Cloverdale speaker series shines spotlight on county’s agriculture

A modest man who would normally not seek the spotlight, Joaquin Espinosa has discovered a new dimension to his personality since moving to Cloverdale.

From inspiration to presentation, the 81-year-old has been the moving force behind the Cloverdale Historical Society’s annual Speaker Series since its inception.

The fifth season opens this Tuesday at 7 p.m. with “From Field to Palate,” a discussion spotlighting the past, present and future of Sonoma County agriculture. Guest speakers are John Azevedo, president, Sonoma County Farm Bureau; John Bucher, Bucher Farms/Vineyard; Charles Fischer, vice president, American AG Credit; and Karissa Kruse, president, Sonoma County Winegrowers.

Following a 38-year career in retailing that included owning his own store, Espinosa and his wife, Audrey, relocated from San Rafael in 1999. Within months, the new retiree had hooked up with the North Coast Wine & Visitor Center. For the next eight years, he stayed busy helping with event planning, volunteer coordination and Wine Person of the Year presentations.

When the group wound up its operations in 2007, Espinosa turned his attention to the Cloverdale Historical Society, which oversees daily operations of the Gould-Shaw House Museum and History Center.

As a docent and member of the Exhibits Committee, Espinosa worked on a county-wide collaboration for the centennial celebration of pioneer aviator Fred J. Wiseman’s first official airmail flight from Petaluma to Santa Rosa on Feb. 17, 1911.

Cloverdale’s exhibit, which was set up in the Cooley Exhibition Hall, noted that Wiseman also flew over the Citrus Fair twice that year, drawing an estimated 6,500 people from all over Northern California to watch.

Working on the exhibit rekindled Espinosa’s interest in early aviation and got him thinking about other kinds of airplanes and global events, such as World War 1 and World War II. One thought led to another, and in 2011, he presented the first multi-part Speaker Series on aviation history.

The popularity of the series, and the limited space of the exhibition hall, meant moving future programs to the larger-capacity Performing Arts Center next door.

Acting as master of ceremonies, Espinosa likes to dress in character for each program. “I want to bring history to the community in such a way that it makes it come alive,” he said. “My goal is to make these people and events real to the general public.”

While costume shopping for his Black Bart presentation, for instance, he spotted a display of fake mustaches. He has since managed to incorporate a mustache in every costume for every program, making it his signature look. The fact that the mustaches often have to be readjusted on stage just adds to the charm of each event.

Asked how he comes up with ideas for the different Speaker Series programs, Espinosa said, “At the beginning of every year, I try to imagine what people will be interested in. I also keep a file of future program ideas. As people talk to me and share their ideas, I add them to my file.”

He tries to tie the programs in to things that are relevant to Cloverdale. “Most people didn’t realize San Francisco architect Aaron Green, an associate of Frank Lloyd Wright, designed two buildings in town, one of which is a dental office on Main Street,” he explained.

“They only learned about it because of the Speaker Series program. As an added bonus, the dentist granted permission for a tour so people could see the distinctive architecture for themselves.”

Other programs that have proved extremely popular have been those about the local cemetery; Madam Emily Preston, who founded the utopian community of Preston north of town; and Charles Crocker, who, with several friends, financed construction of the transcontinental railroad. Crocker owned a 560-acre ranch above River Road.

Espinosa said he has had great success getting wonderful guest speakers. “Nine times out of 10, they are happy to do it. I’ve only been turned down three or four times, and it was always because of illness.”

While he keeps future Speaker Series programs a closely guarded secret, ?Espinosa confesses to having spent nearly three years trying to find the right speakers for a presentation about how railroads were developed in the North Bay. Anyone who might be able to help in his quest can contact him through the Historical Society at 894-2067.

Contact Cloverdale Towns Correspondent Mary Jo Winter at cloverdale.towns@gmail.com.