Riverside's Finest

WORDS: ELIZABETH SCHWARTZE PHOTO: ZACH CORDNER

The pride and history of Riverside is shared by the collective minds of powerhouse couple H. Vincent Moses and Cate Whitmore. This husband-and-wife team have been working for decades to preserve Riverside’s rich history. Currently operating VinCate & Associates History Consultants, Vince built his career at Riverside Metropolitan Museum, retiring as Director in 2006, and Cate at Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District as Curator of History. Their decades of dedication to Riverside’s past, present, and future—along with appreciation for their hometown—ensure Vince and Cate are Riverside’s Finest! Cate arrived in Riverside when her family moved from Saratoga, California, in the late 1950s. She’s proud to be part of the first four year graduating class from Ramona High School in 1962. Cate has her bachelor’s from California State University, Fullerton, and her master’s from California State University, San Bernardino. Vince arrived in Riverside in the 1970s to attend University of California, Riverside (UCR) Graduate Program in History. He grew up in Humboldt County, but attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas for both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Once in Riverside, Vince earned his Ph.D. in History from UCR, and proudly served as a teaching assistant for renowned professor Robert Hine. The couple met when they were hired simultaneously at Riverside Municipal Museum (now Museum of Riverside), married in 1981, and raised three sons together. Their sons attended Bryant Elementary, just down the street from their 1912 Landmark craftsman home. Although their prolific careers could have taken them elsewhere, they chose to remain in Riverside: “Our roots grew into the community because of our boys.” Between Vince and Cate, their resumes are packed with amazing qualifications, honors, awards, and education, but when asked what’s their most proud achievement, without missing a beat, Vince explained, “Bringing in those communities previously omitted from the city’s history.” When Vince and Cate started their careers at the museum, the history was one-sided, focused on the dominant Anglo community, and didn’t tell the story of all the different cultures that contributed to Riverside’s success. Vince explained, “These communities were an integral part of the city, and their stories needed to be included in the Museum. We had to build relationships and win their trust before starting collections from all these groups— from one group to the next—the African American Community, Mexican American Community, Korean Community, Chinese Community, and Japanese Community. All these communities contributed and needed their historic contributions documented We also expanded the Museum’s focus on its very significant Native American collections.” Their second proudest achievement is their contributions and initiative to bring to fruition California Citrus State Historic Park. It’s an open-air living historical museum celebrating Riverside’s history. Vince is the chief consulting Museum historian for the development of California Citrus State Historic Park—beginning in 1981 to present-day. Vince and Cate still enjoy and walk the acreage and contemplate to its ongoing development as a full-scale living history and museum site. Without a doubt, their service to Riverside is immeasurable. Vince served as president of the International Relations Council of Riverside, Inc. (IRC), from 2008-2010, and was vice president of the Old Riverside Foundation. He was on the founding board of the Riverside African American Historical Society, and adviser to the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California, among other organizations. Cate serves on the Sendai Sister City Committee and is a member of the International Relations Council of Riverside (IRC). She served as Co-Chair, Jiangmen Sister City Committee IRC, and Volunteer Public Relations Officer, Hua Xia Chinese School at Riverside. She’s a past member of the Riverside Area Rape Crisis Center; former Regional Representative, Unitarian-Universalist Service Committee; Member, former Legislative Chair, American Association of University Women; and former Secretary, Downtown Renaissance, among other organizations. Vince and Cate are also influential authors who are cited in numerous publications. They recently published a book about noted Riverside architect, Henry L. A. Jekel entitled Henry L. A. Jekel: Architect of Eastern Skyscrapers and the California Style, 1895-1950. Still actively involved in the community, Vince teaches an Architectural Survey course at UCR with Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Together, they stay busy with their consulting company, with exhibition and preservation projects in the works. And it’s quite possible to find them at Mission Inn, or UCR Culver Center for the Arts enjoying films. Thank you, Vince, and Cate, for serving Riverside, and for your outstanding contributions as Riverside’s Finest!