Page 7 - Mid Valley Times 5-6-21 E-edition

Thursday, May 6, 2021
New exhibit on display at Reedley Museum
The View From Here
I had the
opportunity
to visit the
Reedley Mu-
seum on the
morning of
May 1 and
in the pro-
cess, I met
two young ladies, Alondra Correa and Kiera Krum.
Both girls are young stu- dents from Reedley and both told me they enjoy learning about history.
We were there to talk about the museums latest exhibit, a dedication to the Korean community in town.
I learned about the Kim Brothers. They lived in Reedley in the early 1900's and because of them, Reed- ley's Korean Church stands to this day.
According to information from the museum, in 1938 land was donated from the Kim Brothers, and the peo- ple of the Reedley Korean community, to construct a church. They even contrib- uted their own labor.
That was the beginning of the Korean Presbyterian Church in Reedley, and it still stands at its original lo- cation of 1408 J St.
I never knew the history behind the Korean communi- ty in Reedley. I'm glad these two girls were able to teach me a few things so thank you ladies.
Also a huge congratula- tions to Reedley High School and Reedley Middle College High School for being award- ed among this years "Califor- nia Distinguished Schools for 2021."
I remember during the peak of the pandemic speak- ing to John Campbell about their plan to return students and their plans for gradua- tion. It was interesting how much time and effort they have put together to make their successes look easy. It took months of work, long hours and dedication, but in the end it's safe to say their hard work has paid off. Con- gratulations.
Juanita Adame
Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
Part of the Reedley Korean community display consists of the Kim Brothers artifacts. The Kims were not biological brothers but formed a partnership in the early 1920s and had tremendous success from their various businesses.
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
It’s taken some time to put together but the Korean ex- hibit at the Reedley Museum is now ready for visitors.
“This is a way for Reedley to honor its very big Korean community. A community that immigrated here before the start of the Korean War far back to the early 1900s,” said Alondra Correa, a volunteer with the museum.
“So this exhibit shows how they influenced the commu- nity a lot especially in the agricultural area, Reedley is known widely for its agricul- ture.”
Correa said the museum has various Korean artifacts including ceremonial gowns and uniforms as well as infor- mation about a couple of men later known as the Kim Broth- ers.
According to information
from the museum, in 1921 Harry S. Kim or (Hying-Soon Kim) and Charles H. Kim (Kim Ho) formed a partner- ship which resulted in the first Korean owned agri-business in Reedley.
“The Korean community was the first to patent the nectarine actually, the Kim Bros company was the first to distribute it across the coun- try,” Correa said. “The Kim Brothers were also known as the first millionaires in the United States.”
Information from the mu- seum indicates that the two men were not biologically brothers. And, one of their nurseries produced a new type of "no fuzz" nectarine.
Their businesses became so successful that the two be- came extremely wealthy.
The museum is open on Tuedays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. For more infor- mation contact (559) 638-1913.
Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
Korean War uniforms are also part of the display at the Reedley Mu- seum. According to information from the museum, the first Korean settlers to the Reedley and Dinuba areas were recorded in 1908 and many of these early settlers are buried in the Reedley Cemetery. The Korean Memorial, located at 254 N. Reed Avenue in Reedley, also honors these early settlers.
Parlier Animal Shelter closed, remaining dogs rescued, re-homed
The Parlier Animal shelter closed its doors and in the process the 11 large breed dogs at the shelter were re homed and rescued. Thank You to everyone who helped network all these wonder- ful dogs," said Rhonda Massey-Kacerek, an animal activist. "The Parlier Shelter is now closed and no dog was left behind."
Photo of the week
Contributed
This photo of the Santiago sisters smiling in front of the Blossom Trail was sent in by their mom Brenda Santiago. Have a photo you'd like featured? Email juanita@midvalleypublishing.com.
'Making a difference' contest held at Sanger Unified
Staff Report
The Sanger Unified School District is asking students to submit an essay about how an SUSD employee has made a difference for them.
The contest is only for stu- dents and only individual stu- dents may submit the essay.
The basics include writing about how that employee has made a difference for them and they can do that with one of two ways, through a video or a poster.
The poster must be submit- ted by individuals and must be on paper sized 8.5 X 11 inches. Posters must be flat and able to be folded or rolled. All the artwork must be the students original artwork.
Videos must be 30 sec- onds or less. The students are required to introduce them- selves and what school they attended. For full details vis- it sanger.k12.ca.us. or contact vanesa_drews@sangerusd.net. All entries must be submitted by Friday, June 11.
Reedley High, RMCHS are among this years 'California Distinguished Schools'
Contributed
Reedley High School and Reedley Middle College High School have been named Cali- fornia Distinguished Schools for 2021.
Tony Thurmond, the State Superintendent announced late Tuesday that an addition- al 121 schools, mostly high schools, were added to the list of 2021 California Distin- guished Schools.
Among those listed were two high schools located in Reedley: Reedley High School and Reedley Middle College High School.
This is the first time since the California Distinguished Schools award has been giv- en that high schools in Kings Canyon Unified School Dis- trict have been selected.
This is historic for our district, said John Campbell, KCUSD superintendent. “The award reflects the efforts of every person in our KCUSD community who contribute to a climate and culture that allows students to reach their full potential!”
In Fresno County, four other high schools were rec- ognized: Clovis North High School, Design Science Middle
College High School, Phillip J. Patino School of Entrepre- neurship, and University High School.
The California Distin- guished School Program recognizes schools for their excellent work in several cat- egories including closing the achievement gap and achiev- ing exceptional student per- formance.
Eligible schools are select- ed based on performance and progress on state indicators specified on the California School Dashboard, the state’s
SEE AWARD on page A8