HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 12201994 - 1.28 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS '`` A.... Contra
FROM: Phil Batchelor, County Administrator
Costa
County
r�i r'�CUU N'� CT,•
DATE` December 20, 1994
SUBJECT: DESIGNATING THE PULLMAN CHILD CARE CENTER AS THE "RUTH CASH MABREY
POWERS CHILD CARE CENTER" IN RECOGNITION OF MRS. POWERS, MOTHER OF
GITPERVTGOR TOM POWERS
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1 . NAME the Pullman Child Care Center at 2730 Maine Avenue,
Richmond the "Ruth Cash Mabrey Powers Child Care Center" ,
effective upon the County' s completing the purchase of the
facility.
2 . DIRECT the General Services Director to prepare an appropriate
plaque for installation on the building.
3 . DIRECT the County Administrator and Community Services
Director to plan a dedication ceremony for the building.
BACKGROUND:
The County is negotiating to purchase the Pullman Child Care Center
from the West County Unified School District. This building has
great significance for Ruth Powers since she was hired to work in
this Center exactly 50 years ago this month. In view of the
County' s pending acquisition of the building, the anniversary of
Mrs . Powers ' having been hired to work at this center and the
pending retirement of Supervisor Powers from the Board of
Supervisors, it is appropriate to dedicate and name the Pullman
Child Care Center after Mrs . Powers .
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE:
4 RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE(S)_L_6
ACTION OF BOARD ON December 20, 1994 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
ATTESTED DECD 2 0 19%
Contact: PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
cc: County Administrator SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
Community Services Department
General Services Department
BY � DEPUTY
L
IN THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF
CONTRA COSTA COIJIVTY, STATE OF CAL EFORNIA
In the Matter of Renaming )
the Pullman Child Cane Center ) RESOLUTION 941618
WHEREAS: Ruth Cash Mabrey Powers, who was born in Buffalo Gap, Texas in 1907,
moved with her family to the Imperial Valley of Southern California in 1910, and
WHEREAS: Ruth went to grammar school in the small community of New River, rode the
bus to the nearest High School in El Centro, California and attended Loma Linda College
near San Bernardino, and
WHEREAS: Ruth married Ambrose L. Powers in Merced, California on July 18, 1927,
and moved with him to Richmond in August, 1927 when his employer, the Santa Fe
Railroad transferred him to Richmond, and
WHEREAS: Ruth Powers was hired to work at the Pullman Child Care Center in
December, 1994-exactly 50 years ago this month, and since the Pullman Center was not
yet completed Ruth Powers went to work initially at the Washington Day Care Center, a
24 hour center located in the old Washington School in Point Richmond, and
WHEREAS: Ruth Powers initially worked as a matron at Washington and Pullman Day
Care Centers, and in view of the fact that the Center's Director, Earla Boucher, recognized
Ruth's ability to work with young children and assigned her to work with the three-year
old children in Room 3, and
WHEREAS: Ruth was the eldest of eight children and had been her mother's helperfrom
about age 5, had worked as a mother's helper in other homes as a teenager and just
seemed to be a "natural teacher'; and
WHEREAS: Ruth Powers continued in her position as room teacher for the three year olds
after the end of World WarII and was also the opening or inspection teacher, meaning that
she had to open the facility at 6:00 A.M., had to check in all of the children and care for
perhaps 25 to 30 children until the rest of the staff arrived at about 7.•30 A.M., and
WHEREAS: Ruth took additional education classes at night at Contra Costa Junior College
and San Francisco State College, earning her Child Development Credential and
Supervisor's Credential from San Francisco State College, and
WHEREAS: Ruth Powers was made "Head Teacher"at Pullman in the early 1960's and
held that position until her retirement in 1972, and
WHEREAS: Ruth Cash Mabrey Powers accomplished all of this while raising two children,
kept house, cooked fabulous lemon pies,fried chicken, and potato salad and did all of this
before the days of dishwashers (if you don't count her two children), microwaves, and
automatic dishwashers and dryers;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT BY THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF THE COUNTY OF
CONTRA COSTA RESOLVED that in recognition of the many and varied accomplishments
of Ruth Cash Mabrey Powers,
The Board of Supervisors DESIGNATES the Pullman Child Care Center at 2730
Maine Avenue in Richmond, California as the "Ruth Cash Mabrey Powers Child
Cane Center" and DIRECTS the General Services Director to order the appropriate
signs for the building, subject to the County's acquiring final title to the building.
Witness my hand and the seat of the Board of
Supervisors affixed this 20th day of December, 1994.
Phil Batchelor, Clerk of the Board of Supervisors and
County Administrator