Freda Jean Gonzalez, 79, passed away after battling a number of prolonged illnesses, August 12, 2022 at Antelope Valley Care Center, Lancaster, Calif. She was born May 18, 1943 in Norman, Oklahoma, daughter to Earnest and Carrie Mae (Wilson) Rains.
Although she spent the majority of her high school years at Trona High School, Trona, Calif., Freda completed her studies at Sherman E. Burroughs High School in Ridgecrest, Calif., Class of 1961.
Marrying her high school sweetheart, John Gilbert Gonzalez, they began their married life and soon welcomed a daughter. As a family, they settled in Glendale, Calif., where Freda had a long career of 30+ years as a Cosmetologist where she had a loyal and extended clientele. In her spare time, Freda liked watching and playing golf, watching football (USC Trojans were her favorite), cooking, reading, listening to music, and traveling along the West Coast where she would enjoy being outdoors in the fresh air and warm sun.
In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by; one brother, Ray Rains, of Trona, Calif. and her two sisters, Maxine (Rains) Mower and JoAnn (Rains) Wright also of Trona, Calif. Survived by; one daughter and son-in-law, Saundra and Ross Horman of Lancaster, Calif., one granddaughter, Nicole Williams of Marysville, Washington, one brother and sister-in-law, Charlie and Lisa Rains of Trona, Calif., as well as many nieces and nephews.
At Freda’s request, there will be no funeral or memorial service. Instead, she asked that friends and loved ones celebrate her life by living each day to its fullest and enjoy spending time together.
I still remember the day that Bobbie Halstead walked into our 3rd grade class as a new student. It was around 1952 or 1953. The Halstead family had just moved to Trona from Porterville. I had never heard of Porterville before and had no idea where it was. She was assigned the desk next to mine. We were friends ever since. I didn’t keep up with Bobbie’s life so I can’t tell you much about it. I chatted with her on the computer quite a bit she started complaining about memory problems and just sort of disappeared from Facebook. The last time I saw her was at the last class reunion that I attended. It was a very sad moment yesterday when I heard that she had passed away. She died on July 10, 2022.
Bobbie was born in Porterville January 24, 1943 to James and Irene Halstead. Bobbie came to Trona with her three brothers, Frank, Jack and Richard and a younger sister Linda. Frank was in the class of 1954 and Jack and Richard were in the class of 1956. Jack passed away in 2003. Linda was in the class of 1962
We would like to express our sincerest condolences to Bob and to all of Bobbie’s family.
Vicki Jo Hudson was born on May 20,1956 in Trona, California. She passed away peacefully on July 30,2022 in Ridgecrest, California. She is survived by her son Joseph T. Bing. Vicki Jo was Trona High School’s homecoming queen in 1974.
Bruce was born as John Bruce Bernhardi to John and Margaret Bernhardi om August 5, 1937. If he had lived until his birthday he would have been 85 years old.
In high school he was in the band for 4 years, a varsity club member for 3 years, a member of the Telescope staff in his junior year, played football for 3 years, played basketball for 3 years, baseball for 3 years and was on the track team for 4 years. He wore jersey number 22 for basketball and football. I wonder when he found time to study.
After high school he attended Northern Arizona University where he played football from 1955 to 1958. In 2008 Bruce was inducted into Northern Arizona University’s Hall of Fame.
Stating in 1965 Bruce worked as a football coach at Sherman E. Burroughs High School in Ridgecrest, C.A
Bruce’s brother, Lee, was in the class of 1958 and his sister, Marcia, was in the class of 1960. Their father, John, worked in AP&CC’s village maintenance.
Note: Roger went by the name of Roger Terry while he lived in Trona. The family left Trona about 1954/1955.
Roger Kenneth Mitchell March 22, 1938 – July 14, 2022
Roger Kenneth Mitchell was born March 22, 1938 in Waukegan, IL, and went to be with his Lord on July 14, 2022, aboard the cruise ship Ruby Princess while docked in Juneau, AK.
Spending his youth in Trona, CA, Roger spent many hours exploring the surrounding mountains and desert near Death Valley, ultimately leading him to earn a university degree in geology.
Following graduation, he began following another passion, that of travel to and exploration of other countries, expanding his thirst for knowledge and experiencing world cultures different from his own. His love of travel continued until the end of his life, even though the menace of Parkinson’s Disease wracked his body, making mobility more difficult. The day before he passed away, he enjoyed the wonder and beauty of the Yukon Territory, adding another place to his long list as a member of the Travelers’ Century Club.
Roger believed in helping his fellow Americans and world neighbors. He served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves as a medic. He joined the Peace Corps in its formative years and spent two years helping the indigenous people of the 12,000-foot-high Altiplano plateau of Bolivia build a water system to better their existence.
Service to the members of his community continued while he lived for a number of years in Bishop, CA, where he was a member of the Inyo County Sheriff Department Search and Rescue Team, using the experience he gained while climbing many of the Sierra Club 100 Peaks and twice hiking the John Muir trail on his own.
After moving his family with three sons to Oakhurst in 1980, Roger became a Scout leader, sharing his knowledge and love of the mountains and nature with the boys in the troop and camping with them each summer at Camp Chawanakee.
As Roger commuted to Fresno every day on the dangerous two-lane Highway 41, he came upon many accidents. After one particularly deadly day, he decided to train as an EMT in order to feel like he might help in the future. He joined the Madera County Volunteer Fire Department at Oakhurst Station 12, where he ultimately served as the Captain for 16 years.
Under his knowledgeable leadership, the volunteer company grew in numbers to provide excellent service to the community of Oakhurst and County of Madera, with many firefighters choosing to continue the profession with CalFire.
Roger was awarded the Madera County Firefighter of the Year in 1980 for his role in leading the fundraising and purchase of the first automatic external defibrillator A.E.D. in the county fire department for the engine at Station 12. A life-saving piece of equipment now seen literally everywhere groups of people gather, it was a game changer back in 1980.
Exploring was part of Roger’s nature from an early age, and he began to share his experiences in the 1970s by writing for off-road magazines, encouraging his readers to follow his lead in exploring their surroundings. He wrote booklets that guided off-roaders to follow jeep roads in the forests of the Sierra Nevada and the deserts of Death Valley and Joshua Tree.
Upon reaching retirement, he was able to once again focus on his passions for exploration and writing, traveling far-flung trails with Loris to new destinations in California and Nevada. Together they created Track and Trail Publications and published eleven 4×4 trail guides. Through these guidebooks Roger will continue to lead his readers down roads to exciting new adventures, teaching them about the history, natural wonders and respect for the environment.
Roger is survived by Loris Mitchell, his wife of 44 years; daughter Susan Scammon and her husband Mike; sons Lawrence Ott, his wife Jennifer, Jeran Ott, his wife Elizabeth, and Andrew Mitchell; sister Betty Kuehn; granddaughter Colette Ott; and many friends who remember him fondly. He was preceded in death by his grandson Dallas Dituri.
A service will be held at Oakhill Cemetery on Friday, July 29, 2022, at 1 p.
Dear Alumni: It’s time to put the past 2 years behind us and all come together to celebrate Trona High School, Homecoming and all our classmates on October 14-15. For those of you that are not aware, our beloved THS was badly damaged in the earthquakes of 2019. High school students have been attending class at the Round School and will be getting a new school in the future. Listed below is the preliminary schedule, event information, and the reservation/souvenir form..
The festivities will begin Friday night, October 14, with the coronation ceremony and bonfire, followed by a street dance on Frontage Road from 8:00 to midnight. DJ Eric Shoaf of Good Vibrations is donating his time to provide the music. Saturday activities include the pancake breakfast, Homecoming parade, with our very own Anna Sue and Benny Eldridge as Alumni Grand Marshalls. Lunch will be served from 11:00-1:00 at the Round School and proceeds will benefit the Searles Valley Scholarship Foundation. The Varsity football game against Mojave will start around 2:00, preceded by the introduction of the Homecoming Court. Saturday evening includes dancing and entertainment from 9:00-1:00 at the Elks, provided by Uptown, led by our very own Trona alumni John Young. The evening meal will be heavy Hors d’oeuvres. Souvenir tee shirts, zip up hoodie sweatshirts, and caps are available for purchase on the enclosed order form.
Here’s the schedule of events.
Friday, October 14th • 7:00 pm Coronation on the football field • 8:00 pm Bonfire and “T” lighting • 8-12 pm Street Dance – Frontage Rd. (where the liquor store/pizza parlor was)
Saturday, October 15th • 7:00 am Pancake Breakfast at the Senior Citizens Center • 10:00 am Homecoming Parade • 11:00 am Catered Lunch at the Round school (11:00-1:00) • 2:00 pm Introduction of Homecoming Court followed by Varsity Game • 6:00 pm Social hour at the Elks • 7:00 pm Heavy Hors d’oeuvres meal served from 7:00-9:00 • 9:00 pm Dancing at the Elks
◊ Reunion souvenirs: Souvenir tee shirts, hoodie sweatshirts, and hats can be ordered on the attached form. These souvenirs will NOT be available for sale during the reunion weekend, so buy them now! Souvenir packets will be available for pickup at the street dance on Friday night and after the parade on Saturday at the Rose Garden. A group picture will be taken in front of the high school prior to the lunch. Be sure to wear your reunion shirt!!! You may order souvenirs whether or not you attend the reunion, on the attached order form.
◊ Floats: Some alumni may be having floats in the parade. Please check with your class rep for more information.
◊ Hotels: See attached list for hotel information. Camping will be available at the Trona Pinnacles. The Pinnacle Inn Motel in Trona is hoping to be open by then. Dry camping, at no charge, will be available at the Trailer Park in Argus. Homewood Canyon Cabins are also available to rent. . Check their website at www.homewoodcabin.com.
◊ Cell phones: Only Verizon or Sprint cell phones will work in Trona. If you plan to purchase a prepaid Verizon or Sprint phone for the event, please make sure to ask if that phone will work in Trona. Apparently some do, and some don’t.
In addition, contact your class representative (see below) if you have any questions, want more information, or if you know the whereabouts or address of a lost classmate. Up-to-date information about this reunion will be available on Facebook in the Trona Alumni Group and at David Stevens website Trona On The Web: https://www.trona-ca.com (follow the links)
Hope to see you all in October!!!!
Please feel free to contact any one of the following coordinators: Barbara Sorges (760-608-9338, bsorges@yahoo.com), or Lana McCullar (760-372-5087, mygkids64@icloud.com). They will be able to help you get in contact with your class representative.
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Fill out the 2022 Reservation/Souvenir Order Sheet and make out a check for the total amount payable to “Trona Alumni Association.” If you are married to an alumni, please fill out a separate reservation sheet for each person with your class year indicated. Your tickets, and any souvenirs you order will be available for pick-up with your class.
Mail the 2022 Reservation/Souvenir Order Sheet and check to the following address:
Barbara Sorges TAA Treasurer 416 Dewalt Ave. Ridgecrest, CA 93555-4987
AND DO THIS BEFORE SEPTEMBER 15, 2022
This cutoff date is firm….registrations/orders will not be accepted after this date.
All rooms are plus tax (13.195%) All rooms reserved under TRONA ALL CLASS REUNION
Make reservations like normal, but mention that it is for the TRONA ALL CLASS REUNION to get the prices listed below.
Springhill Suites – 760-446-1630 king bed or double queen – $149.00
Hampton Inn & Suites 760-446-1968 king bed or double queen – $139.00
Heritage Inn and Suites – 760-446-6543 king bed or double queen – $119.00
Each of the above hotels have 5 king and 5 double queens reserved Includes breakfast Reserved until 30 Sep
Holiday Inn Express (not open yet, but taking reservations for October) 800-439-4745 King – $159 – double queens – $169, plus tax Includes breakfast No rooms reserved
Clarion Inn – 760-446-7910 15 kings reserved – $103 plus tax 10 double queens reserved – $107 Includes breakfast Reserved until 10 October
Best Western – 760-371-2300 5 kings reserved – $98.99 5 double queens reserved – $108.99 Includes breakfast Reserved until 1 Oct
Quality Inn – 760-375-9731 5 kings reserved – $109.00 5 double queens reserved – $109.00 Includes breakfast Reserved until 1 Oct
The following is from the Searles Valley Slate April-June 2022:
Dick and his wife, Cindy, became members of the SVHS after moving to Trona upon their retirement. Both Dick and Cindy were substitute docents at the Old Guest House Museum. They were also part of the group that organized the Trona Centennial in 2014.
Dick was the editor of the Searles Valley Slate for several years, always filling it with interesting and entertaining articles. He designed the logo of the newsletter that we still use today.
We of the Searles Valley Historical Society send our deepest sympathy to Dick’s Family. He will be missed very much.
I don’t know much about Torry or his death. I couldn’t find an obituary except for a short mention in the Searles Valley Slate dated April-June 2022. It reads as follows:
Torry was a Lifetime member of SVHS, and an Old Guest House Museum docent for many years. He loved his time at the museum and shared that he loved to walk around “just studying the photos” whenever the museum was without visitors. Torry also was dedicated to taking care of repairs that were needed around the museum.
The MacLean family came to Trona in 1944 where they lived in Federal Housing until 1953 when they moved to a house on Sage Street The MacLean’s left for Texas in 1955 when AP&CC landed a contract for the production of lithium hydroxide. They started a new company called, American Lithium Chemicals, where Torry’s father went to work.
At some point Torry purchased land in Homewood Canyon and moved back to Searles Valley. Torry’s mother, Hazel, is buried in the Searles Valley Cemetery.
