Mr. Kafkas my 10th grade history teacher at Balboa High once asked my class why we study history. The answers ranged from “in order to graduate” to “because it’s easier than chemistry”. No one really knew. He then told us it is because there lay all the answers to the future.
It wasn’t until some years later I realized what he meant. There is a lot of truth in the past holding many of the answers to the future. The past is a rich environment of mistakes to learn from and ideas ready for the present whose time was not quite ready in the past. History helps us understand our culture and heritage and imbues us with a sense of identity. By preserving history we ensure the past will remain intact and available for future generations to reflect upon and learn from.
Foster City has a very rich history which defines us as a community and I believe it is worth preserving. Some of us have yet to stop and reflect upon the fact it has been almost 50 years since T. Jack Foster began building his vision of a pre-planned community. Some of us may not realize or have forgotten our town is renowned as a rare one-of-a-kind community to whom city planners and developers from around the world look to for answers on how to properly develop a community. In less than 50 years an amazing and magnificent city rose from mud flats and now stands as one of the premiere communities in California.
What’s unfortunate is the past has gone by so quickly that we tend to view ourselves as a young city whose past will be around for years to come. Sadly, that is not the case. Much of our past is long since gone or boxed up and forgotten in someone’s garage rafters. It’s sometimes difficult to recognize what gives something local historical significance or how it relates to our community? I got a look at what makes up Foster City’s past when I met with the dedicated volunteers of the Foster City Historical Society.
The Foster City Historical Society was founded as a spin off of the Arts and Culture advisory committee back in 1982. These highly dedicated volunteers work arduously looking for historical finds and then preserve them for display. Their work is not easy and is very time consuming. Funding for the Historical Society comes from personal donations and grants. The City provides some storage for artifacts but more is needed. Then there is the issue of where our history is to be displayed? As of yet, there is no designated place for our museum.
This is why I hope our city council will work with the Foster City Historical Society in order to help find space to display our treasured past. I also urge community members to make affordable donations to the historical society and to volunteer your time for this very worthwhile effort. If you are able to do either or if you posses old photographs taken in Foster City, match books from defunct restaurants, old copies of The Islander or anything you think might be of historical interest, please do not hesitate in calling the society’s vice-president Diane Daniels at 650-573-7773.
I hope to see you at my Sunday meetings between 3:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M at the Council Chambers. You can stop by and ask question or voice concerns or discuss any matter you have on your mind. If you have any questions or remarks you wish heard before then please feel free to call me at home at 650-349-2316 or e-mail me at jkiramis@yahoo.com.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you and remember we are making tomorrows history today.
I can be reached via e-mail jkiramis@fostercity.org.
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