One of Hugh Gorman’s most notable works is his 100-foot-long mural at Carmichael Park. Photo by Lance Armstrong

Many Carmichael residents are undoubtedly familiar with “The Great Wall of Carmichael,” with its colorful, 100-foot-long mural, which sits near a portion of the Fair Oaks Boulevard side of Carmichael Park.
But a far greater number of these people are unaware of many details about the wall and its artwork.

Hugh Gorman stands inside of his art studio in Fair Oaks. Photo by Lance Armstrong

In an interview with this publication last week, 71-year-old Fair Oaks resident Hugh Gorman, the artist who painted this notable mural, explained details about this wall and other highlights of his life.
In reflecting upon being hired to create the Carmichael Park mural, which was officially dedicated in 2003, Hugh said, “There was an ad in the paper, (which read): ‘Wanted: Mural design for SMAC – Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission.’ I applied for it, and it was to be a retaining wall in front of Denny’s (restaurant), which is where Fair Oaks (Boulevard) T’s into Manzanita (Avenue) and Fair Oaks (Boulevard). So, I really wanted that job. I’d already done this mural here (at the Fair Oaks Veterans Memorial Amphitheater in Village Park in Fair Oaks) and I’d done some other murals. I like trying to explain a community on a wall. So, I tried really hard to get (the job), and I did. And I guess there were 13 people who applied.”

Hugh Gorman relaxes with his dog behind his art studio. Photo by Lance Armstrong

Although he was excited to begin his mural project in front of Denny’s, Hugh recalled how his work at that site was suddenly halted.
Hugh said that he received a call from the locally renowned developer George Tsakopoulos (1927-2009), who told him that he did not want a mural in front of his property, which is presently owned by Carmichael Village, LLC.
Following this phone call, Tsakopoulos, Hugh noted, took further action with the matter, and the project was eventually abandoned at that site.
In the process of attempting to relocate the project, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, according to the recollections of Hugh, agreed to keep the project moving forward at a new site.
Hugh noted that, with its delays, the project took five years to complete. But he added that he was required to finish the wall in one season.
And overall, he remembers the project as being 90 to 95 percent well received by the community.
After the mural was completed at the park in 2002, a dedication for the wall was held that year. A much better attended, second dedication was held in non-rainy weather during the following spring.
After being asked to describe the details of his mural, Hugh said, “I tried to do the period of human existence, which is probably 10,000 years, more or less. And I tried to do that from the American River, because I think Carmichael has forgotten it even has the American River as one of its boundaries.”

Hugh Gorman’s painting of Ishi is one of his personal favorite paintings that he has created. Gorman refers to the painting as “My Mona Lisa.” Photo by Lance Armstrong

The largest detail of the entire mural at Carmichael Park is the word, “Carmichael,” which stretches across the upper, mid-section of this grand artwork.
This bas-relief mural, which was created with an acrylic polymer on formed concrete, is divided into five panels, with the first panel showing the flow of the river as it makes its way toward the San Francisco Bay.
In continuing his explanation of the mural, Hugh said, “It’s all about how do you paint something 100 feet long and 7 feet high and not have it look like a big old line. (Avoiding making the mural appear as a straight line) was the best part about what I did, I think, or one of the best things.”
And in speaking further about the mural, Hugh said, “This is that (pedestrian and bicycle) bridge at (River Bend) Park. And we’re going through time, and if you look at the people in the rafts, you’ll see this is earlier and this is later. And that’s me. I’m in there in an inner tube with a beer bottle tied to a string. And you’ll see that everybody (in the rafts) is white at first and then pretty soon, they start sprinkling different colors as the population changes.”
And while pointing to different areas of the mural, Hugh said, “Here’s the Indians right here, and even right here. And here’s the Gold Rush right here. Well, here’s a Jeep from 1945 that marks the end of World War II. And right here are people fishing for salmon, and the way they used to fish for salmon was they just used a pitch fork. And then here you’ll see a family sitting around and the kids playing in the water. They’ve got their little picnic out. And then you go over to the Indian times, and there they are. There are families sitting around and the kids are playing in the water. So, nothing has changed, except for the color of their skin.”
Images of animals, including fish and turtles, are also present in the mural.

Hugh Gorman enjoys one of his favorite pastimes, swinging on a rope swing in his backyard. Photo by Lance Armstrong

Although the area’s well-known Deterding family had permission to use dredgers, they never did dredge the river.
In commenting about the image of a dredger in that area of his mural, Hugh said, “I put it in anyway, because it’s such a part of our history, but from the other side of the river.”
Another feature of the mural, which Hugh spoke about was an image of a historic river vessel.
“I was reading about all these different things and I read about this boat, called the Dixie, which ran the river from Folsom and back (during the 19th century),” Hugh said. “It would go up to the Negro Bar and bring rocks and wood back.”
A feature of the wall that often goes unnoticed is a heart-shaped rock that sits on top of the wall.
Hugh said that he found the rock in his backyard while he was building his art studio.
“Phil Evans, whose a sculptor, drilled holes (in the rock) for me and put (metal) rods in there and then I just set it in the concrete (to secure it),” Hugh said.
Because the Sacramento County Historical Society thought so highly about Hugh’s mural at Carmichael Park, the organization created a new award category, called “Heritage through Art,” and awarded him the first award in that category.

One of Hugh Gorman’s many paintings is of a tree with exposed roots on the bluffs above the Fair Oaks Bridge. Photo by Lance Armstrong

Anyone who has had the opportunity to visit Hugh’s studio can view his variety of paintings.
One of these paintings is of Ishi, who was the last surviving member of the Yahi Native American tribe. Hugh refers to this painting as “My Mona Lisa.”
During his interview for this article, Hugh also mentioned Donor Plaza, the area near the Fair Oaks Bridge that he designed in commemoration of those who contributed to the project to purchase bluffs over the American River.
“That land was being threatened to be taken over, so I had been fighting that for a long time, this way and that way,” Hugh said. “Eventually, it turned into, ‘Let’s just buy those lots and then the deal is done. And that’s what happened. I designed a thing that included three benches, and we used bricks for steps. We had 350 bricks. So, that’s an environmental art piece that’s well worth looking at, and it’s real neat.”
He also noted that he enjoys carving artistic creations, playing a keyboard, swinging on his backyard rope swing, swimming in cold water in various places in California and collecting vintage automobiles.
Hugh, who was born in St. Helena, Calif. and was one of the five children of Clyde and Grace Gorman, said that he developed a very early interest in art.
“As a little kid, they gave me clay and building blocks and I’d make little faces out of the clay,” said Hugh, who moved to Folsom in 1945 and to the area around today’s American River College in 1946. “I sort of knew how to draw real early on. Everybody always said, ‘Oh, you’re so luck, because you know what you’re going to do. You’re going to be an artist.’ And that was implanted early on, and people hired me to do portraits at 6, 7 years old. Some people are born with different things and I was born as (an artist). My dad was a writer, so he was a creative guy.”
Hugh, who attended elementary school in Carmichael, later took art classes at the old La Sierra High School before making his way to the University of California, Berkeley.
In deciding upon a career choice, Hugh initially began studying architecture in college, then he opted to become a sculptor, and lastly, he studied landscape architecture.
Despite receiving his degree at UC Berkeley in landscape architecture in 1967, Hugh said that he still always saw himself as a painter.
He began his post-college working years as a landscape architect in Santa Barbara.
Today, Hugh resides in a century-old house in Fair Oaks with his wife, Teri.
In explaining his passion for art, Hugh said, “Basically, you’ve got a story to tell. You’ve got something that you think is going to make the world a better place or at least make some understanding or describe what’s beautiful here that maybe you don’t know about. Whatever your point is, you’re telling a story. I’m self driven pretty much. My imagination works real quick.”
And in demonstrating his sense of humor at the end of the interview, Hugh, after being asked how he would like to be remembered in the future, responded, “Well, what’s the difference?”

Don and Holly Haws resided in Carmichael during the 1970s, while Don managed the Carmichael Park pool and was the head coach of the Carmichael Beavers Swim Team. Photo courtesy of Don Haws

Editor’s Note: This is part three of a series regarding the old Carmichael Park pool, which was recently demolished.

Back in the early 1970s, when Richard Nixon was still president and bell bottoms and disco were the rage, a young college student named Don Haws began working at the Carmichael Park pool.
And although his overall time working at the pool represents a relatively short segment of his life, Haws, during an interview with this publication last week, said, “Those were some of the most memorable, pleasant and fun experiences of my life.”
But long before he became acquainted with the pool, Haws, 69, had grown up in Santa Barbara.
Haws recalled how he learned how to swim in that city during his childhood.
“When I was about 5 years, I got over my fear of water and the ocean and discovered my body was buoyant and I could dog paddle,” Haws said. “Then when my parents (Karl and Wanda) got a boat, it was mandatory that I wore a lifejacket on the boat until I learned how to swim. So, I decided to take swim lessons at a public swimming pool.”
While attending Santa Barbara High School, Haws was a member of the school’s football team, which won the 1960 California Interscholastic Federation large school, Southern Section championship at the Los Angeles Coliseum. He also lettered on the school’s swim team as a distance swimmer.
After graduating from high school in 1961, he fulfilled his general education requirements and played football at Santa Barbara City College.
In about 1963, Haws joined the Army Reserves, and from about 1965 to 1967, he served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Central America in a district that covered an area from Guatemala to Panama.
After returning home from his mission, Haws continued his education at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in pre-law and a minor in ergonomics (physical education) in 1970.
During his time at that university, Haws married his high school sweetheart, Holly Lyons, and they eventually had three children – David, Daniel and Shelly.
After graduating from UC Santa Barbara, Haws was accepted to attend the McGeorge School of Law at 3282 5th Ave.
Haws said that his time at McGeorge was a short-lived endeavor.
“After six weeks, I dropped out, because I decided that law was not the profession that I wanted to pursue for a lifetime,” Haws said.
In the process of changing his direction in life, Haws visited Carmichael resident Dr. Jerome Needy, a department chairman at Sacramento State College (now Sacramento State University).
Needy allowed Haws to become a student in the recreation and park administration program under the provision that he completed undergraduate classes prior to being accepted into the graduate program.
In 1972, Haws applied for employment at the Carmichael Recreation and Park District as a day camp leader at Carmichael Park.
In addition to his work as a day camp leader, Haws served as a part-time lifeguard at the park’s pool.
He obtained that position due to his American Red Cross lifeguard certification, swim team experience and his major.
About seven months later, Haws was hired as the pool manager at Carmichael Park by the district’s administrator, Dick Pollock.
In recalling his work as the pool’s manager in 1972 and 1973, Haws said, “It was a real reward for my service and it was an incredible experience working under a park administrator who was so well trained in the field of aquatics. He was a pro. You couldn’t ask for a better mentor. He was on the swim team at UC Berkeley and he was a great diver.”
Additionally, Haws expressed high praise for the pool’s lifeguard program during that era.
“I truly believe that we and other pools in the Sacramento area were the avant-garde of pool lifeguarding in the United States at the time,” Haws said. “At our pool, we were developing a pool manual for policies and procedures. Our lifeguards had to sign in for weekly training and were required to swim laps to keep physically fit. We ran a tight ship and we ran it well. That pool was spotless. We had some outstanding lifeguards, including Lori Worthington, Harry Powell, Linda McBeth and Marcella Payne.
Haws added that the lifeguards were quite attractive, as well.
“All of our lifeguards were attractive, even the men,” he said. “I don’t know where they came from, like modeling places or something.”
While serving as the pool’s manager in 1972, Haws began coaching the 13 to 17-year-old swimmers of the Golden Valley Swim League’s Carmichael Beavers Swim Team, which at that time held its practices and home meets at the park’s pool.
His assistant was Sharon Faulkner, who coached the 12 and under team members.
In discussing his memories of coaching the Beavers, Haws said, “It was a very fulfilling experience watching the kids improve their performances. We were fortunate to win all our dual meets. Unfortunately, I didn’t have them sufficiently prepared for the finals and I totally except responsibility.
“There were many great stories associated with my time as the Beavers’ head coach. The one that touched me the most was the only moment when I had tears in my eyes at a swim meet. It was a race involving the 6 and under swim team members. The starting gun went off and it was obvious that one of the boy swimmers was not yet a strong swimmer, and he would have to swim several strokes without taking a breath and then grab onto the lane line to catch his breath. All swimmers had completed the race about one minute ahead of this boy when he finally finished the race. During the last portion of the race, everyone in the stands stood up and applauded his diligent and heart-warming effort. As the exhausted boy was attempting to climb out of the pool, I reached down and pulled him out of the water and embraced him, as tears came to my eyes.”
Haws, who was a certified scuba diver, brought the most unique program to the pool during the summer of 1973, when he arranged for scuba diving classes to be held at the pool.
After his two years of working at the Carmichael Park pool, Haws, who was then in a wheelchair due to back spasms, was nonetheless determined to take a county test at the old La Sierra High School in an attempt to become the pool manager at Elk Grove Park.
Haws had the highest score on the test and was offered the position. But he never worked a day on the job, since it was discovered that he had testicular cancer that required an operation and radiation treatment.
Fortunately for Haws and his family, these procedures were successful.
During his time of recovery, Haws completed his master’s thesis, which he titled “A Comparative Analysis of State Lifeguard Training Standards.”
His thesis was considered a landmark project, because it admonished people responsible for public pools that mere lifeguard certification through the Red Cross was insufficient to insure public safety at swimming pools.
In discussing his thesis, Haws said, “State requirements for public pool supervision needed to be revisited and upgraded.”
After completing his thesis, Haws worked as the recreation supervisor at Arden Park for about a year, and then he worked for about two years as the recreation superintendent for the North Highlands Recreation and Park District.
In 1979, Haws returned to his hometown, where he was hired as the general program supervisor for the city of Santa Barbara’s recreation department. Among the divisions that he supervised was the beaches and swimming pools division.
Eventually, Haws was enticed by his brother, Jerry, a real estate attorney, to become a real estate agent – a position he has held for the past 29 years.
Although he changed careers, Haws, who also has a brother named Karl, said that one day he hopes to assist in his former field by helping to prevent tragic drowning incidents through some avenue such as public speaking, authoring a book or becoming a teacher at the junior college level.

The Carmichael Recreation and Park District was established in 1945. Above, is a photograph of the cover of the district’s 1973, 20-year master plan. / Photo courtesy of CRPD

Let’s play ball

In tracking the roots of the district, all signs lead to the sport of baseball, as the district’s beginnings can be pinpointed to the simple need for a local baseball facility.

Considering that Sacramento has been known as a baseball city throughout the majority of its existence, the district’s establishment through baseball is quite fitting.

The district’s connection with baseball begins with the name, Dan Donovan.

While residing in Carmichael, Donovan was seeking a location where his local baseball team could play its games.

Donovan, who is also known for establishing Carmichael’s first fire department, serving as the fire department’s first chief and operating a bar at Fair Oaks Boulevard and Garfield Avenue, led the drive to have a baseball field built in part of what is today’s Carmichael Park.

This baseball field, which had once been only a dream, became a reality for Donovan, who was part of the 1946 team that won the U.S.-Canadian Non-Professional Baseball Tournament in Wichita, Kan.

Carmichael Park was purchased in separate parcels and by the early 1960s, the park had been expanded to 38 acres.

This now-abandoned pool was in operation at Carmichael Park from 1952 to 2004. / Valley Community Newspapers photo, Lance Armstrong

Carmichael’s poolOne of the most popular attractions in the park’s history was its 50-foot by 100-foot swimming pool, which was constructed in 1952.

Originally, the pool featured both low and high diving boards and was accompanied by a nearby wading pool.

Unfortunately for the community, use of the pool was discontinued in 2004. The district, however, is exploring avenues for acquiring funding to replace the pool.

The petting zooEarly visitors of Carmichael Park may also remember another now-absent feature of the park – a petting zoo that was located on the site of the present day group picnic rental facility. The petting zoo included such animals as goats, a pig, a sheep, rabbits and chickens.

Today, the park, which CRPD Administrator Jack Harrison described as “Carmichael’s Central Park,” features five softball diamonds, six lighted tennis courts, a one-acre, off-leash dog park, a lighted basketball court, a pair of playgrounds, a public picnic shelter and a band shell, which serves as the site of free summer concerts. The park is also the site of a popular Easter Egg Hunt, which is held annually on the day prior to Easter.

Carmichael Park, which began through the construction of a baseball field, is presently home to five softball diamonds. / Photo courtesy of CRPD

Among the oldest buildings in the park is the community clubhouse, which is available for rent and is used for community organization meetings, district board meetings, weddings and receptions.

Other structures located at the park include the district’s administration building and the Veterans Memorial Building, which is used for local veteran gatherings, small-sized meetings, classes and a preschool program.

Del Campo Park

The district added the second of its now 14 park sites when it acquired the property for Del Campo Park in Fair Oaks in 1971. This was also the year that the district hired its first full-time administrator.

Ross Norberg, who has been employed as a maintenance worker for the district since 1976, said that Del Campo Park, which was developed in 1979, was nothing but a large lawn-covered area until about 1990.

Today, this 21.6-acre park, which is located near Del Campo High School, features a soccer field and a playground.

Additional parks

In addition to Del Campo Park, the district acquired 10 park sites during the 1970s.

These sites range in size from the one-acre Bird Track Park on Pheasant Road in Fair Oaks to Carmichael’s 13.6-acre Jan Drive Park, which is scheduled to open sometime next year.

A popular feature of Carmichael Park is its one-acre, off-leash dog park. / Valley Community Newspapers photo, Lance Armstrong

Among the current CRPD park sites, which were not previously mentioned, are the 9.4-acre O’Donnell Heritage Park (property acquired in 1974) on Barrett Road in Carmichael, the 7.4-acre Cardinal Oaks Park (1974) on Cardinal Court at Kenneth Avenue in Carmichael, the three-acre Glancy Oaks Park (1977) on Sunny Lane in Carmichael and the three-acre Patriots Park (1976) on Palm Avenue, off Dewey Drive, in Fair Oaks.

One of the district’s most treasured acquisitions occurred in 1984, with its addition of the former La Sierra High School. This 37-acre site includes a pair of gymnasiums, soccer fields, Little League baseball fields, the Chautauqua Playhouse, the Sacramento Fine Arts Center and about 170,000 square feet of private rental space.

CRPD Park Maintenance Supervisor Ron Shilliday, who spends about 95 percent of his employment hours for the district at the La Sierra site, said that the former school serves as a great asset for the community.

“The enjoyment of all the facilities and the recreation for anyone, no matter what their age, (at the La Sierra site) is amazing,” Shilliday said. “You can enjoy the theater or the arts center or the many programs that are over there from chair yoga to Little League baseball to soccer to dance. On a good day when you have volleyball, baseball, theater and a wedding reception, there’s no parking to be found. It’s a great place for the community and the people who work here. It keeps us hopping to keep people happy.”

Also unique among the district’s sites are the 17.2-acre Schweitzer Grove Park and the 3.5-acre Charles C. Jensen Botanical Garden.

Schweitzer Grove Park, which is located at Sumter and Hussey drives, next to Albert Schweitzer Elementary School in Carmichael, is the site of a disc golf course and walking trails with five entrances.

The name Schweitzer Grove Park was selected 39 years ago through CRPD’s “Name a Park Contest.”

According to the May 27, 1971 edition of The Sacramento Union, the winners of the contest, which also provided the names Del Campo Park and Bird Track Park, were: Annette Ackerman, Kathryn Confer, Susan Emerson, Nancy Figenbaum, Kim Walker, Kevin Williams and Karen Zymwaht.

Jewel of the district

Undoubtedly a jewel of the park district, the Charles C. Jensen Botanical Garden at 8520 Fair Oaks Blvd. features a wide variety of plants and trees, manicured lawns, walkways, benches and a pair of bridges over a small creek bed.

The garden, which has been featured in a variety of newspapers, including the New York Times, is named after its founder, Charles C. Jensen, who placed the garden’s initial plants and trees at the site in 1958.

Jensen passed away in 1974 at the age of 80 and through the efforts of the Charles C. Jensen Botanical Garden, Inc., which was formed by a group of concerned, local citizens, his property was saved from being subdivided.

Two years later, CRPD took over the ownership of the property and through the assistance of the Friends of the Jensen Botanical Garden, the garden is maintained on a consistent basis.

As a longtime asset of the community, the district has offered many activities that are documented in the district’s archives.

Carmichael Park was the first park of the Carmichael Recreation and Park District. Today, the district consists of 14 park sites. / Valley Community Newspapers photo, Lance Armstrong

Among the district’s earlier activities mentioned in these archives are the following 1970s activities: a trip to a San Francisco Giants game in 1970, a Mini Bike Day on March 11, 1972, a trip to Marine World on Aug. 9, 1972 and square dancing evenings by the Carmichael Park pool.

And of course, the district has provided the sites for many league baseball and softball games, swimming competitions, tennis matches and other sporting events.

Continuing its mission to “satisfy the recreational needs of the community by providing a wide range of facilities and opportunities to enrich the quality of life,” CRPD recently published its fall/winter 2010-11 activity guide, which is available at the district office at 5750 Grant Ave. in Carmichael Park or at the La Sierra Recreation Office at 5325 Engle Road in Carmichael.

Information regarding district-sponsored activities can also be obtained through the Web site www.carmichaelpark.com or by calling (916) 485-5322.

CRPD Administrative Analyst Lee Ann Yarber said that for a parks and recreation district that has grown from a site with one baseball field to 183 acres on 14 sites, the district’s current anniversary is special.

“We’re very proud of (the district’s) accomplishments,” Yarber said. “In recent years, we’ve opened two parks (and) we’ve got another one scheduled to (open) in 2011. We just keep evolving and continuing to grow.”

lance@valcomnews.com

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