Marino history. The Friends converted one of the three rooms into a theater where visitor took in a slide show prepared by SMHS Senior Taylor Beldy.
Michael White and his bride Maria del Rosario Guillen de White (Jeryd and Jane Pojawa) appeared in period costume and took visitors on a tour of their home from 1845 to 1874. Some of the guests included direct descendants of Michael White, including SMHS grad Kirt Boultinghouse, who came for the Homecoming game.
The Friends of the Michael White Adobe have received matching grants from the Los Angeles Conservancy and the San Marino Historical Society to conduct a feasibility study to investigate the possibility of using the 165 year old structure as a “Hall of Fame” intended to highlight student accomplishments. Friends Committee Chairman, Gene Dryden, was on hand to describe how the Hall of Fame proposal will bring the historic building back as a vital component of campus life. “K.L. Carver made the decision to preserve the Adobe for the students back when the High School was constructed, and we want to keep the Adobe relevant for today’s SMHS students,” Dryden explained. For most of the students there, this was their first chance to look inside the historic Adobe they walk past every day to and from class.
Now I do apologize that the photo quality isn't a little better, but we tried (amid all the running around and setting up and everything) to get a pretty representative feel of the event. We had Taylor's slide show going in one room, some large historic photos courtesy of Ann Gray and the San Marino Historical Society set up in the "kitchen" room as a gallery, and Bill Enger's powerpoint presentation for the high school students running in the "living room." You can see it here: https://sites.google.com/site/michaelwhiteadobe/hot-news-1/asbleadershipclassatsmhs
I also want to send a shout out to the crazy girls of the pep squad. No, they're not so crazy any more - they're moms and business women and pillars of the community and that kind of thing, but man, do they have some great stories about the "pep adobe" in the '7os and '80s. If these walls could talk! Here's an old yearbook picture (1974) of some of the girls up on the roof (kids, don't get your hopes up - there's no way you're going up on the roof when the adobe gets restored. Times were less litigious back then, and pep girls were stealthier.)
And to all the Eulalia Perez de Guillen descendants: WELCOME HOME! One of the very best things about the restoration project is meeting all the family members and seeing y'all reconnecting. This adobe can be saved but it's going to take the whole community working together - so let's do it!
Recent Comments