A black-tie centennial ball was held in Ayres Hall at Los Angeles County Arboretum, with a Greek theme. Dinner was catered by The Derby Restaurant. Pictured at Pamela Blackwood (Chairman of the Centennial Ball committee, George Fasching, Susan Guirguis, Mayor Gary Kovacic, Gail Marshall, Mickey Segal, John Wuo, Bob Margett, Jim Helms, Floretta Lauber, Robert Harbicht, Edward Butterworth and Charles Gilb.
Charles Cooper continues his Arcadia city centennial series "Memories of Arcadia" with a story about Arcadia's mayors. A. N. Multer was the first person to be given the title of mayor of Arcadia. City founder Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin was the city's first presiding officer, but he held the title of president of the Board of Trustees. The title of mayor was not adopted until 1927, when the Board of Trustees changed to the City Council. Arcadia will have 4 mayors this year to mark the city's centennial. Each city council member will rotate into the position. More interesting facts: Floretta Lauber was the first woman to serve as mayor. She paved the way for Mary Young, Barbara Kuhn, and Gail Marshall to follow. Other history of mayors is recapped. The first city manager was William J. Richards in 1951, when a charter was adopted. The longest serving city official was City Clerk Christine Van Mannen, who held the job for 32 years. See hard copy in VF Arcadia (City) History.
Former mayor Charles Gilb and former City Commission Dean Efsthathiou are appointed City Ambassadors at Large to Arcadia's two sister cities Newcastle, Australia and Tripolis, Greece.
Former Mayor Charles Gilb and his wife Ruth, through their family foundation, are donating $300,000 to construct a new museum. Curator Carol Libby displays museum artifacts on the community's history in the current museum.
Historical background on plans to build a performing arts auditorium in Arcadia, starting in 1977-1978. The Arcadia Auditorium Foundation (AAF) was formed by Charles Gilb, Gloria Horstman and Joe Sargis. The building did not come to fruition but the money has supported music programs at Arcadia Unified School District over the years. Now that Measure I is funding a Performing Arts Center at Arcadia High School, the AAF will fund the ending expenses of the construction. Arcadia Mayor Gary Kovacic has been a long-time advocate of an auditorium. See hard copy in VF "Arcadia Performing Arts Center."
In additon to the $300,000 donated by Ruth and Charles Gilb, another $85,000 has been contributed from the community for the new Arcadia Historical Museum.
Remembering Charles Gilb on Veterans Day. Biography of Charles Gilb, "Potato King," a former Staff Sergeant in the Marine Corps, businessman in the produce industry and former Arcadia City Council member. He served four terms as mayor.
The Ruth and Charles Gilb Arcadia Historical Museum opened with a grand ceremony and ribbon cutting. A photograph shows Charles Gilb, Ruth Gilb, Micky Segal, Floretta Lauber and Carol Libby. A List of major donors is included.