Hello Hathaway Family!

Last month the HFA met for an enjoyable reunion in Santa Fe Springs, CA.  The weather was true to California coast fame; sunny and breezy.  Lynn and I thoroughly enjoyed the efforts of our host,  Francine Hathaway and our president, Bill Hathaway, in putting together an interesting, and informative weekend.  The Hathaway Ranch Museum was litterally a "hands-on" living history experience.  Some even picked fruit from the trees of the still operational ranch!  Originally built in 1900, the ranch found itself in the midst of booming oil fields in 1921, near Long Beach.  By 1929, the Hathaways started their own independent oil company.  Throughout the 30's and 40's the ranch held up to 400 dairy cattle as well.  Son, Dick Hathaway and his wife, Nadine Applegate, were married in 1935 and lived and raised six children in the house that is now the museum.  Dick had a fondness for local history and became an avid collector and preversationist of the past.  He and Nadine became involved in many community projects that laid the groundwork for the preservation of local history .  The mention of the name Hathaway carries such a favorable and well known reputation in this area that it was evidenced at a local park and at our hotel,  where  managers made special concessions for our family reunion just because we were Hathaways.  We were definitely proud to be Family!  The relaxing bus tour of LA took us to sites we'd always heard about but had never seen, even though we used to live nearby at one time.  The best part was meeting our distant family and getting to know them on a first name basis.  I hope to continue my visit with them as well as meet new family members via this new cyber space home!  Let me hear from you, OK?  OK!

Leanne