HOW IT ALL BEGAN
"Sister Cities International was created at President Eisenhower's 1956 White House summit on citizen diplomacy, where he invisioned a network that would be a champion for peace and prosperity by fostering bonds between people from communities around the world. President Eisenhower reasoned that people from different cultures could understand, appreciate and celebrate their differences while building partnerships that would lessen the chance of new conflicts." Sister Cities International (sistercities.or
On the 4th of July, 1979, Mayor Hector Buitron Maldonado from Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico and Mayor Warren O'Blennis from Benicia, California, signed the official documents to solidify the program of Benicia-Tula Sister Cities.
On July 2, 1979, the Tula-Benicia Sister Cities Association visited Benicia for the first time. The Benicia-Tula Sister Cities made arrangements for the Tula's delegation to arrive in Benicia by boat, from the San Francisco harbor, to the new marina. Zeck Moreira, Pepe Arteaga, Warren O'Blennis and Tony Lavazzo were the welcoming committee.
Thirty-five members of the delegation from Tula had the opportunity to visit the old State Capitol and learn about "Doña Francisca, Felipa, Benicia de Vallejo" - an example of the Mexican heritage that exist throughout every part of Benicia's history and culture.