Saturday, November 6th at 2:30pm, the Humboldt County Historical Society’s library lecture series via Zoom presents “A Life in History” with noted local author and historian Ray Raphael. Half-a-century past, Ray Raphael’s first book—An Everyday History of Somewhere—featured interviews with old-timers in the backwoods of Northwest California. In works that followed—Edges, Tree Talk, and Cash Crop—he examined themes of regional interest around the stories of first-person informants. Years later, when turning his attention to the Founding Era, he continued this approach with such books as A People’s History of the American Revolution: How Common Peopled Shaped the Fight for Independence and Founders: The People Who Brought You a Nation. 

Now, a certified old-timer at age 78, Raphael reverses his lens and interviews himself. How has history shaped him, and how has he helped shape history? He reflects on his work in the peace and civil rights movements in the 1960s, his experience as a back-to-land settler in the 1970s and 1980s, and his effort, along with other teachers and historians, to make our national origin stories more inclusive.

 History/herstory is an interconnected montage of individual experiences, each life part of the whole. By placing his own story in historical context, Ray Raphael offers a template for all of us to reflect on our life stories and place them in historical context   A list of his 20 books can be found on the booklist page of rayraphael.com.

The lecture will be hosted via zoom by the Humboldt County Library and can be viewed from the safety and comfort of home on a personal computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone. The deadline to sign up for access to the lecture is 5:00pm on Friday, November 5th, 2021. Upon registration, participants will receive the meeting ID and password.  Those interested in this lecture and others, can find information at the library website www.humlib.org by clicking on the calendar of events and finding the event listed on Saturday, November 6th, 2021. Assistance in signing up is available by phone at Humboldt County Library (707) 269-1915. Links to instructional YouTube videos for guidance in understanding how to access the zoom lecture are also available through the Humboldt County Library website.

2021 Election!

The November meetings usually include an in-person vote for the 2022 Board of Directors. Because we are not meeting personally, the slate of candidates and their statements are shown below. It is a straight vote - there is no one competing for any position. If you would like to let us know your opinion of the slate as published, or if you have a write-in candidate, please send an email to info@humboldthistory.org.

Humboldt County Historical Society

Board of Directors Election 2021

The 2021 Humboldt County Historical Society Nominating Committee consists of Nick Angeloff and Alex Service (board members) and Rusty Goodlive, Jamie Roscoe and Pam Zana (HCHS members). The Nominating Committee respectfully proposes the following slate of candidates for the 2021 HCHS Board election:

 Alex Service (running for HCHS board president)

I have served on the HCHS board since 2013, and as board secretary since 2016. Although I have only lived in Humboldt County since 2009, I have become deeply involved in exploring Humboldt County’s history through my work as curator at the Fortuna Depot Museum and as co-author of five local history books. My educational background includes my BA in East Asian studies from UCLA and my MA and Ph.D. in medieval studies from the University of York in England. I would be honored to serve as president during the Historical Society’s 75th anniversary year. I feel that the experience I have gained in my years on the board will enable me to help the society as we navigate our way through these strange and challenging times.

 Chuck Petty (incumbent, running for re-election as vice-president)

I was born and raised in Eureka, am a Humboldt State University graduate and have been a member of the HCHS for most of the last 50 years. I am Pathology manager at St. Joseph Hospital. I have restored three historic homes in Eureka, am vice-chair of the City of Eureka’s Historic Preservation Commission, treasurer of the Clarke Historical Museum board, and serve as vice-president on the boards of the Eureka Heritage Society and the Eureka Theater.

 Jack Irvine (incumbent, running for re-election as treasurer)

I am a retired physician and book store owner with an abiding interest in our local history and promoting the goals of preserving and understanding that history for future generations.

 Jim Garrison (running for secretary)

I am a Humboldt County native with deep ties to the community. After graduating from Fortuna High in 1988, I served in the US Air Force, then worked in a lot of different industries, including sawmills, naval shipyards, and even cranberry farms all over the West Coast, including Alaska, Oregon, and Washington before finally coming home to Humboldt County. Fulfilling a life-long desire, I earned a BA in history from Humboldt State in 2014, the first person in my family to go to college. That same year I accepted the position as Collections Archivist for the Humboldt County Historical Society, where I remained until the Summer of 2021. I learned a lot working for HCHS, and met a lot of fantastic people and some good friends. I am now teaching 4th grade at Redway Elementary School, but my thoughts are never far from the Society. I have a passion for Humboldt County's history and I truly care about the mission of the HCHS. More than this, however, I care about the continued existence and success of this organization, and I am willing to serve on the HCHS Board of Directors. I believe that the Board has the ability to make a difference for the HCHS, and I would love to be a part of it.

Sile Bauriedel (running for first term as board member at-large)

I was born and educated in Ireland and obtained a Masters Degree in Library and Information Science from University College Dublin. In my professional career I worked as a librarian at several university libraries in Ireland and Wales, was awarded a fellowship by the USA Medical Library Association, and worked in a US medical library for a year, during which time I met my husband, Dr. Kim Bauriedel. I relocated to the US and came to live in Eureka in 1980. Here I worked part-time as a reference librarian at HSU and the Humboldt County Library. My volunteer activities include Humboldt Sponsors, KEET TV and St. Joseph Hospital Foundation.

My husband Kim's great grandfather Patrick Quinn came to Humboldt County about 1854. He ranched on Table Bluff with his wife Mary. Quinn Road is named for the family. The Quinns have a long history in this area and are interrelated with the McNultys, the Cloneys and the Buxtons. Sadly, very few members of the family still reside in Humboldt County, having dispersed to other areas of California and beyond.

 Mark Castro (running for first term as board member at-large)

Mark Castro, M.A.

I am a Research Associate with Cultural Resources Facility at Humboldt State University where I cultivated a love for the history of California’s North Coast volunteering at places like the Falk town site. I took this love with me over my 10-year career in California Archaeology and heritage management. As a board member, I would bring my years of experience and knowledge to the Society by assisting in the many great projects and services already established like the digitization of the Society’s collections, as well as work to develop new and innovative ways to interface and engage with the local community, HSU students, and the larger community of researchers that access the Society’s archives. I look forward to serving as one of your new board members and working with members to further the goals of the Society.

Susan Doniger (incumbent, running for re-election as board member at-large)

I have served one term on the HCHS Board and it has been a privilege to get to know and help support this unique nonprofit organization. I would be honored to continue my work on behalf of the Society, which consists currently of serving on the Collections Committee and coordinating the Society's monthly library lecture series. I have recently retired as an educator/historian/interpreter from the North Coast's California State Parks, and am presently working on several independent projects both in Humboldt County and in the Bay Area.

 Deborah Storre (running for first term as board member at-large)

I grew up in Eureka in the 1950’s when it was a much different place.  It was a thriving community with both lumber and fishing supplying good jobs and a vibrant community.  After marrying an Englishman, I lived in Canada for 30 years, returning frequently to visit my parents.  I returned to Eureka when I married Richard Storre whose first wife was Joann Barnum, Helen Barnum’s daughter: thus my connection with the Barnum House.  Eureka had not physically changed a great deal in the intervening years.  It looked pretty much the same.  However, the economy was much changed with the demise of the timber and fishing industries.

I have not served on very many boards, as I usually prefer a more hands-on approach to volunteer work.  However, I have served on the St. Joseph Foundation Board and the Humboldt Arts Council Board and enjoyed both the work and the people I worked with.  Currently I am active with the Area 1 Agency on Aging doing Medicare Counseling and volunteering at St. Joseph Hospital.

I have a great deal of respect for the Historical Society and what it has done in the community.  Through my reading of the Humboldt Historian, I have realized that I didn’t learn very much Humboldt County history growing up. I have enjoyed filling that void.