July 23, 2026

Museum Update!

Dear Members:

We are in the process of negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Rancho Palos Verdes for the site of our new Palos Verdes Historical Society museum.  There are several steps in this process, but the committee advising the City Council on the new Ken Dyda Civic Center voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU in City-speak) with the PV Historical Society (that would be us) to design and build our long-anticipated museum.  Without getting too far into the weeds, the biggest hurdle is finalizing the transfer of the site from what amounts to the Federal government to the City.  We are working hard to preserve Palos Verdes history and to have a site to display the endless supply of artifacts that are in safekeeping.

Speaking of Ken Dyda, you ever wonder how one becomes President of the Palos Verdes Historical Society?  No?  Well, I’m going to tell you anyway:  Ken Dyda was the immediate past President.  I assume anyone reading this knows who the late Ken Dyda was – one of the founders of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes and one of those responsible for stopping the building of 20-story condos along the coast.  As you know, what is now RPV was then an unincorporated part of Los Angeles County.  If you’re familiar with the Palos Verdes Bay Club built in 1964 (or even if you’re not), that began life as one of those 20-story developments which Save Our Coastline, the embryonic committee which essentially became RPV, halted the construction of at 3 stories.  Ken Dyda was on that committee along with other very talented and dedicated citizens, and after years of battling developers, they decided the only way to gain control was to incorporate as a City.  Many of those people, including Ken, were on the first City Council of RPV in 1973.

Fast forward to 2021 and now-90-year-old Ken Dyda, President of the Society, whose dedication to public service knew no bounds, is about to go back on the RPV City Council!  Ken calls me and wants to meet at the Red Onion – I mean, where else?  Twixt burritos and margaritas, Ken explains that, given that the campaign to build a museum was ongoing, he needed to step down as President of the Society to avoid any perceived conflict of interest, and he could think of no one better to replace him than me. He had attended several of my lectures on the history Palos Verdes and knew I had lived here since 1947.  After I came to and sobered up, I saw my signature on the dotted line.  And that, folks, is how it happened.  

Dana Graham

President