Museum of Ventura County announces the addition of two members to their Board of Directors, longtime Ventura County supporter Greg Monterrosa and Immigration Attorney Gabriella Navarro-Busch. The Museum’s 13-member board helps to guide the collections, exhibits, and educational programs, which collectively celebrate the rich history, art and culture of Ventura County.
Greg Monterrosa joins the Museum of Ventura County board with a history of dedicated work in supporting and advancing entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic development in Ventura County.
Gabriella Navarro-Busch comes to the Museum’s board of directors with extensive experience as an immigration attorney. She also is a former president of the Ventura County chapter of the MexicanAmerican Bar Association, recipient of the 2004 State Bar of California President’s Pro Bono Service
To learn more about the Museum of Ventura County’s 2021-2022 Board of Directors, please visit: venturamuseum.org/board-and-committees
The Museum of Ventura County has received a grant from the National Archives’ National Historical Publications and Records Commission to make collections accessible to the public, one of just 37 grants awarded nationwide. This month marks the start of the Museum’s National Archives grant-funded project. The $95,000 grant will allow the museum to catalog the Martin & Associates collection, representing institutional records of one of the county’s longest-serving civil engineering firms. It includes records created by six civil engineers and their staff over nearly a century.
“The Robert Martin and Associates Collection represents 89 years of civil engineering in Ventura County,” said Research Library and Archives Director Deya Terrafranca.
The collection began with the Waud and Ramelli firm in 1924. J.B. Waud was one of the earliest surveyors and civil engineers in Ventura County. He is responsible for much of the County’s early infrastructure such as roads and bridges. Milton Ramelli, born in 1893, worked for Waud in the county surveyor’s office before they started the company Waud & Ramelli in 1924. In 1928, Ramelli set up shop separately as M.E. Ramelli, until 1956, when he went into business with Robert Martin. Ramelli passed away in 1960 and in 1962, the firm became Robert Martin and Associates.
Bill Hale purchased the firm from Robert Martin in 1991. After his passing, his widow sold the company to Ventura resident Ed Campbell, who renamed the firm U.S.A. Architects.
The collection includes engineering and architectural drawings, maps, and planning files for residential, commercial, and government buildings from the 1920s to 2013. With the help of the grant, the Museum will be able to catalog 431 cubic feet of materials and digitize at least 1,000 items, including oversized maps and civil engineering plans.
The grant will also be used to offer paid internships, a critical accessibility initiative that makes internships and work experience available to students who would not otherwise be able to afford unpaid internship hours. Students will be paid the City of Ventura’s living wage. This initiative aims to help address a need in the archive’s community for more diverse students to gain experience in the field.
