FOR A GOOD CAUSE -- Gladys Refakes

Gladys Refakes will never get tired of Costa Mesa. She has lived in

the city for close to 50 years, but even now she gets excited about

piecing together fragments of her town’s past.

As a volunteer for the Costa Mesa Historical Society, Refakes, who is

now in her 80s, says she learns something new about the city every day.

She never had the time to give back to the community when she was

working as a head waitress in Anaheim. But after her retirement and

during the last 18 years, she has worked as a full-time volunteer for the

Historical Society.

Refakes does a variety of jobs at the society, where she spends at

least 10 to 15 hours a week taking in, cleaning and storing artifacts,

books and maps.

The items that come in could range anywhere from a piece of rusty, old

farm equipment to official papers from World War II. She also puts out

the historical society’s newsletter and is its prime contributor.

“I do a little bit of everything,” she said.

The satisfaction comes from staying closely connected to the subject

she loves the most.

“I’ve always been a history buff,” said Refakes. “This fulfills my

appetite for history.”

She was fascinated to learn that Costa Mesa was home to

Native-American tribes and that the first settlers were Spanish padres.

“I’ve also watched this place grow,” said Refakes, “from a little,

countryside town with 10,000 people to a big city that now has more than

100,000 people.”

A native of South Dakota, Refakes says she is happy to have Costa Mesa

for a home. It’s the friendly neighborhood feel and camaraderie that she

enjoys the most about this community, she said.

“People are so friendly here,” she said. “Anybody who has lived here

long enough would definitely feel a strong sense of belonging to this

community.”