Edna Kimbro with Award

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by Rebecca Allen

During his lifetime, Norman Neuerburg was celebrated, respected, and honored for the depth of his understanding about many aspects of California's missions. He was perhaps best known for his scholarly contributions on architecture and artistic expressions. Norman also had a keen sense of the importance of the missions' role in California history, and that history as it related to the larger picture of world trends and developments. In 1999, CMSA created the Norman Neuerburg Award to recognize outstanding contributions towards the study and preservation of California's missions, presidios, and ranchos.

In recognition of her role as advocate for the preservation and interpretation of California's mission past, CMSA presented the 2003 Norman Neuerburg Award to Edna E. Kimbro.

Edna has been an active member of CMSA since its inception, and has worked tirelessly as a board member and in other capacities to promote the aims of our organization. She devotes incredible amounts of time and energy to raising public awareness of the many threats to the survival of the remnants of California's Hispanic past, and to devising real-world solutions to address those threats.

In the process, Edna has earned outstanding credentials as an architectural conservator from institutes such as the International Center for the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Properties in Rome (ICCROM) and the International Center of Earth Construction (CRATerre). She works closely with some of the world's leading experts and institutions in the conservation of earthen architecture. Edna also has a wealth of knowledge of a great number of California adobes reflected in many historic structure reports and similar documents she has authored over the years. Of particular importance to California are her contributions to the Getty Conservation Institute's project that has identified new, less invasive engineering solutions for seismic stabilization of historic adobe structures.

Edna Kimbro	Edna with Santa Cruz Mission Adobe wood which was later reused in the structure

Edna had tremendous admiration for Norman Neuerburg, both as a friend and mentor. She worked closely with him on many mission-related projects, and is one of his most visible protégés. CMSA offers its congratulations to Edna E. Kimbro.