Sue Higman Papers MS-18
Chris S. Ervin CA
Presidio Research Center
2020-03-25
215 East Canon Perdido St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
chris@sbthp.org
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Presidio Research Center
Title: Sue Higman Papers
creator:
Higman, Sue
creator:
Community Arts Association of Santa Barbara. Plans and Planting Committee
creator:
Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation
source:
Higman, Sue
Identifier/Call Number: MS-18
Physical Description:
2 Linear Feet
plus oversize items
Date (inclusive): 1888-2003
Abstract: This collection consists of papers gathered by Sue Higman in her roles as board member and officer of several local Santa
Barbara organizations, her correspondence on environmental issues, and papers related to the Early Mission Music Program.
Scope and Contents
This collection predominantly consists of papers gathered by Sue Higman in her roles as board member and officer of several
local Santa Barbara organizations.
Biographical / Historical
Susanna Baat Higman was born in 1920 and grew up and lived in Santa Barbara her entire life. She is best known for her volunteerism
with civic, cultural, historical and environmental organizations and activities. Taught a love of nature by her father Arthur,
who took her hiking and backpacking, she devoted much time and energy from 1954 on to the Sierra Club and the California State
Parks Foundation, as well as to many local organizations such as GOO (Get Oil Out), the Community Environmental Council, Small
Wilderness Area Preserves, and the Santa Barbara County Environmental Resources Panel, to name a few.
Besides the environment, Higman cared deeply about the reconstruction of El Presidio de Santa Barbara and was a member and
secretary of the board of trustees for the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation for many years, becoming a life honorary
trustee in 2003. She was an officer of the Citizens Planning Association for many years, and worked with Pearl Chase on the
Plans and Planting Committee of the Community Arts Association for many years, becoming Treasurer in the 1970s and eventually
becoming its president in 1982.
Higman was also active on the Citizens Advisory Committee of La Purisima Mission State Historic Park and received an award
in 1975 for her contributions. Her love of history also fostered her interest in early mission music and she helped put on
a series of music programs at missions around the state, sponsored by the California State Parks Foundation.
Sue Higman had a close relationship with Pearl Chase. Chase called her
my best girl and told her
you are rendering a fine service for [the] community and whole area. I'm fortunate to be in the inner circle of your friends. In another letter she praised Higman's community involvement:
You are helping at the crossroads of Planning--Mission Music, Community Arts and Access--quite a load! Backpackers are important;
let's train some more.
Being one of
Pearl's Girls, Higman helped organize the annual Pearl Chase birthday luncheons and was instrumental in establishing a city memorial plaque
to Pearl and Harold Chase at Chase Palm Park.
In 1997, Higman received the Pearl Chase Preservation and Conservation Award from the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation,
and the Trust established the Sue Higman Volunteer of the Year Award in 2010 in her honor.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into 7 series:
Series 1 - Community Arts Association records
Series 2 - Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation
Series 3 - Citizens Planning Association
Series 4 - Early Mission Music Program
Series 5 - Environmental Issues
Series 6 - Books and Ephemera
Series 7 - Photographs
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift from Jim Higman in 2008.
Separated Materials
Several books and pamphlets were removed from the papers and added to the library collection.
Related Materials
The papers of the Plans and Planting branch of the Community Arts Association in this collection continue those in the Community
Development and Conservation Collection at UCSB (SBHC Mss 1) given to UCSB by Pearl Chase. Sue Higman served as treasurer
and president of the CAA and kept the rest of the records from the 1970s and 1980s together.
For additional material about Pearl Chase, see also the Pearl Chase Papers at the Santa Barbara Trust For Historic Preservation
(MS-01).
Preferred Citation
Sue Higman Papers, MS-18, Presidio Research Center, Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, Santa Barbara, California.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open to researchers.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Archivist and Librarian.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation Research Center as the
owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be
obtained by the reader.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Missions--California
Mission music
Buildings
Santa Barbara Presidio (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
Historic preservation
Chase, Pearl, 1888-1979
Higman, Sue
Community Arts Association, Plans and Planting Committee
1969-1984
Series 1
The Community Arts Association records document about twelve years' worth of board activities of the Association and some
of its activities. Most of the records were Higman's copies, but other earlier copies of financial papers, legal documents,
and correspondence most likely originated from Pearl Chase or her office.
One might presume that after Pearl Chase's death in 1979 Sue Higman became the caretaker of these records. Many more copies
of early legal documents of the Association, such as the first articles of incorporation and bylaws, were contained in the
original donation, but these materials had significant water damage and mold and could not be retained.
It is important to note, however, that those records are also part of the Community Development and Conservation Collection
(Mss 1) at UCSB Davidson Library Special Collections, and that these papers in the Higman collection are a logical continuation
of the Community Arts Association (CAA) records.
Community Arts Association (CAA)
The Community Arts Association (CAA) began in 1920 and was incorporated in 1922 as a non-profit organization with three branches:
Drama, Music, and Plans and Planting. In 1923 it reincorporated to include the School of the Arts as a fourth branch. Its
office was located at 912 Santa Barbara Street and thanks to a generous Carnegie Corporation grant, several buildings, including
the Alhecama Theater and the arts classroom (now the Presidio Research Center) were constructed.
The Higman CAA records document board meetings and activities of the Plans and Planting branch of the organization (its corporate
arm) in the 1970s and early 1980s, after its heyday as the main organization responsible for the Spanish style architecture
of Santa Barbara and the beautification of the city after the 1925 earthquake. During this period the board was dealing with
the organization's loss of its non-profit status in 1975 after it became involved in the El Mirasol high rise development
project and its pivotal decision to focus on and merge with the Alternative Comprehensive Community Environmental Study System
(ACCESS) project in 1975 and the financial consequences of that decision.
The ACCESS project received funding for a one-year pilot test, coordinated by UCSB through the U.S. Dept. of Health, Education
and Welfare and lead by William Ewald, Jr. CAA entered into an agreement with UCSB as a subcontractor to offer office space,
make purchases, and prepare reports, among other tasks. Unfortunately, the CAA did not have cash advances or the necessary
funds to do its part without an additional loan of working capital from Pearl Chase. By 1984, the organization was down to
one officer (Higman) and the members decided to wrap up CAA's business and made the decision to dissolve the corporation.
A small set of folders of correspondence from Pearl Chase and clippings about her round out this series.
box-folder 1/11
Pearl Chase
1974-1982
Scope and Contents
Includes correspondence from Chase to Sue Higman and from others about Chase; documents efforts to create a memorial plaque
about Chase; includes biographies and family genealogy.
box-folder 1/12
Clippings About Pearl Chase
box-folder 1/13
Neasham Award (California Historical Society) 1977
Old Mission Days Scrapbook
Physical Description: 1 Scrapbook11.5" x 15.75" x 1"
Scope and Contents
Old Mission Days took place December 4-7 1941. Pearl Chase was the Chair of the Advisory Committe for the event. The scrapbook
contains correspondence, announcements from many periodicals, brochures, and maps.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Missions--California
Mission La Purísima Concepción (Calif.)
Santa Inés Mission (Solvang, Calif.)
Santa Barbara Mission
box-folder 1/14
Pearl Chase Birthday
1979-11-16
box-folder 2/2
General Information and History
box-folder 2/3
Board Background Biographies and Mailing List
box-folder 2/6
Plans and Planting Committee 1972
box-folder 2/7
Plans and Planting Committee Members
1971-1975
box-folder 2/8
Plans and Planting Committee Members Directory
box-folder 2/9
Board Minutes and Agendas to 1978
box-folder 2/10
Meeting Minutes
1972-1973
box-folder 2/18
Board Correspondence, General
1977-1980
box-folder 2/19
Financial Ledgers 1969-1977
box-folder 2/20
Financial Tax Information, Non-Profit Status
1972-1973
box-folder 2/21
Fiinancial Statements 1978
box-folder 2/22
Accounting Ledger/Taxes 1979
box-folder 2/23
Insurance Policies
1977-1980
box-folder 2/24
Bylaws and Restated Articles of Incorporation
1977-1980
box-folder 2/25
Contracts--Correspondence
1978-1981
box-folder 2/31
ACCESS Meeting Minutes
1974-1976
box-folder 2/32
Pearl Chase Working Capital for ACCESS Project
box-folder 2/33
ACCESS Memorandum of Agreement with UCSB
1975-1981
box-folder 2/34
Supplemental ACCESS Contract 1977
box-folder 2/35
Clippings about ACCESS
1979
box-folder 2/36
ACCESS Invoices
1979-1981
box-folder 2/37
Roy Littlejohn Associates Contract
box-folder 2/38
Correspondence with Roy Littlejohn
box-folder 2/39
Board Copy of Final Accounting–Roy Littlejohn
box-folder 2/40
Harry Brelsford Papers about CAA
1972-1979
box-folder 2/41
Dissolution of Corporation
1984
Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation
1967-2003
Series 2
The Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation series contains board agendas, meeting minutes, correspondence, and papers
related to several difficult issues that challenged the board during those years, such as management of the El Paseo complex.
box-folder 1/1
Lobero Building and Richard Property
1972
box-folder 1/2
City of Santa Barbara and SBTHP Correspondence
1979
box-folder 1/3
Annual Board Election Lawsuit: Poett vs. SBTHP
1979
box-folder 1/4
SBTHP Correspondence
1983-1984
box-folder 1/5
Publicity and Activities
1967-1984
box-folder 1/8
El Paseo Management Committee
Board resolution in appreciation for Sue Higman's contributions
1982
Framed board resolution making Higman a Lifetime Honorary Trustee
2003
Citizens Planning Association
1979-1980
Series 3
The Citizens Planning Association series is a small group of papers related to the adobe tours that the Association sponsored
in 1979.
box-folder 1/10
Adobe Tour--Sue's Notebook
Early Mission Music Program
1974-1984
Series 4
The Early Mission Music Program series consists of planning documents, correspondence, programs, and publicity for a series
of concerts, funded by the California State Parks Foundation and performed by the John Biggs Consort in 1974, 1976, and 1984.
Included are audio recordings of the music.
box 1
Introductory Remarks by Father Virgil Cordano and Announcement by Sue Higman
1975-01-05
box 1
Recording of MIssion Music, San Juan Bautista Mission
1975-12-10
Environmental Issues
1960-1961
Series 5
The Environmental Issues series is mostly correspondence from Higman to legislators and Secretary of the Interior Stewart
Udall regarding the preservation of Rainbow Bridge as a natural monument and the establishment of Point Reyes National Seashore.
Also included are local trail inventories for the Los Padres Chapter of the Sierra Club.
box-folder 1/19
Sierra Club Correspondence on Trails
1961
box-folder 1/20
Correspondence re: Rainbow Bridge, Pt. Reyes National Seashore
1961
box-folder 1/21
Sierra Club Trail Notes and Santa Barbara Backcountry
1960-1961
box-folder 1/22
Santa Barbara County Trail Ordinance
1961
Books and Ephemera
1872-1934
Series 6
The Books and Ephemera series is an eclectic group of books and papers whose provenance is mostly unknown. It is possible
that the papers from Julia Parsons and the book on Mont Saint-Michel may have come from Pearl Chase, as she wrote a note about
Parsons. However, it is unclear where the handmade books came from. The book
Santa Barbara Songs once belonged to Sue's father Arthur Baat.
The Midget is a publication from Santa Barbara Junior High where Sue was a student.
box-folder 1/23
Papers and Ephemera from Julia and Richard Parsons
1875-1902
Scope and Contents
Includes correspondence to Richard Parsons, an advertisement (in French), a card from a Parisian store, a menu (in French),
and an article entitled
Chose a la Mode by Simone A. Puget from
The English Review Advertising Supplement. A note in the file from Pearl Chase indicates that Parsons was a friend of W[illiam] Bingham of Cleveland and Dr. Gehring
of Maine.
box-folder 1/30
Le Mont Saint-Michel by Dubouchet Pere et Fils
1888
box-folder 1/24
Told By A Photo by Lola G. Hartwell
1898
Physical Description: 12 p. ; 13 x 15 cm. paper, tied with leather thong
General
Limited to 12 copies; book is signed "Lola G.H."
box-folder 1/25
Manuscript,
The Old and the New, by Aldis E. Sage
1927
Scope and Contents
Copy of a typescript of Sage's handmade book. Includes a letter to Aldis Sage from Dorothy Edwards and also an envelope addressed
to Bernhard Hoffmann, so it is unclear to whom the book belonged.
box-folder 1/26
The Old and the New
1927
Physical Description: [7] p. : ill. ; 20.5 x 16 cm.
Scope and Contents
Handmade book about old Santa Barbara buildings, written in verse in pen and ink with tipped in photographs. Photos by E.
Fitch Peabody(?)
box-folder 1/27
Santa Barbara Songs (1872-1922), chosen and arranged by Leland S. Copeland
1922
box-folder 1/30
The Midget, Santa Barbara Junior High School
1934-01
Photographs
Series 7
The Photographs series includes a number of images of Mission La Purisima, the newly built Lobero Theater and its environs,
as well as a historic photo of the artist Ed Borein's southwest-style house.
box-folder 1/28
Photographs
Scope and Contents
Includes 1 black and white 8 x 10 print of the Ed Borein home on the Mesa in Santa Barbara and 10 pages of black and white
4.5 x 2.5 in. photos mounted on newsprint with captions. They are of the Lobero Theater, the shops next door to it, and other
buildings across the street and in the neighborhood. No dates. Photos were given to Pearl Chase.
box-folder 1/29
Miscellaneous photos
Scope and Contents
Nine (9) black and white photos and 4 color photos of Mission La Purisima, varying sizes; 1 black and white of Sue Higman
and others (Gunderson, Hawskworth, Obern, Taprello, M. Smith, Madsen, Blum, Williams, White, and Lawler) with bust of Pearl
Chase. "CPC Bond Act Coalition" written on back.