Fernandez Mansion side view from drone (Earl Combs) Fernandez Mansion side view from drone.
EARL COMBS
EARL COMBS
PINOLE’S HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHER
APRIL 2021 CCMARKETPLACEMAG.COM 19
By Jeff Rubin, President, Pinole Historical Society
We are very grateful to live in a community where people
and organizations support each other. It’s one of the most
endearing characteristics of small towns and cities.
Among those special people is longtime Pinole resident Earl
Combs, a former contractor and Realtor®, who has been
honored by the City of Pinole and the Pinole Historical
Society for making significant contributions to the history of
the community.
Earl received a proclamation from the City of Pinole
recognizing his more than 50 years of contributions to the
city, including his work as a contractor on the construction
of the original Pinole Valley High School and numerous
single-family homes that helped populate Pinole Valley in the
1960s.
He also documented — in photos and videos — the
demolition of the original Pinole Valley High School and
the construction of the new Pinole Valley High School,
for which he also received an award at the new school’s
dedication in 2019.
Additionally, the Pinole Historical Society presented Earl
with its “Friend of History” award in appreciation of his
photographic contributions to the society’s archives.
Earl’s photos of historic buildings, important community
events, and construction projects, many taken with his
drone, document an important period in the city’s history
— the Bay Trail Extension over the Southern Pacific
Railroad tracks, the Gateway East and West centers, and the
modernization of the Pinole-Hercules Wastewater Treatment
Plant.
Earl’s aerial photos of the Fernandez Mansion, Faria House
(the future home of the Pinole History Museum), Square
Deal Garage, and other historic sites built in the early years of
the city’s history are a permanent record that will be viewed,
studied, and enjoyed by future generations of our residents.