Claremont Fourth 2016

FOURTH!July 2016

INDEPENDENCE DAY THE CLAREMONT WAY

Cour eriClaremont

claremont-courier.com

Chuck Farritor

Leonie Casper

CLAREMONT COURIER FOURTH OF JULY SPECIAL/2016 3

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Grand marshals by Mick Rhodes

Chet and Eileen Jaeger

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Honored citizen by Matthew Bramlett

Chuck Farritor

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Your guide to the Fourth Where to go, when to go and how much

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Honored group by Megan Bender

Claremont Educational Foundation

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Blue Ribbon by Megan Bender

Florence Cohn

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Speakers’ Corner by Kathryn Dunn

Remembering Willard Hunter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Anthem winner by Sarah Torribio

Leonie Casper

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Theme winner by Mick Rhodes

Emma Gutierrez

INDEPENDENCE DAY THE CLAREMONT WAYLet’s celebrate...

FOURTH OF JULY SPECIAL/2016 4

Chester “Chet” Jaeger istruly grateful to benamed co-grand mar-

shal, along with his wife of 70years, Eileen, of Claremont’sannual Fourth of July parade.There’s a certain practicalityinvolved, he thinks. “They bet-ter not wait much longer,” Mr.Jaeger said. “I’m 91, and shewill be 91 on Saturday.”

All joking aside, the Jaegers arethrilled to be recognized.

“I think it’s quite an honor, really,”Ms. Jaeger said. “We’ve been aroundClaremont for so long, and have madeso many connections.”

You really can’t get much moreClaremont than the Jaeger family. Mr.Jaeger has lived in the City of Treessince 1931, when many of the city’snamesakes were saplings. Ms. Yeagerhas been in town since the couple mar-ried in 1946.

Upon arriving in Claremont aftertheir marriage, the couple had five chil-dren in short order, the youngest arriv-ing before either of them turned 30.“And then, of course, our children have

Chet and Eileen Jaeger: Grand marshals

GRAND MARSHALS/next page

COURIER photo/Steven FelschundneffChet and Eileen Jaeger have lived in the same home off of Alamosa Drive in Claremont since the 1960s, but have been inthe city even longer. Mr. Jaeger’s band, the Night Blooming Jazzmen, is a fixture in the annual Monday night Concerts inthe Park series. The couple will be the Grand Marshalls of this year’s Fourth of July parade.

gone through all the schools,” Ms.Jaeger said, “and we’ve been very ac-tive in their school activities, so that’skept us going for sure.”

“I got a kick out of it a few yearsago,” Mr. Jaeger recalled, “when thegrand marshals [of the Fourth of Julyparade] were ‘longtime residents.’They’d been here for 25 years,” he saidwith a laugh. “I’ve lived here 85 years.”

The Jaegers are also no strangers toClaremont’s Fourth of July parade, atradition in town since 1948. Mr.Jaeger, a retired educator and still ac-tive musician, began performing at theparade with various traditional jazzbands, including the well-known NightBlooming Jazzmen, in 1950.

Years ago the band would performprior to the parade in Memorial Park ona parked flatbed truck, “then wait untilit was our turn to pop into the parade,then we’d do that.”

One year the band’s 1928 Interna-tional would not start, so Ms. Jaegerhad to quickly go home and save theday with a tow through the parade routevia the family’s station wagon.

The Jaegers have seen Claremontgrow from a citrus- and college-driven

grove town to what it is today. WhenMr. Jaeger arrived in 1931, the townwas “very small,” he remembered.

“There was an article in theCOURIER [back then] that said thepopulation of Claremont had passed1,000, not counting college students,”Mr. Jaeger said. “The police force,when we got here, was one man with aModel A. Just before we got here it wasone man with a bicycle.”

And as the town andtheir family has grown,the Jaegers have taken

it all in from their home onAlamosa Drive. They builttheir rambling, ranch-stylehouse in 1964 with the help oftheir kids, aged 10 to 17 at thetime.

Aside from a large contribution froma framer, and piecemeal help on thehome’s fireplace, stucco, plaster andmainline plumbing, it was a completeDIY project. “It was really fun to buildthe house,” Mr. Jaeger said.

Nowadays one of the couple’s grand-

sons, his wife and their two children,ages three and six, live with them. It’sbeen nice to hear the sound of smallchildren around the house, Ms. Jaegersaid. “Most of the time it’s great,” shesaid. “To watch a totally new group ofcitizens coming up is just amazing. Wehave Facebook on the computer, so thekids are constantly putting up theirkids’ activities, so we feel like we visitwith them every day.”

Claremont’s 68th annual Fourth ofJuly parade begins at 4 p.m. at Memo-rial Park, continues south on Indian HillBoulevard, west on Harrison Avenueand concludes at Larkin Park. TheJaegers will appear at the Garner Houseprior to the parade at a reception withcity luminaries.

With Ms. Jaeger’s 91st birthday be-hind them—she celebrated on June25—the Night Blooming Jazzmen willenjoy closing out summer with a per-formance at Claremont’s summer Con-certs in the Park series. The show startsat 7 p.m. on Monday, August 29 at theMemorial Park band shell.

—Mick [email protected]


GRAND MARSHALS/from previous page

COURIER photos/Steven FelschundneffThe sign on the front gate of the Jaeger home indicates what can be found inside.

The Night Blooming Jazzmen will capoff summer with a performance at theConcert in the Park on August 29.


The annual Claremont Fourth ofJuly Celebration has been a time-honored tradition in the city for

nearly 70 years. The celebration consistsof a morning 5K run, pancake breakfast,opening ceremonies, festival and parade,and ends with a bang at the fireworksshow.

Memorial Park is transformed as performers rovethe grounds, providing color and fun for people of allages. Stage entertainment will include a variety ofbands and entertainment, and there will be demon-

strations throughout the park, including clowns,strolling bands and jugglers.

Enjoy a good ol’ fashioned pancake breakfast spon-sored by the Kiwanis Club from 7 to 10 a.m. Thebreakfast helps raise funds for a variety of organiza-tions and programs supported by Kiwanis. Tickets—going for $5—may be purchased at the booth. Thefull breakfast includes pancakes, sausage, juice, milkand coffee. Proceeds from the breakfast help supportAbilityFirst, the ReadMe program, Shoes that Fit,Habitat for Humanity, the Monday Night Concerts inthe Park, Best BET and other youth and communityactivities.

If still available, fireworks tickets will be sold inconjunction with the breakfast and may still be avail-

able at the information booth at 10:30 a.m. Handicapped parking and convenient drop-off is

available. Drivers with handicapped placards maypark on Eighth Street between Indian Hill Boulevardand Yale Avenue. Additional parking will be availableon parts of Yale Avenue (signage will direct you).

Saunter through the booths gathered on the grass atMemorial Park. To locate a vendor, peruse the boothvendor list on page 11 of this edition and locate thenumber and location on the festival map. The Inde-pendence Day Committee information booth will belocated just north of Garner House.

Should the need arise for first aid, a station will belocated on Yale Avenue, between Eighth and TenthStreets, just east of Memorial Park.

Your Claremont Fourth of July from start to finish

10:50 a.m. Opening/Welcome

11 a.m. Mayor Sam Pedroza “Making Sausage Work in Claremont’s Decision Making”

11:10 a.m. Colin Tudor “Declaration of Independence”

11:20 a.m. [open]

11:30 a.m. David Estrada“Mental Health Care: a Civil Right or aPrivilege?”

11:40 a.m. Ellen Taylor “The Importance of Voting”

11:50 a.m. Susan Allen

12 noon Carolyn Gonzales

12:10 p.m. Kris Meyer “Pray! Vote! Pray (1 Timothy 2:1- 2)”

12:20 p.m. Larry Ruotolo “Son of Prop 13”

12:30 p.m. Beth Bingham “We Are Their Future”

12:40 p.m. Martin McCleod “Claremont’s Heritage”

12:50 p.m. Marie Sleet “Prejudice for the Planet”

1 p.m. Michael Keenan “Our Mississippi Freedom ChallengeBefore Us!”

1:10 p.m. Jim Belna “Hubris and Humility in Civic Gover-nance”

1:20 p.m. Douglas Lyon “Remembering Independence Day”

1:30 p.m. Darlene Nicgorski “If Not Now, When?”

1:40 p.m. [open]

1:50 p.m. [open]

2 p.m. Charles Gale “Volunteers Make Things Happen”

2:10 p.m. [open]

2:20 p.m. Dave Nemer “Seeking Common Ground in 2016”

2:30 p.m. [open]

2:40 p.m. Merrill Ring“Democracy in America”

2:50 p.m. Catherine Henley Erickson “Fourth of July Poems”


Using London’s HydePark Corner as inspira-tion, Reverend T. Willard

Hunter began the Claremont In-dependence Day Speakers’ Cor-ner in 1977 to showcase theconstitutional right of free speech.

As a result, a variety of topics rangingfrom politics and religion to currentevents and history have graced the podi-um for nearly 40 years.

“Claremont didn’t just establish aspeakers’ corner, we acquired an orator.And we inherited an orator in costume,”the late Judy Wright said of her friend athis 2009 funeral. “Mr. Hunter, unlike someof the rest of us, didn’t just show up at Me-morial Park in shorts and a shirt. Wher-

ever he was speaking, he arrived in peri-od dress. When I think of Mr. Hunter, Ithink of him as Lincolnesque.”

Perhaps best known was Rev. Hunter’s34-hour 8-minute address delivered out-side Philadelphia’s Independence Hall in1982—a speech he again delivered in Lon-don in 1984. He set a Guiness Book worldrecord for that talk. Ms. Wright noted, “Heoften recited from memory—The Get-tysburg Address, Casey at the Bat, Mar-tin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’speech and The Declaration of Inde-pendence.”

In 1981, Rev. Hunter organized a 9-milewalk from the San Gabriel Mission toOlvera Street, retracing the final steps ofLos Angeles’ founding families.

Former mayor Karen Rosenthal con-tinues the tradition by coordinating theSpeakers’ Corner each year. Ms. Rosen-

thal paid tribute to Rev. Hunter just afterhis death at Claremont’s 2009 Fourth ofJuly celebration.

“Willard was our social conscience, ourmentor and our friend,” she said. “We werevery proud to have had him with us for somany Independence Days. He was trulya Claremont treasure.”

After graduating from Harvard LawSchool, Rev. Hunter spent his early careerinvolved with Moral Re-Armament, a po-litical movement that encouraged defer-ence to honesty, unselfishness and love.He and his wife Mary Louise Hunter, whodied in 2010, came to Claremont in 1959after Rev. Hunter became the coordinatorof development at the then ClaremontGraduate School. Mr. Hunter, who livedhis final years at Pilgrim Place, died at age93 on June 29, 2009. —Kathryn Dunn

[email protected]

The history of the T. Willard Hunter Speakers’ Corner

2016 LIST OF SPEAKERS

When Chuck Farritor wasyoung, he knew an old ranchhand employed by his father

in rural Nebraska. That man, known asMr. Lewis, was a veteran of World War1—“The war,” as Mr. Farritor rememberspeople calling it back then.

“I would ride over to him on my horse and hewould turn around and look at you and cough,” Mr.Farritor said, referencing the chemical weapons thatdestroyed the lungs of many veterans of that war.“And I wanted every way to get his story, but hewould kick his horse and be gone. You just couldn’tcatch him.”

Mr. Lewis was among the first people who taughtthe young Mr. Farritor what it means to celebrate theFourth of July. Now, over 80 years later, the city ofClaremont will recognize Mr. Farritor during itsFourth of July celebration, for which he has beennamed “Honored Citizen.”

Even with this prestigious distinction, Mr. Farritorremains humble. “I’m astonished,” he said.

Mr. Farritor spent time with the Merchant Marineswith his tenure spanning the tail end of World War IIto the onset of the Korean War.

Mr. Farritor found out about the Merchant Marinesafter getting rejected from the Navy V-12 program in1944. He noticed a recruiter phone number at a busstation in Lincoln, Nebraska and called it.

“[The recruiter] says, ‘Get on a train right now and

get over here, we need you bad,’” Mr. Farritor remem-bers. “I said, ‘Well, I just failed a physical for theNavy V-12 program.’ He said, ‘Don’t bother me withthat crap. We need you.”

After training, he was sent to the Aleutian Islands,where he spent time on a ship during the tail end of thewar in the Pacific Theater. He decided to stay on boardafter the war ended, and eventually found himself

thrust into the front row of the Korean War.He stayed in the Merchant Marines until 1951,

when a harrowing accident changed his life. Mr. Farritor was working on board when a tank that

was being pulled up on to the ship broke free from itsrestraints and came swinging toward Mr. Farritor andanother sailor standing next to him.


Chuck Farritor:Honored Citizen

COURIER photo/Steven FelschundneffChuck Farritor has lived in the city for many years, volunteering with the police department and theAmerican Legion. On the Fourth of July, he will ride in the parade as the Honored Citizen.

HONORED CITIZEN/next page


He knew he had to act fast, or hewould be killed. “I just jumped over-board,” he said. “I did the one thing Iwasn’t supposed to do.”

Mr. Farritor dove into the cold water,to an uncertain fate. His shipmate wasnot as lucky—he was killed by the ca-reening tank.

Mr. Farritor’s crew desperately tried toget him out of the water, but he wasn'tholding on to any of the lines thrown tohim. He eventually submerged, and wasalmost certain he was going to die.

“I was down to where it was absolute-ly dark, but I could still see the shadowof the hull of the ship and the barge onthe surface,” he said. “And out ofnowhere comes this steel cable, right infront of me. It was an absolute miracle.”

A sailor had thrown the steel cable.Mr. Farritor was pulled back on board,severely injured but alive.

Even now, after over 60 years, Mr.Farritor becomes emotional when hetalks about it.

He was sent on a 40-day trip to StatenIsland to recover from his injuries, whichincluded a broken back. He spent a totalof six months in the hospital.

Mr. Farritor was wracked with guiltand post-traumatic stress, blaming him-self for what happened to his shipmate.But his future wife Muriel and her moth-er, both of whom were nurses, were thereto help him.

“They talked me through it, and I did-n’t know it was happening at the time,”

he said. “But it eventually went away.”After he left the Merchant Marines, he

married Muriel and moved to southernCalifornia—first to San Gabriel and thento Claremont in 1952 to be closer toMuriel’s job at Pomona Valley MedicalCenter.

He has lived in the City of Trees eversince.

Now, Mr. Farritor works as a Post His-torian for the American Legion, where hehelped bring the story of Keith Powell, ayoung Claremonter who was killed inFrance during World War 1, to light. Hewrote a book in 2009, In the GentleLight of the Dog Star, which chronicleshis adventurous life.

As Post Historian, Mr. Farritor's dutyis to preserve the memory of those whoserved—Keith Powell, Mr. Lewis andthe countless others who gave everythingto serve their country.

He points to an old panoramic photo-graph of a group of townspeople, includ-ing his parents, in front of a Nebraskachurch that was taken at the onset ofWorld War 1. At the center of the photois a young soldier, holding an Americanflag, who died in battle. The picture is in-dicative of how the cost of war can affectan entire community.

“All of those people, that war wastheir war, and they suffered,” Mr. Farritorsaid. “So the Fourth of July has alwaysbeen important.”

—Matthew [email protected]

HONORED CITIZEN/from previous page


Freedom 5000Enjoy the beautiful tree-lined streets of Claremont as you

cheer on your friends or grab your own sneakers duringthe Freedom 5000 run.

The course begins in Memorial Park and winds through the scenic streets ofClaremont’s Village, then on through the picturesque Colleges. See the coursemap at left. Bib pick-up begins Sunday, July 3 from 3 to 6 p.m. and continues onMonday, July 4 from 6 to 7:15 a.m., with the first 1K kids race starting at 7:30a.m. The 5K run/walk starts at 8 a.m. Medals will be given to the first three ineach age division, and all children (ages 12 and under) who participate in the 1Kwill receive a medal.

On Sunday, July 3 and the day of the race, registration is $40 for adults; kidsages 12 and under are $20. Groups of 10 or more will be given a $5 per persondiscount. All on-site registration will be done online and city staff will have com-puters on site to complete registration. There will be no registration forms.

Map courtesy of the city of Claremont

Don’t miss the KiwanisClub pancake breakfast

The Kiwanis Club of Claremont willserve a pancake breakfast at MemorialPark near the band shell from 7 to 10 a.m.on the Fourth of July.

Tickets, which include pancakes,sausage and juice or coffee, sell for $5 eachand may be purchased the day of the event.

According to the Kiwanis Club’s mostrecent newsletter, “Pancake Man” John

Tarrant recently passed around the sign-up sheet soliciting volunteers to work oneof two shifts.

The Kiwanis Club meets each Thurs-day at 12:10 p.m. at St. Ambrose Church,830 W. Bonita Ave. in Claremont. For in-formation, call (909) 621-5011 or visitwww.claremontkiwanis.org.

COURIER photo/Steven FelschundneffClaremont resident Kathy Hatcher serves up a plate of hotcakes during the 2012pancake breakfast hosted by the Kiwanis Club. The breakfast and Freedom 5000run will once again kick off Claremont’s big Fourth of July celebration. Tickets are$5 and include pancakes, sausage and juice or coffee. Bon appetit!

Fourth of July Booth Line-Up 2016

1 City Council2 Fourth of July Celebration Information3 Claremont Police Department4 CERT5 Committee on Aging (COA)6 American Legion7 Claremont Lincoln University8 Claremont Heritage9 Active Claremont10 University Club of Claremont11 League of Women Voters12 Claremont Museum of Art13 Our Lady of the Assumption School14 CHAP (Claremont Homeless Advocacy Program)15 Democratic Club of Claremont16 Claremont Progressives17 Friends of the Bernard Biological Field Station18 The Branch Christian Ministry (Calvary Chapel)19 NAMI Pomona Valley20 Love Claremont21 Fair Trade Claremont at OLA22 Claremont Presbyterian Church23 Claremont Wildlands Conservancy24 Tapestry Church Claremont25 Mountain View Republican Club26 Uncommon Good27 Sustainable Claremont28 CHERP29 Citizens Climate Lobby30 Solid Rock Church31 Amnesty International32 St. Ambrose Episcopal Church33 Bike Parking and Bicycle Advisory Committee34 Job’s Daughters (food)35 CHS Wolfgang Hip Hop Boosters (food)36 Ladies of Columbus (food)37 Knights of Columbus (food)38 Claremont Stars Soccer Club (food)39 Girl Scouts of Greater LA-Colorguard (food)40 Girl Scouts of Greater LA-Colorguard (food)41 Claremont High School Theatre (game)42 Inland Valley Repertory Theatre (game)43 CHS Lady Wolfpack Girls Basketball (game)44 Claremont Rotary Club (game)


Make connections, enjoy food,games, music at Memorial Park In the tradition of any good hometown event, the

Memorial Park festival features nearly 50 non-profit groups providing food, information, games

and a wide variety of items for sale.Information booths are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Food booths, which are manned only by nonprofit or-ganizations, are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Children’s activities run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. andinclude a rock-climbing wall, an inflatable jumper, anobstacle course, a wildlife show and carnival games.About a dozen different nonprofit organizations, in-cluding the Independence Day Committee, providefree games and activities for children.

Bandshell entertainment includes Blues & Fries

from 7:45 to 9:45 a.m.; Hank’s Cadillac from 10:30a.m. to 12:45 p.m.; Ophelia’s Jump from 12:45 to1:15 p.m.; and The Plustones from 1:15 to 3:30 p.m.A wildlife demonstration will take place from 11 a.m.to 1 p.m. The kid’s entertainment stage and rovingentertainment includes the Phiddle Harmonics Band,Aunt Bee the Clown, Minh Tran the Magician, UncleSam on Stilts, Petals the Clown and Dudes of 4Tune.

FOURTH OF JULY SPECIAL/2016 12PARADE LINE-UP 2016

Claremont Police DepartmentLos Angeles County Fire DepartmentKids on BikesGirl Scouts of Greater Los AngelesCub Scouts Pack 408Claremont Lincoln UniversityGrand Marshals: Chet and Eileen JaegerHonored Citizen: Chuck FarritorHonored Community Group: Claremont EducationalFoundationBlue Ribbon Special Honoree: Florence CohnUS Congress member Judy ChuAssembly member Chris HoldenClaremont City CouncilTheme Contest Winner: Emma GutierrezNational Anthem Contest Winner: Leonie CasperCitrus College Trustee Sue Keith, President Dr. PerriCUSD School Board and SuperintendentCUSD Classified Member of the YearCUSD Teacher of the YearClaremont High School and El Roble Marching BandDemocratic Club of ClaremontPitzer College International Programs: Chung HsinHigh School CASTClaremont School of TheologyGoltz JudoCity of Claremont Park RangersCERTYWCA Cheer Team: CYSC All StarsAmerican Legion Post 78Kemper Avenue Family and FriendsThe Claremont IrregularsClaremont ManorUniversity Club of ClaremontiCan Shine Bike CampSirena, Danseuse of the OrientDaughters of the American RevolutionCHS Wolfgang Hip Hop TeamOLA SchoolMarshall SirkinFriends of the Bernard Biological Field StationPriceless Pets RescueHabitat for Humanity Pomona ValleyDee Ann EstupinianJim SkalickyPilgrim Place - The MayflowerPilgrim Place- Peace Vigil CommitteeMatthew MagilkeCHERPKarousel KidsClaremont Little LeagueI Dream of Home RescueLarry & Georgiann KostkaUncommon GoodMiddle Land Chan MonasteryGranite Creek Community ChurchToastmasters InternationalGiri KusumaClaremont FastpitchDavid Paul Tractor

The blankets and chairs will lineIndian Hill Boulevard days in ad-vance. This year’s parade will

follow in the tradition of years past, withhundreds of kids on bikes, dogs in cartsand folks on horseback as they all jockeyfor position in what has become one ofthe most popular events of the day.

The parade starts at 4 p.m. with our local policeand fire departments, followed by the crowd-pleas-ing kids on bikes. The parade winds west on 10thStreet to Indian Hill Boulevard, south on Indian HillBoulevard to Harrison Avenue, and then west onHarrison Avenue to Mountain Avenue at LarkinPark, where it disbands.

Get a good spot at the parade

Map courtesy of the city of Claremont

Emma Gutierrez had never evenentered a contest before win-ning this year’s name the theme

contest for Claremont’s Fourth of Julycelebration.

Emma, a sixth-grader at Oakmont El-ementary School, said she came up withthe winning theme, “Independence Daythe Claremont Way,” after promptingfrom her fourth-grade teacher and somehelp at home.

“When my teacher passed out thepaper, I just felt like maybe I should tryit,” Emma said. “I went to my mom andI told her that I wanted to do it.”

Emma will be riding in a car in the pa-rade, waving to the crowd. When asked ifshe’d been working on her Rose Queenwave, she laughed. “No, not yet. But Iguess I should get started!”

Along with riding in the parade, the 11-year-old will receive recognition from thecity of Claremont for her contribution and

free tickets to see the evening fireworksshow and concert at Pomona College.

Emma is thrilled at the prospect ofbeing a celebrity-for-a-day. “Right awaywhen I heard it, I was super-excited,” shesaid. “And then when I heard about all thethings I was going to get to do, and goingto get, I was so excited. It’s so cool!”

Thanks go out to a few folks, Emmasaid. “I want to thank my mom and myfamily and all my friends for being happyfor me.”

The youngster added that she waslooking forward to beginning sixth gradein the fall, and that her favorite parts ofschool were “recess and at the end of theday, when we have art and computers. Ilike when we do that.”

Claremonters can say hi to Emma atClaremont’s Fourth of July parade, whichstarts at 4 p.m. on Monday, July 4.

—Mick [email protected]


COURIER photo/Steven FelschundneffEmma Gutierrez, 11, created the slogan, “Independence Day the Claremont Way,”and was selected the winner for the city’s annual Fourth of July theme contest.

Emma Gutierrez: Theme winner

Leonie Casper will take her voice tonew heights when she sings the Na-tional Anthem during Claremont’s

annual Fireworks Show. In March, the El Roble eighth grader vied against a

number of Claremont teens in order to nab the honor. Sheimpressed the judges with her rendition of “You’re aGrand Old Flag” as well as her delivery of “The StarSpangled Banner.”

To prepare for the audition, she listened to Lady Gaga’ssoaring version of the National Anthem, which the popstar performed at Super Bowl 2016. While she found itinspiring, Leonie opted to stay true to her own style, ac-cording to her dad Steve Casper, dean of the School ofApplied Life Sciences at Keck Graduate University.

“It was very classical—no frills, but technicallystrong,” he noted.

Along with the chance to perform, Leonie has wonfireworks tickets for her family, which includes her 9-year-old sister Tessa. She will also be recognized at thepre-parade reception and have a special place in Clare-mont’s Fourth of July Parade.

An affinity for music and a gift for singing come nat-urally to Leonie. “She was one year old and making upsongs about butterflies,” her mom, Kornelia Casper, re-called.

Leonie’s growing acumen doesn’t come without work.She takes weekly lessons through the Claremont Com-munity School of Music (CCSM) with Kara Masec, a


Leonie Casper:Anthem winner

ANTHEM WINNER/next page

COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff

El Roble student LeonieCasper has been chosento sing the National An-them during this year’sFourth of July celebra-tion. Leonie has built upa nice resume as asinger, including per-forming in the Los Ange-les Children’s Choruswith the LA Opera.


voice instructor skilled in both opera and musical theater.She has taken piano lessons at CCSM since she was 7.

Leonie is also in the intermediate choir in the Los An-geles Children’s Chorus. In May, she and 13 other youngLACC singers performed in LA Opera’s production ofPuccini’s “La Bohéme” at the Dorothy Chandler Pavil-ion in Los Angeles. She made her operatic debut at age7 with the Pomona-based Repertory Opera Company.

Leonie is a soprano but at age 12, her voice is chang-ing a bit. She said she and Ms. Masec are still toying withthe pitch Leonie will employ on July 4.

Although not quite a teen, Leonie has already show-cased her singing at some exciting venues, ranging fromDisney Concert Hall—where the LACC joined the LAPhilharmonic for a performance earlier this year—to theSanta Anita Racetrack to the Los Angeles Arboretum.

As she prepares to climb on stage once again, facinghundreds of people, Leonie admits she sometimes gets

a little nervous when she performs. “I feel like if you’re nervous, it means you really

care—you want to do your best,” she said. “And after Istart singing, I’m not nervous anymore.”

It helps that Leonie’s family is supportive of her pur-suits. Music is big in the Casper family. Kornelia playspiano and enjoys joining her daughter in car-drive sing-alongs to all kinds of music.

Recent favorites include Adele’s heartfelt torch songsand music from the O Brother Where Art Thou sound-track like the Christian folk hymn “Down in the River toPray.” The ladies also enjoy watching the performanceson America’s Got Talent.

Tessa likes music too, but her favorite extracurricularactivities are art, which she studies at the Village Art Stu-dio in the Claremont Packing House, and karate, inwhich she is a green belt. Leonie gave karate a try, butdecided martial arts are not in her future. “I’m not a bigfan of PE at school. I’m on the sensitive side,” she said.

Leonie, who is an A student and went to Chaparral, hasan interesting background.

Her mom Kornelia was born to a Polish mother anda German father and raised in Berlin. Ms. Casper speaksfluent German and Leonie is looking forward to takingGerman classes when she’s in high school.

She has taken drama at El Roble, a class she feels im-proves her stage presence. It’s fun because her bestfriend, who Leonie met at El Roble and who also per-forms with the Repertory Opera Company, is in dramatoo.

Leonie’s dad Steve grew up in Orange County butlived in Europe for several years. He worked in Germanyfor a time, as a senior research fellow at the Social Sci-ence Center in Berlin. It wasn’t until he traveled toGreece as part of a European Union studies program,however, that he met Kornelia, a political science majorwho was also in the program.

When Mr. Casper got a job as a lecturer at the Uni-versity of Cambridge, the couple moved to England fora time. Then, in 2003, they moved to California, whereLeonie was born. “He came home and I came to my newhome,” Ms. Casper said.

The family settled in Claremont, where they havebeen very happy.

“I love that it’s a small community. There are friendlypeople here,” Leonie said, adding that she always spotspeople she knows around town.

Claremont may be home for the family, but Ms.Casper sometimes misses her family in Germany.

Later this month, the family will head to Bavariawhere they will stay with Ms. Casper’s sister and her twoyoung daughters. Their itinerary will include a stop atNeuschwanstein Castle, a 19th century palace that servedas the inspiration for the iconic Cinderella’s Castle at Dis-neyland.

But first, Leonie will lend her pipes to the Fourth ofJuly celebration, where the fireworks will provide ametaphor for the National Anthem’s “bombs bursting inair.” There is nowhere she would rather be than at themic.

“I’ll love singing. We’ll see where it takes me,” shesaid. —Sarah Torribio

[email protected]

ANTHEM WINNER/from previous page


For the Claremont Educational Foundation, it’s all aboutthe kids. CEF was selected as the Honored Group at the city’sFourth of July celebration for its effort and support of localpublic schools.

This year, the local nonprofit is celebrating 25 years of “pro-tecting and enriching” education in the Claremont UnifiedSchool District.

CEF started as the Claremont Educational Network, nick-named EdNet, to support the school district in 1991 duringa recession. Back then and even now, the organization is ledby dedicated members of the Claremont community and par-ents such as Bob Fass, CEF’s incoming president.

As an alumnus of Sycamore, El Roble and Claremont HighSchool, he felt an obligation to give back and be a part ofthe community effort, joining the organization before he evenhad children. He has been on the CEF board of directors forgoing on three years and has been a donor for seven years.

Mr. Fass said good quality schools is a big piece of whatmakes Claremont so special.

“This is a community that really values higher education,”he said. “Claremont is known for it.”

In order to make investing in the CUSD possible, CEF re-lies on more than 328 individual donors, 40 businesses part-ners and 2000 event volunteers, attendees and contributors.

Mr. Fass said it is through the goodwill of these individ-uals and business that support the foundation.

At the end of 2015, CEF awarded the school district$199,600 to support elementary art and music programs and

Claremont Educational Foundation: Honored Group

COURIER photo/Steven FelschundneffThe city selected the Claremont Educational Founda-tion as Honored Group. From left are PresidentRichard Chute, Co-president Nicole Oullette, memberLaura Muna-Landa and incoming President Bob Fass.

HONORED GROUP/next page


Clip out this concert andmovie-in-the-park summer scheduleCONCERTS IN THE PARK

Co-sponsored by the city of Claremont and the KiwanisClub of Claremont, everyone is invited to the Mondaynight concerts in the park. This year’s series will beginMonday, July 11 and continue through September 5. Con-certs are from 7 to 8:30 p.m. but arrive early with a pic-nic or purchase something yummy from the Kiwanians’grill. Concerts are at Memorial Park, 840 N. Indian HillBlvd. The summer line-up is as follows: July 11: The Ravelers (classic rock)July 18: Smith (country/rock)July 25: Cold Duck (‘70s/top 40)August 1: Swing Cats (Big Band swing)August 8: The Dogs (classic rock)August 15: The Fab 8 (Beatles hits)August 22: Boxcar 7 (blues/soul/R&B)August 29: Night Blooming Jazzmen (Dixieland)September 5: The Answer (classic rock)

MOVIES IN THE PARKThe Claremont Police Department sponsors family-

friendly movies in the park on summer evenings. Eachweek features a new movie at a different location. Filmtitles and locations are:Tuesday, July 5: Hotel Transylvania 2 at Blaisdell Park(440 S. College Ave.)Tuesday, July 12: Norm of the North at Lewis Park(881 Syracuse Drive)Thursday, July 14: Charlotte’s Web at WheelerPark (626 Vista Drive)Tuesday, July 19: Open Season: Scared Silly atJune Vail Park on Grand Avenue.Tuesday, August 2: Inside Out at Memorial Park (840N. Indian Hill Blvd.). August 2 is National Night Out,so the In-N-Out trailer will be on hand. The first 550Claremont residents to pick up tickets—availablestarting July 5—from the police department (570 W.Bonita Ave.) will receive a free In-N-Out hamburger withchips and a drink. For information, call (909) 399-5411or visit www.claremontPD.com.

FRIDAY NIGHTS LIVESponsored by the Claremont Chamber of Commerce,

Friday Nights Live runs through October 28 from 6 to9 p.m. Live music will be performed in the Public Plaza,101 N. Indian Hill; Chamber, 205 Yale; City Hall, 225Second St.; and Shelton Park at Bonita and Harvard. Thesummer schedule is listed below.Friday, July 8: Hound Dog Dave & the Meltones/Pub-lic Plaza; High Strung Band/Shelton Park; Los What-everos/Chamber; Falls Like Rain/City Hall.Friday, July 15: Marc Weller Trio/Public Plaza; BlueHwy/Shelton Park; Darby Ryan & Her Band/Chamber;Mike’s Guitar World/City Hall.Friday, July 22: Blues & Fries/Public Plaza; Baldera-ma’s Big Wednesday/Shelton Park; Saloon No.12/Chamber; Auburen Hinkernell/City Hall.Friday, July 29: Ray MacNamara Band/Public Plaza;Steve Rushingwind/Shelton Park; Talmadge/Chamber;AMPS/City Hall.Friday, August 5: The Dogs/Public Plaza; US 99/Shel-ton Park; Jack McCoy/Chamber; Random Spark/CityHall.Friday, August 12: Claremont Voodoo Society/PublicPlaza; Delta 88/ Shelton Park; Blues & Fries/Chamber;Auburn Hinkernell/City Hall.Friday, August 19: Amanda Castro Band/PublicPlaza; Vinyl # |/Shelton Park; RCR Band/Chamber; Jack-son Family Band/ City Hall.Friday, August 26: Dynamite Dawson, Public Plaza;Brooks & Sons, Shelton Park; Adrienne Selina, Cham-ber; Mike’s Guitar World, City Hall.

for implementation of the CUSD’s technology needs.The organization also offers grants to schools and com-

munity programs and organizations to create engaginglearning opportunities for students. Grant recipients canreceive up to $2,000 per grant.

CEF awarded $1,000 scholarships for the 2014-15school year to three Claremont High School seniors asthey moved on to college for work at hospitals and topursue music endeavours.

CEF also runs the SLICE of Summer Program. In thesummer of 2015, more than 1,000 kindergarten through12th grade students participated in 100-plus classes. Inthese summer classes, where no student is denied a spot,kids can sign up to learn about math using Legos, takeculinary and filmmaking courses and even classes on StarWars.

“All these things that come into play into the summerprogram don’t happen during the school year,” Mr. Fass

said. “But the kids are loving it and learning things onthe fly that support their time in school.”

For Mr. Fass, the success of CUSD starts with the com-munity.

“This organization is truly exemplary of Claremont,”he said. “It all goes back to the founding members of Ed-Net, people who are still involved in the community to-day as leaders.”

CEF is in year two of a three-year strategic plan, whichidentifies priorities for grantmaking and targeted fund-ing, and community engagement in education.

Mr. Fass said it is an honor to be a part of the growthand development of this organization.

“Who wouldn’t want amazingly exceptional schoolsfor their kids?” he said. “We are able to help provide that.”

A 25th anniversary gala to celebrate CEF, its volun-teers and donors is planned for September 24 at the Pad-ua Hills Theater. Tickets will be available in August.

—Megan Bender

HONORED GROUP/from previous page

If there’s anyone who has mas-tered the gift of giving, it’s Flo-rence Cohn. As one of Clare-

mont’s honored citizens, Mrs. Cohn,90, will receive the Blue Ribbon Spe-cial Honoree award at this year’sFourth of July celebration.

For at least 17 consecutive years, she gath-ered toys and hand-delivered them with a teamof volunteers to Navajo children in Kayenta,Arizona.

The first eight years she originally noticed thelack of quality transportation for the Hopi tribein Colorado and brought them bicycles so theycould get around. She later discovered a greaterneed from the Navajo children and brought themtoys every December with a group of volunteers.

At one point in her giving career, the toys,clothes and bicycles she collected were given outto as many as 600 children. Mrs. Cohn managedto enlist the help of all around her simply byword-of-mouth and the generosity of familyfriends.

She even brought members of the Kayentacommunity to Claremont on several occasionsto be a part of Claremont’s July Fourth celebra-tions and had them pitch tents in her backyardduring their stay.

Her family has been a part of Claremont his-tory for as far back as the 1950s when her hus-band Leonard Cohn coached the first Clare-


Florence Cohn: Blue Ribbon Special Honoree

COURIER photo/Steven FelschundneffThe Blue Ribbon Special Honoree for this year’s Fourth of July celebration is longtime resident Florence Cohn.

BLUE RIBBON HONOREE/next page

mont High School football team in 1949, as reported inthe COURIER.

Mrs. Cohn worked as a realtor in Claremont for morethan 50 years, a profession she saw as another way ofhelping others by finding homes.

She was often very involved with helping her clients.One one occasion, after a few clients fell into the pool oftheir new home and she discovered they could not swim,Mrs. Cohn made sure they received swimming lessonsso the incident would not happen again.

Mrs. Cohn said “it is a fun and nice thing” to receivethis recognition from the city, where she has raised herfamily.

Retired and still in Claremont, she no longer makes thetrip to Arizona. However she is still very active as she ap-proaches 91.

“I have one more major project to finish,” she said,

“I’m raising money to give the Salvation Army about$500,000 in July.”

Mrs. Cohn even has plans to make sure she keeps ongiving when she is no longer around.

She struck a deal with Verizon to build a phone toweron her property in Fallon, California that pays her $1,000a month for the rest of her life starting in July. She planson paying the money forward to her 12 grandchildren,who will get $1,000 a year.

“When I die in 10 years, or sooner,” she said jokingly,“the money will still be coming in.”

In July, when some of that money comes her way sheplans on publishing her book called It All Started WithLollypops.

The title was inspired from a trip she took to Chinawhen she gave a box of See’s Lollypops to a group ofchildren putting on a Chinese New Year street perform-ance.

Now, everywhere she travels she takes a box of lol-

ly-

pops with her. The book is a collection of her life of giv-ing, realty and traveling adventures.

Mrs. Cohn is one of three honored Claremont citizensbeing recognized at the Fourth of July celebration beforethe parade.

This year’s celebration is themed “Independence Daythe Claremont Way” and will start at 7 a.m. at Memo-rial Park. —Megan Bender

FOURTH OF JULY SPECIAL/2016 19BLUE RIBBON HONOREE/from previous page

Florence Cohn, seen here at her Claremont home ina 2009 COURIER photo—just before delivering toysto Navajo children in Arizona—was named the BlueRibbon Honoree for the Fourth of July parade. Formore than 17 years, Mrs. Cohn conducted a toy driveto provide toys to children on the Reservation eachChristmas.

Fireworks prohibited As a reminder, the city of Claremont prohibits all

fireworks. People in violation of this law may be is-sued a citation. As an alternative, the city offers itsannual fireworks show on July 4.

Overnight parking for holiday guests If you are having guests stay with you overnight

during the holiday weekend, please remember to getan overnight parking exemption if they will be park-ing on the street.

The Claremont Municipal Code prohibits parkingany vehicle on a city street for more than one hourbetween the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Residents areallowed three exemptions per month.

Overnight parking exemptions may be obtained byvisiting the city’s website at www.ci.claremont.ca.usor by calling the Claremont Police Department. Tele-phone exemption requests will only be accepted be-tween 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily by calling (909)399-5411 or (909) 399-5415.

Online exemption requests will only be accepteduntil 3:30 a.m. the morning of the exemption request.

A reminder of holidayrules and regulations


LED lightbulb giveaway atcity’s Fourth of July festival

Solid Rock Church will be givingaway hundreds of free energy-efficientLED lightbulbs to residents at theirbooth at Memorial Park during Clare-mont’s Fourth of July Celebration from9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Solid Rock, which opened in Clare-mont in 2014, is offering free LED light-bulbs as a practical way to help thecommunity save money, use less energyand preserve the planet. LED lightbulbsare much more energy-efficient andlong-lasting than traditional lightbulbs,which means saving energy and moneyon your monthly electricity bill.

The LED lightbulb giveaway aims topromote the Claremont Energy Chal-lenge—Claremont’s bid to win theGeorgetown University Energy Prize, acompetition to reduce energy usage ininnovative, community-driven, long-lasting ways.

Solid Rock is a multi-ethnic, inter-de-nominational, multi-generational familywith the intention to participate in thediscovery of discipleship. They have of-fices in downtown Claremont and meetat a local school on Sundays.

For more information, call (909) 624-5800 or visit www.solidrock.us.


Map courtesy of city of Claremont

Independence Day the Claremont way...wouldn’t be complete without the annual fireworks show at Pomona College

Tickets, which are $8 presale or $10 at the door (if available), can be purchased at theAlexander Hughes Community Center, the Chamber of Commerce, the Claremont Club, Riode Ojas, Vons and Wolfe’s Market. If it isn’t sold out, limited tickets may be available Mon-day, July 4 at Memorial Park.

Gates at the Pomona College Strehle Track open at 6:30 p.m, with a live concert featuringthe Silverados and the yearly Kiwanis barbecue—those folks sure are busy! After a heart-warming rendition of the National Anthem by El Roble eighth-grader Leonie Casper, families,friends and lovers can cuddle up to watch the night sky lit up by such favorites as the Peony,Girandola and Skyrocket. And keep your fingers crossed for the appearance of a smiley facein the Claremont sky!

The city’s coolzones are openDuring these hot and humid summer

days, are you keeping up with yourbody’s water need?

Always hydrate before, during and after your activ-ity or you may be at risk for dehydration. Early signsof dehydration may include increased thirst, nausea,dry mouth, headache and reduced fluid output.

Some moderate dehydration symptoms may includeextreme thirst, dry appearance inside the mouth andlightheadedness. Also, don’t forget to take care ofpet(s) that may be doing the physical activity with youor may be outside all day; their bodies need water justas much as you as temperatures rise.

The city has established cool zones open to resi-dents who need to escape the heat during heat waves.The following locations are open:

• Alexander Hughes Community Center, locatedat 1700 Danbury Rd. Open Monday throughThursday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays from 8a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.For questions, call (909) 399-5490.

• Blaisdell Center, located at 440 S. College Ave.Open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2p.m. For questions, call (909) 399-5367.

• Joslyn Senior Center, located at 660 N. Moun-tain Ave. Open Monday through Friday from 8a.m. to 5 p.m. For questions, call (909) 399-5488.

• Claremont Library, located at 208 N. HarvardAve. Open Monday and Tuesday from 1 to 8 p.m.,Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.,Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. andSunday from 1 to 5 p.m. For questions, call (909)621-4902. For information on preventing heat-related illness,

visit emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/heat-tips.asp. Call (909) 399-5490 for cool zone info.


Library offers slew of summer activities for kids, teensThe Claremont Library is

offering lots of freeevents to help kids while

away those long summer days. You can stop by to “Capture the King”

on Tuesdays, July 5, 12 and 19 from 2 to3 p.m. when the library has chess andcheckerboards available for game-loversof all ages. Refreshments will be served.

The library invites you to take in SuperArty-O-World on Wednesday, July 6 from2 to 2:45 p.m. Kids who dig DonkeyKong, Super Mario Brothers and Candy

Crush will enjoy this zany video game-based magic show.

The Claremont Library will offer aworkshop, Paper Quilling for Teens, onThursday, July 7 from 2 to 3 p.m. Theevent is aimed at kids ages 11 through 18.Quilling is the art of rolling, shaping andarranging paper strips to create decorativedesigns.

Wildlife Wendy’s Tropical Bird Showwill come to roost at the Claremont Li-brary on Wednesday, July 13 for twoshows, one from 2 to 2:45 p.m. and an-other from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. This livetropical bird show features performing

parrots and other species and is aimed atkids of all ages.

On Thursday, July 14 there will be an-other workshop, DIY Piñata for Teens,from 2 to 3 p.m. It’s aimed at kids age 11to 18.

If you have little brothers or sisters,they may enjoy the Claremont Library’sstorytime sessions. Toddler storytime isheld Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. and againat 11:30 a.m. Preschool storytime, for kidsage 3 to 5, is held Fridays from 11:30 a.m.to noon.

You are also encouraged to sign up forthe library’s Summer Reading Program

anytime and start hitting the books. TheClaremont Library is located at 208 N.Harvard Ave. in Claremont. For informa-tion, call (909) 621-4902.

Documents

Claremont Fourth 2016