Local historians publish new edition of ‘StaniStory,’ with more inclusive history

After releasing their local history textbook last year, the authors were hopeful it would be approved and used by most of the local school districts.

Some districts did. Others, like Modesto City Schools, asked for a few updates to “StaniStory: Change and Continuity in Stanislaus County” to be in compliance with the California FAIR Education Act.

The FAIR (Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful) Act calls for social studies curriculum to bring forward the stories, history and culture of underrepresented communities.

Updating a book based on the 1941 work by Joseph Burton Vasché required a longer commitment than authors David Seymour and Keith Highiet initially anticipated. Vasché‘s work was updated in 1950, 1971 and 1981.

“The impetus of that act is to have a more inclusive historical understanding and have different groups represented. You have blind spots on and you don’t realize groups aren’t really represented until you look for them, because you’re reporting the history that you know, or what you can find,” Highiet said. “We’ve done something that we’re really much more proud of now.”

Full sets of the updated edition are now available in all MCS third-grade classrooms. Highiet said the district had told them, “We want the children to open the book and see themselves.”

“And that really stuck with me — that if you open the book, you, your family, your heritage is part of the rich tapestry of our history,” he said.

Sherwood Elementary, in the Sylvan Union School District, also received a full set of the latest edition of “StaniStory” for classroom use through a donation from Garrad and Dallas Marsh in memory of their sister, Dianne Marsh King.

“Our goal is to continue [fundraising] so that all 88 elementary schools in Stanislaus County receive a classroom set,” Seymour said. The pair also hope to produce a version translated in Spanish, and an audiobook as well.

The women of Stanislaus County history

One of the book’s editors, Janet Lancaster, died in 2024, and the last email she sent Seymour was a list of people to consider in the updated edition’s section on extraordinary women in Stanislaus history.

Seymour called Lancaster the Queen of Modesto History. “She was actually doing research for us on her deathbed,” he said.

The latest edition includes several more stories like that of Odessa Johnson, who was the first Black teacher at Modesto High School in the 1960s. She was also a member of the MCS Board of Education, the first Black professor at Modesto Junior College in 1970, and a member of the University of California’s Board of Regents.

Also now in the book is Becky Campo, the first Latina and person with a physical disability to hold office in the county. She became the mayor of Patterson in 2006.

According to Seymour, Merced County and Contra Costa County took inspiration from the pair’s updated local history textbook to update their own curriculum, using “StaniStory” as a model for how to develop their own updated curriculum.

“We would love for this book to inspire all of the other counties in California to follow suit and update their local history,” Seymour said.

Highiet added that a big reason he wanted to update this textbook was because many Stanislaus residents don’t know the history of where they live.

“We know more about New England because we study the Civil War in school than we know about where we live. And I don’t find that acceptable to me,” Highiet said. “We deserve to have a shared historical story and that’s what this book is … If you live here, you’re a product in some way of the history that came before you here.”

This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 5:00 AM.