Our Next Dinner Meeting will be Thursday November 19th

The Tao House Today!

Our Speaker will be Park Ranger Hilary Grabowska

We in the San Ramon Valley have a long tradition of preserving local history. Do any
of us remember hearing of Eugene O’Neill being sequestered in our midst, in his tranquil
refuge in Danville, where he wrote some of his best known works? Do any of us remember the early efforts of three determined ladies to rescue and preserve Tao House, his home here? Those early efforts included establishing the Eugene O’Neill Foundation, and persisted on a long road to Tao House becoming a National Historic Site. Many of us may have visited - likely quite some time ago. Today it has already celebrated 40 years of being open to the public, operated by the National Park Service, with a broad scope of programming in partnership with the Eugene O’Neill Foundation.

Hilary Grabowska serves as the Supervisory Interpretive Ranger at Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site and Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial. She started her career with the National Park Service at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and has worked for the last ten years in New Mexico, Virginia, and California. Join us on Thursday November 19th as she brings us up to date on all the progress, history, and happenings at this national treasure right here in our local area. It may be time for another visit!

See you on the 19th!

DINNER PROGRAM DETAILS

• Address: Black Bear Diner; 807 Camino Ramon, Danville CA 94526

• Date: Thursday, November 19th

• Time: 7:00pm

• Cost: $25 per person

Advanced reservations are encouraged. To reserve your spot, please email us at [email protected] to let us know you’re coming.

Click here to purchase dinner tickets, or visit www.srvhistoricalsociety.org and click the “Buy Dinner Tickets” button. Alternately, you can mail payment to the address at the bottom of this email or pay at the door.

A Warm Welcome to Our New Members!

Steven Corey

Julie Buller

We look forward to having you with us!

And a Brief Note: Our October 15th field trip was cancelled at the last minute due to an unforeseen PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff in Diablo, which closed the Diablo Country Club on the evening of the 14th, and was scheduled to last three days. We hope to reschedule with our tour guide David Mackesey to see the San Francisco Panorama Room at another time in the future!

At Our Last Dinner Program: The Foster House

Our evening started with the unveiling of our latest plaque, #26, on the Hartz house. Afterword we took a short walk to the Foster house, currently owned by our own Jeff Mason, definitely an avid historian! As a prelude to his presentation, Jeff treated us to a tour of the interior, displaying many photographs capturing a broad range of history related to the Foster house and Danville. How many other houses in historic Danville have basements?!

Annie and Joe Foster ran -and lived behind- the Danville Emporium, which occupied the site until it was destroyed by fire. In 1926 Joe rebuilt the current craftsman style Foster house in its place, and an additional craftsman style “Cabral” house, later owned by George Foster, was soon added next door.

With more pictures and tales of his findings Jeff treated us all to an enjoyable evening. Research and excavation continues. A few days after our SRVHS meeting, an unexpected meeting occurred between Jeff, Karen, and a Foster family grandson who was in Danville to review his grandfathers’ historical documents ―so perhaps we can hope for the next chapter at a future date!

Thank you Jeff!

Our latest plaque, #26, is installed on the Hartz house!

Located at 455 Hartz Avenue, its years as a Hartz family home were followed by over three decades as La Ultima New Mexican Restaurant, and it currently houses Incontro Ristorante. The plaque is installed on the wall beside the front door.

Be sure to take a look next time you pass by!

In Memoriam

We have learned of the passing of a member

We will miss her

Dolores Warren Geisler

August 3, 1941 - September 24, 2026

Memorial Gifts

Honor someone special with a memorial gift. When you make a contribution, the name of the person you wish to honor will be added to our Book of Memory, housed at the Museum of the San Ramon Valley, along with your name.

As a nonprofit organization, all contributions are tax deductible (please consult your tax advisor for details).

You may make your gift online at srvhistoricalsociety.org or by mailing a check to San Ramon Valley Historical Society, P.O. Box 521, Danville, CA 94526

If you would like to include specific details with your gift, please provide:

• The purpose of your contribution (e.g., in memory, in honor, appreciation, or other)

• The occasion (if applicable)

• The name(s) of the person(s) being honored

• Donor name(s)

• A contact name and address for notification (if you would like someone informed of your gift)

For questions or to submit details electronically, please contact us at [email protected]

San Ramon Valley Historical Society Board of Directors 2026

• Christian Wiedemann — President

• Lou Plummer — Vice President

• Jerry Warren — Secretary

• Frances Lloyd — Treasurer

• Bill Clarkson

• Lee Halverson

• Jean Mello

• Karen Stepper

Speaker Committee

• Lee Halverson

• Karen Stepper

Newsletter Committee

• Frances Lloyd

We’re always looking for feedback and new ideas from our members

Please email us at [email protected] with ideas for dinner speakers you’d like to hear from, local history topics you want to learn more about, suggestions for new commemorative plaques or online content, or anything else that’s on your mind.