Murder at the Monument

From today's Examiner - and another example of great things happening in Burlingame:

"With criminal investigation shows dominating television stations, Peninsula residents will be able to get a real-life look into a successful investigation that happened on their own soil. The Burlingame Historical Society recently announced that it will host a lecture entitled "Murder at the Monument," the inside story of how Burlingame police solved a homicide at a Burlingame train station. The story will be told by Burlingame Police Chief Jack Van Etten and retired detective and police commander John Parkin.

"It's kind of like an episode of 'CSI: Burlingame,'" Van Etten said in a written statement, referring to the popular "Crime Scene Investigation" TV show. "As the lead detective in the case back in '86, it was my responsibility to make all the puzzle pieces fit together." In March 1986, Caltrain ticket agent George Grant was found by his wife dead and lying in a pool of his own blood inside the train station after he failed to come home after his normal work shift.

Russ Cohen, president of the Historical Society, said the idea to tell the story came when he was talking to the police chief about past crimes. Van Etten mentioned that he still had his notes from the 1986 murder case. While refusing to go into details, Cohen said the case had enough twists and turns to make for an entertaining night. "That's really what was interesting to me -- not the murder itself, but how it was solved," Cohen said. "There's murder and sex -- it'll make for a good story." Not coincidentally, the tale will be told on Oct. 29, just two days before Halloween. "I think it will get everybody in the Halloween spirit," Cohen said. "We'll tell everyone a little ghost story."

The event will be the latest in a series of attempts by the Historical Society to present the city's history in an accessible and entertaining manner. The society recently discussed the history of the Crosby N. Gray Funeral Home with a public tour of the mortuary, including the casket and embalming rooms. On-site tours and lectures of Kohl Mansion and Burlingame High School have also been organized. Cohen said the Historical Society's meetings have been well attended recently, and he expected "Murder at the Monument" will be no exception. "We're trying to make history fun," Cohen said. "I don't believe that history has to be dull."

The presentation will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 29 at the Burlingame Train Station, at the intersection of Burlingame Avenue and California Drive."

History is never dull at The Burlingame Historical Society!

- Written by Fiona

Comments

[Jenn]

For those fortunate enough to have come 45 minutes early to grab a small patch of bench on which to sit, or those wall-flowers stacked two deep along the sides of the building and out the doors, this event was a thrill. Van Etten and Parkin were wonderful. The talk had all the suspense of a great novel. Crowds gathered outside, thanks to a second speaker hooked up outdoors for their benefit. I'm sure there were 150-200 people there, many new faces.

Big thanks to Russ Cohen for re-invigorating the Burlingame Historical Society. Also to Fiona Hamilton, who spends most of her waking hours in our Archives "archiving" and researching for each event and for all the other services we provide. It is a never-ending job., but a true group effort of all involved.

The Society keeps on growing, with each and every quarterly meeting being "an event." Did anyone notice the 25 or 30 children sitting crowded and quiet on the floor, all anxiously listening to this tale? These will be the next generation of historical buffs.

[Angela]

Thank you to everyone that put the wonderful evening together.

[Joe]

Hi all. Please note that 20 years later, almost to the day, Jack Van Etten will reprise the Murder at the Monument presentation.

It's Wednesday, October 30th (2024!!) at 7pm in the Lane Room at the main library. There will be many more seats than there were 20 years ago in the train station!