Centenarian recalls Port Hueneme school chant at museum program

Beverly Kelly, a board member and docent at a Port Hueneme museum program, opened a local-history event and introduced Sherry, identified in the program as a historian and lecturer, who interviewed longtime resident Helen Arstekey Braggart.

Sherry told the audience that Braggart will turn 100 next month and has lived almost her whole life in the Buena area. Sherry said Braggart married an ex-sailor after World War II, raised five children in the community and was active in civic projects. According to the program, Braggart and her husband were named Co-Citizens of the Year in 2005; Sherry also referenced a later community-spirit award though the program did not give a clear, standard name for that award.

During her turn, Braggart led the room in a short school-era chant reflecting local school memory: "H u e n e m e. We're a jolly band. We be on 20 knee school. The best in all the land." The chant was presented as a reminiscence of school days and local identity. Sherry and program organizers noted Braggart and a colleague, Dorothy Ramirez, helped with museum exhibits, including work related to a donated collection of several thousand salt-and-pepper shakers.

The program was described as the third in a series of local-history talks; Sherry referenced a previous talk two years earlier that covered county historical landmarks within Port Hueneme. The event focused on preserving and sharing first-person memories of the city's past rather than on policymaking or formal actions.