The Strange & Challenging Year of The Pandemic Ordinarily there is some mention in the last newsletter of the year of all the things that happened that year. Everything we hosted, participated in, created, archived or shared with you. This year was quite different. In these difficult days of the pandemic many events were cancelled or postponed. The following items were on this list:
However, we have attempted to remain a "face" in our community with some old and new things.
We have always tried to be an active and relevant historical organization in the Perris Valley. We did manage to have a few events and to keep in touch with our newsletter. We have now made it through this most interesting year and hope to come back strong in coming years. We well always keep you informed through our quarterly newsletter. We remain hopeful that we will see some normalcy in the coming year. Please stay tuned for updates and re-openings. So here is to seeing you, in person, in the near future!  Veteran's Flag Unveiled! Saturday, November 7th, 10:am at the Perris Santa Fe Depot Garden There was quite an interest when we unveiled our newest gift: a handmade flag or quilt honoring active duty WW II veterans from the Perris Valley. This item was probably made near the end of the war or shortly thereafter. Our friend Iral Evans, past commander of the Perris Valley American Legion Post 595, asked that we, as the repository of local Perris history, look after it and share it with generations to come. We happily accepted and are so very proud to be protecting, preserving, and using it as a learning tool for those that did not experience the war first hand. Katie Keyes, one of our board members, gave a short speech explaining what the flag/quilt was and how we came to possess it. She thanked Iral for his selfless gift and pointed out that the Perris Valley American Legion Ladies Auxiliary was there with rememberence poppies to share. Those attending thia Covid safe event included descendents and friends of our veterans, as well as history buff just wanting to see it. above event was held inside the Depot because that was the only day that we have had rain this year! Masks were required and every one kept to their social distance. Now the details about the results of our event. There was quite an interest when we unveiled our newest gift: a handmade flag or quilt honoring active duty WWII veterans from Perris. This item was probably made near the end of the war or shortly thereafter. Our friend Iral Evans , past commander of the Perris Valley American Legion Post 595, asked that we, as the repository of local Perris history, look after it and share it with generations to come. We happily accepted and are so very proud to be protecting, preserving, and using it as a learning tool for those that did not experience the war first hand. Katie Keyes, one of our board members, gave a short speech explaining what the flag/quilt was and how we came to possess it. She thanked Iral for his selfless gift and pointed out that the Perris Valley American Legion Ladies Auxiliary was there with remembrance poppies to share. Those attending this Covid Safe event included descendents and friends of our veterans, as well as history buffs just wanting a see it. Framed in red, with 253 stars, 247 lovingly hand embroidered with our veterans names. 252 of the stars are blue, while one is in gold. We have learned that gold indicates that that military member did not return from the war. Sadly, along with other things we don't know anything about this flag, we do not know who he was. His name is Charles Anderson and if you know anything about him, please share it. We would like to recognize him, and possibly his family/descendents for the sacrifice he made for us. While many people came and enjoyed their moments with this special flag, none had any information about who might have made the flag, how many people participated in this loving rememberance, what year it was created, or where it has flown or had been displayed in the past. We would love to have more information about it. If you know something, please contact us so that we can pass down a more complete history of it to our future generations. Some of our visitors honored their family members and friends by adding their handmade poppies to our "Poppy Patch." With not many Veterans Day events (due to the Corona virus) this year, our visitors enjoyed their short visits, seeing their loved ones names on the flag, seeing the festive poppy patch, and eating the red, white, and blue cookies they received for coming. (The children especially liked the cookies, HaHa.) This item will not be on permanent display. It is very old and delicate, and we have a duty to protect it for future generations. We are safely and carefully storing it with plans to bring it out on special occasions, possibly Memorial Days or Veterans Days. Please watch for the next showing.
Remembering Those We Lost
Edie Buzek 1928 - 2020 Edie Buzek, our friend of many years, has supported us by being a member, attending fundraising eventys (she especially liked the Sileny Auction) each year, and sharing her time and stories with us. She was someone who liked life and made it a point to have fun! She has gifted us things over the years, including her wedding dress, but we were happily surprised to find that she gifted us $3,000 in her will. WE are so grateful that she thought of us, as well as her family, when planning her estate distribution. Thank you and we well miss you, Edie! Oscar Perris 1937 - 2020 This year we lost Oscan Allen Perris, the great grandson of our namesake, Fred T. Perris. After graduating high school in Colton, California, Oscar served for a few years in the military, gaining a knowledge of electronics, that landed him a good job at General Dynamics. In 1982 he was hired byu Loma Linda Medical Center where he worked as a computer support technician for the next 34 yuears. One of his proudest moments was while working at Loma Linda, he was instrumental in creating an alarm for the ECMO machines. ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) is an aggressive form of life support and this alarm would alert workers if anything was not working correctly, including power outages, giving them the opportunity to use an alternate power source during and crisis event. He leaves behind our friend and Fred T. Perris' great-great granddaughter Christina Alanne Perris and third great grandson Allan Perris.
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