This new and comprehensive story of instrumental conservationist Pearl Chase’s fascinating life is a tribute to her remarkable achievements. Spending over seventy years pioneering work in preservation, social services, and civic activism, Chase met and corresponded with the most significant influencers of the time. Serving on hundreds of committees and working with organizations, she received over eighty national, state and local awards including two honorary doctorates. Pearl Chase was known as Santa Barbara’s woman of the twentieth century. Devoted to improving the world around her, Chase was an intrepid, forward thinking, practical-minded leader.


Through his meticulous research and with respect for his distinguished American ancestor, British historian, Simon Kerry traces Chase’s early life and collegiate years at UC Berkeley through to her return to Santa Barbara and indelible impact on both California and the nation. During a tumultuous period in American history in the early twentieth century, she paved a way for not only the environmentalist movement but also for women’s influence in politics in the federal and local civic spheres. Her compassionate, charitable nature extended to many cultural groups and causes, evident in her vocal support of protecting the lands and customs of Native Americans in the southwest.