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A.K. Smiley Public Library announces the 54th year edition of its well-known course in local history, taught by Larry Burgess, who began the class in 1971, Tom Atchley who joined him three years later, and Nathan Gonzales, who became a new face to the roster in 2022. Class begins on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.The course will focus on Redlands and the San Bernardino Valley, with each of the presenters sharing their perspectives and knowledge of the diverse history and heritage of the area.
The course will be in-person on Tuesdays, September 23, 30, October 7, 14, 21 and ending on October 28. Class will be in the Assembly Room at the Library at 7pm.
The instructors come with an extensive knowledge of local and regional history. Burgess, director emeritus of Smiley Library, served as the founding archivist, has written several books about Redlands, delivered hundreds of lectures about the town and its people, and began the class to create a "sense of place" among Redlands residents. Atchley taught history for four decades in the Redlands schools, the majority at Redlands High School. He has led popular tours of historical sites and neighborhoods, written about Redlands, and maintains an extensive personal collection of thousands of photographs. Gonzales came to the Heritage Room in 1999, has served as Archivist since 2013, delivers many talks and lectures about Redlands history, has written books about the city, and specializes in showing local history through the use of material culture, historical photographs, and film.
Registration is $30 per person. Proceeds from the class, which is sponsored by the Library Board of Trustees, are designated to the Heritage Room Endowment Fund that benefits the Archives and Special Collections of the Library. The Heritage Room houses a vast array of documents, photographs, art, maps on paper and in digital format, movies, ephemera, pamphlets, objects, and oral histories from the town’s past.
Space is extremely limited. To learn more or register for the course, send an email to [email protected] or call 909-798-7565.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
125 W Vine St, Redlands, CA, United States, California 92373
