Camp Pendleton’s head of history and museums retires after 30 years

Faye Jonason, head of Camp Pendleton’s History and Museum Branch, came to the Marine Corps base 30 years ago with a mission. Since then, she’s become a major force in telling Camp Pendleton’s story.

That story has been connected to every major American conflict since World War II, when the base was established as a major West Coast Marine Corps training center in 1942. The history before the base opened goes back thousands of years to the Luiseño people and later the missionaries in the late 1700s and cattle ranchers in mid-1800s to 1900s, when it was known as Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores.

The 125,000 acre-base has a National Historic Site at the 1840s Santa Margarita Ranch House and National Historic Landmark at the 1868 Las Flores Adobe, along with a number of other historic sites, memorials, monuments and museums, all of which have been under Jonason’s charge.

At the end of the year, Jonason is slated to retire. She has worked with nine base commanding generals since she started in 1995 and leaves behind a legacy of accomplishments.

Read Entire Article