A brief presentation by Albany Mayor Rochelle Nason

Sunday March 10, 2019 2:00 p.m.
Albany Library 1247 Marin Ave. Albany

Have you ever passed the statue of a torch in the middle of the Key Route median at Solano, and wondered “what is that thing anyway?”

You may have answered yourself, “it must be some kind of war memorial.”

In fact it is not a war memorial, although it was created during the Korean War and it stands in front of Albany’s World War II memorial.

Curious? Come hear about the forgotten history of this prominent Albany landmark.

All are welcome to attend the Historical Society’s annual meeting before the talk at 1:30 p.m.

The Annual Meeting of the Albany Historical Society was on Sunday, January 31 from 1:00 – 3:00 in the Edith Stone Room of the Albany Library.

After a brief business meeting and election of the board of directors there was a recognition and thank you
to local Veterans.

We had a successful walking tour to the location of AHS’s Albany Garbage Wars plaque. A special shout out to Robin Mariona for her help in facilitating the tour and to Karen Sorensen for her deft leadership and knowledge of the Albany Garbage Wars. Their efforts made for an informative and enjoyable morning outing.

The Albany Historical Society, the Friends of the Albany Library, the City of Albany and the Alameda County Library celebrated the Albany Library’s 100th birthday on Sunday, January 26, 2014.

A large crowd gathered to remember the “old library” on Solano and applaud the 20 year anniversary of the current library. It was a wonderful afternoon enjoyed by generations of library lovers.

AHS Donated a Plaque to the Library Honoring the Centennial.
Here Kim Denton (left) presents the plaque to Deb Sica.

Early Albany Library on Solano Avenue

The Historical Society took over Albany City Hall on Sunday July 31. The afternoon of stories and memories of past and present youth activities was extremely successful. Highlighted were Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Sea Scouts, Blue Birds, Camp Fire, Cub Scouts and Brownies. Everyone had a wonderful time examining old scrapbooks and uniforms and chatting with friends.

Several dozen people gathered in the Edith Stone Room of the Albany Library on Sunday, June 3, 2012 to celebrate and remember Albany Hospital. Many of the participants reminisced about their children or their siblings being born at the hospital. Children were not allowed into the maternity ward so newborn infants were often held up in the window so siblings could see their new brother or sister.

Charles Haller, the nephew of Nurse Mary Ann Le Match, spoke of the early days of the hospital. Nurse LeMatch purchased the hospital in the early 1930’s and changed the name from Humboldt Hospital to Albany Hospital. During the War, Albany Hospital expanded the maternity ward to meet the increased demand.

Cassie Borgnino Dusterdick spoke of the work of her late father, Dr. Borgnino. He along other local doctors purchased and ran the Hospital providing outstanding medical care to their patients. They built a reputation of excellence at Albany Hospital.

One participant proudly announced she was born at Albany Hospital exactly 71 years ago today and shared with the audience her baby book.

Ray Gonzalves reminded the gathering the AFD held Civil Defense Drills at the hospital and taught nurses how to use fire extinguishers.

The Albany Hospital plaque, which was donated to the City of Albany on May 21, will be installed in front of the Community Center in the coming weeks. We are grateful to everyone who participated in our dedication event.

On Sunday, March 18, the Edith Stone Room at the Albany Community Center was filled with laughter as memories of the Albany Little League were shared by former coaches, League officials and even one umpire.