Page 1 - Reedley Exponent 5-30-19 E-edition

Many RMCHS graduates receiving twin diplomas
Panorama
Reedley High, Immanuel High select Athletes of the Year
Sports
www.reedleyexponent.com
Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654 | 50 cents Reedley native delivers Memorial Day message
Vol. 130, No. 21 | Thursday, May 30, 2019
Vernon Schmidt says
‘every day should be a
remembrance day’
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
During his at the May 27 Memorial Day ceremony at Reedley Cemetery, guest speaker Vernon Schmidt didn’t mince words when he talked about the importance of the holiday.
“I’m not saying we all have to come here every day and bring fresh flowers. But every day should be remembrance day. Every day should be Memorial Day, remembering the price that these men that you see here paid,” the 93-year-old World War II veteran said while gesturing to the gravesides of those buried in the Unknown portion of the cemetery. He said about 17,000 World War II veterans are miss- ing in action whose remains were never found.
Schmidt, a Reedley native (he was born in a farmhouse on Lac Jac Avenue), is command-
er of the Ex-POWs chapter 1 in Central California. He shared emotional stories about families left behind and grateful Europe- ans who to this day hold love and loyal for their “liberators” from the war.
And he shared about those who gave their lives in battle.
“These people paid the ulti- mate price,” he said. “And there have been some ‘whys’ over the
years, I’ve asked why.” One of his stories shared was when he met the brother of a military man who he said “died in his place.”
“I’ve asked ‘why’ many times, but I’ve learned to say ‘Father, you are in supreme com- mand [and] you order every day, every hour of what we do and say.’”
Schmidt told about the seven military mem- bers from Reedley who became prisoners of war during WWII. He knew six of them, and shared stories off all of them. His recollections includ- ed Bill Rhodes, who died in 2007. Rhodes was a
See MEMORIAL on page A8
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Reedley High School student Chris Lopez, right, plays “Echo Taps” with classmate Reese Kubo (not pictured) during the Memorial Day ceremony at Reedley Cemetery on May 27.
Reedley College graduation
Council
nixes bids
on Myrtle
widening
Staff Report
The Reedley City Council has unanimously approved a resolu- tion recommending the rejection of all bids received on widening the southern side of Myrtle Avenue from Cedar Avenue to Buttonwil- low Avenue.
At its May 28 regular meeting, the council voted to reject all bids for the street widening, as all bids received came in higher than an- ticipated to do the roadway work. The original engineer estimate for the bid was about $115,500, but the bid that came in was in excess of $191,000 (more than 150 percent over budget).
Nicole Zieba, city manager, said the reason for the substantial increase in cost has been the soar- ing cost of concrete because of de- mand for projects like Highway 180 and high-speed rail. But she added that the reason for the rejection had more to do with how to do public im- provements along that parcel.
“At the time we put the [com- munity development block grant] project together, that’s when we did our three-year plan,” Zieba said. That plan included working with the developer to widen Myrtle and also develop Buttonwillow Avenue.
“We believe it’s more important at this point to do the Buttonwillow improvements, regardless at what happens with that project.”
Council Member Anita Betan- court said the roadwork on But- tonwillow Avenue needs to be done. “It’s a safety issue and the people walking there to shopping [centers] are close to the road,” she said.
Zieba stressed that the amount set aside is not enough to do But- tonwillow. “Our intent is to take this allocation of CDBG and prob- ably future allocations, and add some funds to that.” She said fund- ing sources need to be created to cover the undergrounding work.
May 24 ceremony awards 876 degrees and 786 certificates
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
The largest crowd in recent years attended the 91st Reedley College commencement ceremony on May 24.
All chair seating was filled, along with a small grandstand of bleachers on the west edge of the ceremony on the lawn just south of the school cafeteria. The throng of people came to see the majority of 876 associate degrees of arts and science and 786 certificates of com- pletion awarded to the graduates.
In her final official act as interim president at the college, Donna Ber- ry asked graduates to stand and re- ceive their degrees and certificates.
“By the virtue of authority vested in me by the board of trust- ees of the State Center Community College District, I do hereby confer upon you the degrees of associate in arts and associate in science — with all the rights, honors and priv- ileges pertaining thereto,” she said.
That began a long line of stu- dents receiving diplomas as they completed the first step in their high education trek.
That included student speaker Alfred Vargas Garnica II, who was the student speaker and was receiv- ing his degree cum laude (a grade point average of 3 to 3.49). He quoted pastor and author T.D. Jakes, who said “if you have receive any level of success, then pour it into someone else. Success is not success without a successor.
Garnica graduated from Ca- ruthers High in 1989, then attended Fresno City College in 1990 before marrying and starting a family. He then trained to become a correc- tional officer with the Fresno Coun- ty Sheriff’s Office. He encountered chronic health problems in 2014, quitting his job after 21 years.
“I wasn’t afraid of the inmates,
See COLLEGE on page A3
ABOVE: Jose Alvizar, a studio arts studies graduate, took a selfie with a classmate at the conclusion of the 91st Reedley College commencement on the campus lawn south of the cafeteria on May 24.
LEFT: Yammilette “Yami” Rodriguez, who went to high school in Dinuba and now is the senior director for Youth Leadership Institute in the Central Valley, stands with interim president Donna Berry after being awarded the Distinguoshed Alumna Award.
Photos by Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Local talent to sing at Sierra View Auxuiliary Spring Benefit Dinner
Staff Report
Reedley Area Singers with the River City Theatre Company will be the featured performers at Sierra View Homes annual Auxil- iary Spring Benefit Dinner on Sat- urday, June 8, at the retirement home’s Kings Canyon Room.
Activities begin with appetizers
at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6:30. The singers will perform after dinner.
Proceeds from the event go to support special projects for resi- dents of Sierra View Homes. Full table discounts are available.
Tickets can be purchased from Sierra View Homes, 155 E. Spring- field Ave., or by calling (55) 638- 9226 before Friday, May 31.
Classifieds - A5-6
Directory - B5
Legals - B6-7
Sports - B3-4 Lights & Sirens - A3
Obituaries - A2-3 Opinion - A4
Vernon Schmidt
UPCOMING GRADUATIONS
Orange Cove High: Thursday, May 30, 8 p.m., OCHS Titan football stadium
Immanuel High: Thursday, May 30, 7 p.m., Reedley Mennonite Brethren Church Reedley High: Friday, May 31, 8 p.m., RHS football stadium
Kings Canyon High School/Adult School:
Tuesday, June 4, 8 p.m., RHS football stadium
Reedley Middle College High School:
Wednesday, June 5, 8 p.m. Reedley High School Performing Arts Theatre
WWII tribute in town June 4
Exhibit on ‘Greatest Generation’ to open at 4 p.m. at Reedley Museum
Staff Report
A new exhibit will premiere at the Reedley Mu- seum on Tuesday, June 4, from 4 to 6:30 p.m., focusing on the people first referred to as the “Greatest Gen- eration” by journalist Tom Brokaw in his book of the same name.
The special opening of the exhibit will feature guest speaker Paul Loeffler, founder of the Central Valley Honor Flight and host of the weekly favorite radio series “Hometown Heroes.” Loeffler is also the radio voice of Fresno State sports.
The exhibit at the museum, located at 1752 10th St., features items and artifacts from the World War II era donated by local seniors and their families. The opening coincides with the 75th anniversary of D-Day on Thursday, June 6, and focuses on how people from the Reedley area were affected by World War II.