Formed in 1952, this non-profit society is staffed by volunteers dedicated to preserving local history and operating the museum for the benefit of visitors, including students, from throughout the San Gabriel Valley. Permanent exhibits bring our unique history alive, and revolving exhibits assure there is always something to see. Society memberships include history-related programs, nature walks, quarterly newsletter, and help maintain the Museum building.
The rich history of the area will also be preserved and interpreted by the Duarte Museum through displays and exhibits that visually present the cultural and historical events of the past. The Duarte Historical Society and Museum will also bring together members, scholars, teachers, students and the general public for the learning experience and exchange of ideas by those interested in our California history generally and that of the City of Duarte and San Gabriel Valley specifically. The Duarte Historical Society & Museum shall also advocate for the preservation of historic structures and sites.
The mission of the Duarte Historical Society & Museum is to collect and preserve materials pertaining to the history of the City of Duarte and the San Gabriel Valley. The Duarte Historical Society will promote interest in and appreciation of the City of Duarte’s and San Gabriel Valley’s past through presentations at meetings and community events as well as through exhibitions, educational programs and publications and in facilitating historic research.
PRESIDENT: Claudia Heller
Claudia has served as the Museum president since 1992. As president she presides over board and general meetings, supervises the temporary exhibits, and serves as a liaison between the City and the Society. She schedules museum programs, activities and projects. She has authored three books, one of which is Duarte Chronicles.
VICE PRESIDENT: Sharman Warner
Sharman’s main duty is to organize, mentor and draft docents. She supervises the docent schedule to be sure it is running smoothly. She creates the docent schedule and does damage control when docents are unable to do their duty. Always full of good cheer, she helps out her fellow Board Members as needed.
ASSISTANT CURATOR: Dilip Tiwari
Dilip has been busy at work throughout the year photographing the Museum inventory and creating a data base that will be useful to the museum and visitors. He has already helped the Society purchase the proper equipment for this project. He co-supervises the scanning project and is also on hand to help with whatever the Society needs.
TREASURER: Steve Baker
Steve has served as the Museum and Society treasurer for more than thirty years, keeping the books and records in good shape. He is the unofficial historian for the cities of Monrovia and Duarte and possesses a wealth of information about local history. He manages to keep a smile while running between the bank and the museum to keep his job up to date. He is a walking history book, keeper of the memories.
BOARD MEMBER: Liz Reilly
Liz, despite also serving as a Duarte City Council Member, is a valuable Board Member, specializing in fundraising. She is a great supporter and volunteers to help in all of our projects – no job is too big or small for her to tackle. She organized the D’Aquino Party, our biggest fundraiser ever.