THE COYOTE POINT MUSEUM AUXILIARY HISTORY
The Auxiliary was formed in 1953 under the leadership of Olga Hedden to fundraise and perform services at the San Mateo County Junior Museum, as the museum was then called. The Junior Museum was founded in 1954 under the joint sponsorship of the San Francisco Junior League and the National Foundation of Junior Museums and was located in World War II surplus buildings at Coyote Point.
Auxiliary members conducted classes for pre-school children, helped with exhibit and collection work, and acted as docents for the exhibit and wildlife collections. Auxiliary fundraisers began immediately. In 1957 the first Decorators’ Show House was held, a project that was so successful it was copied nationwide. The Auxiliary became the chief financial support of the Museum and was instrumental in the move to build a new environmental museum to replace the existing facility.
In 1967 the Museum was incorporated into the San Mateo County Department of Parks and Recreation, and in 1970 the Auxiliary pledged accumulated funds of $180,000, together with the proceeds from future show houses, toward a new museum. The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors allocated 29 acres on the knoll at Coyote Point Park for the site. Ground breaking was held February 2, 1979. The county constructed the $1.9 million building with $1.3 million in federal, state, and local grants, and $625,000 from the Museum Association and Auxiliary – a unique blending of private and public monies. The long awaited new Coyote Point Museum opened on May 16, 1981, with its one-of-a-kind permanent exhibit, “The Place Called San Mateo.” The Coyote Point Museum Association assumed responsibility for the yearly budget that now nears $1.8 million.
The Wildlife Habitats opened in the spring of 1991. An exciting addition, it houses 50 live animals indigenous to the Bay Area and includes a walk-through aviary with a brook, native plants, and more than a dozen indigenous species of birds. Themed gardens display examples of California native flowers and include a hummingbird garden, butterfly garden, and Nature’s Marketplace, featuring plants used by California Native Americans.
The Museum’s variety of services reaches more than 100,000 persons each year. When the Museum moved to the current location, the Auxiliary took responsibility for the store. Auxiliary members still serve as the store buyers and participate in the staffing. The docent program has expanded to include interested community volunteers and operates separately from the Auxiliary.
The Auxiliary has contributed more than $4 million to the Museum from various fundraising events and continues to be a major financial donor and source of volunteer help. In addition, at least three Auxiliary members serve on the Museum’s board of directors. Because of a devoted and conscientious group of women, it has been possible for the Museum, from its inception, to offer a unique service in bringing a knowledge and appreciation of the natural sciences to the children and adults of the Bay Area. That these services are being expanded to keep pace with the development and needs of the county is a source of great pride to the membership as well as a challenge for the future.