Notable Valleyites passed in 2017
F rom the agriculture community, to business, to civic participation, several Imperial Valley leaders passed away in 2017.
Below is a short list of some of the names who helped shape the Imperial Valley and demonstrated what it means to serve a community.
The following is only a snapshot of their accomplishments. Go to www.ivpressonline.com to read more on each person.
John Elmore June 14, 1926 – Aug. 29, 2017
Elmore and his family have been farming icons for decades in the Imperial Valley. From innovative farm practices to providing scholarship funds to Valley students, the Elmore family and farming are one in the same.
For many years, fresh produce grown in the Imperial Valley, New Mexico, Arizona, the central coast of California, and Mexico was shipped worldwide from Brawley bearing the label Sahara Packing, a company Elmore helped start. In the late 1950s, Elmore and Willy Taylor started Lidco Inc., which became the number one agricultural subsurface drainage company.
He was a member of the Brawley Elks Club, Del Rio Country Club, where he served as president, the Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association, the Brawley Stockmen’s Club, the Newport Harbor Yacht Club, and the Big Canyon Country Club. John served as a board member of the Western Growers Association and was awarded their Award of Honor in 1998. He was a member of the Conquistadores del Cielo, a founding member of Rockwood Chemical Company, and served on the board of directors of Crocker Bank and LTV Corporation. His last award was given to him by the Brawley Chamber of Commerce in May 2017. John was immensely honored to receive the Branding Iron Award, and cherished his visit from Brawley friends to award him this honor.
William “Bill” Cole Jan. 5, 1934 – Oct. 30, 2017
A dedicated high school teacher starting in 1958, Cole taught many students to swim, play basketball, other sports and drivers education. He opened C&A Pools that built many swimming pools in the Valley. He was a member of the Imperial Valley College Board of Trustees and the Imperial County Board of Supervisors. He and his wife were married in 1961 and have nine children. He was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Frank Hudson Mitchell Dec. 1, 1929 – Dec. 9, 2017
Mitchell’s business successes included not only his real estate business, but his machine shop business in Holtville. Mitchell and his wife of 68 years, Margaret, helped many people. He was a 67-year member of the Rotary Club of El Centro, a multiple Rotary Paul Harris Fellow. Mitchell contributed to our community through Rotary and as a member of the First Methodist Church of El Centro. Mitchell loved people and he and Margaret traveled to 52 countries to see and learn about this world.
Robert Michael Swarthout 1949 - May 24, 2017
His passion for cars and racing began at Modern Paint and Body Shop of El Centro, where he proudly worked and ran the family business for more than 45 years. He also had a love for his community and served with Los Vigilantes (Ramrod 1985-1986), the Imperial County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse, and the Eagles and Moose Lodge.
Charles Westmoreland Nov. 26, 1927 – Aug. 26, 2017
Westmoreland was a lifelong farmer and Valley resident. Charlie, as everyone knew him, loved his family, his friends, farming, Imperial Valley and Goldwater.
Westmoreland attended Lantana School; he graduated from Central High in 1946. He served in the U.S. Army in Korea in 1947, as Farm Bureau president in 1976, and on the school board of Imperial Unified School District in the 1980s.
Gary “Butch” Leon Foster Jan. 29, 1943 – April 4, 2017
He was a proud cattleman and a loving and generous brother, husband, father, grandfather and friend. He loved his family and enjoyed his friends.
He was a member of the Brawley Elks Lodge, Los Rancheros Visadores, California Agriculture Leadership Program, Del Rio Country Club and president of Stockmen’s Club of Imperial Valley. He was a generous supporter of the community.
Mary Josephine Troeger Shields 1932 – Dec. 19, 2017
Jo set her goals high, and in 1954 achieved one of the first Pharmacology Degrees ever received by a woman at the University of Arizona.
Jo found time to volunteer as a Girl Scout Leader, 4-H leader, horse show supporter, school board member at Sacred Heart School, as well as many civic activities in Brawley.
Later in life, Jo served the city of Brawley on the Council for a number of terms and twice as mayor. Mary Jo was committed to serving her community and served Brawley through participation in Soroptomist Club, Pioneers Memorial Hospital Womens Auxiliary, and a number of service clubs and organizations. Mary Jo, a devout Catholic throughout her life, was a consistent supporter of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and School.
Robin Iten 1959 – 2017
She was a huge supporter of her sons’ sporting events, Little League baseball, soccer, Takedown wrestling and Holtville High School football and wrestling. She was their biggest fan and cheerleader. She was also actively involved in her community, Holtville 4-H, a former member of Holtville Soroptimist International, a host mother to Eric Schaison, who was a member of the ASSE International Student Exchange Program. For many years she could be found as an announcer at the annual Carrot Festival Parade. Local charities were her passion. She founded the Caelynn Andrea Iten Foundation, which evolved into the Halos and Tiaras Foundation, a non-profit organization that assists Imperial Valley children stricken with childhood cancer. She donated a lot of her time and energy to fundraising campaigns on behalf of others in need.
William Irvin Dubois 1916 – 2017
With World War II looming, he answered the call from his country and enrolled in the Navy’s Officer Candidate School.
He continued to serve his country as a member of the Navy Reserves for 25 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Commander with 28 years of service.
He was a longtime member of the El Centro Kiwanis Club, serving as president in 1958; the El Centro United Methodist Church, serving on the Board of Trustees for many years; and the Imperial County Farm Bureau, serving as its president and longtime board member. In 1970, he retired from active farming, leased his farmland, and joined the California Farm Bureau Federation in Sacramento as Director of Natural Resources, representing California’s farmers before the legislative and executive branches of state government. While there, he was active in many state-wide organizations, including the California Irrigation Institute (longtime board member and 1994-95 president), the State Water Conservation Coalition, and Californians Against Waste.
He continued to be active in the community, volunteering for and contributing to many organizations throughout the Valley; including Kiwanis, Farm Bureau, Salvation Army, Native Sons of the Golden West, and the Imperial Valley Historical Society. In his last years, he enjoyed attending the Holtville United Methodist Church. Bill continued to represent California farmers beyond his 90th birthday, providing advice and historical perspectives on state water laws, the peripheral canal, Salton Sea, Colorado River issues, and 160-acre limitation. In 2008, he was honored to receive the Imperial County Farm Bureau’s Farmer of the Year award for his record of leadership in agriculture and longtime commitment to and involvement in the Imperial Valley community.
Dr. James M. Roach May 14, 1931 – 2017
In 1975, Dr. Roach moved to El Centro and practiced urology until his retirement in 2010. He served three terms as chief of staff at the El Centro Regional Medical Center. He also served multiple years as chief of surgery and on the Financial Board of the hospital. For 15 years, he has been president of the Imperial County Physicians Medical Group which provides financial support to Imperial Valley College. This includes a significant scholarship program benefiting the IVC nursing department. In honor of his many years of service and personal giving, Dr. Roach was recognized as a Distinguished Philanthropist, nominated by the Imperial Valley College Foundation.
Walter Sutton Sept. 10, 1928 – Nov. 15, 2017
He graduated from Excelsior High School in 1946 and served 19501952 in the Army, stationed in Germany. He worked as a machinist before moving to Imperial Valley in 1958 to start his own custom harvesting business. He also farmed with Fred Myers.
He had a variety of customized off-road vehicles over the years, which were not immune to capsizing on steep hillsides. He and Joyce were charter members of Desert Wildlife Unlimited. He was a past member of BPOE #1420.
Ronald C. Thornburg Feb. 18, 1937 – 2017
Upon completion of his degree, he returned to Holtville and joined his brothers in the family business — Thor Packing Company. Several years later, he went on to pursue a teaching degree at California Western University. The next 35 years of his life were devoted to teaching the youth of Holtville Unified School District. He was a much loved and respected teacher. Most of the years were spent teaching all aspects of Industrial Arts (shop). He and two fellow teachers started the Holtville Takedown Club to promote youth wrestling. He provided guidance for the Junior High Floats which were entered in the Holtville Carrot Parade and were assembled by all students with the help of some teachers and parents. One of his greatest pleasures was helping his students design and build the sets for the annual Musical Operettas. His students also worked as the stage crew for the performances.
Throughout his career, Ron received recognition and many awards. He was presented a Certificate of Commendation from State Superintendent of Schools Bill Honig for his excellence as a Mentor Teacher. He served as Head Negotiator for HTA for many years. In 2011, Ron and his wife Joan were inducted into the Green and Gold Hall of Fame. They were also co-recipients of Holtville’s Citizen of the Year Award in 2012.
Henry “Hank” Legaspi 1927 – Oct. 11, 2017
Hank’s long list of accomplishments spans a lifetime of service. Upon graduation, Hank joined the Imperial Irrigation District (IID), where he would go on to spend a lifetime making sure the Valley always had power.
As power manager, Hank was instrumental in strengthening the Valley’s power grid by spearheading projects such as the Heber Geothermal facility that brought 1 million megawatts of power online July 1988, to pushing for the construction of high voltage transmission powerlines that can be seen all across the desert to the west. Hank traveled to Israel and brought Ormat to the Valley — a partnership that lasts to the present day.
Under Hank’s leadership, the IID purchased interests in the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station and the Palo Verde/San Diego 500kV transmission line by entering into numerous arrangements with other utilities for purchased power. Hank personally oversaw the completion of three hydroelectric plants and grew the IID’s generating capacity. Hank traveled to Mexico City to personally negotiate with the president of Mexico’s Federal Electrical Commission, in what was at that time, an unprecedented deal allowing both countries to share power during times of need.
Shortly before retiring from the IID after 41 years on June 30, 1994, Hank’s hard-work was recognized by the United States Congress, where the House of Representatives honored him with a heartfelt proclamation on June 28, 1994, sponsored by then Rep. Duncan Hunter.
Oscar Padilla Aug. 23, 1924 – Jan. 17, 2017
From his small office on Second Street in downtown Calexico, he founded Oscar Padilla Insurance in 1951, pioneering auto insurance for motorists driving to Mexico.
Business expanding, opportunities beyond Calexico beckoning him, Padilla moved to San Diego in June 1968, settling in Point Loma.
In 1969 his entrepreneurial instincts accounted for the first drive-thru automobile insurance service in the United States, and in 1985 the first automated insurance service by telephone, Phone-A-Policy.
Padilla’s mantra of “giving back” started young, his civic endeavors in the early 1960s included president of the Calexico Chamber of Commerce, director of Calexico Housing Authority, director of Calexico Redevelopment Agency, and chairman of the Calexico Chapter of American Red Cross. In 1965, he helped spearhead the establishment of San Diego State University’s satellite campus in Calexico.
He was appointed by President Gerald Ford as U.S. delegate to the 19th session of UNESCO held in Nairobi, Kenya, for the term 1976–1977. In 1991, Padilla earned his highest honor, appointed U.S. Representative to the United Nations by President George H. W. Bush for the term 1991 – 1992, his crowning moment coming October 21, 1991 delivering the International Atomic Energy Agency’s annual report to the General Assembly.
Raymond Michael Pederson 1966 – 2017
During those early years, Ray, and his brother Rod, learned the value of hard work at the family livestock mineral business, Imperial Premix, on weekends and summer vacations.
He returned to the Imperial Valley in 1993 and worked alongside Rusty until he took over the family business in 1998. In 2001, Ray officially began his diesel exhaust fluid manufacturing business, DEF Products LLC, supporting customers locally, as well as regionally and in Mexico. His love of technology was ever present. He set up another business, SpeedyKids.com where he intended to write learning programs for kids. He and daughter Caitlynn, 11, used that platform to develop an iPhone app, called My Animal Rescue, which debuted on the App Store in 2015.
Ray served his community in many ways: as a board member at the Del Rio Country Club in Brawley, as an advisory board member of First Foundation
Bank in El Centro and as a board member of The Stockmen’s Club in Brawley where he was president in 2014. Ray loved supporting kids and took great pride in donating urea to the Witter Elementary School for their playground, sponsoring 4-H kids with their animals at the Mid-Winter Fair and most recently providing new volleyballs for the Club Wildcat Girls team.
Dr. Herbert Saxby Farrar Jr. 1937 – July 26, 2017
In 1959, Herb and his wife of 60 years, Lou Ann, moved to El Centro for his first job as a teacher at Hedrick Elementary in El Centro. Later serving as principal/superintendent of Verde School south of Holtville where he was also the janitor, bus driver and night watchman for the small school district. Returning to El Centro as a school administrator, Dr. Farrar was later elected as Imperial County Superintendent of Schools in 1979, a position he held for 18 years.