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April 2 meeting will feature author of Earthquake Exodus

The April meeting of the El Cerrito Historical Society will feature a presentation by Richard Schwartz, the pre-eminent Berkeley historian, on his new book, Earthquake Exodus, 1906 .  The meeting will be held at the El Cerrito Senior Center on Sunday, April 2 nd at 2 PM.  Refreshments and a business meeting will follow Richard's talk.

Richard is the author of several other books, including the very popular “ Berkeley 1900 ” book.  His new book tells how refugees from the San Francisco earthquake were accepted with open arms by the residents of Berkeley and other East Bay cities.  The new book has been exceedingly well received.  In fact, San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, upon becoming familiar with the story as told in Richard's book, issued an official City of San Francisco proclamation thanking the City of Berkeley for its exceptional work in assisting the beleaguered citizens of San Francisco 100 years ago.  Mayor Newsom's written proclamation is the first formal acknowledgement ever by the City of San Francisco of the enormous sacrifices made by the City and Citizens of Berkeley to assist the people of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake.

The El Cerrito Historical Society meetings draw attendees from a number of local communities and you do not have to be a member to attend.  If you have any questions about the meeting contact Tom Panas at (510) 526-7507 or Verne Odlin at (510) 525-1730.  The El Cerrito Senior Center is located at 6510 Stockton Avenue, just behind the El Cerrito Library.