FedEx donated a Boeing 727 to Sacramento City College through a donation program that was started around 1995 by David Sutton, of FedEx. They have received nearly 300 requests for aircraft donations, and during the life of the program have awarded 64 aircrafts for educational purposes. The plane is housed at McClellan Air Force Base, where students enrolled in the aeronautics program at SCC have class. // Photo by Paul Estabrook

A Boeing 727-200F aircraft operated by FedEx Express completed its final flight Friday, Feb. 15, when it landed at McClellan Park, where the aircraft is now housed at the nearby Aerospace Museum of California.

Sacramento City College, museum and community leaders gathered at the SCC hangar to celebrate a donation of the 727 aircraft from FedEx to the college.

On the day it was delivered it flew in from Roanoke, Virginia, but during its service to FedEx it flew packages all over the U.S. The 37-year-old plane flew for FedEx for 21 years.

The 727 aircraft is valued at $550,000 and will provide real-world training opportunities for the many aviation and aeronautics students that attend classes at Sacramento City College.  There are approximately 250 students each year in our Aeronautics, Air Traffic Control, Air Dispatch, and Flight Technology programs combined.

In addition, it can be used by the Aerospace Museum of California at McClellan for aviation-related programs for children and individuals in the community. The aircraft will be parked near the airstrip until this summer when it will be relocated to the Museum airpark where it will become a permanent training prop.

The Boeing 727-200 puts the aeronautics program light years ahead of where the aeronautics program would be without it.

According to instructor Phil Cypret, the city college program has needed an airliner like this for a number of years, but they could never have afforded to buy it because on the open market Boeing 727-200 Freighters sell for up to $2- to $3- million dollars. This will allow instructors to teach large aircraft operational procedures and maintenance practices, Cypret said.

SCC has a number of much smaller general aviation aircraft that are a valuable training resource but cannot compare to a Boeing airliner when teaching large aircraft systems and operations, Cypret said.

SCC’s Airframe and Powerplant Maintenance Program started in 1932. Graduates work in every segment of aviation, such as the major airlines, regional airlines, general aviation, helicopters, and the military.

SCC also has a Flight Technology Program for students wanting to become professional pilots, an Air Traffic Control Program for students that want to work for the FAA, and an Aircraft Dispatcher Program for students that want to assist with flight operations at major and regional airlines.

Many of graduates have gone on to flying careers with the major airlines as well as the military, Cypret said. Others have gone on to careers as aviation maintenance managers in every area of aviation.

“Our graduates tend to have a passion for the field of aviation and devote their lives to their vocation. Our alumni come by to visit on a regular basis and tell us how thankful they are to the program. As an alumni of the SCC Aeronautics Program, I feel the same way,” Cypret said.

This marks the 63rd FedEx donation of a Boeing 727 aircraft to various organizations for educational purposes since 2000. Before its final flight, aircraft 727-200 registration number  N466FE provided FedEx with 21 years’ service transporting packages to destinations throughout the United States. They have received nearly 300 requests for aircraft donations.

A former student, who presently works for FedEx, phoned Cypret and mentioned they were starting a competitive program in order to place retiring airliners with technical aviation schools such as the one at City College. Cypret completed the required paperwork and talked on the phone with a FedEx representative. He said the process was similar to grant applications that they had been involved in previously.

Also, what made this possible, he said, was the support they received from the college and the district.

“Without this management support nothing would have been possible. We are blessed with a far thinking and supportive management team that always puts the needs of students first,” he said.

One of the Carmichael Recreation and Park District’s most unique parks, Patriots Park, will add one more name to its Wall of Honor during a special ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 10 a.m.

A ceremony will be held on Saturday, Nov. 6 to introduce the twelfth inductee of the Wall of Honor at Patriots Park. / Valley Community Newspapers photo, Lance Armstrong

Although the park is only three years old, many who are familiar with this 3.68-acre neighborhood park know that it is far from an ordinary recreation and leisure spot.

At the center of the park sits a 20-foot-long by 3-foot-tall by 3-foot-wide concrete and stone wall with much more significance than its durable materials.

Recognized as the Wall of Honor, the wall is so significant, in fact, that when the park was dedicated on Nov. 15, 2008, an entirely separate dedication was held on the same day to present the Wall of Honor and its first inductees to the public.

The park, which is located just east of the Carmichael-Fair Oaks border at 6827 Palm Avenue, off Dewey Drive, features the latest in park designs with walking paths, a playground, a picnic area, a basketball court and a butterfly garden.

But it is the Wall of Honor, which is the park’s most treasured feature.

Tracy Kerth, recreation services manager of the Carmichael Recreation and Park District, observes a photograph of the wall’s newest inductee, Lt. j.g. David A. Warne. / Valley Community Newspapers photo, Lance Armstrong

The wall features 11 plaques with the names of local heroes, who gave their lives serving their country or community.

The Nov. 6 ceremony will honor former Navy pilot, Lt. j.g. David A. Warne, who was lost at sea at the age of 27 on Jan. 12, 1991 during a nighttime training mission over the Mediterranean Sea.

Tracy Kerth, recreation services manager of the Carmichael Recreation and Park District, explained the background of the creation of the Wall of Honor.

“We were trying to name the park and the community came forward and they said, ‘Well, how about we name it after this young man (the late Army Sgt. Ronald L. Coffelt), who grew up in the area and his family still lives here.’ But then we started thinking about all of our heroes. So, then we thought about naming (the park) Patriots Park and having a Wall of Honor and that would include not only military people, but it would include firefighters and police and CHP and Sheriffs and civilians who died in the line of duty.”

With the creation of the wall, such local heroes who resided, worked in or served the community within the park district boundaries could be honored as part of this lasting monument.

This honor is available to those who showed acts of courage beginning as early as 1945, when the district was established.

Nominations for candidates for the Wall of Honor are accepted until July 31 every year.

Official nomination forms are available through the district’s Web site www.carmichaelpark.com or by calling (916) 485-5322 to arrange for a form to be mailed via the United States Postal Service.

The first inductees

The first inductees to have their names placed on plaques and displayed on the Wall of Honor were:: As previously mentioned, Coffelt was the inspiration for the Wall of Honor.

Photographs of the Wall of Honor’s first inductees sit on the wall in 2008. / Photo courtesy of Carmichael RPD

Army Sgt. Ronald L. Coffelt

Raised within walking distance from the park, Coffelt, a graduate of Del Campo High School, died on July 19, 2007 from wounds that he suffered as a result of a bomb that exploded near him in Baghdad.

Army Spc. Raymond Nigel Spencer, Jr.: Spencer, who was raised in Carmichael and excelled in hockey during his youth, was killed less than a month prior to Coffelt’s death when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire.

Sheriff Deputies Kevin Patrick Blount and Joseph Kievernagel: Blount and Kievernagel, who worked as partners in the North Division serving Carmichael, lost their lives during a burglary call on July 15, 2005, when the engine of the helicopter they were flying failed and the helicopter crashed.

CHP Officer Ronald Eugene Davis: Following his graduation from the California Highway Patrol academy, Davis moved his family from Carmichael to Barstow.

Davis died at the age of 25 when he was driving about 100 miles per hour while en route to a traffic accident.

When a pair of motorists failed to heed his siren, Davis, in order to avoid a collision, died when he drove off the highway into the desert.

Army 1^st Lt. Robert Scott Byrnes: A graduate of La Sierra High School, Byrnes, a former lifeguard and swimming instructor at Carmichael Park, lost his life in Vietnam.

Firefighter Dean Wesley Rhoades: An El Camino High School graduate, Rhoades died shortly after fighting a house fire in Carmichael on Jan. 6, 1981.

The second inductees

Last year, plaques for the following inductees were also added to the wall:

Army Spc. James Edward Schlottman: An El Camino High School graduate, Schlottman was killed by a booby trap while on patrol in Vietnam on Aug. 22, 1967.

Sgt. Brian E. Dunlap: A graduate of Del Campo High School, Dunlap was killed at the age of 38 on Sept. 24, 2005, when a roadside bomb exploded during his patrol in northern Baghdad.

Sgt. Larry Morford: The courage of Morford is recognized in the book, “The Least Beastly,” by Bernard “Burn” Loeffke.

Within a memorial tribute to Morford in this book, it is explained that despite being a young man who did not believe in war as a method of resolving disputes, Morford felt that he could not stay at home knowing that other young men were fighting for his country.

On Feb. 12, 1970, Morford, a graduate of La Sierra High School, was killed at the age of 21 in Vietnam while serving in his patrol just a few days prior to when he was scheduled to return home.

Cpt. Olin E. Gilbert, Jr.: While flying an F-106 in a training mission at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida on June 11, 1968, Gilbert was met with the plane’s sudden mechanical difficulties.

Instead of parachuting to safety, Gilbert, a Vietnam veteran, piloted the plane out to sea and away from coastline homes in Port St. Joe, Fla.

This act of heroism cost Gilbert his life, but in turn saved the lives of many other people.

A special honor for a local heroUnlike the previous two Wall of Honor ceremonies, the upcoming Nov. 6 ceremony will honor only one inductee.

This year’s inductee, David A. Warne, formerly resided in Fair Oaks and graduated from Sacramento State University in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

David, who enjoyed skiing and fishing and briefly worked at Aerojet prior to entering active duty in the Navy in 1987, completed his pilot training two years later and was assigned as an F/A-18 pilot.

Although David has a marker in the Arlington National Cemetery, since his body was never recovered after he was lost at sea, it was not possible for his remains to be buried in a local cemetery.

Because of this fact, David’s family and some of his closest friends, who will be attending the event, are additionally appreciative that David will have his name officially placed on the Wall of Honor.

David’s mother, Betty Warne, recently expressed her appreciation that her son will have a local memorial to honor him.

“We don’t have the grave marker here in the area for him, so that’s really nice to have (David’s name on the Wall of Honor) here in this area,” Betty said.

David’s father, Evans Warne, a retired Air Force colonel, pilot and Vietnam veteran, also expressed his appreciation that his son’s name will be placed on the wall.

Navy Lt. j.g. David A. Warne will become the twelfth local hero to have his name placed on the Wall of Honor. / Photo courtesy of Carmichael RPD

“(Having David honored on the wall) means an awful lot to me,” Evans said. “It means that somebody is recognizing his service and that whoever goes to that park will realize what a sacrifice he made and recognize what he did.”

Lee Ann Yarber, administrative analyst of the park district, said that the ceremony, which will also be attended by park district advisory board members and Sacramento County District 3 Supervisor Susan Peters, is a great opportunity for the community to show appreciation for David, as well as other heroes of the Wall of Honor.

“We absolutely invite all the community to come out – anybody who ever lost a loved one or anybody who wants to pay honor to the family of the fallen hero,” Yarber said. “It’s just a nice ceremony, so come on out and honor our local heroes.”

Navy Lt. j.g. David A. Warne, who was lost at sea at the age of 27 on Jan. 12, 1991, will be honored in a special ceremony at Patriots Park on Saturday, Nov. 6. / Photo courtesy of Carmichael RPD

California is home to natural and man-made disasters: earthquakes, fires, flooding and even extreme weather situations, such as tornadoes, are not out of the realm of possibility here.

Because of the on-going potential for emergencies in the Sacramento region, city and county organizations and officials are co-sponsoring the Sacramento Emergency Preparedness and Self-Reliance Fair on Saturday, Oct. 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Guest exhibitors will include the Sacramento Office of Emergency Services, the American Red Cross, the Sacramento City Fire Department, the California Emergency Management Agency, the Drowning Accident Rescue Team (DART), the Sacramento Police Department, Army Corps of Engineers, United Animal Nations, Pacific Gas & Electric, the California Conservation Corps, CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) and many more.

Visitors to the event can learn about: building disaster-resilient families, having an emergency plan, emergency communication, emergency shelters, power generators, first aid kits, employment, wills, trusts, estate planning, budgeting and saving, a three-month supply of rotatable food, crime prevention, Neighborhood Watch, flood preparedness, water storage and purification, children’s emergency activities and much, much more.

This event is open to everyone in the community.

The event will be hosted by members of The Sacramento California Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Sponsors include the Sacramento City and County Office of Emergency Services, Council Member Robbie Waters, Council Member Bonnie Pannell and County Supervisor Jimmie Yee.

Individuals of all ages will have the opportunity to learn how to better prepare for natural and man-made disasters at this free event.

The Fair will include over 40 exhibits and displays highlighting topics such as: food and water storage, stretching your food dollar, employment, family evacuation plans, 72-hour kits, water purification, first aid, fire safety and much more.

Emergency vehicles will also be available for tours and close-up inspection, including an Army National Guard HH60 helicopter, a Coast Guard rescue boat, ambulance, highway patrol car and a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) trailer. The Army National Guard HH60 plans to land around 10:30 a.m. and CERT will be performing several “triage” demonstrations throughout the day.

“The fair has been designed to provide useful information to families regardless of where they are in the wide spectrum of emergency preparedness and self-reliance,” said John Cassinat, president of the Sacramento Stake. “There will be meaningful experiences and valuable information for the person or family who doesn’t know where to begin, as well as for those who are well on there way to sustainable independence and self-reliance during most emergencies.”

The Fair will be held at a large property owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 7401 24th Street in Sacramento.

This event is free and family oriented. Translators will be available for multiple languages.

“It is important that we as a community are prepared for any kind of unanticipated event,” Cassinat said. “The more educated we are as a community, the more resilient we will be.”