May 12, 2008  

“Quilting Through the Years”

Phyllis Binkley and Members of the Ma ze Stone Quilters

Host/Hostess: Russ Jacobs and Beryl Andrews 

Welcome to the Maze Stone Quilters “Trunk Show.” Yes, that's right. Members of the Maze Stone Quilt Guild of Hemet will give us a “trunk show” featuring older historical quilts and also some more recent traditional as well as non-traditional quilts. 

Joan Stredler, a semi-retired software engineer and hobby quilter, will present a short history of quilting and show some very old quilts that she and other members own.  Then Phyllis Binkley, a retired elementary and high school art teacher from Illinois and Texas who is now a Hemet quilt artist and teacher, will show some examples of the more popular quilting being done today as well as some landscape and other "one-of-a-kind" art quilts.  She will also talk about the direction the quilting craze is heading and what is going on at the national level.

The highlight of the evening will be the showcasing of the Guild's group quilt, “From the Mountains to the Sea” which very possibly will be purchased by an anonymous donor if a public educational location, such as the Hemet Museum, can be found for display of this special quilt. Should those plans not materialize, the quilt will be made available to another donor or through an opportunity drawing. All proceeds generated by this special quilt will be used to provide scholarships for college students.

The Maze Stone Quilt Guild was established in 1996 and consists of approximately 90 members. They regularly meet at 9:00 a.m. on the first Wednesday of each month at the Seventh Day Adventist Church at the corner of Stetson and Girard. Guild members actively participate in small groups which produce a large number of philanthropy quilts which are distributed to many organizations in the San Jacinto Valley . The Guild's programs include special guest speakers, workshops, and a “show and tell” time where members share their latest creations.

For more information about the Maze Stone Quilt Guild contact Guild President, Betty Pizzica, at (951) 929-9690. If you would like to see a preview of some of Phyllis Binkley's landscape quilts, go to www.LandscapeArtQuilts.com

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June 9, 2008

“One Ringy Dingy; Two Ringy Dingies; Historical Telephones through the Years”

Richard Marsh

Host/Hostess: Tom Garnella and Bonnie Figgins 

As a child, Richard Ma rsh played and experimented with telephones and electronics. He never stopped and he keeps on “ringing.” In fact, when you call him, he answers the phone by saying, “Telephone Company.”

Richard, as well as his family, has always been involved in science and engineering. His father was a civil engineer and he, himself, has had an illustrious career as an electrical engineer, a Marine Corps instructor at the Navy Electronics School, an entrepreneur who has started and sold a variety of companies, and Vice President of one of Exxon's companies for 15 years. Richard and his wife, Judi who is a medical lab technician and registered nurse, moved from North Carolina to Hemet just 14 months ago after selling his 41 year old Chicago Old Telephone Company which restored over 53,000 telephones and supplied as well as researched historical telephones for the motion picture, television, entertainment, and advertising industries. They have two daughters, one who is an aerospace engineer and the other an astrophysicist. Their son is involved in computer animation with a major film studio and both of their sons-in-law are engineers.

Tonight will be absolutely fascinating! Hear about the history and development of the telephone, its importance to the Industrial Revolution, the shrinking world because of fast and personal communication, and recent as well as future developments in telephone communications. The evening will be capped by Richard talking about the restoration and marketing of antique telephones, his sharing of some amusing stories related to telephony, and the display/explanation of ten interesting and representative “through the years” telephones.

Got an old phone? Feel free to bring it in and share it with Richard and all of us. Sort of a telephone Antiques Roadshow, hey?

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July 14, 2008

“The Whittier-Green Family”

Mary Allred

Program announcement under development

Hosts: Russ Jacobs/ Al Willey

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Meeting Location and Time!!!

Meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. and are held in the library of the beautiful Diamond Valley Middle School , 291 W. Chambers Street , Hemet . Doors open as early as 6:35 p.m. and admission is free; please bring one or more friends and/or family members.

Diamond Valley Middle School is visible from the southwest corner of State Street and Chambers Street . Chambers is south of Stetson and Thornton for those not familiar with the location. Ample free parking is available in the lot closest to the intersection of State and Chambers. For further information, please call the Hemet Museum , Tuesdays through Sundays, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at (951) 929-4409 or Russ Jacobs, First Vice President , Hemet Area Museum Association, at (951) 654-3660.