Brier Foundation Contribution Supports Archiving of Key Aerial Photography at CSUSB

The Pinky and Joe Brier Foundation has donated $5,000 to support Cal State San Bernardino interns who will work on the university’s Water Resources Institute’s Historic Aerial Photo project. A funding partner in the WRI project for the last three years, the Brier Foundation is supporting students working in all phases of the processing of aerial archive photographs. Two of the four students hired have gone on with their schooling after graduating from CSUSB. Brittany Garcia is at UC Davis working on a Ph.D. in public health, while Sarah Bryon has earned her teaching credential and is now teaching at a local public school. The two current CSUSB students working on the project are seniors this year. The funds are helping Dolores Manch, a public health major, and Cynthia Bernal, who is majoring in business, continue their scholarships at the university. Pinky and Joe Brier were long-time San Bernardino residents and owned and operated the Tri-City Airport. Pinky had a life-long passion for aviation and became the first American woman licensed to be a flight and aerobatics instructor. She was among the first women to be invited to join the Women’s Air Force Service Pilots in the World War II era, and flew many military aircraft, including B-17s. The aerial project is emerging as one of the largest collections of historic imagery in the state of California. More than 65,000 historic aerial images predominantly from San Bernardino and Riverside counties that date back to the 1920s have been digitized and coded with added information, or metadata. These photos are available to the public on the WRI Historical Aerial Photos website at http://wri.csusb.edu/archives/HistoricalAerialPhotos.html. Local and state water providers plan infrastructure and make decisions based on these very images. Environmental consulates also have used the images to show changes to land use over time, and archeologists and anthropologists have employed them to settle disputes and to teach urban planning and the history of Southern California. The support from the Brier Foundation has made it possible for this project to flourish and continue. In addition to the support of the WRI, the Brier Foundation has contributed to many other projects at CSUSB over the last few years, totaling about $70,000. Set in the foothills of the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains, CSUSB is a preeminent center of intellectual and cultural activity in inland Southern California. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015, CSUSB graduates about 4,000 students annually.