Images from Kern County’s past are haunting the Wylie and May Louise Jones Gallery in Bakersfield College’s Grace Van Dyke Bird Library.
The gallery is haunted by images of high-waisted, handlebar moustache-wearing Kern County baseball players from the late 1800s as well as the late Bakersfield Californian owner Alfred Harrell and Gen. Edward Fitzgerald Beale.
They are all included in the photographic collection of the late Leo J. Pierucci, titled, “Capturing Kern’s History,” which is currently on display in the gallery until Oct. 2.
Pierucci’s collection exceeded 100 photos and was a featured display in California Republic Banks until 1996 when he gave the photos to BC. To honor Pierucci and his gift to the college, BC placed the collection on the second floor of the BC library and called the designated area the Leo J. Pierucci Kern County Historical Gallery.
After graduating from BC, Pierucci continued his education at the University of Wisconsin, Cal Poly and UC Davis. He worked for over 44 years at Bank of America, and then he moved on to work at California Republic Bank as president and then CEO. In 1985, he became the bank’s board chairman. He also became a consultant for both Home Savings of America and Mission Bank. He remained active in community affairs until his death. Pierucci’s credo was reportedly this: “People-Products-Profits. People come first, and unless you have a good team, you can’t do much with the other two.” He died on Dec. 1, 2006 at age 89.
Many patrons expressed enthusiasm for the collection.
“It’s interesting to see how things have changed,” said Dr. Jerry Seydel, a Bakersfield general practitioner. He stood by a 1918 photo of a Kern County Land Company “Refrigerated Meat” truck as he chatted with his friend, Dr. Gerhard Schmidt, a local retired surgeon.
“It shows the richness of Kern County. It’s wonderful that the collection is housed at BC,” said Mike Stepanovich, executive director for the BC Foundation.
Standing near an 1885 photo of Kern County officials sitting on the old courthouse steps, Pierucci’s widow, Janet, a local psychologist who recently accepted a counseling position at UC Santa Barbara, said, “Leo had the foresight to amass this collection, and the college was kind enough to house it. This collection represents years of Kern County development.”
The gallery is open Monday-Thursday from 1-7 p.m.