United Society of Baja California Turns 41!
The first Communicator was created on 2 simple white sheets which are now yellow, in May of 1983 and has been continuing for 4 decades and more. In the November of the 1983 Communicator, it was stated that the United Society of Baja California was established on February 24, 1983, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Diego Knight, President USBC and now, in addition, Historian of USBC, has been looking through the numerous documents. The Communicator was created in May of 1983 and mentioned several prominent names such as Hugo Torres Charbet, who was of Rosarito Beach Hotel and Baja Times, Rene Ortiz Compy of his restaurant & residential community, members of the Rotary Club, U.S. Consulate of Tijuana, American Chamber of Commerce in Mexico City and more, in order to start a new organization for the numerous Americans who had been residing there. The Society was created to foster the relationship between the American community and the Mexican Community.
The Preamble to the Constitution of the United Society of Baja California states: "This society is a non-political, non-sectarian, non-profit Society...It is constituted to foster friendly relations between the people of the United States of America ( other English speaking people) and the people of Mexico. This organization shall provide a focal point for participation in service, cultural, charitable and social activities for the mutual benefit of all who live in or visit Mexico." The USBC Constitution was based on another society, American Society of Jalisco.
The Communicator was and still is, the line of communication. In the old days, during the 1980's, telephone communication was sparse so CB radios were used, from San Antonio to La Fonda area, to let the members know what was going on. USBC had media coverage starting from Baja Times, San Diego Tribune and a t.v. show, "Baja Windows to the South". It was printed for many, many years and now is modernized by way of online, using emails, websites and now social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. No more need for CB radios. And now anyone can get their news instantly and share it within milliseconds to their friends using their smart phones.
Dedicated members of the USBC took copies of the USBC Communicator and distributed them to USBC members to those who lived in those colonies. The first meeting held a few individuals, but grew with nearly 100 in May of 1983 and nearly 240 in November of 1983. Over the years it grew over 300 at one time. Currently we have around 160 active members.
They had meetings at Las Gaviotas, Quinta Del Mar, Rosarito Beach Hotel and others, some are still here and some are not.
As I read the Communicators, the original concept for USBC, USBC was created to have Social activities such as brunches, restaurants, culture center in Tijuana, Spanish classes, Fishing in Ensenada, places for singles to meet, help others, traveling. Secondly was to help with the local community by providing new skills such as sewing, handicrafts, and more back then.
As we look into 2024, we still look for similar social activities such as the General Assembly, Social Saturday, Restaurant Scene. Dog races, classifieds, fashion shows, wine tours, golf tournaments….that was before and some are still going on. Why can't we, USBC, do those activities? Of course we can. And we should now with the pandemic over, we are seeing more events/ festivals here in Rosarito and other in Baja. Let's see how we can get involved with our community, to bridge the cultures.
We have helped the community by helping other non-for-profit organizations, but can we get involved like those pioneers did that decades before?
Yes, I truly believe we can because I believe in you. You are here to live in another community, culture. Why not get involved more? Tell me how we can make our lives here better in Baja for everyone!
This is our community. This is our society. More importantly, this is our family.
Esta es nuestra comunidad. Esta es nuestra sociedad. Más importante aún, esta es nuestra familia.
Peggy Jimenez said this in July of 1983,
"That's what The Society is all about. Community Getting to know each other and helping each other"
A salute to those pioneers who created the USBC, who typed the communicator, used CB radios to talk to each other. They are watching us, over the marvelous sunsets we see daily here. Let's make sure that the future generations of USBC will look upon us and think of us as a generation of pioneers here in Baja California.
Diego Knight
President of USBC
Historian of USBC
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