Yesterday we celebrated 80 years of supporting Yosemite National Park. Such a momentous occasion called for a party, and we certainly did not fail in that regard. We assembled a great group of National Park Service staff, Yosemite Association board and employees, our members, and park visitors, who helped us celebrate our accomplishments and consume some very delicious birthday cake (chocolate with white chocolate frosting - very yummy).
Mike Tollefson, the park Superintendent, joined a list of speakers who recognized our efforts. Bob Hansen from the Yosemite Fund traveled from San Francisco to participate, Mary Gearheart, board member of the Association of Partner for Public Lands, came from Arcadia. Debbie Hurley presented us with a statement of Congressional Record from Congressman Radanovich’s office, Shelly Abajian read thanks from Senator Diane Feinstein, and Senator Barbara Boxer sent her greetings via letter.
We decided that on our birthday we would give gifts. Our association began in 1923 in order to fundraise for a museum, and had its early roots in assisting museum and research development in the park. We thought it appropriate to commemorate our anniversary by presenting some gifts to the museum and research library. Among them were a beautiful Western Mono basket made between 1940 and 1950, six rare and hard-to-find travel books for the the library, and for the museum, a Carleton Watkins mammoth photographic print and a set of 35 stereoviews made in Yosemite by T.C. Roche in 1860.
If you missed this event, please join us in Fresno on August 17th for an evening at the Fresno Metropolitan Museum. Ranger Shelton Johnson will be presenting his award-wining Buffalo Soldiers of the Sierra Nevada program.
So Happy 80th Birthday YA!