Friends of China Camp

With a broad, friendly smile, Fred Heslet says he’s been accused of being too brainy. But that’s not how the 84-year-old Friends of China Camp volunteer would describe himself. It’s not that he’s too academic, he explains. “It’s more that I care deeply about historical truth.”

Fred talks about his role as volunteer archivist. In recent years, Fred has put an enormous amount of energy into collecting and organizing photos and articles about the park and Friends of China Camp.

For an inveterate history buff like Fred, digging into the story of China Camp—and preserving it for the ages—is captivating and fulfilling. A born fact-finder, Fred isn’t afraid of data. Looking back, he can’t remember a time when he didn’t gravitate toward collecting and discovering information and giving it new life.

His own history begins in L.A., where he was born and played football in high school. After earning a Ph.D. in counseling psychology at Indiana’s Ball State University, Fred worked as a professor at various institutions for 30 years, primarily at California State University, East Bay. He then became a specialist in Silicon Valley, where he worked with organizations going through transition. He also used his professional expertise to develop programs in Korea, Japan, and England.

“One of my primary interests is cross-cultural training,” Fred says. Fred and his wife Mary Lou, who live in San Francisco, have traveled extensively and are currently planning a trip to Patagonia. He’s able to live a full life, he says, because of the tremendous support he gets from Mary Lou. The Heslets have two grown sons. One son works in the field of drug rehabilitation, and the other is an architect.

Though most of his ancestors immigrated from Ireland in the1500s, Fred is also proud that one of his grandmothers was a Lakota Sioux. He himself never met her but has memories of his mother visiting her.

Fred is a curious man who says he always looks at things twice. He describes himself as a feminist. In his work in human resources, he says he was especially proud of making positive differences in the workplace for women.

Staying sharp by continuing to contribute

Over the years, Fred has had many surgeries related to his arthritis and spinal stenosis, and he now uses a wheelchair to get around.. “I feel pretty good now; I read a lot. Working on the history of China Camp keeps me functioning and alert.”

Before sifting through mountains of data for Friends of China Camp, Fred was a volunteer archivist at Olompali State Historic Park in Novato. There, he says he was given his first chance to create an historical organizational system and a research model. It was a great lead-in to his archival work for FOCC.

Fred recalls beginning a new chapter in his life five years ago at China Camp. He remembers looking at overwhelming piles of information and suggesting to some of the park leaders that it might be time to get more organized. “I think I scared them,” he says with a chuckle. “I said, ‘let’s be more sophisticated.’”

And they listened.

“The whole history of China Camp is extremely interesting,” says Fred. “I [have] organized a system that can be shared for training and education. We can tell the whole story of China Camp and confirm information all over the state about how to do effective historical interpretation.” Fred’s archive project for FOCC is still underway, with details on public access still in the works.

Fred notes that he gets a great deal out of the process. “I treasure the learning in putting this history together,” he adds. “I put a lot of simple pieces together to give a total picture of the history.”

“China Camp is in a unique situation,” he adds. “The buildings represent mid-1800s fishing villages. There is a considerable amount of history here, and a wonderful museum.”

Much of Fred’s curriculum will be used in the training of new history docents at China Camp. Fred also says he is available to help new volunteers learn about China Camp’s rich history.

“The rich and unique history of China Camp is not something I’d been exposed to,” Fred says. “I treasure the learning in putting this research together.”

—by Janet Wiscombe/FOCC volunteer

Are you interested in learning more about China Camp’s history, and sharing it with visitors? We (and Fred) would love to have you join our volunteer docents. For details on becoming a docent, and all the other varied ways to help out at the park, see this link.