The People Who Make SBMAL Happen
This is a excerpt from The Santa Barbara Mission Spring 2024 Newsletter that featured John Gherini.

John Gherini is currently the President of the Board of Directors of the Santa Bárbara Mission Archive-Library, but serving in that capacity is only one of the many, many generous and wonderful contributions he has made to the Archive-Library and local history over more than thirty years.  John has been a licensed attorney since 1972, practicing first with his father, Pier Gherini, and then as a solo practitioner after his father’s death in 1989. Among the clients of both John and his father were Geraldine and Melville Sahyun.  The Sahyuns were long-time friends of Fr. Maynard Geiger, OFM and generous supporters of the Archive-Library.  Geraldine Sahyun translated many early Spanish documents either with or for Father Maynard, and in 1987, she persuaded John to join what was then the Board of Trustees of the Archive-Library. John joined the Board, though at the time somewhat reluctantly, as he was unsure of what the organization was all about.  Upon attending the Board meetings, he recently recalled, “I found that some of the topics were very interesting, and the board meetings were very collegial and professional.  I felt that I was out of my league and a little intimidated by the depth of knowledge that the academic members displayed on various subjects.  The meetings, however, seemed to last forever.” But John is a man of great patience and many talents.  Doyce Nunis, Jr., the President of the board at the time, recognized both John’s talents and the need for some consideration of John’s valuable time.  He “gave me a dispensation from attending the full meetings” and asked John to go to work on legal issues which the board faced.

Rosario Curletti, another avid supporter of the SBMAL, had died in 1986 and her large estate, which included a considerable bequest to the Archive-Library was held in a trust along with funds for other beneficiaries.  Complications with the administration of the trust led to its termination and the distribution of its assets in 2004.  John had represented the Archive-Library through years of legal proceedings and the result was a major amount of money that proved a godsend for the financial survival of SBMAL.     

 The estate of Norman Neuerburg, a valued member of the SBMAL board and noted art historian, who died in 1997 proved to be another involved legal challenge.  John was on top of the issues involved and in the final disposition of the estate, the Archive-Library received a large financial contribution.  But SBMAL also received Professor Neuerburg’s voluminous collection of notes, books, research materials and artwork related to the California Missions, which according to Neureberg’s obituary, had been objects of his fascination and study since he was a boy of fifteen and became the youngest ever tour guide at Mission San Fernando.But John Gherini’s knowledge extends far beyond legal matters. 

John’s family had a long and intimate connection to Santa Cruz Island.  Sometime in the early 1990s, Geraldine Sahyun urged John to write an article concerning his family history with the island.  Her persistence overcame John’s reluctance, as it had with John joining the SBMAL board, and his research for an “article” eventually became two books. 

John asked Doyce Nunis if he would write a forward for the first book, and Dr. Nunis replied, “If it’s good enough, I will.”  With that inspiration, John went to work, producing numerous drafts based on years of dogged research.  As he put it, “I finally had the courage to give Doyce the manuscript to read.  It passed Doyce’s litmus test.  He ended his Forward of my first book as follows: ‘This book deserves to be placed along the aforementioned works as essential reading for those attracted to the never-ending lure of California Channel Islands, especially the one named Santa Cruz.’” 

The first book was entitled, Santa Cruz Island, a History of Conflict and Diversity, published in 1997 by Arthur Clark Company (now University of Oklahoma Press).  Coincidentally, it was the centennial year of the death of John’s great-great-grandfather, Justinian Caire, who had owned the island.  The second book, entitled Santa Cruz Island, an Illustrated History, was actually a two-volume set published by V3 in Oxnard which appeared in 2016.  When the second book came out, John was asked by the National Park Service to present one of their “From Shore to Sea” lectures in June 2017. 

The fascinating story-lecture is available on YouTube here.
John sums up his time with the Archive-Library this way:

“Reflecting on over 30 years of being on the Board of Trustees (now Board of Directors), my SBMAL service enriched me in many ways. I have met many wonderful people over that time span, including board members like Doyce Nunis, Bob Senkewicz, John Johnson, Monica Orozco, James Brooks and others who contributed to my education of The Channel Islands and other subjects of local interest. I certainly learned the importance of historic preservation, research, and interpretation. In many ways the historic discipline provides a light and guidance for the future.My board experience has enhanced my appreciation of the vast collection of SBMAL and the importance of its preservation. As SBMAL’s former president, Professor Senkewicz, so ably stated: “SBMAL is a unique and indispensable resource. Its artifacts and documents tell the deep and complex story of California’s diverse peoples—especially Native Americans, Latinos, and Anglos—in a way that is unmatched anywhere else in the state.”

Speaking as someone following in the footsteps of a number of outstanding former Executive Directors of the Santa Bárbara Mission Archive-Library, I would like to add that the continuing operation and advancement of the Archive-Library’s mission as that  “unique and indispensable resource” is only possible because of the unwavering support of John Gherini and so many like him who treasure the treasures and who see “the many ways the historic discipline provides a light and guidance for the future.


”“P” lettering [detail]  (ca. 18th Century) from the Mission Music Collection of the Santa Bárbara Mission Archive-Library