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The Museum on Main will be recognizing three longtime Pleasanton contributors who have left their mark on the city’s history during the museum’s annual Wines & Valentines fundraising gala next month.
Brad Hirst, along with Nancy and Gary Harrington, will be presented with this year’s History Makers, an accolade that the museum awards to residents as part of the annual event. This year marks the 19th anniversary of the gala, one of the museum’s primary fundraisers, according to a press release from the downtown museum.
“Wines & Valentines is more than a gala — it is the Museum on Main’s most important opportunity each year to celebrate the people who helped shape Pleasanton while ensuring our history is preserved for future generations,” Executive Director Tony Cruz said in the press release.
“By honoring Brad Hirst and Nancy and Gary Harrington, we recognize extraordinary civic leadership while bringing the community together in support of the museum’s work,” Cruz added.
According to the museum, Hirst grew up with a passion for public service, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when he got involved in Pleasanton’s development by joining the Rotary Club and Planning Commission shortly after he moved to the city in 1967. It was then, during the ’70s, that Hirst and a core group of others contributed to the city’s growth spurt that included the development of the Hacienda Business Park and Stoneridge Shopping Center, along with dozens of housing developments.
“They were all on board in their goal to make Pleasanton a city of Planned Progress that all residents could be proud of,” according to the museum’s press release.
In the following decades, Hirst went on to serve on the board of directors of the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce, founded the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce Foundation in 1997 and became the president of the chamber in 1997. He has served on the George A Spiliotopoulos Invitational Golf Tournament, which has raised charity money to help provide scholarships to high school seniors, for over 20 years.
Hirst said he was both surprised and grateful upon learning of his recognition as a History Maker, which he was informed about just before Christmas.
According to the museum, Hirst has won dozens of awards throughout his life including the key to the city of Pleasanton with the Mayor’s Award and the Ed Kinney Community Patriot Award. He said local awards such as the museum’s History Makers award mean a lot to him because it comes from his community.
“When you get recognition and an honor from your peers, it’s more meaningful and appreciated because they know your strengths and they know your flaws,” Hirst said.
Hirst knows communities don’t just grow overnight. He said it takes a village of people volunteering, which is why he is particularly honored by this award because he gets to be included as one of those many people who contributed to Pleasanton’s growth over the decades.
“I don’t look at myself as necessarily a History Maker, but as one of many,” Hirst said.
From how well the city’s traffic flow is compared to other cities, to its historic homes that have stood the test of time, to people continuing the spirit of volunteerism, Hirst said he is proud of how well Pleasanton has grown over the decades, which he said is crucial in any city’s development.
The Harringtons, who moved out of Pleasanton to the state of Washington last year, also told the Weekly that they were also honored to be recognized by the museum but added that they were a bit surprised at the fact that they are now seen as History Makers in the city they called home for so long.
Back in the ’70s, which is when the two first moved to Pleasanton, the couple spent a summer traveling across all 50 states in the U.S. and noticed one main similarity between all of the cities they really loved while visiting: they all had an abundance of public art.
So when they returned to Pleasanton and noticed the city was lacking public art installations, they made it their sole purpose to do something about it.
Nancy Harrington said she never thought of herself as a History Maker. She always just saw herself as someone who loved her city and wanted to decorate it with memorable art.
But after hearing the news that she and her husband were being recognized with the museum’s annual award, she said she began realizing that those art installations have become — and will continue to be — a part of Pleasanton’s history. She said it means a lot to know that those art installations will be her and her husband’s legacy.
“I really had never thought about leaving a legacy in Pleasanton, but Pleasanton does have a big part of our hearts,” Nancy Harrington said. “We just really love the community.”
One of the pieces the two fondly reflected on was the “Pioneer Founders Mural”, located in downtown Pleasanton. The art piece, which portrays some of the key founders of the city, was partially funded by the Harrington Art Partnership that the two former public educators founded.
Nancy Harrington said it took a lot of research to make sure everything was right with the mural but in the end, she and her husband were tremendously happy with how it turned out and how it will not just live in perpetuity with the city, but it also holds significant value in telling the city’s history.
The two were also proud of several other art installations across Pleasanton, the city’s commitment to working with art organizations and even the city’s recent efforts with the museum to create a pamphlet and maps so people know where all the public art installations are located throughout the city. The two also said they hope that collaboration and continued push on keeping the arts alive in Pleasanton continues into the future.
“From artwork to wheelchairs, floors to food, park facilities to scholarships, Nancy and Gary Harrington have been History Makers in many, many ways,” the museum stated in its press release.
In addition to the History Makers award ceremony, the museum’s annual gala will also feature a four-course meal, a silent and live auction, music and dancing and other fundraising activities. The event will last from 5-10 p.m. Feb. 6 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, located at 7050 Johnson Drive.
Tickets are now on sale at the museum’s website, museumonmain.org.
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