Stanislaus County’s history is preserved in new book, ‘StaniStory: Change and Continuity’
Did you know that during World War II, when Japanese-Americans were forced into internment camps, the Bracero Program was created, bringing Mexican laborers into Stanislaus County to fill the immediate shortage of farm and field workers.
This is one historical fact featured in the 60-page “StaniStory: Change and Continuity in Stanislaus County” by Keith Highiet and David Seymour. The textbook was released online last December but now is available in physical form.
It is based on the original 1941 work by Joseph Burton Vasché and is the first update in more than 40 years to a countywide history curriculum.
The McHenry Museum was able to have the physical copies printed with the help of a donation from the Mary Stuart Rogers Foundation. Seymour’s and Highiet’s goal is to have copies for dozens of schools in the county.
“Mary Stuart Rogers Foundation found out about the book and they liked the idea,” said Seymour. “So they helped pay for sample copies at the schools but now we’re trying to raise money to get full sets for some of the classrooms. Some people have already stepped up and paid for certain sets of books for certain classes and certain schools, and we’re trying to get more of that done.”
Seymour and Highiet were inspired to update the book in April 2023, when Lakewood Elementary School students went to the museum for their annual tour. One of the teachers showed a pamphlet to Seymour to inquire if there had been a new edition. The original 1941 book was updated in 1950, 1971 and 1981.
Since then, Seymour and Highiet have worked together to update the book. Highiet’s 9-year-old son last year also helped his father tweak the book’s language so the readability would be easier from a child’s perspective.
The authors plan to rework some of the book’s content to fit with California Department of Education standards. By spring, they hope to pitch the book’s inclusion in the third-grade curriculum in Stanislaus schools.
“StaniStory: Change and Continuity in Stanislaus County” can be purchased for $29.99 at the McHenry Museum gift shop or at www.mchenrymuseum.org/stanistory. Donations also are welcomed.
This story was originally published October 6, 2024 at 12:00 PM.
