About Us
Tucked within the natural beauty of Ardenwood Historic Farm, the Historic Patterson House has stood as a dynamic witness to the growth of the San Francisco Bay Area for over a century. The Historic Patterson House Foundation exists to ensure the story continues to be told.
We are a community of volunteers, docents, historians, and neighbors united by a shared belief: that the Patterson Family's legacy ~ their house, their history, their place in the life of Fremont and the East Bay ~ deserves to be known, protected, and celebrated.
We raise funds, restore and preserve the house, and work alongside the City of Fremont and the East Bay Regional Park District to bring its history to life for visitors from across the region and the nation.
Whether you are a lifelong Fremont resident who remembers visiting as a child, a history enthusiast encountering us for the first time, or a researcher tracing the roots of the Bay Area ~ you are welcome here. This house belongs to all of us.
Meet the 2026 Board
Virginia Sargeant
Patterson Family Representative and 2026 Incoming Treasurer
Virginia first came to the Patterson House as a volunteer docent in the early 2000s, drawn in part by a remarkable personal connection: her great-grandmother was Clara Patterson's niece. Through her involvement with the house, she met her cousin Leslie Patterson Buck, and together they developed special Christmas room displays featuring authentic family cards and decorations. A period away from volunteering, prompted by career demands and care for her elderly parents, deepened her expertise in property management, building maintenance, and HOA operational budgets. That professional experience now gives her a practical lens on the facility and financial needs of the Patterson House. Recently retired, Virginia is fulfilling a long-held goal to return to the house as both a volunteer docent and a Foundation board member.
Laura Calvillo
Foundation President
Laura has lived in Fremont since 1978 and has served as Foundation President since 2020. As she approached retirement from a career in health care, she sought meaningful volunteer work and was drawn to her lifelong love of historic houses and museums. She joined the Patterson House Advisory Board and soon became a docent, leading tours and working with fellow volunteers to refresh room displays and rotate artifacts to create a more dynamic visitor experience. Laura has also written grants to fund a variety of house projects and has built relationships with other historic organizations, including organizing trips to peer institutions. She sees her role as managing projects through to completion, recruiting new docents, and ensuring everyone has a meaningful way to contribute. The Patterson House and its community of volunteers are a cherished part of her life.
Leo O'Brien
Vice President
Leo is a retired water utility engineer whose career included natural resource management and planning. A native San Franciscan with deep Mission Irish roots dating back to the Gold Rush, he brought his work to the East Bay, where he discovered a rich regional history beyond the city he grew up in. He has been an EBRPD volunteer and docent since 2004, and was introduced to the Patterson House by fellow park docents who also served there. That connection led him to become a house docent and, later, a Foundation board member. As a former Foundation President, Leo serves as an institutional memory for the organization, providing historical context for past decisions and initiatives. He notes with some pride that as a docent, he gets to dress as his grandfather's generation once did — a fitting tribute to the family history he cherishes.
Joe Thomas
Out-going Treasurer
Joe has volunteered at the Patterson House since 2019 and has served as Foundation Treasurer since 2020. A Newark resident, he was drawn to the house through a longtime interest in local history and the simple fact that Ardenwood Historic Farm, home of the Patterson House, is practically in his backyard. He is fond of telling people that the best thing about living in Newark is Ardenwood. Over his years with the Foundation, Joe has provided steady financial stewardship and deep engagement with the house and its mission.
Laurel Everitt
Secretary
Laurel was born and raised in Fremont and returned in 2020 with her husband to raise their two children in the same community where she grew up, and, of course, to visit Ardenwood and the Historic Patterson House. That childhood connection to the house and the Patterson family's history took on new meaning when she pursued a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree at San Jose State University, with a focus on archives. A school project brought her back to the Patterson House in 2024, where she began volunteering with the archive collection. That work evolved into a formal internship with the City of Fremont and the Historic Patterson House Foundation in Spring 2025, encompassing archives and broader aspects of historic house museum operations. She has continued her volunteer work ever since and is honored to now serve the Foundation as Secretary.
Shirley Ferrante
Member-at-large
Shirley has been a Patterson House docent for 13 years, and a Foundation board member for 10 of those years, serving as Member-at-Large. Her path to the house was a natural one — she has never encountered a museum she did not love, and long wished she had pursued a career in one. Before joining the Foundation board, Shirley brought governance experience from her roles as Treasurer and President of the Fremont Area Writers Club and as a board member of her HOA. She currently also volunteers at the Newark Senior Center and serves on the Newark Senior Advisory Committee. At the Patterson House, she is currently engaged in the ongoing work of organizing and preserving the paper archives.
Eileen Engelman
Member-at-large
Eileen came to the Patterson House in 2013 as an "accidental docent," accompanying her then-8-year-old daughter, who had expressed interest in becoming a junior docent. What began as parental support grew into a deep personal attachment to the house and the Patterson family story. Over the past 13 years, Eileen and her daughter have shared the joy of dressing in Victorian and Edwardian clothing and bringing history to life for visitors. A new board member in 2026, Eileen looks forward to applying her professional background in graphic design to advance the mission of the Historic Patterson House Foundation.