About Guided by History

Welcome to Wells Fargo's history weblog. Our great history allows our archivists and historians to provide a rich online experience that bridges events in the past with an outlook on the future. We offer you a glimpse of our historical archives, which boast a rich assortment of exclusive documents, artifacts and photography to showcase our historical collection.

Please feel free to send us the stories of your own experiences, or those of people you know. Because that is the best history—memories of people working together in response to big events.

One more thing...

We love blogging and the blogosphere, which is why we're disappointed by some of the changes we had to make on ours. As a bank, there are regulations that prevent us from obtaining some information, hence the restrictions in our blog comments that prevent you from submitting your full name. Under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), you must be 13 years of age or older to provide us any of your personal information, including your email address. (For more information about COPPA, visit the Federal Trade Commission's website .) Also, we cannot capture your blog's URL in our comments due to concerns about "phishing"—a method of identity theft in which unsuspecting Internet users are lured to a fake website.

We know these regulations are there for good reason: to protect consumers from fraud and to protect your privacy. So please bear with us.

If you are 13 or older and would like follow-up from us, please send us an email.

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  John Stumpf, President and Chief Executive Officer

  John Stumpf was named Chief Executive Officer of Wells Fargo & Company in June 2007, and has President since August 2005. A 26-year veteran of the company, he joined the former Norwest Corporation in 1982 as senior vice president and chief credit officer for Norwest Bank, N.A., Minneapolis.

  He serves on the Board of Directors for The Clearing House , the Bay Area chapter of Junior Achievement , as well as The Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota . He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art  Click here to learn about third-party website links and is a member of the California Business Roundtable.

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  Marianne Babal

  Marianne has been aboard the stagecoach for 12 years as a corporate historian. Earlier, she worked for the National Park Service and as a consultant in preservation and cultural resource projects. When not bicycling through the hills of Marin County, California, she also serves on the board of her hometown historical society in Mill Valley.

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  Heidi Berg

  Heidi was a museum interpreter at the Minneapolis Wells Fargo History Museum through 2008. She has a BA in theater and an MA in Arts Administration, from St. Mary's University of Minnesota. Heidi is a commercial and stage talent. She produced, directed and appeared in an ensemble performance art piece about the things we fear entitled "Personal Effects."

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  Martha Blakney

  Martha Blakney has worked as an Express Agent at the Wells Fargo History Museum in Old Sacramento since December of 1999, after 18 years as an insurance agent. Her knowledge of the Sacramento region comes from living here her whole life, as well as raising her family here.

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  Ileana Bonilla

  Ileana has been working for Wells Fargo since 2004. She started as a docent at Wells Fargo's Old Town San Diego museum, and has been the Assistant Curator at the Los Angeles museum since late 2005. She has a B.A. in History from UC San Diego and has previously worked for the National Park Service. Probably the only Historical Services employee who thoroughly enjoys dressing up in costume, Ileana likes anything history-related, making jewelry, cooking, reading, and laughing.

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  Bob Chandler

  Bob has been with Wells Fargo going on 30 years — he's almost an artifact himself. He has written several articles about the company and currently has a book out with the distinguished title Wells Fargo . He suffers boldly from bibliomania, has a fondness for wearing red shirts, and is often found with his wife, Susan, at paper shows.

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  Sue Choate

  Sue has been with Wachovia since 1971, working in Personnel, Public Relations, Marketing, and as editorial assistant and editor of Wachovia’s corporate magazine. One of her most interesting assignments was organizing Wachovia’s corporate archives in 1989. When not cataloging historical documents and tracking down decades’ old information, she enjoys reading, snow skiing, traveling, and her family – including five grandsons – and her little Yorkie.

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  George Corzine

  George has always been intrigued by the "Queen of West" (aka San Francisco) and the culture that has emerged from its citizens, topography, and waterways. He has directed films and videos that have been included in numerous festivals internationally. His most recent film, "Sing Along San Francisco" was programmed in the San Francisco International Film Festival in 2003. George has been online for almost five years as a Senior Information Architect for wellsfargo.com. (georgecorzine.com )

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  Trudy Cox

  A native North Carolinian, Trudy grew up in the same town as country music star Randy Travis . After graduating from Pfeiffer University , she worked as an English teacher before joining Wachovia as part-time Archivist in 1993. She also serves as the Communications Chair at Kingswood United Methodist Church in Rural Hall, NC. Trudy loves her family and friends, Women of Faith  conferences, Jan Karon  books, interior design, and preserving and sharing Wachovia's rich history.

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  Melissa Friedmann

  Melissa is an interpreter at the Wells Fargo History Museum in Minneapolis. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2004 with a B.F.A. in classical theater and a minor in history. In addition to working in the museum, Melissa is a professional actress in both theater and film. She is excited to research and explore the roles women of different ethnicities played in the expansion of the West.

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  Casey Gill

  Casey has been a curator for Wells Fargo in San Diego since 2004. He is a Navy vet who has since earned a B.A. in History/ Political Science from UC San Diego and a teaching credential. Casey has a reputation as a “master storyteller” through his work with the fourth grade Old Town School Program  and conducts quarterly lectures at UCSD’s English Language Institute . He loves history and politics and spends most of his off time with his guitar, two Boston terriers and two guinea pigs.

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  Steve Greenwood

  Steve has worked at the Wells Fargo History Exhibit in Portland, Ore., since 2004. He combines his background in history and education with the goal of making history fun and relevant to audiences of all ages. When Steve is not engrossed in history, he is probably hiking or camping somewhere in the Pacific Northwest.

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  Anne Hall

  Anne began her professional connection to Wells Fargo in 1997. She transitioned from intern to contractor to curator, then interpreting Wells Fargo history in a way that makes it meaningful to the audience. She received her MLIS from San Jose State in 2005, and finally admits that she is a true librarian at heart and, of course, in sensible shoe choices. Anne is passionate about encouraging people to value and preserve their own family stories.

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  Christy Johnson

  Christy has worked in the Wells Fargo Corporate Archives since 2000. She holds a BA in History, an M.A. in Museum Studies and is a Certified Archivist . Christy admits to being a true history geek at heart. In her free time, she enjoys art, dancing, reading and hanging with her boyfriend and kitty.

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  Terry Keir

  Terry is an interpreter at the Wells Fargo History Museum in Minneapolis. Before he came to Wells Fargo, he taught for 32 years in the Minneapolis Public School system - the last 14 teaching Advanced Placement United States History. Terry says working in the History Museum allows him to continue his love of history and teaching students. When not working, Terry enjoys reading, biking, travel, and watching soccer and baseball.

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  Keri Koehler

  Keri was Corporate Archivist for Wells Fargo until 2008, and worked in Historical Services for 10 years. She holds an M.A. in Museum Studies and is a Certified Archivist. Her favorite pastimes include disco music, drinking wine, and dreaming of being a Charlie’s Angel (often at the same time).

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  Allan Peterson

  Allan has been a curator with Wells Fargo in San Diego for more than a decade. After a career as a public school teacher, Allan received his master's degree in History from San Diego State in 2001 and currently teaches U.S History at San Diego City College. He spends his free time with his wife, Janet, and their menagerie of dogs, birds, fish, reptiles and teenagers.

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  Jane Po

  A certified nerd who cooks, plays pipe organ, worships English djs, and reads Ferdinand Braudel with the same passion she gives to her copies of US Weekly.

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  John Poyser

  A graphic designer obsessed with all things San Francisco and all things relating to the 1906 Earthquake and Fire. His family moved to San Francisco in 1867. Their stories are what started this obession.

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  Charles Riggs

  Charles’s chief duties for Wells Fargo are web development and coordinating historical blogs. After hours, he listens to old LPs, bicycles a couple hundred miles a month, and watches way too many hours of sports on TV.

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  Megan Schaack

  Megan made the switch from local to corporate history in 2004 when she became the curator of the Wells Fargo History Museum in Minneapolis. Working at a museum in the skyway allows Megan to interact with a variety of Midwest visitors—students, tourists and Wells Fargo Team Members—and show them a history that many aren't familiar with. She keeps herself and her staff going with regular doses of dark chocolate.

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  Beverly Smith

  Bev started out as a high school history teacher in Los Angeles and segued into museum education in the 80s at the Wells Fargo History Museum. She now gets to lead all nine of Wells Fargo's museums and the Stagecoach Appearance Program, and stays connected with the larger museum profession as a board member for the California Association of Museums.

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  Bill Taylor

  Before Bill Taylor joined the History team as an interpreter in January 2008, he had already worked for Wells Fargo as a Learning and Development Consultant! Bill graduated from Montana State University  (Class of '02) with degrees in Art and History education, subjects he then taught in junior high and high school.. No surprise then that he enjoys sharing Wells Fargo's rich history with museum visitors — especially the student tours. When he's not working, Bill spends most of his time caring for his family, including two young boys who are quickly gaining an appreciation for history!

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  Ed Terpening

  Ed has a long history in Silicon Valley, starting with Apple Computer in the 80s, Cisco Systems in the early days of the Internet, and CNET networks. He currently works part of the year on Internet media projects, and the remainder is focused on his plein air painting (edterpening.com ).

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  Phyllis Thorne

  Phyllis became the Assistant Curator for the Wells Fargo History Museum in Minneapolis in 2006. She has degrees in Theatre and History Education, which makes her entirely suited to tell the story of Wells Fargo’s history to students of all ages. Phyllis also is the Company Manager for Commedia Beauregard , a small theater company in St Paul.

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  Greg Wellman

  Greg Wellman worked for Wells Fargo as a docent in the Old Sacramento History Museum. He recently received his B.A. in History from CSUS and is working on his Masters degree in international history. His hobbies include playing music, reading, and working on motorcycles.