Name/Title
Old School alums #1 (Jeff Rubin)Description
A ceremony formally dedicating the 100+-year-old Pinole-Hercules School #1 school bell adjacent to the multi-purpose room at Collins Elementary School was held Saturday, January 25, 2014, celebrating the restoration of the last remnant of the school that served generations of Pinole and Hercules students from 1906 to 1966.
The school was demolished in 1968.
A crew of expert West Contra Costa Unified School District maintenance workers installed the school bell that rang several generations of Pinole and Hercules students to class. The district later installed a bronze plaque on the wall behind the “Old School” bell.
The installation of the bell concluded a five-year effort by the Pinole Historical Society Board of Directors to have the bell refurbished and placed on display in a public setting for all Pinoleans to enjoy.
The school district rescued the bell from its outdoor location at Pinole Middle School, where it had been subject to the elements for several decades.
The bell, rusted and pock-marked, was placed in storage in several locations — it was found on a contractor’s property, outdoors and in the rain — until mid 2013, when the WCCUSD authorized its restoration. The bell was sandblasted, power-coated with a satin black finish, and sealed.
Selma Greenfield Riskin, 85 at the time, daughter of Jacob Greenstein, who owned Pinole’s only pharmacy in the 1920s and 1930s, drove from her Alameda home to offer an anecdote about how she used the bell as an alarm clock to get up and get ready for classes when she lived on Samuel Street, just down the hill from the school.
The PHS is grateful the school district recognized the value of the bell to the Pinole community and went to great lengths to have it restored and displayed.
Thanks to WCCUSD Charles Ramsey, WCCUSD Superintendent Dr. Bruce Harter, and WCCUSD administrators Wendell Greer, Bill Fay, Luis Freese, and Jim Edward for making this happen.
And, the PHS thanks Bob Kopp and Ckyde Maskal for video-recording the event.
Selma Greenstein Riskin speech:
"I’m Selma Greenstein Riskin. I was born in 1928 and lived in Pinole. I actually was born in Richmond because Pinole didn’t have a hospital then.
"My parents, Ann and Jack, were both pharmacists. Their store was the only pharmacy here in the 1920s. It was located on San Pablo Avenue between the gasoline station and next to the bank.
"I lived on Samuel Street. Our home was a few steps from Pinole Hercules School. This bell we are honoring today was my alarm clock. When I heard it ringing I jumped out of bed, dressed and ran to school. The first recess I came home for breakfast.
"Although I moved with my parents in 1941, before the end of World War II, I have many fond memories of my childhood in Pinole.
"I’m delighted to be here to mark this occasion and wanted to thank those who supported the effort to refurbish this bell, a grand bell that has adorned this town."
— Written by Selma Greenstein Riskin—Copyright
Copyright Holder
Pinole Historical Society