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Madera County Sheriff's Log: May 28-June 2

June 8, 2019, 1:56 pm
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The Madera County Sheriff’s Department reported the following incidents:
May 28
8:39 a.m. — Deputy was dispatched to the 7000 block of Road 32 in Madera regarding a theft of batteries from farm equipment. A report was completed and the case was closed due to lack of investigative leads.
9:36 a.m. — Deputy was dispatched to the 22000 block of Avenue 18 1/2 in Madera regarding fraudulent charges on a stolen EBT card. Case forwarded to Detectives for follow up.
9:46 a.m. — Deputy was dispatched to the area of Avenue 27 and Santa Fe Drive in Chowchilla regarding burglary at a construction site. Case forwarded to Ag Crime detectives for review of suspect evidence.
11:34 a.m. — Deputies were dispatched to the 12000 block of Trieste Drive in Madera regarding a theft of a Stihl backpack blower. After taking the report it was determined the blower had been misplaced and was found under a tarp. Case closed.
12:08 p.m. — Deputies were dispatched to the area of Avenue 18 1/2 and Highway 99 in Madera regarding a juvenile that jumped out of his social worker’s vehicle and fled. Social worker stated the juvenile had made suicidal statement prior to fleeing. Once all information was obtained deputy began checking the area for the juvenile. Juvenile was located at one of the convenience stores. A mental health evaluation was done by the deputy who determined the juvenile to be a danger to himself. Juvenile was placed on a mental health hold and was turned over to Emergency Medical, who transported him to the hospital for evaluation.
May 29
3 a.m. — Deputy responded to the 21000 block of Avenue 18 1/2 in Madera regarding a report of a domestic disturbance. Both parties were arrested and booked. Case forwarded to Madera County District Attorney’s Office for filing of charges.
11:36 a.m. — Deputy was dispatched to the 16000 block of Paula Road in Madera regarding a parent on school grounds with a firearm. The parent had a concealed weapon license and forgot he had a weapon on him. The parent made a mistake. A report was taken for documentation.
6:45 p.m. — Deputy conducted a vessel stop on Bass Lake near the 54000 block of Road 432. The operator of the vessel was intoxicated and had collided with another docked boat. The subject was arrested and transported to Madera Department of Corrections.
May 30
12:44 a.m. — Deputy was dispatched to the 26000 block of Martin Street in Madera to assist Child Protective Service (CPS) who placed a hold on three children. During the investigation a hold was issued and case was closed.
May 31
6:30 p.m. — Deputy was called to assist in a missing person case from Eastman Lake. Further investigation was conducted and leads followed. The missing person is still outstanding, however, evidence was obtained and being reviewed.
June 1
3:02 a.m. — Deputy conducted a bicycle stop in the area of Country Club Drive and Ellis Street in Madera.
The subject was arrested for a misdemeanor warrant and booked into the Madera Department of Corrections
7:52 a.m. — Deputy was driving on CA-49 near the county line of Ahwahnee when a deer struck the driver’s side of the patrol vehicle. A report was written for documentation
June 2
8:50 a.m. — Deputies were dispatched to a local lake in the area of 32000 block of Road 29 in Madera regarding a deceased male floating in the water. The male was recovered and determined to be a missing person the sheriff’s office had been looking for. A report was taken and subject was turned over to the coroner’s division.
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Student nabbed for writing threat on restroom wall

June 8, 2019, 2:00 pm
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A Madera High School student was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly wrote a threat on the wall of the high school bathroom. Police are not releasing his name. The 16-year-old will remain in custody in juvenile hall until he sees a judge.
Lt. Dan Foss of The Madera Police Department said the threat was apparently written on the wall on Monday. The wording is not being released but he characterized it as one of generic violence.
“Many times our students do not understand the ramifications simple comments can cause, or the danger and fear they create in a community,” said Foss. “The Madera Police Department will treat every threat, implied or otherwise, as serious and will seek prosecution against the perpetrator. If you are aware of anyone thinking of making threats or comments that can be perceived as a threat, please notify us immediately so we can get in front of this, prior to it becoming a major issue. And parents, please speak with your kids and inform them of the weight and consequences their words or actions can carry.” he said.
Foss said these comments would now have serious consequences for the boy, whom officers identified the next day after working with school resource officers and staff. The student reportedly claimed the threat was written only as a prank or joke, and he intended no actual violence.
In a separate statement The Madera Police Department said the number of threats of violence at local schools was rising and any threats would not be taken lightly.
Anyone with information on implied, verbal or written threats at schools should contact the Madera Police Department immediately at 675-4220. The police dispatch line is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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Deputies haul in suspect in rapes

June 8, 2019, 2:01 pm
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Madera County Sheriff’s Department
Carlos Alfonso Bolanos is charged with luring victims on Facebook, then raping them.
A Madera man using a friendly, fake female Facebook profile to allegedly lure, kidnap and repeatedly rape a young girl was arrested Tuesday, according to the Madera County Sheriff’s Department.
Authorities say Carlos Alfonso Bolanos, 22, confessed to the crimes during the investigation. He has been charged with multiple felony counts for the April 2 kidnapping and rape of a victim under 18 years of age, lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years, kidnapping for the purpose of committing lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years, and for making criminal threats.
The young victim was picked up in the city of Madera and driven to a rural area before being raped. The accurate physical description provided by the girl correctly identified the vehicle and Bolanos as a large, dark-complected, Hispanic male in his 20s.
Investigators believe there may be several other young victims, male or female, and are encouraging them to come forward after they discovered Bolanos had created the female profile on line with the name “Maritza Martinez”. The profile promised young girls employment selling fresh fruit at intersections or on rural roadsides to dupe them to willingly get in his dark colored Chevy Astro van and drive with him alone to rural areas. Bolanos would then allegedly threaten to shoot or kill them, or their families before forcing them to undress, and assaulting and raping them. A machete was found in his van,.
Bolanos remains in jail. Anyone with information on this incident, or who may have had contact with Bolanos, is asked to call the Madera County Sheriff’s Department at 675-7770.
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Dodgers select Gamboa in ninth round

June 8, 2019, 2:06 pm
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Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Family and friends invaded Alec Gamboa’s yard to celebrate Gamboa getting drafted in the ninth round by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.
Madera’s Alec Gamboa was selected in the ninth round of the MLB First-Year Player draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, completing a journey of baseball that started in the Madera American Little League.
“It’s unbelievable to get drafted,” he said. “It’s unreal. You think about this as a kid in Madera American Little League and you are getting older, it might become a reality some day. You keep working hard and here it is.”
Gamboa, who is a lifelong Los Angeles Dodgers fan, was the Central Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year for Fresno City College and had a circuitous route to the selection.
Gamboa, who was an All-Madera Tribune Most Valuable Player and Pitcher of the Year in 2014 and 2015, helped lead the Coyotes to the Div. II championship in 2013.
He began his collegiate career at Fresno State, but suffered an elbow injury and redshirted his freshman season.
He underwent Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, also known as Tommy John surgery. It is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient’s body, or tendon from donated tissue of a cadaver.
After undergoing Tommy John Surgery in 2016, Gamboa transferred from Fresno State to Fresno City College and had an outstanding 2019 season with the Rams.
“It’s definitely been a crazy journey, for sure,” Gamboa said. “There were times during the rehab process with the Tommy John procedure, there were definitely times I wanted to quit. There were times I stopped my rehab. After thinking about it, I realized there were a lot of people in Madera that are pushing for me, so I definitely had to get back on the grind.”
Gamboa helped lead the Rams to the CVC title and was 7-1 this season with a 1.96 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 55 innings pitched. Overall, he had a 1.97 ERA with 97 strikeouts in 64 innings.
“I was supposed to be ready when the season started, but I wasn’t,” he said. “I was ready about a month into the season. Once I started going, I was going. I didn’t stop from there. I struggled at the beginning. I gave up three earned runs in two innings in my first start and got pulled. After that, my arm kept feeling better and better after every start. I kept progressing and that was the key for me.”
Gamboa said his fastball topped out at 93 miles per hour, but averaged from 89-92.
Gamboa went to Dodger Stadium last week for a workout and impressed the scouts.
“I just killed it,” he said. “When I was playing catch, I could feel the ball coming out really good. I went to the bullpen, the catcher said I had some nasty stuff. I told him I hadn’t been throwing like this. I went to the main mound and did my workout. I could hear comments behind me and the scouts behind the plate were looking at each other. After the workout, the guy running the workout shook my hand and says, ‘I hope we give you a call.’ I told him, ‘I hope so, too.’ I was at 88-92 at the workouts. I was hitting my zone. My slider and change-up were there.”
After waiting through the first two rounds of the draft on Monday, Gamboa got a call later that night that he might be selected Tuesday. Gamboa, who received a full scholarship from Keiser University in West Palm Beach, was told by the Dodgers to keep his phone with him at all times.
“He said they were going to give them a call. I really didn’t expect to go this high with my age, 22, and experience. I expected to be drafted in the 11th through 40th round. I’m in my room, door shut watching the computer. About the eighth round, I get back-to-back texts. One was from the Dodgers and the other was from the Philadelphia Phillies. They asked what my signability was and I said I was ready to go. The Dodgers called and asked if I was 100 percent in and I said I was. He said they were going to get me. We came to an agreement. Sure enough, we were sitting by the computer and they call me up and that was it. Celebration for sure. It was celebration because I was drafted. I didn’t care even if it was the Giants. With the Dodgers, it’s crazier.”
Dodgers scout Tom Kunis drove up from Los Angeles to get Gamboa’s signature on the dotted line to begin his professional career. Gamboa signed in front of about 50 family and friends at his home. Kunis left the party saying he doesn’t drive three hours to sign just anybody, hinting that the Dodgers have big plans for Gamboa.
“I’m taking off for Arizona to do a bunch of physicals and bullpens and that’s when minicamp starts.”
“I’m just a kid from Madera and look at this.”
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June is National Iced Tea Month

June 12, 2019, 2:49 pm
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Julie Alkmin, Wikimedia Commons
Celebrate National Iced Tea Month with a tall glass of your favorite tea over ice.
I was glad to find out about June being National Iced Tea Month, because I am quite a fan of iced tea. Many years ago in the early ‘70s, I lived in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia, where I became quite comfortable with sipping iced tea the entire time.
I had enjoyed iced tea before that, of course, but it was part of the culture of the South that was comforting and almost seemed to be a requirement of residency. The only thing that took some getting used to was how sweet most people made their tea.
These days, I don’t even add any sweetener to my iced tea, but I understand that is purely a personal preference and there is no right or wrong way to prepare the beverage. I also found out the hard way that making sun tea was not a very healthful idea, as one time I wondered how all those threads got into my sun tea jar that I had brewing on the deck outside. Well, those threads happened to be strands of yucky bacteria and I never prepared tea that way again.
Works perfectly fine setting the jar in the refrigerator to brew. Or use an automatic iced-tea maker. On to the recipes.
Raspberry iced tea
8 1/4 cups water, to be divided
2/3 cup sugar
5 tea bags
3 to 4 cups unsweetened raspberries
1. In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat; add tea bags. Steep for to 8 minutes. Discard tea bags. Add 4 cups water.
2. In another saucepan, bring raspberries and remaining water to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes. Strain and discard pulp. Add raspberry juice to the tea mixture. Serve in chilled glasses over ice.
Basic iced tea
Many people love to use Orange Pekoe tea and spring, filtered or distilled water when they brew tea. Use your favorites; it’s all good.
2 1/4 cups water
6 regular-size tea bags (about 1/2-ounce total), or 2 family-size tea bags
6 cups cold water
Granulated sugar, if desired
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Mint sprigs, for garnish
1. In a small saucepan, bring the 2 1/4 cups water to a gentle boil. Add the tea bags, remove the saucepan from the heat, and cover. Steep for 15 minutes.
2. Remove the tea bags without squeezing them (which would add bitterness) and pour the steeped tea into a 2 1/2-quart heatproof container (like a large Pyrex liquid measure). Add the 6 cups cold water and mix. Let cool at room temperature and then refrigerate until cold. Serve over ice, garnished with sugar, lemon wedges, and mint sprigs.
Mango iced tea
1 quart water
2 mangoes
4 tea bags (or however many your package directs you to use for 1 gallon of tea)
3 tablespoons Truvia-type sweetener or 1 cup sugar
3 quarts water
1. Heat first quart of water in a saucepan. Peel and chop mango, and add to hot water. Bring to a simmer, and let simmer for five minutes.
2. Add tea bags and let steep for five minutes or more. Strain into a pitcher or jar. Stir in Truvia or sugar. Add remaining three quarts of water. Refrigerate and serve over ice.
Watermelon iced tea
1 small watermelon, about 2 pounds
5 black tea bags
4 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 to 3 drops of red food coloring, optional
Fresh mint leaves, optional
1. Bring the 4 cups of water to a boil, then remove from heat. Toss in tea bags, and let sit for 20 minutes.
2. Cut the top of the watermelon off, and save for later. Scoop out the red part from the bottom. Place the red part of the watermelon into a blender or food processor, and puree.
3. Pour the watermelon puree into a pan, and sprinkle in the sugar. Mix until well combined, then bring to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Turn the heat off, then remove pan from heat, and let sit for 5 minutes. Pour the watermelon puree into a pitcher, along with the now concentrated tea. Add in a few drops of red food coloring ( optional). Stir, then let it sit until it cools.
5. Cut the leftover watermelon into cubes. Place the mint leaves, watermelon cubes and ice into a pitcher. Pour the watermelon tea over the ice. Let sit for 5 minutes and serve.
Lavender peach iced tea
8 cups water, to be divided
3 tablespoons dried lavender blossoms
3 large peaches
1/2 cup honey, optional
1. In a large pan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add lavender flowers and steep for 5 minutes or until desired strength, then strain.
2. Dice the peaches and put them in the bottom of a half-gallon jar or pitcher. Drizzle the honey on top of the peaches, if using.
3. Pour strained lavender tea over the peaches. Muddle slightly. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, about one hour.
4. Add the remaining 4 cups of water to the peaches and tea and refrigerate until cold. Serve over ice.
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From Madera High to Berkeley’s vice mayor

June 12, 2019, 3:26 pm
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For The Madera Tribune
Susan Meadows Hone, 1939-2019.
In 1956, two hundred twenty-three Madera High School seniors marched up to get their diplomas in ceremonies at Memorial Stadium. Among them was Susan Anne Meadows who had compiled a stellar record at Madera High. She then went on to U.C. Berkeley and won a prominent place in Bay Area society and politics, serving 10 years on the Berkeley City Council, most of them as Vice Mayor.
Sue Meadows died in her Berkeley home at the age of 80 on April 2, 2019, and we want to thank Joseph Farias for giving us a chance to recognize this outstanding woman who began to make her mark in Madera.
Susan was born in San Francisco but was raised in Madera where she was active in the Rainbow Girls, the Campfire Girls, and the Trinity Episcopal Youth Group. By the time she was a junior at Madera High, Susan was the editor of the school newspaper and on graduation night in 1956, she was one of the four graduation speakers.
After high school Susan enrolled at Cal Berkeley as an English major. Along the way to her degree, she got married to Michael Curran Hone (at Trinity Episcopal in Madera) and spent a lot of time working as the managing editor of the Daily Californian. Then after graduation from Cal., her life took an unusual turn. She became a political activist and wound up on the Berkeley City Council.
Susan first aroused the attention of the local Bay Area politicians with her work as a member of the League of Women Voters. She became so well known that in 1971 the Berkeley City Council voted to appoint her to fill a vacancy in its ranks. Susan acquitted herself so professionally that she easily won her own term on the Council in 1973.
Four seats were open that year, and 22 people were running for them. Susan garnered more votes than any of them. After her election, the Council members voted her to the position of Vice Mayor.
Throughout her ten-year tenure on the Council, Susan continued her work as a member of the moderate Berkeley Democratic Club. She also championed women’s rights and worked tirelessly to improve Berkeley’s libraries, parks, and public transportation.
In 1981, Susan decided not to run for another term on the Council, but that didn’t mean she was through with public service. She was elected to the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board where she served one four-year term. She also served for many years as a California probate referee.
This former Madera High School standout went on to champion dozens of other causes and assisted the careers of other elected women. She was an early president of California Elected Women for Education and Research. In the 1980s, she was a volunteer with the National Women’s Education Fund and helped train women on how to run for elected offices. As a result of these, she became lifelong friends with a large number of elected women, not only from California but from throughout the United States as well.
Although she wasn’t an attorney, Susan was a founder of the California Women Lawyers Association. She also served as a board member of the McCullum Youth Court, Berkeley’s Town and Gown Club, the Claremont Book Club, and even found time for the Berkeley Tennis Club.
Apart from politics, and her two children and four grandsons, Susan’s greatest personal passion in life was music, and she served on the boards of the Berkeley Symphony, Berkeley Opera, Berkeley Piano Club, Merola Opera Young Artist Training Program and as chairman of the Board of San Francisco Classical Voice. She was also a member of New York’s Metropolitan Opera Club.
Susan was also an avid reader, an excellent tennis, ping-pong and bridge player, and a longtime and committed fan of the UC Berkeley women’s basketball team.
A memorial service will be held for Susan at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in Berkeley on Saturday, June 29 at 11 p.m.
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Letter: New position is not needed says writer

June 12, 2019, 3:28 pm
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The City Council meeting of June 5, 2019, considered adding a position for the homeless in the Housing Authority. This new person would need to have a degree and experience in related issues. One of them in mental-health issues. This new position appears to be a duplication of services. Shouldn’t this be under Mental Health or Social Services?
If the Housing Authority is going to do it, why not just round them up and put them in an Open Bay Barracks? Can’t leave unless they have a pass. Worked for me in the military.
Off the streets and out of the riverbed. Here they can be counseled, categorized and dealt with. Containment is vital. They are a threat to the community and the environment. Just their filth, garbage and their toilet practices, should be enough to warrant containment. Dogs can’t do what they do. Lock them up, dry them out, then sort them. If deemed unwanted, send them to Planned Parenthood. Tell them they missed a few.
Bobby Kahn said we “aren’t San Francisco.”
When talking about the Development on Yosemite and Tozer, guess he never looked down into the River when crossing the bridges here in Madera. Rivers feed the Oceans. Where does all the trash, plastic and whatever else end up?
Do it! Clean it up!
The grant money that is becoming available for Fresno/Madera to address the homeless is following the route I wrote about earlier this year.
More positions, but NO changes to the homeless. Another costly failure.
— Bill Hoffrage,
Madera
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Thorn grabs win No. 37 at speewday

June 12, 2019, 3:40 pm
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Four-time SPEARS Southwest Tour champion Derek Thorn added to his long list of accomplishments with his 37th victory and 53rd fast-time at the Madera Speedway, presented by 51FIFTY LTM.
Thorn’s win did not come easy as he withstood challenges from current Nut Up Pro Late Model points leader Austin Herzog during Saturday’s 125-lap main event.
With MAVTV cameras rolling, Thorn was one of only two cars into the 13 second range on the one-third mile asphalt oval. His 13.839 topped Linny White’s 13.999.The redraw of the top eight qualifiers placed White on the pole underneath rookie Tyler Fabozzi with Thorn starting third.
Fabozzi used the outside to grab the lead position off the start. September Madera winner Jacob Gomes went up in smoke to end his night early for a caution on lap 12. After a red flag for clean-up, racing resumed with Fabozzi picking the outside and maintaining the lead. White stayed glued to Fabozzi’s bumper with the battle intensifying by lap 29. The battle ended when White tagged Fabozzi into turn three, sending him spinning for a lap 34 caution. Fabozzi blended into fourth while White was penalized to the rear, in 20th position.
The incident sent Thorn into the lead while 51FIFTY Jr. Late Model graduates Jesse Love and Austin Herzog, with 15 wins between them at Madera, battled for third. A caution flew when Bob Lyon spun out of a three-wide battle for eighth in turn one.
The 1999 Madera NASCAR Southwest Tour winner, Craig Raudman, entered the fold, running the outside line to pass both Cole Moore for second and then tag the rear of Thorn in a bid for the lead. Herzog had a good view for the battling and started to edge inside Raudman by lap 75 for the second position.
During the extended green flag run, lapped traffic became a factor by lap 84, which erased Thorn’s sizable lead. Love’s night ended up abruptly when his car retired to the infield with white smoke. The race stayed under green, however, and the lapped traffic continued to affect Thorn. Side-by-side traffic allowed Herzog to close within a car length of the top spot. Suddenly, Carlos Vieira spun from 12th at the tail end of the lead lap and Thorn narrowly avoided him before the caution fell.
The race restarted with 18 to go with Thorn leading Herzog and White, who had climbed up to third after the earlier incident. Thorn managed to drive away from Herzog, who engaged in a side-by-side duel with White for second.
A caution flew again on lap 120 which gave Herzog one last shot at Thorn. Herzog got slightly sideways coming to the line, and Thorn dashed away for the $5,000 victory. Herzog had a career-best Southwest Tour finish of second ahead White, 2018 Rookie of the Year Cole Moore, and two-time Madera Pro LM winner Blaine Rocha.
The co-feature on Saturday night saw the Spears Manufacturing Modifieds presented by Lucas Oil in a 75-lap MAVTV-televised contest, presented by K&N Filters. Peyton Saxton grabbed his first career series win in just his second start, claiming the $3,300 prize.
Out of state drivers Jeff Longman and William Guevara led the field to the green flag. After a spin by Travis McCullough slowed the initial start, things got underway with Guevara leading the way. Fast-time qualifier Hunter Corbitt spun for a yellow on lap three. Saxton used the caution to take the lead on lap four from Guevara.
McCullough’s misfortune continued when he crashed hard into the front stretch wall to end his night. His teammate Eric Nascimento, Jr. pitted multiple times for repairs to right side damage, as well. When the racing resumed, Longman fell backwards to outside the top-five. Ryan Schartau, starting 11th and the most recent winner, drove into fourth by lap 12. Tenth starting Cody Kay was up to fifth, as well.
Eddie Second started his attempts to get around former series champion Dylan Cappello for second. Meanwhile Kyle Keller retired with mechanical issues on lap 28. A multi-car incident slowed the action when Corbitt tagged 18-year-old recent high school graduate, Jeremy Kay, in turn two, with Kay spinning to collect both Nascimento and Doug Carpenter. Carpenter was done for the evening as a result of the damage.
Cappello looked inside Saxton on the restart before taking the lead on lap 44 after some sliding and contact. Saxton grabbed it back on lap 45 and they remained side-by-side for the next three laps before Saxton was solidly ahead. Secord ran all over Schartau for third behind them.
Secord finally managed to get past Schartau on lap 65, but couldn’t close down on the leaders. Saxton took the comfortable lead ahead of Cappello, Second, Corbitt, and Schartau. Schartau and Cappello will be locked in a near dead-heat for the points lead when the series heads to its next race at Kern County.
The supporting Hobby Stocks race was a satisfying one for Steve Schermerhorn as the 2018 champion stamped his authority on the pack by lapping the entire field. Schermerhorn was the only driver to complete all 30 laps while another recent high school graduate Manny Gonzales, Jr. defeated Dean Gould, driving a Late Model truck, for the second position.
Up next for Madera Speedway is a huge night of racing on Saturday. The North State Modifieds and North State/Madera Hobby Stock Challenge will be competing, plus the Madera Late Models, Jr. Late Model Series 30-lap exhibition race, Southwest Truck Series, Toyota Sedans, MSTs, and Legends of the Pacific.
For more information about Madera Racing on MAVTV, visit www.racemadera.com or www.mavtv.com.
Madera Speedway is presented by major partners Nut Up Industries, 51FIFTY Energy Drink, iPull-uPull, and Color Fast Industries. Contingency sponsors include Five Star Bodies, Maita Motorsports, McCallister Precision Marketing, and StopTech Brakes.
Madera Racing on MAVTV airs Thursdays every week. The show airs at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. and is also available on the Lucas Oil Racing TV app. The first round of the 2019 51FIFTY Energy Drink Jr. Late Model Series airs on June 20.
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Lee’s gets revenge, wins TOC

June 12, 2019, 3:44 pm
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Courtesy of Mike Gentry/District 10 Administrator
Madera American Little League champions, Lee’s Concrete, celebrates winning the District 10 Tournament of Champions tournament Saturday at River Park Little League. Lee’s defeated Madera National Little League champion G&J Trucking Sales in a rematch of the Madera Little League City Championship the week before, won by G&J Trucking Sales.
Madera American Little League champion coach Guni Grewal has nine league championships and numerous Madera Little League City Championships, but the one thing missing was the District 10 Tournament of Champions title.
Now, he’s got that, as well.
MALL champion Lee’s Concrete used a three run fifth inning for a 5-2 victory Saturday over Madera National Little league and Madera City Champions G&J Trucking Sales at River Park Little League.
“It’s awesome to win this,” Grewal said. “After all these years, 20-something years, we finally got the TOC. I thought last year was going to be the year we get it, but we get 10-run ruled in the first game. That’s baseball. This year, it didn’t even cross my mind to be here at this stage.”
This time, Grewal left his ace on the mound and he responded. Harnoor Hans scattered eight hits, struck out six and didn’t walk a batter.
“He pitched an excellent game,” Grewal said. “He kept the dugout fired up, too. He would tell the guys to believe and kept them motivated. (Assistant coach) Zak Wyatt called a good game.”
Joel Arellano suffered the loss on the mound. After last week City Championship win, Arellano allowed four runs in five innings. He struck out five with two walks.
G&J Trucking Sales committed three errors and one was pivotal in the fifth inning.
“That was tough,” G&J Trucking Sales managers Seth McKeever said. “Good pitching can win you games. Good hitting can win you games. But, you still have to play everything all around. Defense killed us today. I tell the boys that there’s only one team that can beat you and that’s ourselves. We finished this year 23-4 and all four losses were tough ones where we could have done better on defense.”
Unlike the City Championship, instead of G&J Trucking Sales coming back on Lee’s Concrete, it was Lee’s that came from behind for the victory.
G&J Trucking Sales got off to the quick start with two runs in the first inning.
With one out, Ethan Tate singled to right. Brenton Bohm sent a ball down the right field line. Tate scored and Bohm went into third with a stand-up triple.
Arellano followed with a single to right to drive in Bohm for the 2-0 lead.
Arellano seemed to have everything under control on the mound. He retired nine of the first 10 batters.
G&J Trucking Sales got a two-out double from Trey Garcia in the second, but couldn’t score. G&J couldn’t get more than one hit in an inning after the first.
Lee’s took control of momentum with two runs in the fourth to tie the score. Jose Velasco led off the inning with a single and went to second on an error. After a popout, Harnoor Hans tripled to right-centerfield to drive in Velasco.
With Joban Hans at the plate, Arellano threw a wild pitch and Harnoor Hans scored the game-tying run. Joban ended up singling up the middle and was sacrificed to second. The nest batter struck out to end the threat, but the scored was tied.
Blake Burton led off the fourth with a single, but he was called out for runner’s interference two batters later.
Alonso Lopez led off the fifth with a double to left-center for Lee’s. He was sacrificed to third. However, two batters later, he was thrown out trying to score on a wild pitch.
Garcia led off the bottom of the fifth with a single for G&J. However, the next batter popped out a bunt and Garcia was doubled up at first to end the threat and kill any momentum.
Lee’s took the momentum into the sixth inning. Velasco led off the inning by drawing a walk. Cortez hit a grounder back to Arellano on the mound. However, Arellano threw wild to second and both runners were safe. Harnoor Hans drew a walk to load the bases.
Arellano had to come out of the game because he reached the 85-pitch limit. Tate came in to face Joban Hans.
Hans hit a full count pitch over the G&J leftfielder for a double. Velasco and Cortez scored for a 4-2 lead.
With Larry Carlson at the plate, Hornoor Hans tried to score, but he was tagged out. Carlson drew a walk to put runners at first and third. After a pitch to Chris Capelluti, Tate tried to get Joban Hans off of third, but threw wild. Hans came in to score the third run of the inning for a 5-2 lead.
Tate settled down with two strikeouts to end the inning.
However, in the bottom of the sixth, Harnoor Hans struck out the first batter. Burton singled up the middle to try to start a rally.
Hans got the next batter to groundout to first and then struck out the next batter to end the game and secure the District 10 Tournament of Champions for Lee’s Concrete.
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Officers cite drivers suspected of endangering

June 12, 2019, 3:57 pm
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Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera Police investigate the scene of an accident on Howard Road Friday afternoon.
The Madera police traffic division conducted a targeted traffic enforcement event — or reckless driving crackdown — over the weekend and wrote 20 citations to drivers found to be driving recklessly, speeding, doing burnouts or impeding traffic by cruising slowly.
Three cars were impounded and towed. Four cars were found to have modified mufflers or exhaust systems, and were ticketed and referred to the state auto emissions referee center for inspection before they can be legally driven again.
The targeted crackdown was the result of the Madera Police Department Hot Spot Traffic Tracker, which tracks and records complaints.
The areas of Town and Country Park, Madera District Fairgrounds, and the Home Depot and Sonic Drive-in are known to be some of the hot spots of reckless and stunt driving. Police officials said the focus on reckless driving enforcement will continue over the summer, or whenever the racing and stunt driving is reported.
A driver found to be under the influence of alcohol crashed his vehicle into a parking lot on Howard Road at about 5 p.m. on Friday and then fled from police. Andrew Valdez was arrested for felony DUI, hit and run, and fleeing police.
Valdez hit a sign and a parked car near Taco Bell on Howard Road, and then sideswiped another vehicle. He was followed by witnesses as he drove away from the crash sites and was arrested near south Pine Street.
Police encourage residents to report street racing, reckless, aggressive, or stunt driving to the Madera police dispatch number, 675-4220, at anytime of the day or night.
Also over the weekend, the California Highway Patrol reported eight arrests for DUI, but no major collisions or fatalities.
A total of two arrests for DUI were made by the Madera Police Department over the weekend, and two other persons who were found to be heavily under the influence of alcohol near their cars were arrested for public intoxication.
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Community mourns loss of Albert Cosyns

June 12, 2019, 4:06 pm
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Wendy Alexander/Madera Tribune File Photo
Albert O. Cosyns.
Was patriarch of Madera farming family
Albert O. Cosyns, 94, died peacefully at his home on June 7, 2019.
He was born March 12, 1925, to Belgian immigrants Ivo and Maria Cosyns, in Long Beach. He graduated from Anaheim High School in 1942, enlisted in the United States Army in 1944 and served in the Pacific Islands of Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa. He served on Iwo Jima, and during during D-Day 75 years ago.
He came home in August 1946, and began farming with his father and brother Charles in Los Alamitos.
He courted the love of his life, Margaret Lerno. The couple was married in 1947 and welcomed three children, Linda Reynoso in 1948, Allen in 1949 and Rick in 1957.
In November of 1959, Albert and Margaret bought 350 acres in the Howard District of Madera County.
Although Madera County was a community where they knew no one, they soon settled in, making friends and getting to know their neighbors. Some of these friendships remain to this day, said his son, Allen.
The operation has grown substantially and today and is known as Cosyns Farms, being worked by Allen and Rick.
“My dad was a great teacher with a lot of patience,” said Allen. “He provided well for his family.”
Allen and his brother Rick always knew they would go into the family business with their father, he said.
Cosyns Farms grows wine grapes, almonds, pistachios and alfalfa. They are selling their interest in a bee operation. Cosyns Farms employs 35 people.
“My dad always had great respect for his employees,” Allen said. “He had a good life.”
A civic-minded individual, Albert was active in Madera Young Farmers, Bonita Soil Conservation District, Sugar Beet Board, Elks, and VFW. He was a founding member of the Madera Agricultural Youth Association, and a member of the Madera Ag Boosters.
In 2009, Albert was selected the Madera County Senior Farmer of the Year by the Madera Chamber of Commerce.
He and Margaret were also members of the Madera Dance Club. He and his second wife Betty Mello traveled extensively across the United States in their motor home. He and his companion, Ruth Ferrarese, also did some traveling and enjoyed Sunday drives around the Madera countryside.
Albert was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Charles, his sister Yvonne Lerno and all of the Cosyns and Lerno in-laws, two nephews and a great-niece. His beloved Margaret passed in 1978 after 31 years of marriage. Betty died in 2005 after 25 years of marriage, and Ruth in 2014 after 9 years of friendship.
He is survived by his children Linda and Carlos Reynoso, Allen and Susan Cosyns, Rick and Lynne Cosyns, seven grandchildren, ten great grandchildren and one great-great-grandson, as well as many nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his very good friends Walter “Buck” Bursey and Roger Belden, whom he called his little brother.
Rosary will be celebrated at 7 p.m. on June 18, 2019, at Jay’s Chapel, 1121 Roberts Ave., Madera, CA 93637. The Mass of Christian Burial will be said at 11 a.m. June 19, 2019, at St. Joachim Catholic Church, 401 W. 5th Street in Madera
Donations in Albert’s memory may be made to St. Joachim Catholic School, 401 W, Fifth St., Madera, CA 93637 or Madera Ag Boosters. 800 So. Madera, Ave., 93637 or the donor’s favorite charity.
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Humble beginnings lead to a prestigious award for Maderan

June 12, 2019, 4:09 pm
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For The Madera Tribune
From left are Liz, Leary, Irie and Timothy Monreal. Timothy was recently awarded with the Spencer Fellowship to complete his doctoral studies at the University of South Carolina.
Timothy P. Monreal, a Madera native and Ph.D. candidate in Foundations of Education at the University of South Carolina credits humble beginnings for his success today.
“It was so embarrassing driving up to school and my dad would be driving one his buddies for-sale cars from his car lot. We would pull up to the school and there would be $10,000 in bright green in the corner. My dad didn’t own a car,” Monreal said. “He taught us what was important.”
That notion of sacrifice and a commitment to the belief that working hard and doing the right thing will pay off, gave Monreal and his eight siblings the boost they needed.
“As a parent, you always want to have your children do better than what you were able to achieve,” Timothy’s father, Jim Monreal, said. “With that comes a lot of sacrifices and finding the right opportunities for them. One thing my wife and I look to is that we are just blessed that our children are so much smarter than their parents.”
Monreal was recently awarded with the Spencer Fellowship to complete his doctoral studies at the University of South Carolina. Before that, Monreal was recognized with a 2019 University of South Carolina Stand Up Hero Award and received the 2018 Outstanding Doctoral Student in Educational Studies at University of South Carolina.
His work on Latinx (gender-neutral term for Latino) demographic shifts in the United States, along with teaching and organizing/representing for South Carolina for Education (SCforED) among many roles, gave Monreal an edge in talented pool of applicants.
The Spencer Fellowship is part of the National Academy of Education and is one of the premier organizations for educational research.
They have two programs; one for the dissertation fellowships and the other is for early career scholars.
“This academy really tries to highlight game-changers in terms of educational research in the future. They want to give those individuals money and support to expand their careers to have big impacts in education,” Monreal said. “The Spencer is the crown jewel. Its one of those things that everybody applies to and you do it because it’s like a rite of passage. Everybody knows they aren’t going to get it.”
The application process was intensive. Applicants had to give a substantial overview of their dissertation topic, multiple letters of recommendations from high-profile scholars from the field, as well and an extensive plan on what you plan to do with the research.
“There were about seven pieces to the application process, and I think there were about 500 applicants. These weren’t just normal people, they were like the most brilliant people in the world,” Monreal said jokingly.
Monreal sent in his application without much expectation, but when he made the semi-final round, he took notice of the possibilities.
“Holy crap, I actually had a chance at this,” he said.
Monreal got an email from the National Academy of Education and figured it was a “thanks for trying, good luck in the future” emails, but low and behold, he made it into the final 60 and only 35 would get the fellowship.
The final 60 had to reaffirm the progress in their dissertation and show nothing has changed as much.
A month later, he got the final word — he made it.
“I was in shock. I come from humble beginnings and a big family in Madera and I got rejected from every single Ph.D. program in the country except for the University of South Carolina,” Monreal said. “It’s kind of an affirmation of the work that I put in, the family behind me and just the mentorship I received and more than anything that was what got me here.”
Monreal carries those rejection letters in his backpack. He wanted to prove those universities wrong, but also honor USC for giving him a chance and having faith in him.
He said he gets mentality from his family. Turning that chip on your shoulder into meaningful and uplifting.
His father contributes his families strive to be the best they can be as a factor in the success of Timothy and his eight siblings.
“I think it’s because they all compete, they want to be the best. My wife Peggy and I try to maintain the expectations that we’ve created in order for them to be successful,” he said.
Tim is active in the community working on the leadership team at SC United with Immigrants and he works with American Educational Studies Association Graduate Coalition, where he started a podcast and peer-reviewed blog for the group and he also teaches at the middle-school level.
His work has appeared in various journals such as; Educational Policy, Latino Studies, Current Issues in Comparative Education, Journal of Latinos and Education, and Middle Grades Review.
But most importantly, he’s a father to two beautiful children and a husband to his wife as well. Now that Monreal is a parent himself, he understands the sacrifices you make for your children.
“It is one of those things as you get older, you realize what your parents do for you and have done for you,” he said.
Now that Monreal is a parent himself, he understands the sacrifices you make for your children.
“It is one of those things as you get older, you realize what your parents do for you and have done for you,” he said.
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Cooling centers open

June 12, 2019, 4:28 pm
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Cooling centers available on weekdays only
Cooling centers are open to the public and meant to provide relief for those who otherwise do not have access to an air-conditioned environment.
The City of Madera urges residents to take steps to protect against heat-related illnesses. These illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke, occur when the body's temperature control system is overloaded. Children, senior adults and people with chronic illness are at highest risk.
Madera Dial-A-Ride is offering free bus rides to accommodate those in need of transportation to local cooling centers between 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Riders must advise dispatch when scheduling pick-up that they desire to be taken to a cooling center. Residents may contact Dial-A-Ride at 661-7433.
For more information on staying cool during times of extreme heat, please see Pacific Gas & Electric’s Summer Safety Tips page (https://bit.ly/2rajPuC).
City officials monitor weather conditions and may call for activation of cooling centers at any time that temperatures are forecast to meet or exceed 105°F, or if temperatures are expected to meet or exceed 100°F for two or more consecutive days. The public can refer to the city’s website, www.madera.gov, to confirm cooling center activation.
Additionally, residents with questions regarding cooling centers may contact the centers directly at the telephone numbers provided or by calling the City of Madera’s Department of Parks and Community Services at 661-5495. The City’s cooling centers are made possible through grant funds from Pacific Gas & Electric Company.
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Madera and the ‘Forbidden City’

June 15, 2019, 8:32 am
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Madera County Historical Society
Young Ah Mooey (Leong Ah Len) is shown here in this government affidavit showing that she was born in Borden. She later married and became the mother of Dorthy Sun, who became a famous dancer at the San Francisco nightclub, “The Forbidden City.”
During the 1930s and 1940s, Charlie Low’s Forbidden City was in its heyday. Chinese American entertainers who performed at the San Francisco nightclub packed the house and drew such notables as Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman. One of the most popular dancers at the Forbidden City was a woman named Dorothy Sun who gave up fame and fortune to join the USO and entertain the troops during World War II. I remember Dorothy Sun and was saddened when I learned of her passing a few years ago. She was a great lady.
My introduction to Dorothy came in a rather roundabout way. In the late 1980s, while doing research into Madera’s past, I came across an unusual article in an old issue of the Madera Mercury. It told a tale of such intrigue that I never forgot any of the salacious details.
It seems that in the summer of 1906, there lived in Madera’s Chinatown one Lum Hing who was better known as “Shorty the Slop Man.” Shorty earned his living by gathering swill from the alleys of Madera and feeding it to his hogs, making a respectable profit from his pork in the process.
Also living in Madera’s Chinatown was the Widow Chung. In 1902, her husband, Yee Chung had died, leaving her with seven children to raise. Shorty, being an old friend of the late Mr. Chung’s, began calling on his family, ostensibly to see that they were not living in want of the necessities of life. Herein lay the genesis of Shorty’s problem.
No resident of Madera’s Chinatown could fail to take note of the beautiful Ah Mooey (Leong Ah Len), 12 year-old daughter of the Widow Chung. In time Shorty struck a deal whereby the “slop man” would furnish food and money to the Chung family in return for the hand of Ah Mooey, when she reached a marriageable age. By 1906, Shorty decided the time had come for him to claim his bride. Unfortunately for the hog man, the Widow Chung had been negotiating behind his back with someone else.
Up in the gold mining town of Coulterville lived 31 year-old Sun Kow, owner of the Sun, Sun, Woo merchandise store. Sun Kow was well known in Madera as a “rich Coulterville merchant” who also had cast covetous eyes in Ah Mooey’s direction. While Shorty was preparing to call on the Widow Chung to make the necessary arrangements for his marriage to her daughter, Sun Kow paid a visit to the Chung home and outbid Shorty by 300 dollars. In December of 1906, an angry Shorty was left holding the bag, while Ah Mooey left Madera with Sun Kow. The next day they were married in Coulterville.
While they were living in Coulterville, Sun Kow and Ah Mooey had four children. The youngest of these was Dorothy Sun, who would dance her way into the hearts of thousands and onto the pages of Life Magazine in 1940.
In 1920, Sun Kow moved his wife and children to Isleton where he opened a restaurant. Dorothy attended school there and in Rio Vista. Both Sun Kow and Ah Mooey died in 1935, and Dorothy finished her education in San Francisco. It was during this time that she began her life in entertainment, but World War II came along, and she gave up the spotlight to help in the war effort. From the Forbidden City, Dorothy went to Hawaii with the U.S.O. That’s where she met and married John Murray.
On August 11, 2007 Dorothy Sun Murray died in Sacramento, and with her went a piece of Madera history. Her maternal grandfather, Yee Chung, had been the most prominent member of Madera’s Chinese community. After his death in 1902, Dorothy’s grandmother, Mrs. Yee Chung held the family together in Madera. Dorothy’s mother, Ah Mooey, was an alumnus of Alpha School and a familiar sight around town before she was taken to Coulterville by Sun Kow. From stories told to her by her grandmother and her parents, Dorothy Sun Murray was a vast storehouse of knowledge about life in pioneer Madera. I know; I took good notes when I visited her in her Sacramento home.
It was such an enriching experience to know Dorothy and her family, and as historian, it was especially meaningful to meet the past on its own terms.
I am grateful that the events of 1906 turned out like they did. If Shorty had won out in the race for Ah Mooey’s hand in marriage, we would never have had Dorothy Sun Murray, Madera’s unique contribution to the past.
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Modifieds and Hobby Stocks return to speedway

June 15, 2019, 8:49 am
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The busy summer at Madera Speedway continues tonight with the North State Modified Series and North State Hobby Stock Challenge on the track. The speedway will also play host to Madera Late Models, Legends of the Pacific, Southwest Tour Trucks, Modified Super Toyota, Toyota Sedans, and a Jr. Late Model exhibition race.
This full plate of racing excitement will be served for $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and military, $7 for youth ages 6-12, and kids five and under are free.
The North State Modifieds thrilled fans during their first appearance in April with Randy Houston taking the 60-lap victory from the 10th starting position. Finishing second was former series champion Jason Philpot , who finds himself mired in fourth in the championship. Cameron Austin leads the championship with two second and two third place finishes this year. Stockton winner Robbie Knittel is the leading rookie and ranks second in the standings ahead of Darrin Sullivan and Philpott. Terry Deal rounds out the top-five.
Saturday’s co-main event is the Madera/North State Hobby Stock Challenge. Round No. 1 of the series produced a great battle for the lead between Madera’s champion drivers Howard Holden and Steve Schermerhorn. Schermerhorn won last weekend’s Madera Hobby Stock event by an entire lap and looks primed to ride that momentum into Saturday.
The Madera Late Model division is the non-televised half of the stock car schedule at the speedway, but produces much of the same high level competition as the Nut Up Pro Late Models do on MAVTV. Tyler Herzog leads the series with two wins and two second place finishes while his cousin Austin Herzog leads the overall combined standings between Madera Late Model and Pro Late Model. Both Herzogs are expected in action tonight. The balance of the top-five for the Madera LM includes Henk Gaalswyk, Jr., Del McIntosh, Eloy Bazan, and Elliott Stjerne.
Ryan and Shaun Reynolds continue to lead the Modified Super Toyota standings with a 25-lap main event scheduled. Toyota Sedans will also compete for 25 laps with Jason Lawton at the top of the hill. Touring divisions for the Southwest Tour Trucks and Legends of Pacific will also be competing. Ronnie Davis is the most recent SWTT winner at Madera while Bakersfield’s Colton Page won the most recent LoP race.
Tonight’s program begins with pit gates opening at 11:00. Practices run from 1-2:30 p.m. with qualifying and heat races to follow. The first set of features starts at 5:15 p.m. before opening ceremonies at 6 p.m. The North State Hobby Stocks, Late Models, and North State Modifieds are among the races that will compete after opening ceremonies are completed.
For information about Madera Racing on MAVTV, visit www.racemadera.com or www.mavtv.com.
Madera Racing on MAVTV airs Thursdays every week. The show airs at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. PST and is also available on the Lucas Oil Racing TV app. The first round of the 2019 51FIFTY Energy Drink Jr. Late Model Series airs on June 20.
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Shoe Shak walks off with MNLL title

June 15, 2019, 8:50 am
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Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera National Little League umpire Greg Willet watches Shoe Shak’s Danity Aguirre slide under the tag of Mazon Trucking catcher Autumn Dunlop to score the game-winning run of Tuesday’s MNLL Softball Championship game.
Madera National Little League softball majors regular seson champion Mazon Trucking seemed to have the title game under control with three runs in the first two innings.
However, Shoe Shak scored six runs in the final three innings to walk off a 6-5 victory to capture the Madera National Little League softball championship.
“I told my kids don’t give up,” Shoe Shak manager Ed Medina said. “Don’t worry about the score. We’re going to come around and start hitting. You’re going to see that pitcher again and get on base. We weren’t getting on base. She’s a good pitcher. We weren’t confident enough. Her speed was killing us.”
Shoe Shak loaded the bases with nobody out in the sixth. They got a run across on a wild pitch and then Nazomi Sandoval hit a short grounder to the circle. Emma Frausto got it for Mazon Trucking and threw to the plate to Autumn Dunlop. However, Danity Aguirre slid across the plate to score the winning run to cap a three-run sixth.
“We told them to give it all you have,” Medina said. “Don’t worry about the score. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. Once we loaded it up, I knew we had it. It was going to be tough to get us out.”
Jayleen Gutknecht allowed three runs over the first five innings for Mazon Trucking. She struck out 11 and allowed just two hits, but grew tired under the 100 degree heat.
Gabby Medina picked up the victory in the circle. She pitched a complete game, scattering seven hits. She walked five and struck out seven.
Shoe Shak only managed three hits in the game, but it was enough for the win. Aubrey Mendez had two hits, including a double. Danielle Aguirre added a triple.
Mazon Trucking was led by Dunlop, who had two hits, scored to runs with a triple. Arianna Perez had two hits. Frausto had a hit and scored three runs. Iyanna Molano and Alexa Garcia added hits.
Mazon Trucking got the scoring started in the top of the first inning. Frausto led off by drawing a walk. She stole second and went to third on an error. After a popout, Frausto scored on a wild pitch.
After another popout, Dunlop tripled over the head of the Shoe Shak centerfielder. She came in to score on a wild pitch to Molano. Molan drew a walk and Perez singled, but a strikeout ended the threat.
Mazon added to its lead in the second. No. 9 batter Baylie Romo drew a walk and went to second when Frausto drew another walk.
A wild pitch allowed both runners to advance a base. Gutknecht hit a grounder to third, but Romo was tagged out at the plate by Sandoval.
Fransto came in to score on an error for a 3-0 lead.
Shoe Shak got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth inning with a nobody on, two out rally.
Aguirre split the right-centerfield gap for a triple and then scored on a Mendez single to left-center.
“Once I noticed our big bats came around and got that one run, I kind of sensed it a little bit,” Medina said. “I thought we’re in this. We’re not out. We’re going to go the full six innings. I told the girls to not give up.”
Shoe Shak cut the lead to one in the fifth. Kayla Arredondo led off the inning with a walk. She stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. After a strikeout, Macy Morgan reached first on a dropped third strike and stole second.
Sandoval hit a grounder up the middle that went by the shortstop for an error. Arredondo and Morgan scored to cut the lead to one.
Sandoval advanced to second and went to third on a sacrifice from Medina. Marisa Rincon drew a walk and stole second, but Gutknecht got the next batter to ground out to end the inning.
In the top of the sixth, Mazon Trucking added an insurance run. With one out, Frausto reached on an infield single, stole second, went to third on an error and scored on Gutknecht’s groundout for a 5-3 lead.
Mendez led off the sixth with a double to the left-centerfield gap. Mia Cross-Miller drew a walk. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch.
Danity Aguirre loaded the bases with a walk. Zhanette Avalos drew another walk and Mendez scored. After a strikeout, Cross-Miller scored on a wild pitch to tie the score while Aguirre and Avalos advanced a base.
On a 1-2 pitch, Sandoval hit a grounder back to Frausto in the circle. Aguirre slid across home plate to beat the tag to score the game-winning run.
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Herrera earns All-American honors

June 15, 2019, 8:58 am
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For The Madera Tribune
Former Madera South cross country runner Eduardo “Lalo” Herrera earned second team All-American honors at the NCAA National Championships in the 1,500 meter run.
The 2019 NCAA National Championships is over for the Colorado men’s track and field program, finishing the final day with a pair of second team All-Americans.
Both Eduardo Herrera (Madera South) and John Dressel secured second team All-American honors after finishing between ninth and 16th in their events. That is Dressel’s second honor of the meet after he and Ryan Forsyth had top-16 finishes in the 10,000.
“Everything was kind of unexpected and I just wanted to make the Nationals. It was crazy,” Herrera said. “I wasn’t supposed to run at regionals and went with the flow. I was kind of late to the season because I was dealing with an injury. It took me half the season to get better.”
Herrera kicked things off in the final of the 1,500-meter run. The sophomore settled into eighth in the first 300, crossing the first quarter in 58 seconds. The pace slowed down as the 12 runners crossed the 800 mark in 2:01. Herrera held onto an All-American finishing position for another 100 meters before the pace began to quicken again. He dropped back to 11th with 500 meters left and finished the race in 3:46.27 for 12th overall.
“I think I was fresher at the end of the year because I didn’t have as many races at that time,” Herrera said. “I would have preferred to run a lot than coming with a little.”
It was an incredible month for Herrera. The sophomore didn’t know if he was going to be accepted into the NCAA West Preliminaries but made it in after being in the 60s in the descending order list after athletes scratched. Herrera qualified into the finals at the prelims and then had a show where he came off the curve and cut down the field for a second-place finish that sent him to nationals. After he ran the seventh-best time in the second heat that was faster than the entire first heat, Herrera went from not knowing if his season was over to second team All-American.
“Towards the championship races, I started getting better,” Herrera said. “It was a tough season. I was ranked No. 68 heading into the Regionals. Only 48 advance. I was hoping people dropped and I was the second-to-last to get in so I was lucky. My coach told me to have fun. I had the race of my life.”
Herrera hopes to have an even better junior season. He was hampered in cross country due to illness and then was late to track because of an inury.
“I am expecting a big junior year,” he said. “This year wasn’t great. I felt bad, but I had some illness in cross crounty so I should do better. I expect a bigger junior year if I keep working hard.”
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Information also provided by Colorado University sports information.
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All-Madera Tribune Softball Team

June 15, 2019, 9:04 am
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Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera’s Tayah Hernandez batted .457 during the County/Metro Athletic Conference season, setting batting average records. Perez was named the County/Metro Athletic Conference Player of the year, just the second season a Madera player was chosen. Hernandez is one of The Madera Tribune’s Co-Most Valuable Players.
Co-Most Valuable Player
Tayah Hernandez, Sr. OF Madera
Stats: .441 BA, 32 R, 41 H, 7 2B, 3 3B, 12 SB.
All-League: First team County/Metro Athletic Conference
Hernandez had, probably, the best two-year stretch any player has had at Madera. She set the school’s single-season batting average record, hitting .513 last year. This year, she hit led the team in batting and also set the school’s career batting average mark at .474, besting the previous mark set by Taylor Brooks last year by 40 points. Hernandez began the season in the No. 3 spot in the order, but the offense took off when she was elevated to the lead-off spot. She batted .457 in league and led the team with 16 runs. Hernandez was also one of the best right fielders in the game, making many highlight-reel catches. She was named the Madera Trbune’s Most Valuable Player last season.
Co-Most Valuable Player
Sofia Perez, Jr. IF Madera
Stats: .361 BA, 30 H, 7 2B, 3 HR, 21 RBI.
All-League: CMAC Player of the Year
Perez continues the family tradition of excellence. Her sister, Brianna Perez, was a CMAC Player of the Year, along with her cousin Vanessa Solis. After coming out from basketball season, Perez, a three-sport varsity athlete, took a while to get her softball legs back. However, once she got going, she was hard to stop, hence her CMAC Player of the Year honor. Perez tied with Hernandez for the team lead with a .457 batting average and 16 hits in league. She hit three home runs and led the team with 15 RBIs while scoring nine runs. She struck out just once in 39 league plate appearances. She is a two-time All-Madera Tribune selection.
Offensive Player of the Year
Savaanah Garcia, Sr. SS Madera South
Stats: .527 BA, 24 R, 48 H, 17 RBI, 9 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 21 SB.
All-League: CMAC 1st Team
Garcia set the standard for all future Stallions. She graduates as the career record holder in batting average (.464), on base percentage (.533), hits (170), runs (105) and stolen bases (59). She has been the team leader for the past four years and a fixture running between second base and third base for four years. She set the single season school records in batting average, on base percentage, hits and stolen bases. She was the one player on the Madera South team that you had to be aware of or she will beat you. She is a four-time All-Madera Tribune selection.
Pitcher of the Year
Sarah Shevenell, Jr. P Liberty
Stats: 22-6, 1.07 ERA, 13 CG, 5 Sho, 207 K, 151 IP.
All-League: North Sequoia League Co-Pitcher of the Year; All-NSL 2nd team.
Shevenell stopped growing and began to get used to her build and dominate batters. She follows in her sister’s big footsteps and made her own. She set school records for wins in a season and strikeouts in a season, becoming the first Liberty pitcher to record more than 200 strikeouts in a season. Shevenell started to come to her own last season, but stepped up to become one of the best pitcher in the Central Section and become one of those pitchers you can count on to throw complete games. She is a two-time All-Madera Tribune selection.
The Team
Valerie Ornelas, Jr. C Madera
Stats: .346 BA, 28 H, 6 2B, 4 3B, 25 RBI.
All-League: CMAC 2nd Team
Ornelas started 27 of 29 games for the Coyotes. She became a dependable middle of the order bat and could go down as one of the bst run producers in Coyotes’ history. She could set the Coyotes’ career RBI mark and home run mark next season. She is also so well respected that teams do not steal on her. Six runners tried and Ornelas threw out five of them. She also picked off five runners. She is a three-time All-Madera Tribune selection.
Camille Vestal, Jr. C Liberty
Stats: .404 BA, 23 R, 36 H, 4 2B, 2 HR, 27 RBI.
All-League: NSL 2nd team
Vestal became a dependable backstop for the Hawks and a solid bat in the middle of the order. She was second on the team in RBIs and provided adequate protect for Hannah Casner, who had a dominant offensive season. Vestal struck out just three times in 98 at-bats, mostly from the clean-up spot in the order.
Mealeah Galvan, Sr. IF Madera South
Stats: .368 BA, 25 H, 17 RBI.
All-League: CMAC Honorable Mention
Galvan provided some power for the Stallions and some flexibility on the infield. She could play third or first, depending on who was pitching. After missing last season because of injury, Galvan responded by batting .368 in the middle of the Stallions’ order. She tied with Garcia for the team lead in RBIs. She earned an All-Madera Tribune selection her freshman season and now one for her senior season.
Viviana Porras, Sr. Uti Madera South
Stats: .311, 23 H, 11 R.
All-League: CMAC Honorable Mention
Once she became a slap-hitter, she was tough to stop. She came on for her senior season and batted behind Garcia in the No. 2 spot in the line-up. She offered another bit of flexibility for head coach Peter Gallegos by playing on the infield and in the outfield. She is a first-time All-Madera Tribune selection.
Hannah Casner-Santoro, Soph. IF Liberty
Stats: .410 BA, 26 R, 34 H, 31 RBI, 7 HR, 16 SB
All-League: NSL 2nd team
The last batter to have the power season Casner-Santoro had was Renee Ortega in 2014. Casner-Santoro hit seven home runs, which is fifth-most in school history. She also had 31 RBI, good for ninth on the school list. Just a sophomore, she has good numbers to build upon. She tied for second on the team with 26 runs scored, tied for fourth with 31 hits and was second with 11 extra base hits while recording a .710 slugging percentage.
Erika Perez, Fr. IF Madera
Stats: .415 BA, 31 R, 39 H, 3 3B, 4 HR, 26 RBI
All-League: CMAC 2nd team
Perez anchors a dominant freshman class that had three players earn first or second team CMAC honors. She led the team with a .702 slugging percentage while batting behind Hernandez. She was second on the team in batting average, runs scored and hits. She led the team with nine doubles and four home runs while tying for the team lead in RBIs.
Jaclyn Smith, Soph. SS Liberty
Stats: .269 BA, 21 H, 19 R.
All-League: NSL 1st Team
Smith earned first team All-NSL honors because of her work on defense. She anchored the Liberty defense at shortstop while pfoviding a steady bat near the bottom of the Hawks’ order. She still batted .269 to go with 21 hits and 19 runs scored. Smith is a first-time All-Tribune selection.
Erika Valdez, Sr. IF-P Madera South
Stats: .278 BA, 20 H, 3 2B, 6-4, 4.49 ERA, 44 K, 62 1/3 IP.
All-League: CMAC Honorable Mention
The transfer from Liberty had a solid senior season doing what Gallegos asked of her, whether it was pitching, playing third or anywhere else was desired. She was a player the team relied on at the bottom of the middle of the order. After playing well as a freshman at Liberty, she had a good career at Madera South. She is a three-time All-Tribune selection.
Lauren Chapman, Fr. IF Liberty
Stats: .432 BA, 41 H, 18 R, 8 2B, 3 3B, 9 SB.
All-League: NSL 2nd team
Chapman is part of the great youth of the Liberty program. She probably had one of the best freshman seasons at Liberty, ending up with a .432 batting average, good for second on the team. She also was second on the team with 41 hits, third with 23 RBIs and led the team with eight doubles and 12 extra base hits. This is her first of many All-Madera Tribune selections.
Paige Chapman, Fr. OF Liberty
Stats: .343 BA, 26 R, 34 H, 4 2B, 4 3B, 18 SB
All-League: NSL Honorable Mention
With her sister, the Chapmans gave the Hawks great production as freshmen. She led the team with four triples, but was second on the team in runs scored and was fourth in hits. The Chapmans, along with Canser-Santoro and Smith give the Hawks enough youth to be a power for years to come.
Mariah McMillon, Sr. OF Madera
Stats: .267 BA, 30 H, 8 SB.
All-League: CMAC Honorable Mention
McMillon provided stability for the Coyotes in left field. She anchored the bottom of the order and was a fixture all season long, starting 28 of 29 games in left field. She also batted .414 in CMAC with 10 singles and 12 hits. She struck out just three times in the CMAC and stole six bases.
Joslynn Davis, Jr. OF Madera
Stats: .361 BA, 30 H, 23 R, 10 RBI.
All-League: CMAC Honorable Mention
Davis proved to be a solid fixture in the Coyotes lineup. Usually batting after Ornelas, Davis was adept at starting new rallies. She was tied for third on the team in runs scored and had nine bunt hits. She was also dangerous in the outfield. Teams stopped running on her at the end of the season. She recorded three outfield assists. Davis is a two-time All-Madera Tribune selection.
Aleecia Rosel, Sr. OF Madera South
Stats: .280 BA, 21 H, 15 R, 8 SB.
All-League: CMAC Honorable Mention
If Rosel had been turned around to be a left-handed slap hitter when she was a freshman, she might be looking at a Div. I scholarship this season. However, because of her great athleticism, Rosel made the transition from a right-handed hitter to a left-handed slap hitter seamlessly. She was solid all year and never looked outmatched from the left side. She has also been a fixture in centerfield for the past four season. This is her first All-Tribune selection, although she was The Madera Tribune’s Most Valuable Player for girls volleyball and girls basketball this season.
Brianna Burgess, Sr. OF Liberty
Stats: .466 BA, 29 R, 48 H, 17 RBI, 11 SB.
All-League: NSL 1st Team
Burgess leaves Liberty as one of the best the school has seen. She finishes with a career .444 batting average, good for fifth in school history. She also finishes with 91 runs scored, 10th in school history. She has 144 career hits, which is second all-time just one in front of Macae Coleman, set in 2007. She had 48 hits this season, fifth most in school history. She also finishes her career with 41 stolen bases, good for fifth all-time. She is a four-time All-Madera Tribune selection.
Elena Garcia, Soph. OF Madera South
Stats: .337 BA, 29 H, 13 runs, 5 2B, 2 3B.
All-League: CMAC Honorable Mention
Garcia had a knack for getting hits. Every time this reporter was at a game, it seemed like Garcia was coming up clutch with a big hit for the Stallions. She batted .337 this season, third on the team. She also had 29 hits, second on the team to go with five doubles, second on the team.
Alexis Galvan, Fr. P Madera
Stats: 11-5, 2.43 ERA, 91 K, 115 1/3 IP.
All-League: CMAC 1st Team
Better known as “Noodles,” she started the season as a five-inning pitcher and closed the season as a complete-game pitcher. After going through some rough patches early in the year, Galvan came on strong at the end of the season. She recorded a 1.41 ERA in nine CMAC games, going 7-2. She struck out 54 batters in 49 2/3 innings and allowed just 10 earned runs. Early on, walks were an issue for Galvan, but she walked just nine during CMAC and held batters to a .208 batting average.
Taylor Valerio, Jr. IF-P Madera South
Stats: .325 BA, 14 R, 26 H, 4 2B, 4-7, 95 2/3 IP, 47 K.
All-League: CMAC 2nd Team
Valerio became the ace of the staff as the season wore on for the Stallions. She led the team with 95 innings pitched to go with 47 strikeouts. She also provided a strong bat in the middle of the Stallions’ line-up, hitting .325. She was third on the team with 26 hits and third with four doubles. She will be one of the leaders for the Stallions next season. This is her second All-Tribune selection.
Felicity Rocha, Sr. DP Madera
Stats: .282 BA, 11 H, 4 2B.
All-League: CMAC Honorable Mention
Rocha was the third pitcher for the Coyotes’ staff. However, an injury in the CMAC season gave Rocha an opportunity to swing the bat. She didn’t let her team down. In her final four games of the season, she hit a double. Rocha earned enough respect in the league that she earned Honorable Mention hitting in the No. 8 spot in the order. She finished the CMAC with a .455 batting average, right behind Hernandez and Perez. She was also tied for the team lead with four doubles and drove in nine runs.
Eliza DeAnda, Fr. DP-IF Madera
Stats: .312 BA, 39 H, 23 runs, 7 2B, 2 HR, 26 RBI.
All-League: CMAC 2nd Team
She is another member of the exceptional freshman class for head coach Judy Shaubach. She went between playing second and getting in the line-up as the designated player. She was third on the team in runs scored, tied for second with seven doubles and tied for the team lead with 26 RBIs. She also stole six bases and led the team by reaching base seven times by error. She also batted .412 in the CMAC and drove in 14 runs with a .605 slugging percentage.
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Opinion: Missing Poppa Ralph

June 15, 2019, 9:19 am
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Madera Tribune File Photo
Ralph Hill center is being hoisted up by his sons, Brian on the left and Rocky on the right. This snapshot hung on the wall in his room for 10 years at Westgate Convalescent Home.
As the Fathers Day weekend approaches, I envy those of you who can celebrate this marvelous man. Dads and Moms do without to ensure their kids have what they need. As a child, I never knew what a blue collar, a middle-class family we were. We had our own house, both parents lived there and had jobs, Mom as a nurse and Dad as the Quality Dairy milkman.
There was always food on the table and they always found the money for the extras. For me, it was Girl Scouts, and when I got to high school, my class ring. I still have it and usually, wear mine and Fred’s both on Fridays during football season.
If I had, a nickel for every hour I sat in the bleachers watching my brothers play ball, I am pretty I could have a villa in Spain.
My brothers both played football, Rocky was on the track team throwing discus and shot put. Brian wrestled and played baseball. Looking back, I’m fairly sure after-school practice enabled them to skip out on their evening chores.
We were country kids and we all had chores. Never tell a farm Mom or Dad you are bored. You will have so many make-work household tasks to perform you go back to wishing you were bored. Instead, you are scouring the claw foot bathtub.
This is a great photo of my dad being hoisted up after a football game. Brian wearing the number 65 and Rocky wearing number 90. My dad looks as happy as I have ever seen him. Years later someone from the Tribune asked residents at Westgate Convalescent Home for their fondest memories. Daddy said it watching my brothers play varsity football for Madera High School.
Being an adult orphan is a terrible thing. The passing of one’s parents leaves a hole a semi-truck could drive-thru or for that matter flip a U-turn in the middle. Having brothers, sisters and cousins help because they loved your parents too. Possibly more than you do especially the cousins. They typically get your family with the company, house guest manners.
Last weekend, my cousin that now lives in Denver came to visit with three of her grandchildren. We talked some about our childhood and the one or three-word phrase that made us crack up laughing while the rest of the family looks at you like your crazy.
My dad raised rabbits along with a whole menagerie of other farm animals. The subject of the fried rabbit came up. I told my cousin that if I had to in order to survive, I thought I could kill and dress a rabbit. She said she could, too, but the image of watching Daddy do it is still vivid all the years later. More than 50 years have passed and we can still see it clearly on the home movies in our heads.
Please celebrate your parents while you still can. Once there are gone, they are gone for an awfully long time. Any adult orphan can tell you that.
Long days and pleasant nights, have a great weekend.
• • •
Readers may contact Tami Jo Nix by emailing tamijonix@gmail.com or following @TamiJoNix on Twitter.
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Neighbors: Oral History from Madera

June 15, 2019, 9:22 am
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Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Marcella Andrews, right, and Fred Gartner take the dance floor for his 100th birthday party.
This is an excerpt from a new book titled Neighbors: Oral History from Madera, California by local author Lawrence F. Lihosit. The author offers real-life stories by Maderans as well as maps and a chronology of important local events. It is available on-line at Amazon.com books and at these locations; MailDrop, G.B.S. and the Vineyard.
Introduction
There are all sorts of history books. Some are based upon numbers from old records, others discuss ideas and some review “facts.” This book is based upon testimony. Called oral history, it begins with an interview which is then transcribed.
My experience with taped interviews has been that the subjects will often digress. They remember something and backtrack to correct themselves. An exact transcription is as frustrating as trying to listen to a buddy tell a good story while his wife is vacuuming under your chair. “Huh? What’d he say?” For this reason, this book contains edited interviews set down as a monologue, without the questions and without hesitations like “hmmm” to form a personal story.
In other words, the interview was cut up into pieces and reassembled, like remixing a recorded song in a studio. All subjects had the opportunity to edit factual errors and/or omissions.
Numbers can offer insights. For instance, Madera is and has been a Hispanic town for decades. According to the 2015 U.S. Census estimate, more than three quarters of the inhabitants were Hispanic (79.8 percent). Nearly one third (32.2 percent) were born in another country and of these, the vast majority were born in Latin America. The population is younger, less educated and much poorer than the California average.
But numbers have limits.
Madera has been Hispanic for years, until recently representative government was selected at large. At one time, three of the city councilmen all lived within blocks of one another in a tiny rich enclave about a quarter mile from my house. The city council only included pink faces. The school board was much the same until the California courts deemed this voting practice unfair.
Within two years, the school board, city council, city mayor and county supervisors were elected by district. Today, there are electoral districts and the faces of our representative government look much different, resembling the townsfolk.
Sometimes, numbers are meaningless. How do you measure bravery, loyalty, patience, persistence? How do you measure what boxers call heart — the sheer will to get back up? For this reason, you will find very few numbers in these interviews.
This book is not scientific. My intent was never to measure but just to listen and share. Likewise choosing the subjects had nothing to do with the scientific method. This is not a random sample survey to be used for a poll. These are true stories from my neighbors.
Listening to peoples’ stories and writing them down is not new. Ancient Greek writers Herodotus and Thucydides traveled extensively doing just that more than 2,400 years ago. Here in the United States of America, oral history has been popular since the advent of sound recording machines to aid such work.
A famous example was funded by the U.S. Congress in 1935. Under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration (later renamed the Works Projects Administration), the Federal Writers’ Project sent writers to seventeen states to interview and record former slaves’ testimony. Between 1936 and 1939 they recorded 2,300 first person accounts which were saved and later selectively published in book and sound recordings.
Beginning in the 1970s, writer, actor and radio personality Studs Terkel made oral history popular with the publication of a number of best-selling books about the Great Depression, the second World War and even jobs.
This is a description of life in Madera, Calif., during the later portion of the Twentieth Century and the first wisps of the Twenty-first. The participants, representing all rungs of the economic ladder, describe how they grew up and survived.
Everyone is an expert about their own lives. Each person has carefully stitched their own unique panel into our American quilt. Just as Madera has changed from a small railway community exporting wood in the first half of the Twentieth Century to a town with manufacturing to support mega-agriculture, so it will change in the future.
My original intent was to divide this book into sections based upon types of work. The largest historical employer in Madera has been farming and food processing, but it is nearly impossible to find anyone who has spent their entire life doing this because it involves such long hours and so completely physically destroys people that men and women seek other types of work at the first opportunity.
People do all sorts of work to survive. Today, one in three Madera jobs is related to agriculture. About half of the people I interviewed have had some experience growing or processing food. For this reason, the book is not divided up but lists all participants in alphabetical order.
All of those interviewed live and work in or very near the City of Madera. Note that as the town has evolved, so have work and travel patterns. Today, Madera enjoys a fairly balanced economy which is less susceptible to economic down-turns.
However, the workforce also travels. Nearly one third of Madera’s residents drive to a job outside of the city limits since it is becoming a suburb to Fresno. Once the new bullet train (now under construction) is operational, the number of commuters should increase, provided there is potable water.
Currently, there is an alarming depletion of underground aquifers upon which the town depends. In addition, an increasing number of wells are being abandoned due to toxic pollutants. Having grown up in Arizona, I am very aware of what a ghost town is. If ground water poisoning continues, the Central Valley will be home to many ghost towns.
As an aid, a chronology has been included which very briefly describes Madera’s founding and evolution. Some may wonder why it includes the publication dates of environmental books. When discussing problems, the easiest answer is to throw up one’s hands and respond, “We didn’t know.” Well, we did know. Everyone has known for more than one half century that we have not been good custodians of this land and its treasures.
Also included in the appendix are maps to illustrate key points about development and a list of major employers.
In order to create this book, I had to be a good listener. When reading their words, our townsfolk come to life, offering a rich picture. Farmers discuss water. Policemen describe crime. Politically active citizens talk about race relations and labor. Field hands describe farm work. Teachers explain what is happening in public schools, etc.
However, this is not an expose. There are no villains for one simple reason: we are all neighbors just listening to each other so we might work together better.
— Lawrence F. Lihosit,
resident since 1995
• • •
Marcella Andrews, Madera resident since 1958
Born in Jackson, Mississippi on February 8, 1938, Marcella Andrews and her family were part of the great migration from the south to major cities during the Second World War. They moved to Chicago where her father found work in a steel mill. She completed her education there, which included a technical high school and art at the famous Art Institute of Chicago. She married young and soon moved to Madera where she and her husband raised six children. Ms. Andrews served as a Madera County Planning Commissioner for a decade and volunteered for many community-action groups such as United People for Progress, NAACP, Madera Parents and Teachers Association and the Madera Action Committee. She is now retired.
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When I was a year old, we moved to the south side of Chicago. We moved to a neighborhood where we were wanted which was good because I did hear about intimidation. If black people moved into neighborhoods where they weren’t wanted, others might break the windows or even burn the house down.
White flight was about complete in that neighborhood. There were only two white families on the block when we arrived. They were elderly people without children who stayed until they died. Most of our neighbors were black. At my school, there were a hand full of white kids. It was primarily black. The white parents almost lived at the school. These women were progressive and did not want their children to grow up in segregation.
We were a large family and there was a lot going on in the household. My oldest siblings married without moving away from home because we had a big house. When the men went away to serve in the military, the women stayed at home.
My father had a terrific physique. My father looked lean at 215 lbs., similar to Muhammad Ali. He was strong and very fit. Like Laila Ali, I’ve got good genes.
My parents did more to shape me than society did by bringing us up in church, teaching us right from wrong, teaching us the value of family and by example.
My mother taught me to cover up, how to set a table, how to make a bed. We learned how to work without being abused by it. We learn what we live. I learned how to cook, sew, can, just by watching my mother. She never said, “You have to do this.”
I was brought up to believe that spiritual values meant something. My mother was very protective of us because she didn’t want us to fall prey to bad influences. I only swam in Lake Michigan once. We didn’t go to a movie except for once.
My father worked very hard at a steel mill. It was dirty and dangerous work but high-paying. Each day he commuted twenty-two miles to work, then back. My parents took the sacrifice that he made to give us piano lessons, voice lessons and a good standard of living for a black family. We had a grand piano in the living room and hired a young woman to clean the kitchen and tidy up the house. There were no alcohol or drugs. We grew up with a solid foundation.
One year, the steel mill decided that they would give all of their employees a free movie. They rented the whole theater and the workers were given tickets but it was called a Christmas party. Our whole family got dressed up and went downtown to the Christmas party at a movie theater. So naturally, my mother wasn’t going to tell everybody to go home. So that was the first time I ever saw a picture show.
When I was in eighth grade, my teacher recruited me for the Lucy Flower Technical High School for girls (located on West Fulton Avenue) which was a public high school, the only one like it in the whole city. They taught millinery, dress making, child care, cooking and health education.
There were three technical high schools for boys but only one for girls. To get there, I took a street car and the El train (the Elevated). It was a hardship to go there every morning. My grade school teacher had encouraged my mother to send me there, convincing her that it was worth the sacrifice. I didn’t have a whole lot of contact with white people until I went to high school.
My father worked for a paint company for a while before a doctor told him to retire. So, my parents bought a farm in Michigan. As I mentioned earlier, our Chicago house had two generations in it, so when my parents moved to the farm, they left me with my older sisters. My sisters did not time me when I came home from school.
Besides that, I had a scholarship to the Chicago Art Institute for after school and weekend activities which was a big part in my life. I was introduced to culture. I was no longer expected to come directly home from school because I went to the Chicago Art Institute on Michigan Avenue. It seemed so huge and imposing when I was a teenager. I’ve been back and the lions at the foot of the giant staircase are not so big any more. In my mind they were huge but when I went back, they were medium-sized.
We actually had live models to draw on Saturdays. There were classes several afternoons a week too so my sisters didn’t keep close track of my time. I went to all the museums by myself. I went to the Chicago Planetarium, the Museum of Science and Industry and the Museum of Natural History.
I got introduced to my first husband. I just looked at him as an option. I didn’t want to live in Michigan. The things that really excited me, my mother didn’t want me to do. What I really wanted to do was to get a job as a housekeeper. My school had taught me how to run a household. That option wasn’t really open to me because I was young.
My mother said, “We haven’t spent all this time trying to educate you so that you can cook in some white person’s kitchen.” My family and my people were well aware of how Afro-American domestic servants were treated. They thought that things would happen to me that I would not fully recover from.
Getting married out of high school was almost expected and certainly approved. Going to college was a good thing but it wasn’t expected as it is now. So, I chose the marriage option. We lived in my parent’s house for a little while and then found an apartment two blocks over.
During World War II, everybody could get jobs and move around. They had opportunities that they had not had before. My first husband’s father worked as a cook on the railroad. He decided that he did not want to go back to Texas. When the war ended, he was old enough to retire.
In the Bay Area, they advertised properties in the San Joaquin Valley at such low prices that anyone could afford it. He bought an acre of land near Madera, thinking that it was big enough for all of his eight children. He thought each would have a fifty foot by seventy-five feet lot. I didn’t even know about it until the Ford aircraft engine plant where my husband worked closed. There weren’t any more jobs like that so he decided we should go back to Texas where he came from.
While drawing unemployment compensation, he looked for a job as a welder which is what he did at the aircraft plant-journeyman welder. They told him, “We don’t have any black welders. You can be a welder’s helper.”
Racism was out in the open. During the war, lots of minority people had gotten used to a decent wage and regular paychecks. He didn’t want to go back to being someone’s helper. In many cases, the helper did the job while the “welder” breezed through the day. The helper did all the hard work but the “welder” got all the pay. It’s like having two people for the price of one.
After just a few months in Texas, we moved to California and took over a corner of that lot my father-in-law had bought. Eventually he gave us half of the lot. I always wanted to have my own house and we built it by trial and error. It was amazing.
We picked up broken concrete and used bricks laying alongside the road like people might collect bottles and cans. We laid them out where the foundation would be and then poured concrete over it to save money, to save more money, we placed the two by four studs at two feet apart. That was against the county regulations which required sixteen inches on center. We had to tear it down and rebuild the frame. They did allow us to work with reused lumber. Somebody wanted to move an old house. They paid two hundred dollars. We took the nails out, salvaged some of the windows, a hot water heater and used some of the wood.
In the beginning, we both did field work. I had never even seen cotton grow until I left Chicago and came here. I had a very short career because I was no good at it. The last time I picked cotton, I did not earn enough to pay for my cotton sack. I made a steadfast decision: the only way that I would ever pick cotton again would be because I was hungry.
The cotton plant has little hard points like carpet tacks on the boll when it opens. They pierce your fingers like needles but you couldn’t wear gloves because the cotton would stick to them and you would waste time shaking the cotton off. You wanted a quick pick and a quick drop into the bag.
I also harvested grapes, tomatoes, almonds and potatoes. Back then, the almond farmers did not have the belts to shake the trees but used a huge rubber mallet. You hit the tree trunk with the mallet. The trouble was the mallet vibrated and you felt it in your upper body later. The sensation, the shock comes back to your shoulders. If you knock almonds all day long, you will feel it. Mostly, men did this but I tried, too.
Tomato picking was all bending and you felt it later in the lower back.
I had had a good life and I did not feel resentful. I looked at my situation as an adventure.
My husband ended up working at the winery. He worked there for a long time. It wasn’t really that much money but we weren’t experiencing bone-crushing poverty. We had two vehicles. I also got a job cleaning house.
There were two restaurants on Yosemite that had the same sign in their windows: “No Mexicans, Indians, Niggers or Dogs Allowed.” All my children were from the same man, but some of them had lighter skin. White people have different colored hair. Well, black people have dark hair but different shades of skin.
My youngest son was strong, agile and handsome but was dark skinned. He took two buses to and from school. When he was fourteen, one late spring, hot day he missed the second bus and walked through an all-white neighborhood. A policeman pulled up and made him lie on the hot pavement face down, touching burning asphalt while the policeman questioned him. I knew the grandmother of an undercover policeman who enrolled in the high school as a student. The cops entrapped students.
We did not even know at that time that Madera had active Ku Klux Klan members with an agenda of destroying people without shooting. The best friend of my neighbor also cleaned houses, including the house of a Madera judge. One day the judge’s wife decided to clean closets out.
Way on top she asked that the cleaning woman take down a box to see if it could be gotten rid of. There was a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood inside. The judge’s wife almost fainted. I worked part-time for the city briefly and a man in another department invited me to lunch at Farnesi’s. I think he wanted everyone to see him in my company. I found out later that his son, who worked at the winery, was the Grand Dragon of the local KKK. I guess that he did not share his son’s convictions.
When we first moved here, I was unaware of such deep hatred. I was not equipped to protect my children. If we allow people to go hungry and to be treated as second class citizens, we have failed. It’s national disgrace; a shame on all of us. We teach people and make them strong. The Catholic Church, aside from its problems, feeds the poor at Griffin Hall five or six days every week. It doesn’t make them lazy but strong so that they can give back. The thing that is most important is love. Everything good and lasting comes from love.
Years ago, while I worked for the city, I met Jess Lopez, the first non-white person I’d ever seen running for a county Board of Supervisors seat in Madera. I told him, “I’m on board.” My husband and I helped him to get elected, the first brown face. I am proud to have been there in the beginning.
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