New life for Glen Ellen Historical Society
Photo by Jay Gamel
Jim Shere working in the Glen Ellen Historical Society archives.
Jim Shere sees history as a live, almost physical thing, unfolding every day and shaping our daily lives. Embracing the past is his way of understanding the present to ensure a more conscious future. In addition to his work on the history sections of the new Sonoma wiki (at www.sonomavalleywiki.info), he hopes to share his passion for history with all of us here in the Sonoma Valley through his involvement in the Glen Ellen Historical Society by developing a robust electronic presence on the Internet.
The renewed interest in the Historical Society couldn’t have come at a better time. Key members of the Board have passed away recently, and their historical archive collection was needing to be moved to a new location. Fortunately, the archives now have a permanent home at Jack London Village, where Shere’s office is located and where an historic photo exhibit is on display in the hallway of the main building.
Jim Shere holds one of many maps in the Glen Ellen Historical Society archives in their new home in Jack London Village.
When Jim met and married Maria they moved out of the urban wilderness of Berkeley to the highly civilized if bucolic climate of Sonoma County, to raise their children where he had been raised many years before. After living in various parts of West County, the Sheres finally opted for Glen Ellen’s sunnier climes and never looked back.
Shere is asking residents to share their personal histories and memories, photographs and even videos online. “In the few weeks since we set up a FaceBook page (at www.facebook.com/GlenEllenHistoricalSociety), well over a hundred local people have signed up as fans to take part in an active online conversation that includes historic photographs, anecdotes, maps, and even a link to a sound file of the original 1914 recording of ‘In the Valley of the Moon,’ a wonderfully sentimental love song characteristic of that time,” Shere said.
“My concern for the history of the Valley of the Moon is not simply about the events of the past; it’s about the soul of this place. My practice has taught me that mental hygiene involves accepting who it is we simply are. We must learn to regard the events that have shaped us with neither denial (ignoring what has happened) nor nostalgia (pretending it was all just wonderful), but rather with an understanding that permits the eventual comprehension of the significance of who it is we really are – and living accordingly,” he said.
How we view our heritage is a strong part of how we shape our legacy, Shere posits, and he is providing the tools for the community to participate in the process of defining history in a way never before possible.
“The grassroots nature and redundancy of distribution characteristic of the Internet are perfectly suited to sharing and preserving the history that belongs to all of us. My personal interest is in the development of a discussion about the nature and character of the entire valley on a human level. In this way I believe we can appreciate and protect our rich heritage, and leave a legacy that can continue to inspire the future generations that will also have the great fortune to enjoy living here. I’ve long wanted to make it possible for photographs and memories to come out of local attics and basements before they are lost to us forever, and this emerging technology seems perfect for the job.”
The Board members of the Glen Ellen Historical Society are: Jim Shere - President, Archie Horton - Vice President, Anne Teller - Secretary, Steve Lee - Treasurer, Marge Everidge, Pat Mazzini, and Dorothy Johnson. They will have met in the last week of February to draft a new set of bylaws and set a regular meeting schedule, which is likely to be quarterly, Shere noted. Anyone interested in joining the Society should write to P.O. Box 35, Glen Ellen, CA 95442 for the moment. Dues and other membership information won’t be available until sometime this month.
Shere is also an author, having written A Brief and Amateur History of Jack London Village and, most recently, the introduction and commentary for A Year of Sundays, a book of beautiful mandalas drawn by San Francisco artist Ruth Block. He also has written a rock opera, and authored several professional articles, essays, poetry and short stories that are available to be read at his website.
If you are wandering around Jack London Village, go back by the creek and admire his unique office, a two-story structure with a lot of leaded glass windows that looks like something Gaudi might have designed, had he lived in Sonoma Valley. Jim hung out his therapy shingle there seven years ago. Visit his website at www.JimShere.com.
Email: jay@kenwoodpress.com
