Colma Historical Association

At tonight Council meeting, Colma Mayor Diana Colvin did a great job presenting the annual State of the City address, detailing the resilience that our town and... its staff and residents have demonstrated through the pandemic. We also recognized 2 special Colma residents: Yoshie Hill and Maureen O’Connor. Yoshie was recognized for being the 1st Colma resident to appear on Jeopardy! Maureen, who is also the Colma Historical Association President, let us celebrate her 75th birthday! To close the meeting we had a moment of silence in memory of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. May we all be the Light in the Darkness.

Here’s the link for those who’d like to watch Yoshie talk about her appearance on Alex Trebek’s last show: https://abc7news.com/jeopardy-alex-trebek-last-show-bay-//

A short and charming YouTube video on Colma

Tune in January 6 to see Colma resident Yoshie Hill appear on Jeopardy! I believe Yoshie is the only Colma resident to ever appear on Jeopardy!

The Colma Historical Association exists because of our members, our docents, our volunteers, and our board members. Thank you! A happy and joyous Holiday Season to everyone!

2020 has been a difficult year for all of us but there have been special moments that have brought us together. What started as a simple request to Congresswoman Jackie Speier for a lighted flagpole at Colma’s Veterans Village led to the eventual installation of a beautiful flagpole and a U.S. flag (courtesy of Senator Dianne Feinstein). Later in the year a request to San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa for Service Branch flags and a POW/MIA flag led to the installation of the flags at the old pump house (now the recreation center at the Village). The day the flags were officially unveiled, the Town of Colma also recognized 7 veterans whose names have been added to the Veterans plaque that is on display at Town Hall.

As many of you know, the museum has a collection of class photos and yearbooks from local schools. A few of the class photos don’t have any student names attached. I’m attaching to this post class photos from the Colma School 1953 top photo) and 1958 (bottom photo). If you know the names of any of the students please let us know. Thanks!

The Colma Historical Association presented their quarterly meeting today and it was a fun event! President Maureen O’Conner led the way throughout in cat like ...grace! We were joined by 3 former El Camino High School seniors who presented their Senior Capstone projects. These seniors all did their volunteer hours at the museum in the Fall of 2019. John Tsiglieris’ topic was on Repatriation of Stolen Museum Artifacts. His website for those who missed the presentation today is: jtsig0040.wixsite.com/johnscapstone Sean Goodwin’s topic was on The Importance Behind Teaching All History. His website is seangoodwin2002.wixsite.com/mysite Andre Rodriguez’ topic was on Mass Graves Should Be Well Kept And Open To The Public. His website is: arodr0025.wixsite.com/website Helen Fisicaro then did a great job conducting the virtual raffle. Over 40 raffle prizes were awarded!

In honor of Italian Heritage and Culture Month, the Town of Colma raised the Italian Flag at the Colma Community Center. An attendee shared this wonderful video of the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXrb5e6f_mA&t=1s

The Italian Flag was raised today at the Colma Community Center in honor of Italian Heritage month. Current and former Colma Council members/mayors, the President of the California Law Enforcement Columbia Association, members from the National Association of Carabinieri, Colma Fire and Police, City Manager and staff, as well as Colma neighbors and friends were on hand.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! You may see Colma Police Officers wearing pink patches to help spread awareness and show support to those who have, or... are currently fighting this disease, as well as honor those who have been taken from us too soon. The Pink Patch Project originated in 2013 with the Seal Beach Police Department (CA) and has since expanded to several hundred agencies throughout the world. To learn more about the organization or donate, you can visit: https://pinkpatchproject.com/

Today is the day for our National Night Out Drive-Thru! Come by the Colma Community Center (1520 Hillside Boulevard) this afternoon between 4-5pm and join us, C...olma Fire (Colma Firemen's Social Club), Broadmoor Police Department, and California Highway Patrol. We will pass out important safety information and other goodies while you safely drive through from the comfort of your own vehicle. All vehicle traffic needs to enter from the north driveway on Hillside Boulevard and then exit out the south driveway, at the light. And a special thank you to the businesses and community organizations who have provided additional information and goodies for tonight’s attendees. ALLICE Kumares & Kumpares California Water Service Colma Historical Association Cypress Lawn Funeral Home & Memorial Park H&R Block (La Terrazza at Colma) Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA Republic Services San Mateo County Tobacco Education Coalition Starbucks Town of Colma

Hi everyone, the Association’s next quarterly meeting will be held virtually on October 25th. Please RSVP by email to the Association at [email protected] or call and leave a voicemail at 650-757-1676 We can then send you a Zoom link and password so you can join in. The winners of the raffle will be announced during the meeting. Three former El Camino High School students will present a short summary of their Senior Capstone projects. The students did their Capstone volunteer hours at the museum in 2019 and early 2020. Hope to see everyone October 25th!

A little bit different this year but San Francisco History Days will still happen and the Colma Historical Association will still have a role. Thanks for the shout out Daly City Public Library Associates!

This Labor Day, like everything else this year, feels a bit different. Parades and other celebrations will be few or nonexistent. One thing that remains the same, or is even greater this Labor Day, is our appreciation of the workers in this country. All of our front line workers have been out there every day for us through the pandemic. On this 126th anniversary of Labor Day being signed into law by President Grover Cleveland, let us acknowledge the toil of the American worker.

I was honored tonight at the council meeting to read a Proclamation for the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage. Receiving the Proclamation and joining us (vi...rtually) was Marie Baldisseri, President of the League of Women Voters of North and Central San Mateo County. Let us not forget the hard work and the sweat and blood that was spilled to gain the passage of the 19th Amendment. *Photo to the right is courtesy of History.com

Please don’t forget about the many small museums across the country (including the Colma Historical Association) that are closed due to the pandemic. Many rely on donations and gift sales to survive. Stay tuned as we improve our website to make it easier to purchase items online as well as an upcoming virtual raffle! https://time.com/5870460/museums-coronavirus/

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Colma Historical Museum is closed. We will open again when it is deemed safe for the staff and the public. You may leave a message on our voicemail (650) 757-1676 or email us at [email protected] We will be checking messages several times a week and will return your calls.... Please take good care of yourself during these challenging times. *update: The CHA board is considering having a virtual quarterly meeting (via Zoom) in October. I’ll post another update as I get more details.

A historic day in Colma as the National flag of the Philippines is raised for the first time. Vice Mayor Colvin and Councilmember Del Rosario raised the flag an...d said a few words afterwards. Councilmember Del Rosario was the first Filipino American woman to serve as mayor in the Bay Area and both her and Vice Mayor Colvin were the first to serve as Mayor and Vice Mayor in any municipality in the U.S. See more