Meet the Board

I spent my grade school years in Omaha, Nebraska where I was born.  My family moved to the suburbs of San Francisco when I was entering junior high school.  While attending Sacramento State College I met my wife Patty, who is a fifth generation member of an Ione farming family.  We married after college and lived in Novato, California.  We moved to the family farm outside of Ione in 1981.  In 2006 I retired after a thirty-seven year career in local law enforcement.

During the last thirty years of living in Ione the Preston Castle has been the iconic symbol of Ione’s history.  I see the Preston Castle from the back of my house and every time I drive into Ione.  After I retired I decided that I wanted to give some of my time to preserving the Preston Castle, so that future generations will be able to see the place where California started to bring a better future for youthful offenders. 

Karl serves on the Events, Finance, Site Development, Bylaws, and Kitchen Committees.

In 1981, my husband and I relocated our family from the bay area to Pioneer. When we left the bay area, I was a clerk typist at an elementary school in Santa Clara County. After several months of living in Pioneer, I took a job as an instructional aide at Sutter Creek Elementary School. My career with Amador County Schools lasted 31 years. The aide position led to a secretarial position and after 5 years, I moved to the district office as administrative assistant for Business Services. Ten years later, I was promoted to Director of Fiscal Services and then served as Assistant Superintendent of Business Services until my retirement in 2010.

The opportunity to serve as Treasurer for the Preston Castle Foundation has come my way. It is a wonderful opportunity to work with dedicated people and to work towards the restoration of beautiful and historic Preston Castle. I am proud to be a part of this great endeavor.

Barbara serves on the Finance Committee.

I was born in San Francisco, but moved to Ione at age 3 when my Dad was hired as a Parole Agent for The Preston School of Industry. I attended school in Ione, then struck out on my own for a number of years before moving back to Ione. I got a job with the Amador County Office of Education as an Instructional Assistant for Special Education.

Several life changes occurred that eventually led to my current life in Ione with my husband Preston. I am still working as an Instructional Assistant and am currently at Ione Elementary School.
Several years ago I was approached by a Preston Castle Foundation member at an event at the Castle. She said that giving tours for the Castle would be a perfect fit for me. I decided to become a docent, received training, and started leading historical tours. I really enjoyed it and started getting involved in more and more of the events at the Castle. In 2014 I was asked to become a “person in charge” on tour days and took that on whole heartedly. I am responsible for running tour days once or twice a month during tour season.

I am currently on the tours committee and was recently put in charge of docent scheduling and elected as a board member. The Preston School of Industry will always have a special place in my heart. It brought me to Ione and was a large part of my life growing up. I started volunteering as a tribute to my Dad who retired from PSI and passed away from cancer in 2010. I’ve continued my volunteering because I love it.
Sybil serves on the Tours Committee.

Born in Michigan, I grew up an “army brat”, traveling & living all over the U.S. Tired of snow, we came to Sacramento when my dad retired. I graduated from Elk Grove High School, then attended Sac City College while working for the State of California. I then worked at the Sacramento Army Depot until I joined the Army myself. After training, I was assigned to Nuremberg, Germany, where I met my husband to be, who was from lone. In 1976 we were married & came home to meet each other’s family; that was when I had my first up-close visit to the Preston Castle. It was condemned & in terrible shape, but was such a beautiful building that I was instantly hooked!

There were several more visits over the years, but raising a family & working at the USPS took up all my time. In 2010, after an early retirement, I learned that tours were being given through the castle, so I took one & found the volunteer opportunity that I had been looking for! I’ve now been a docent at Preston since 2011, leading hundreds of visitors through Preston Castle & sharing it’s history. I enjoy talking to people from all over & seeing the expressions on their faces as they take in the magnificence of the Castle for the first time. I’m proud of being a PCF board member & sharing in the restoration of this beautiful building with a dedicated group of volunteers who give so much of their time & love. No matter how often I see Preston Castle, I still get goosebumps every time -1 hope that feeling never goes away!

I was born in Sacramento and grew up in Folsom, CA. My wife Rebecca and I moved our family to Ione in May of 2000 to raise our kids. I have a background of 33 years of Corporate Retail Leadership. In 2020 I opened Ione Sweets, an ice cream and nostalgic candy shop on Main St. In downtown Ione.

I first got involved with the castle in 2014 with my daughter Emily to help with the Haunt. Since then, my entire family has been involved. My wife helps collect tickets at the door. My son Greg also helps and has played the role of the Castle superintendent since 2019. 
Over the past 7 years, I have assisted in helping with the Haunt, Christmas at the castle, movie night and becoming a docent. It is a true privilege to be on the Board of Directors as we work together toward restoring Preston Castle.

I am currently in charge of leading the Landscape crew and committee. I look forward to continuing to bring beauty to the castle and the grounds with our many volunteers and community.