Newly elected board members and officers take the Oath of Office, led by the Honorable Superior Court Judge Brian McCabe.
Outgoing Merced County Historical Society President Chris Tomford opens his final meeting.
The 2024 Letus Wallace Award went to Arturo Barajas (at left) for his constant promotion of Merced County’s cultural history.
The 2025 Rossotti Capital Improvement Grant winners included the Milliken Museum Society and the Dos Palos Historical Society.
Taking time to reflect on all the many happenings and highlights of 2024, the Merced County Historical Society held its Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 2, at the Merced Women’s Clubhouse.
It was the first time the meeting was held at the landmark clubhouse, which was recently acquired by the Society for preservation and restoration. Many local history advocates, elected leaders and other dignitaries showed up for the event.
Chris Tomford, president of Merced County Historic Society, opened the proceedings and welcomed the attendees. He recognized the incredible work being done at the clubhouse, in addition to his gratefulness that the Society was able acquire it.
After showing appreciation for all of the museum supporters, volunteers, and members that make the organization possible, various Historical Society members came up and reflected on all the completed and in progress events as well as projects of the past year.
The primary highlights included the raising of $310,000 for the restoration of the Merced Women’s Clubhouse, the many amazing exhibits such as “What’s That For? The Stories of Obscure Artifacts,” “Merced County Times: 60 Years of Positive Press,” and “Painting Merced County: Landmarks Immortalized by Artists,” and lastly the freshly restored “Minnie Mo” 1947 tractor.
In turn, the Honorable Judge Brian McCabe took the spotlight to lead the Installation and Swearing in of the newly elected board members and officers.
• President – Joyce Mattos
• President Elect – John Carlos
• Vice President – Kathy Brady
• Treasurer – Grey Roberts
• Secretary — Patti Kishi
• Directors — Tom Roduner, Augie Scoto, Brett Baker, Bob Souza, and Bud Wallace
Next, the Historical Society gave out their list of awards and brought each recipient on stage to speak to the attendees.
Here are the awards and their recipients:
- 2025 Rossotti Capital Improvement Grant: Milliken Museum Society and Dos Palos Historical Society for their Joint Docia Robinson Archives Digitization Project.
- 2025 Estep-Burchell Community Grant: The Gustine Historical Society for the Educational Outreach Project to Promote Gustine History; and the Snelling Women’s Club for the Snelling Courthouse Museum Conservation and Preservation Project.
- 2024 Letus Wallace Award: Arturo Barajas for his promotion of Merced County’s Cultural History.
- 2024 Heacox Pioneer History Award: Mary Ann Bloom for her leadership in the Gustine Historical Mural Project.
- 2024 Docent of the Year Award: Sandy Price for her contribution to the Museum Docent Program.
- Past President: Chris Tomford was recognized and thanked for his 2024 Merced County Historical Society leadership.