More than Twenty Years
Our San Carlos Adult Community Center formerly known as the San Carlos Senior Center opened its doors August 1982 and was formally dedicated on September 11, 1982. It was the "newest and most completely equipped facility of its type in the Nation" according to a 1982 news release. I know we think it is the most beautiful and best Center in our Nation today! Our Center is a big place, over 17,000 square feet and cost 1.5 million dollars, including furnishings. About $ 550,000. of the funding came from Federal and County grants, and the rest from the City of San Carlos. Ground breaking to grand opening took about 2 years but the vision to build a Senior Center started in the early sixties.
We owe our Center's start to many people -- community advocates who identified a need and acted on it, City of San Carlos officials and staff, and service clubs.
Jackie Abbott, the Parks and Recreation staff club advisor gave an “impassioned” plea to the City Council for their approval of a senior center. This along with tireless efforts by seniors David Olmos, Pauline and Anthony Shaves, James Blamey, Ruth Keith, Ida Hiesel, Ethel O’dea, Lucille Fish, Virginia Wade, and others helped the City decide that a senior center was a fine idea indeed! It was agreed that it would be a permanent place for the senior citizens of San Carlos to meet, to find companionship, and to pursue their leisure interests in recreation, education, and community service. (Historical research by Vera Dehne, 1988).
1969: Charles "Bob" Allen, City Administrator who made building the Senior Center his pet project and who loved playing pool at the Center.
1976: Mayor Jim Kilburg who appointed the committee to help conceive the Center's design
1976: The committee who researched other centers in California and visited centers in Hayward, Santa Monica, Los Altos, Long Beach, Mountain View, Menlo Park, and Santa Barbara to pick out the best features that would be good in our Center -- Arthur Law, Alyce Francis, Bessie Lake, Elza Bradley, and Adam Hunter
1977: The architectural firm Lun Chan Associates
The founding policy of the Center was directed by the Advisory Board of Thomas Quinn, Dorothy Boxler, Anne Basch, Ben Resch, Celeste Troxell, Vera Dehne, and Ken Trimingham and the San Carlos Senior Citizens Authority comprised of Arthur Law, William Lindeburg, Elizabeth Stuart, Wayne Somrak, and Richard Uschyk contributed concepts also.
1982: The founding City Council was Mayor William Steele, Pat Bennie, Gayton DeRosa, Victor Stoltz, and John Buchanan.
1982: The founding City Staff was Betty Bowden (Director, 1982-1992), Joan Provence, Lois Juds, Jackie Abbott, Diane Levinson, and Marla Brill.
