The Eaton Gift of Board Governors

The Governors of the The Eaton Gift serve as trustees of the tax-exempt charity, The Eaton Gift.

Judge Eaton specified that the three governors, each a lifetime appointee, meet one of the following criteria:

- A lawyer appointed by the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court;
- A person chosen by the Directors of the Shasta Historical Society;
- A person appointed by the Board of Trustees of the Shasta-Tehama-Trinity Joint Junior College.

Judge Eaton's Trust specified the main duty of the Governors is to maintain in perpetuity Judge Eaton’s family home, located at 1520 West Street - that is, the house, its contents, and its grounds - as a free public museum, to be known as “The Behrens-Eaton House”.

Denny Mills

President

Born and raised in Redding, Denny was appointed to the Eaton Governor’s position by the Shasta Historical Society. She currently serves on the Shasta County Board of Education and is an Emeritus board member of the Shasta Historical Society. After earning her teaching credential and master’s in educational administration, she served as teacher and administrator in local schools for over 30 years.

Josh Divine

Vice-President

Josh Divine is an attorney who was appointed to the Eaton Board of Governor’s by the Presiding Judge of the Shasta County Superior Court. He has practiced law in Redding since 2005. He serves as a commissioner for the City of Redding Community Services Advisory and also serves on the board of directors for Pathways to Housing, a non-profit corporation that works to provide assistance to homeless individuals.

Mike Dahl

Secretary-Treasurer

Mike Dahl is a Shasta County native who was appointed by Shasta College. He is a Marine Corps, Vietnam Veteran, and former President of the Shasta Historical Society. He is also Redding Mayor Emeritus and holds a master’s degree in public administration. His career included 38 years as a business executive and partner of SECO Manufacturing Company.

Behrens-Eaton Museum Docents

A visit to the 1895 Victorian Eaton House is like entering a time machine, transporting you on a fascinating journey back to nineteenth-century Redding. Our team of expert docents are your tour guides throughout the Behrens-Eaton Museum experience, a fascinating display of historical artifacts, furnishings, artwork, and documents from the life and times of Judge Richard Behrens-Eaton and his family.

The Behrens-Eaton docents are dedicated volunteers who give their time to provide interesting, fact-filled tours of the Behrens-Eaton Museum. In order to do this, they have researched and documented the items displayed in the home which provide interesting details of what life might have been like in the early 1900s. In addition, the docents plan special events such as our Patriot’s Day and our Mothers’ Day Tea.

The Eaton Gift is always looking for additional dedicated docents.
Please contact us at 530-241-3454 if you are interested in joining our team.