Harr Wagner Teaching Children History
Harr Wagner not only wrote for children. He published school books for the public schools of California. I know Harr Wagner through his daughter, Morris Wagner, and her lifelong friend, Irmagarde Richards, author of California History books. My parents, Sherb and Elena Klein, were dear friends of Irmagarde and Morris. During the 1950's We six children spent many hours at their "estate" in Redwood City, watching their goats, petting their Chincillas and "editting" Irmagarde's history books for the public schools. The barbecue, tether ball and many trees in their field made family picnics great memories for us. Harr Wagner published Irmagarde's work for the California intermediate schools. He also taught Irmagarde and many children living near him at Half Moon Bay about the local Indigenous people. He taught by having the kids dress, eat and play games of the local tribal groups. For many years California school children benefitted from Harr Wagner's publishing and storytelling through the works of Irmagarde Richards and her friend Morris Wagner. I benefitted from all of this with a nice scholarship from Irmagarde to help earn a degree in history at the University of San Francisco in 1962. Reading her California History Books now in 2017, I deeply appreciate the effort and love she, Morris and Publisher Harr Wagner put into teaching young people about our state's past and present.
