Living History Program

Elizabeth Pomeroy will perform as Margaret Collier Graham, nationally known writer and wife of Donald Graham, South Pasadena's first Mayor, on Thursday, April 7 at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room. Margaret Collier Graham (1850-1910) was South Pasadena's pioneer storyteller and essayist.  She had legions of avid readers around the country and was admired by many literary luminaries, including Charles Lummis and John Muir, who planted a tree that continues to grow at Wynyate, the Graham Family’s South Pasadena mansion. Through the persona of Ms. Graham, Elizabeth Pomeroy will provide a vivid look at the Southern California of her time and the life of the early settlers to our community.

Elizabeth Pomeroy, a California native, holds a Ph.D. in English from UCLA. She taught English at Pasadena City College for a decade, and earlier served on the staff of the Huntington Library. She has long been active in organizations devoted to history, nature and conservation, serving as a Board member of the California Preservation Foundation, the Pasadena Historical Society, the Sierra Club, and other groups. Her writing includes books on Queen Elizabeth I and John Muir. Her most recent volumes include, “Lost and Found” and “Lost and Found II,” which contain the best of her many newspaper columns on historic landmarks around the San Gabriel Valley, including of course, locations in South Pasadena.