A Soldier’s Service-

Photograph Helps Tell a Story of World War II

Private First Class Charlie Dean in a photo believed to be from a liberated Italy at the end of World War II. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

Here’s a picture of Private First Class Charles Woodrow Dean, my great uncle who served in World War II.  

We don’t know much about Charlie’s military service. He died in 1989.

His obituary only mentions his service at the end of a paragraph about where he went to school before the war.  

Like many who served in World War II, Charlie rarely mentioned his military service. He was like so many of the so-called greatest generation of soldiers who returned from the war, went back to work, and helped build our country up in the fifties, sixties, and seventies.

Charlie (left) with his younger brother Chet Dean. Both men went off to war. Chet died in a training accident a day after D-Day, June 8, 1944. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

There are many reasons why Charlie’s story is worth the time and space to mention here. One of those reasons is that he lost his younger brother to the war.  

Chester Dean was killed in a training accident the day after D-Day in Wales. The two brothers were just a year apart in age.  

They were close. They likely saw their military service as something expected from men of that age during our nation’s history.

Charlie would serve in the European theater in Italy. He’s believed to be among the troops who helped liberate the country.  

Chet was part of a special unit developing a high powered lighting technology. His work was a government secret and we only found out about it in the years following the war.

He was promoted to Corporal and stayed with his unit (748th Tank Battalion, Medium) as they moved from training at Camp Bouse in Arizona to South Wales. 

Charlie fought the good fight and was there to help the citizens displaced by war to return to their homes.

We don’t have much to go on about his service other than this picture a family member had among many photos from Charlie’s generation.

We see him holding a little girl in his arms. She’s holding onto his neck. An older boy, likely the little girl’s brother, is seen looking on. 

We know nothing more than what we guess is happening in the photo. Everyone is smiling, so we surmise Charlie was part of the unit that helped restore normalcy to what had to have been a trying situation.

Charlie in 1970 with (L to R) his sister Mary, wife Rose, and sister Myrtle. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

Chet did not come home, but Charlie did and lived with his wife, Rose, and a daughter. Rose died in the 1970s, and Charlie never remarried. He had two grandsons.

He never talked about his time in the war, and I know I never asked him about it. Things like military service never surfaced in the years I knew Charlie.

He was well-liked by his family. My dad looked up to him.  

Charlie grew up in the Great Depression.

They were a family with a share of pain and misery, some of it caused by the Depression. Being poor helps speed up one’s ambition.  

We honor him and all the soldiers from all the wars.

We remember their sacrifice and their likely struggles to return to life in an era before anyone ever heard the term post-traumatic stress.

Work was to be done, families to bring up, and lives to live.

The grave markers for Charlie and Chet Dean in the Port Leyden, NY Cemetery. Photos: Newvine Personal Collection

Some came back. Some did not. Some chose never to talk about it. Most of us never asked.

As we approach Veterans Day, we’ll remember them. When I think about my life growing up in a small town, I think about the smiles that Charlie could pull out of many of those around him. 

 I used to think his sisters took it easy on him because he was the only living brother after the oldest brother passed in the 1950s.

But now I’m coming around to see a man who did what was asked of his country and who was now going to make sure his family was in a good place.

We only have to return to that picture of Charlie holding that little girl in Italy. She looked up to him, and so should the rest of us.-

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His new book Jack and Johnny- Benny, Carson and a friendship made for Television is now available at Jack & Johnny (lulu.com)

His California books are available at the Merced Courthouse Museum Gift Shop and Bookish Modesto in the Roseburg Square Shopping Center.

Benny and the (Army Air Force) Jets-

Former Central Valley Airfield Connects to Hollywood 

Comedian Jack Benny, shown here at a different show for a military audience, performed his weekly radio broadcast from Gardner Field near Taft, California in Kern County on October 15, 1944. Photo: National WW II Archives, John Joseph Janik

In World War II, with the threat of Japanese air attacks on the California coastline, the US Army Air Force added to the number of bases to hold an increasing flood of aircraft and pilots fighting the good fight.

Castle Air Base in Atwater in Merced County was fortified with more personnel and airplanes. Throughout the state and the Central Valley, more land was being used to strengthen our nation’s air power.

One of those bases was in Taft in Kern County. Gardner Field was built on about one thousand acres of land near Taft in Kern County in 1941. According to a history of the field online (AirfieldsFreeman.com), more than ten thousand people attended the official dedication of the facilities on October 26, 1941, just six weeks before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Cadets in training at Gardner Field in the early years of World War II. Photo: Taft Oil Museum, courtesy of Rex Ricks; AirfieldsFreeman.com, courtesy Paul Freeman.

Gardner was ready for mobilization, but the build-up came with some complications.

The online history recounts how fifty cadets in the first class arrived at Gardner Field to find no quarters, field, or planes.

Tents provided temporary quarters for the cadets, and soon, the planes arrived. That first class was now off and flying.

At one point, two thousand personnel were on site. The base eventually had a hospital, sewage plant, nine administration buildings, four mess halls, thirty-seven barracks, and a chapel.

(Left) A plaque photo from Gardner Field. (Right) A special postmark of the dedication of Gardner Field from 1941. Plaque photo: Keith Wood, postmark photo: Taft Oil Museum archive, AirsfieldsFreeman.com courtesy Paul Freeman

Because of the proximity to Hollywood, movie stars and radio performers could make a quick trip ninety miles north of Los Angeles to show their support for our military.

Joel McCrea and other movie stars paid for a swimming pool built on the base. Johnny Weissmuller was at the official opening for the pool and, according to the online history, “enlivened the pool’s dedication with his Tarzan jungle call.”

Comedian Jack Benny took his weekly radio show to Gardner Field eighty years ago this month.

The October 15, 1944 broadcast of the Jack Benny Program featured many of his on-air family members, such as announcer Don Wilson, platonic friend (Benny’s real-life wife) Mary Livingstone, and bandleader Phil Harris.

It was full of the usual Benny antics from the star who dominated radio for over twenty years before doing the same in television.

(Dialogue from the show)

Sound effect, knocking on the door.

Benny: (opens the door) Come in?

Messenger: Mr. Benny?

Benny: Yes.

Messenger: On behalf of the US Army Air Force, we’d like to present you with these wings.

Benny: Oh, how nice.

Messenger: I’m sorry, the rest of the chicken got away.

The famous Chuck Yeager served at Gardner Air Base in the 1940s. Photo enhanced by Bill Grasha, courtesy of AirfieldsFreeman.com 

Gardner Field was also where Chuck Yeager was based for his primary pilot training in the forties. Yeager would become the first pilot in history confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight. 

While at Gardner, this eventual world-famous pilot reportedly suffered from air sickness. Thankfully, in aviation history, he overcame the condition.

Gardner proved to be a positive economic generator for the small city of Taft.

The city was primarily an oil town as petroleum companies set up wells over several decades. With some two-thousand men on site, the airbase helped propel the city through the war and beyond.

The base closed after the war, with the last class graduating in January 1945. Nearly twelve thousand soldiers and cadets trained there during the four years of operation.

Over time, the buildings were taken down.

The airstrips remained for a few years. It’s believed the field was used as a civilian airport in the late forties, and what was then known as Gardner Airport closed in the early fifties.

The land was used for farming after that. Gardner Air Field remains a memory to Kern County residents who may have been around when the base was in operation.

However, during World War II, actors such as McCrea and Weissmuller helped to make lasting memories for the men who served on that air base in Kern County.

Comedians like the great Jack Benny visited and put on his acclaimed radio show right there from the grounds of the former Gardner Air Field.

Jack Benny took his radio program to military sites throughout WW II.  The American Legion Hall in Palm Springs was one of those locations and has a display from that era.  Photo: Matt and Claudia Ottinger

Benny may have summed it up best when he painted such a rosy picture of the place to his audience of cadets and soldiers, they politely jeered him.

Jack toured several military bases in California during the war, and his writers went out of their way to add local color, causing the audience to react with laughs and applause.  

In the case of Gardner Field, the writers put in gags about the hot weather, with Mary Livingstone telling Jack that it was so warm, “The flowers in my hair wilted.” The writers added dialogue featuring two actors playing cadets with comments about the nearby town:

Cadet: What do you think, should we go to the Benny show?

Cadet 2: Well, it’s either that or spending another half hour in Taft.

The broadcast was similar to the shows other stars, such as Bob Hope, would bring to the troops overseas. The shows lightened up the mood with good humor to get a taste of home to the cadets and pilots away from their loved ones.  

Benny and the gang came to the party, and Jack brought the jokes. –

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

He will soon publish Jack and Johnny: Benny, Carson and a Friendship Made for Television, his latest book recounting the friendship between Jack Benny and Johnny Carson. The book will be out on November first and available at Lulu.com.

To listen to the complete broadcast of the Jack Benny Program from Gardner Field, follow this link: From Gardner Field Taft California | Jack Benny Program | Comedy | Old Time Radio Downloads

Steve thanked Paul Freeman, who manages the website AirfieldsFreeman.com .

The site has a lot of information and photographs of air bases, planes, and soldiers all over the US.

First on the FM Dial-

Christian Radio Station KAMB on FM in Merced Since 1967

The main studio for KAMB Celebration Radio, 101.5 FM in Merced. Photo: Steve Newvine

There are many places where we can find music and entertainment in our cars and homes.

Listener choices include satellite radio, terrestrial (over the airwaves) AM and FM stations, individual playlists running through Bluetooth, and some other means of entertainment that might come to mind.

We are going back to 1967 when the folks at KAMB Celebration Radio in Merced started up their station. At that time, every Merced station was on the AM dial.  

FM was available in several cities, but if a station was on that band, it would usually be a sister station of a popular AM broadcaster.

Owners knew there might come a day when FM would be the primary source of over-the-air radio, but that day was long off into the future six decades ago.

“I don’t know if they were looking for AM or FM at the time,” says KAMB Station Manager Chris Grant. “It was just a reality of the time and space was available on the FM band.”

KAMB Radio logo. KAMB started in Merced in 1967 and is the first FM radio station to serve the area.  

KAMB was the first FM station to serve Merced beginning fifty-seven years ago. Chris says being on FM back then could have challenged listeners to tune in.

He says the real obstacle was putting a religious station on the air where commercial stations competed for listeners.

“There were very few Christian radio stations compared to general market stations back then,” he says. “But our founders recognized that and got the word out through churches, billboards, and word of mouth.”

Early programs on KAMB featured Christian music and spoken word broadcasts. Over the years, the station has focused primarily on music while not losing sight of the Federal Communications Act mandate to broadcast for the public interest, convenience, and necessity.

The station programs local public interest segments that deal primarily with initiatives among area Christian faith communities. It provides opportunities for supporters to partner with the station to present events everyone hopes will be impactful.

Chris was a board member and volunteer for the station until about a year and a half ago, when he accepted the opportunity to become Station Manager. He brought secular radio experience into the operation with a background in the Modesto media market.

KAMB moved their studios to the former California Highway Patrol office in Merced. The building tower still has the seven point symbol of law enforcement. The station uses the space in the tower for storage. Photos: Steve Newvine

The station operates in the former California Highway Patrol Merced office on 16th Street.

That building was featured in this space earlier in the year (History on the Highway Spanish style Building was once the California Highway Patrol — Merced County Events) .

Designed as an office for law enforcement, the station used the space by converting meeting rooms into studios.

Even the iconic tower of the former CHP building has been used as a storage area for old program logs and other paper documents. 

The station provided space to the newly formed pro-life health center nearly forty years ago. That organization became the Alpha Pregnancy Health Center and now has stand-alone office space near the Merced Mall.

It’s been a long road for the station. On the air since 1967, it remains a part of the Merced local media scene with a message inspired by faith and sustained by a foundational belief that the message coming over the airwaves connects positively and spiritually with the audience.

With so many choices for listeners in this world of satellite radio, internet-driven programs, and fickle audiences, KAMB landed first on the FM dial in Merced and has never looked back.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His book Beaten Paths and Back Roads, as well as the other books in his California series, are available at the Merced Courthouse Museum Gift Shop and now are also available at Bookish Modesto at the Roseburg Square Shopping Center, 811 W Roseburg Avenue in Modesto,

He thanks the Merced Senior Center Writer’s group members for their warm reception on September 18. He discussed his writing process and read from his book Finding Bill. Steve is available to speak at service clubs and other groups. You can reach him at SteveNewvine@SBCGlobal.net

Baseball will be back in Modesto in 2025-

City’s History with the Game Celebrated at McHenry Museum

John Thurman Field in Modesto. Photo: Steve Newvine

More than sixty years ago, some of the biggest names in baseball played minor league ball in Modesto, Stanislaus County.

Jose Conseco, Jason Giambi, and Rickey Henderson are among the stars who made Modesto their home on their way to the big leagues.

Did you know that back in 1962, there was an exhibition game between the two teams from that year’s World Series? The Yankees and the Giants played in Modesto as they awaited drenching typhoon Freda rains to clear out of San Francisco. 

Modesto has a piece of baseball history, and thanks to some last-minute efforts, it will continue to be the home of the city’s minor league team for the 2025 season.

Modesto’s baseball  history is part of a permanent exhibit at the McHenry Museum.  Photo: McHenry Museum

The City and the Seattle Mariners organization have agreed to a one-year lease extension to continue having the Mariner’s farm team, the Modesto Nuts, playing at John Thurman Field.

That deal was reached around Labor Day, just as the Mariner’s farm team was winding down the regular season.

Earlier in the summer, the team announced it would leave Modesto unless the City agreed to a multi-million dollar list of stadium improvements. The City clarified that the request was out of line with what it could afford.  

Willie Mays and the San Francisco Giants played an exhibition against the New York Yankees in Modesto on October 15, 1962. Photo: OpenSFHistory.org

Baseball has been a part of the city of Modesto’s history since the Modesto Reds played at the beginning of the 1900s. The game and its connection to the Valley are being celebrated with an exhibit at the McHenry House Museum, operated by the Stanislaus County Historical Society.

The Museum has a permanent exhibit called Modesto Baseball that highlights some of the game's biggest moments in the city.

The exhibit includes photographs from that World Series exhibition game on October 14, 1962. The Yankees and the Giants were washed out at Candlestick Park for a few days thanks to typhoon Freda, and game six was called off due to the poor field conditions.  

According to HistoricModesto.com, both teams needed to work out on dry grass. Modesto’s Del Web Field was available. The teams took buses out to the Valley and played an exhibition game.

Central Valley fans maneuver to get a view of the Yankees and the Giants as they play an exhibition during the World Series of 1962. The teams were rained out due to typhoon Freda in the Bay Area and they needed a professional field for workouts. Photo: HistoricModesto.com

Baseball holds a special place for Corey Gales, the team's director of corporate sponsorships.

A Modesto native, he’s been working for the team for three years. “Minor league baseball at this level is exceptional for any city,” he says. “There are only one-hundred twenty teams throughout the United States.”

Corey is happy the team will remain in Modesto for at least one more season and is optimistic that both sides can find a way to make a long-term lease happen for John Thurman Field.

It was another excellent season for the team as they won their division again. In 2023, they went all the way to the league championship.  

“We had intense heat this summer,” Corey said as he summed up the season. “Out of sixty-six home games, I’d guess thirty-five to forty of them were played in temperatures over one-hundred degrees.”

But that’s life in the summer in the San Joaquin Valley. The team and the fans have endured those hot summer games for many years, and everyone is hoping the baseball tradition continues in Modesto.

There are conflicting accounts about who won that October 1962 exhibition game played in Modesto or even whether it was considered a game, given that both teams were there primarily for the workout.

The World Series would continue in San Francisco, with the Yankees winning game six to tie the series. The Yankees beat the Giants 1-0 in game seven and captured the World Series trophy.-

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

Among his many achievements in forty years as a working professional are two opportunities to throw the ceremonial first pitch at two minor league baseball games.

He thanks all those who participated in the third annual Author’s Fair, which was held on September 14 at the Merced County Library Main Branch.

His latest book, Rocket Reporter, is available at Lulu.com. His California books are also available online or at the Merced Courthouse Museum Gift Shop.

The Modesto Baseball at the McHenry Museum is a permanent exhibit. Museum hours are Noon to 4 PM, Friday through Sunday. mchenrymuseum.org

Art Below the Underpass-

G Street Project Artwork Seen Only by Walkers

Some of the artwork along the south sidewalk at the G Street underpass. Photo: Steve Newvine

There are two displays of public artwork that most people never see when traveling the city streets of Merced. 

The art on the walls along the G Street underpass can only be appreciated by walkers. It is hidden from drivers along the busy roadway.

The underpass has been used since December 2011 following an eighteen-month construction period.

By all accounts, it has made a big difference in moving cars through the city.

The G Street Railroad Underpass cost $18 million to build back in 2011. Photo: Steve Newvine

As the only rail underpass in the city, the project eliminated the stopping of cars as trains passed on the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railroad tracks at what was then an at-grade crossing.  

The underpass has likely saved lives as a public safety solution to emergency vehicles having to wait as trains zipped through. It is also assumed that the air is a little bit cleaner from the elimination of stopped cars waiting for trains to pass at the intersection.

As a newcomer to the city in 2006, I was taken aback by having to wait on a train passing through. I referred to it as “Railroad Roulette” as I would head out for a meeting, wondering if the arms at a crossing might come down when I needed to get through.

Artwork along the north sidewalk of the G Street Rail Underpass include tributes to Merced’s Hispanic and Hmong communities. Photos: Steve Newvine

The City touted the artwork on the pedestrian walls underneath the span at the time. According to a news report at the time, artists Monika Modest and Kristan Robinson were commissioned to create the art.

Monika was involved in several community art initiatives, including the Starry Night mural at the Merced Open Air Theatre in Applegate Park and the Poppies Galore installation at Bob Hart Square. In 2018, the Merced Garden Club honored her with a Beautification Award.

On the southern wall, there’s an array of tiles similar to what can be seen at Bob Hart Square at Main and Canal Streets in downtown Merced. There is also an interpretation of the Merced Courthouse Museum and Merced Theatre.

On the northern wall are two montages: one honors the Hmong community, while the other honors the Hispanic community.

A Merced Sun Star story about the bridge's dedication in 2011 referred to surveillance cameras that protect the art. Either the cameras were not that good, or no one was viewing the images from them because, in late August 2024, several damaged tiles and graffiti were along parts of the walls.

The City of Merced logo is imbedded into the G Street Rail Underpass. Photo: Steve Newvine

The project was the City’s largest road project in 2011, with an eighteen-million-dollar price tag.

The cost was paid with state tax dollars, redevelopment agency funds, City public facility financing fees, and the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railroad. The City spent another two million four hundred thousand dollars on water line replacements and other improvements in the project area.

While the artwork is pleasing to look at, some repairs need to be made to restore it to its condition at the grand opening. In the meantime, it remains one of the City’s fascinating public art displays.  

“We truly appreciate our public art,” said Merced Mayor Matt Serrato. “It makes our city so much more vibrant.”

In a free moment, please take a few minutes to walk along the sidewalks under the bridge and see the artwork that helped define our community back in 2011.

It is a display that only people who walk along the sidewalks can see.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

Meet him and other local authors at the Merced County Library Author Fair on September 14 at the Merced branch.

The event runs from 10:00 am to Noon and is free to attend. Local authors will be selling their books at the event. He will have copies of his California books available for sale and for signing.

The Final Lap in the High School Relay—

Class Reunion Reminders Stir Memories

Steve Newvine high school senior photograph. South Lewis Central School in 1975. Photo: Talon HS Yearbook

Throughout Merced County and the nation, school has either started or is about to begin.  

This is the last year for the senior class, the final lap in the relay known as high school.

My high school class is in the early stages of planning a fiftieth reunion next summer.

I hope it can be successfulf.

The last effort from ten years ago stopped when very few former classmates committed to coming.  

With three thousand miles between where I live now and where I went to high school, I could not commit ten years ago. Once the details come out, I’ll make an effort to try. It’s a long shot, but I will try.

I can recall at least one memory every month, from returning to class in September to graduation in June.

As I wrote in my first memoir, Grown Up, Upstate, I skipped my senior year's first day of school. Over Labor Day weekend, I had a chance to earn some decent money helping my uncle clear out a couple of big box stores. He was in the construction business, and his company needed to clear out the store fixtures so that the buildings could be renovated.  

Our classes started the day after Labor Day, but with more work to do, my cousin, a friend, and I opted out of that first day of school to make money. My parents reasoned that only a little learning goes on that first day, so they let me do the job and skip school.

By October, my parents and I planned a road trip to visit two colleges that had broadcasting programs.

Deciding to go to college was a big one, as I was the first in my family to take that step. The first college we looked at was Herkimer College in central New York. We liked what we saw, so we canceled the appointment for the second school, and I turned my attention to the college application.

In November, the local radio station invited me to audition for an unpaid job as a school news reporter. Getting the job was a win for both sides: the radio station got a fresh report from the school weekly, and I got radio news experience.  

Giving my first blood donation at a Bloodmobile stop at the Port Leyden Fire Hall on December 14, 1974. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

Three things stood out for me in December. First, I got my acceptance letter for college, so I knew where my life path would lead after graduation.

Second, I donated my first-ever pint of blood. The senior class was invited to begin blood donations, and steady donations have been part of my life for about four decades.

Third, I recall doing my school news report the day after comedian Jack Benny died. As he set up the tape machine to record my report, the morning radio announcer talked to me about Benny.

In January, our high school English teacher let the class experiment with the school’s video equipment as we produced an episode of The Match Game. The whole class was involved, whether operating the camera, writing the questions or appearing as one of the pseudo-celebrities who played the game on the air. I was the host. 

My family took our annual trip by car from New York State to Florida to visit my grandparents in February. Knowing I was heading to college in the fall, the thought that this might be the last trip I would take with my family to Florida crossed my mind.

I celebrated my eighteenth birthday in March.

I was now legal to buy and drink alcohol. My dad and brother took me out for a few beers. Dad reasoned it was better that I be supervised while enjoying my first legal beverages. I just liked the idea of my brother, father, and me sitting around with a brew in hand, talking.

I had my first date in April. We went bowling and had a good time. In the back of my mind, it was beginning to hit me that this was the final lap of my senior year.

Activities from my senior year included serving as the business manager for the yearbook and being a tennis club member. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

By May, I was trying to make each day count. I would stay after school a lot to be around my friends. Fully aware that my time in high school would soon be over, I did not want to miss a moment. I also took my date to dinner and the prom, with a stop in between at my home for pictures.

In early June, tragedy struck our class when one of our classmates was killed in a car accident. I remember going to the funeral home for calling hours and speaking briefly with Eric’s mom.  

The whole class attended the funeral, and while the school did not have those so-called grief counselors you hear about now when tragedy strikes, the principal did let us take the day to sit in the cafeteria or go outside without worrying about missing classes.  

The yearbooks arrived about a week after that. We spent at least two weeks getting classmates to sign one another’s yearbooks.

By month’s end, one hundred students had graduated. Several of us would soon be off to college.

Many had enlisted in the armed services, while others would go straight to the workforce.

With our final lap completed, it was now on to the next race.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His memoirs Growing Up, Upstate and Grown Up, Going Home have been combined in a specially priced edition called A Bundle of Memories. It is available at A BUNDLE OF MEMORIES (lulu.com)

This column is dedicated to the memory of Eric Planck.

From the Central Valley, Here’s Johnny-

TV Icon Carson Performed in Bakersfield in 1957

A newspaper advertisement promoting Johnny Carson’s appearance at the Maison Jaussaud French restaurant and nightclub in Bakersfield.  Photo: Kern County Museum archive

Johnny Carson hosted The Tonight Show for thirty years until retiring in 1992. Many considered him the most popular television entertainer of his era. He’s still revered by many talk show hosts as the gold standard of the genre.

This funny entertainer's career formed in California, and the Central Valley city of Bakersfield played a small role at a critical point.

In 1957, Johnny did several performances at a restaurant and nightclub on the former Highway 99 in Bakersfield.

Johnny was trying out a comedy act to see if his career might take him in that direction. 

“It was a dark time for Johnny,” comedy writer and Carson Podcast host Mark Malkoff said.  

It was a dark time because the young performer’s primetime variety show on CBS TV was canceled after just one season. 

Johnny’s agent pushed him to try stand-up comedy in clubs. 

“He was still under contract with CBS,” Malkoff said.  “But neither the network nor his agent at William Morris had anything for him.”

A review of Johnny Carson’s opening night at the Maison Jaussaud French restaurant and nightclub from 1957.  Photo:  Kern County Museum Archive

The purpose of playing Bakersfield was to try out the act.

It was similar to how a musical heading for Broadway might do out-of-town performances to work out the bugs before the show is performed in New York City. 

Bakersfield, in Kern County, was near enough to Hollywood so that he could try comedy bits away from the watching eyes in the entertainment capitol.

Local newspapers from Bakersfield at the time mentioned Johnny playing at the Maison Jaussaud French restaurant and nightclub. 

The headline in one clipping from the Kern County Museum archive reads COMEDIAN NOW PLAYING AT MAISON JAUSSAUD and refers to Johnny as “one of the bright young men of show business.” 

The article was written after Johnny’s first performance.   The clipping described the effort as “a solid hit…with patrons.” 

   But, as historian Mike McCoy from the Kern County Museum in Bakersfield describes the experience, Johnny was not thrilled about playing there.

“Johnny once quipped, ‘I spent a Bakersfield one night,’ McCoy said.  “It was not a place he liked.”

The former Maison Jaussaud French restaurant and nightclub in Bakersfield is now a casino.  Highway 99 went through Bakersfield on this street (Union Avenue) until a larger highway was built years later to the west of downtown.  Photo of the Maison from the Kern County Museum archive. Casino photo from LiveBako.com. Montage by Steve Newvine.

Carson grew up in Nebraska and found performing magic as a means to overcome his shyness.  As early as junior high school, he wanted to write and perform comedy.

After getting his college degree in Radio Communications, he entered the Navy.  When his hitch was up, he worked at an Iowa broadcast station where he experimented in the relatively new TV medium.

Soon, he was in Hollywood, where he found work as a comedy writer.  That experience led him to host a local TV show.  By 1955, he landed a weekly CBS variety series.  The Johnny Carson Show ended after one season, leaving the young star wondering what might be next.

  For Johnny, the Bakersfield shows achieved the goal of giving him stage experience, but he did not care for the small southern California city at the time.

   “I think it reminded him of his struggle on the way up,” says Mike McCoy.

   After Bakersfield, Johnny headed back to New York, where his agent tried to book him on game shows and New York-based talk and variety shows. It was on these programs that his comic persona began to mature. Soon, he was offered a game show hosting job. By 1962, he began his tenure as host of the Tonight Show.

The rest is part of a remarkable career as the face of late-night entertainment for four decades.  The Central Valley city of Bakersfield was part of that entertainment legacy. -

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

He is grateful to the Kern County Museum for information and photographs of Johnny Carson’s performances in Bakersfield from the late 1950s.  He also thanks Mark Malkoff, host of the new podcast Inside Late Night.

Steve is writing a book about Johnny Carson and comedian Jack Benny that will be out in November.

His California books are available at the Merced County Courthouse Museum gift shop or Lulu.com. 

A New View of the Palm and the Pine-

The Two Trees to be Replaced by 30 trees in Caltrans Plan

The Palm and the Pine to the left will eventually be taken out of the median on Highway 99 and will be placed with 30 trees west of the roadway. Photo: Steve Newvine

The center of California, the midpoint between the Mexican and the Oregon border, is the Palm and the Pine, on California Highway 99 south of Madera.

Those two trees signify to drivers that they are crossing from the palm trees of southern California to the pine trees of the north.

The trees were planted decades ago. However, with no solid record of how they started, there have been stories about whose idea it was to create this symbol of the state's center.

One version follows the line of two college students planting trees. Another version points to a store owner who may have planted them to promote his business.

In addition to the stories about the trees' planting, there was also a country song, Northern California (Where the Palm Tree Meets the Pine).

California Gold host Huell Howser featured the trees in one of his episodes from the 1990s.  

This column has discussed the palm and Pine several times over the past twelve years. I have also been interviewed by broadcast stations in Los Angeles and Sacramento about the trees and their meaning to the region.

This photo from Google Earth is about as close as anyone can get to the trees safely now.  

Something new is coming along to give the Palm and the Pine the treatment they deserve in signifying the center of the state. Caltrans is expanding that section of Highway 99 beginning in 2025. The two trees will be removed, but in their place will be a new presentation that no one should miss.

The plan calls for planting 15 pine and 15 palm trees along the west side of Highway 99, a short distance south of the current spot. Caltrans believes the 15 new trees will give motorists passing seventy miles per hour a better view of the Palm and the Pine.

Many have shared stories of driving by the two trees for years without realizing they are the famed Palm and Pine.

Some, including me, stressed that transportation planners and local government leaders might have missed an opportunity to do something special to promote this unique landmark.

There is currently no artist's conception of the new display of palms and pines. This is the road architecture plan from Caltrans showing where the new trees will be placed.  

It may have taken the state a while to figure out a better way to show off the center of the state, but with highway expansion a necessity, the time was right.

According to the Caltrans plan for the new Palm and Pine designation, the spot will be an upgraded regional landmark symbolizing the center of California.

The Caltrans plan states, “’Where the Palm Meets the Pine’ landmark trees add to the visual character of the project corridor.”

Caltrans considered two other options when it became clear this portion of Highway 99 was ready for expansion.

Both rejected options would have kept the location of the trees in an expanded median. Both were dropped as it impacted the width of the shoulders of the road, restricted maintenance access, and posed safety concerns.

This is the anticipated new home for the Palm and the Pine along Highway 99. Photo: Steve Newvine

According to Caltrans Public Information Officer Larry Johnson, “With the added lanes, one in each direction, and the new center divider, the trees had to come out.”

When finished, this section of Highway 99 will have six lanes of traffic. The roadway has been in a seemingly perpetual state of expansion over the past decade, including widening projects here in Merced County over the past few years.

Some have expressed concerns over the plan. The Marketing Director for the Madera County tourism agency reached out to the state for consideration of a designated rest area where people can pull off the highway.

Another idea was to move the presentation north near the Fossil Discovery Center of Madera County.

The exact location on Highway 99 is of little concern, given that the actual geographical center of the state is about forty miles due east from the roadway in North Fork, Madera County.

Regardless of those concerns, the plan to replace the two trees with thirty and move the whole presentation to the western side of the highway is in the works.

The old trees will be removed in 2025, and the new trees—all thirty of them—will be planted by early 2026.

Despite any concerns others may have, everyone likely agrees that the future home for the Land of the Palm and the Pine will be upgraded from the current location.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

He is filling in for host Roger Wood on KYOS Community Conversations on Saturday, July 20. One of his guests will be the regional spokesperson for Caltrans, who will discuss the Palm and the Pine.

Steve’s book, Rocket Reporter, is available at ROCKET REPORTER (lulu.com). His California books are available locally from the Merced Courthouse Museum Gift Shop.

Yosemite Via Trains, Buses and Bikes-

Northern California Pair Make the Journey Using Only Public Transportation

Russ and Paula Sunn are waiting for their northbound Amtrak at the Merced train station. Photo: Steve Newvine

It has been said the journey is often more important than the destination.

A married couple from Chico traveled to Merced and then on to Yosemite National Park recently.

Their story is unique because of how they got there.

Russ and Paula Sunn took their four-day vacation to Yosemite using only public transportation and their bicycles.

The journey started with a three-a.m. wake-up alarm in their northern California home. From Chico, they took a bus to Sacramento. Later in the day, they were on a train from the capital city to Merced.

From there, they took the YARTS bus (Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System) straight into the Park, where they camped for a few days before heading back using public transportation.

Russ Sunn in front of a pristine view inside Yosemite Park. Photo: Russ and Paula Sunn.

The Sunns have foldable bicycles and are packed creatively for their adventure.

“For us, the whole idea is to do a trip like this using only public transportation,” Paula told me as the couple waited to catch the afternoon northbound train for Sacramento.

The pair has considerable experience using public transportation to get around California.  

They pack tight and pack light.

They must not be overwhelmed moving around train stations with lots of stuff they feel they don’t need.

“We each had our bikes, a bag that attaches to the front of the bike, and a day pack that held our camping equipment, clothing, cooking equipment, and most of our food,” Paula said. “Schlepping it on and off trains and buses worked out just fine.”

Russ and Paula Sunn on a memorable vacation in Yosemite National Park. Photo: Russ and Paula Sunn

The couple was among the many families that lost their homes during the devastating wildfires that wiped out the community of Paradise in northern California a few years ago.

“After losing nearly all of our possessions in the Camp Fire, we had to rethink what we would replace,” Paula said. “We've realized that there are some things we could just rent when we needed them instead of making investments in things that we only used occasionally.”

Traveling by public transportation is common in the Sunn household. Russ says they have grown comfortable using buses and trains to get around.

“Paula takes a combination of bus and train to visit our daughter’s family in Santa Cruz every month,” Russ says. “She has the logistics down and makes the trip regularly.”

Using the YARTS bus takes a lot of frustration out of trying to get into the Park especially in the busy summer season.

The Sunns carried their bags and two foldable bikes and could sit back and enjoy the ride as passengers.

The Sunns felt a true sense of accomplishment traveling from Chico to Yosemite using nothing but public transportation and their foldable bicycles. Photo: Steve Newvine

Once inside Yosemite, the Sunns headed to the campground where a site they had reserved online was ready. Soon, the bikes came out as they saw many sites within cycling distance.

 Upon returning from their trip, the Sunns realized that making the journey this way was more satisfying than driving their car.

“Musing over our trip afterward, we realized that by not traveling by car, we met far more people in our travels.” 

The Sunns shared a sense of accomplishment over their journey to Yosemite using public transportation.

They have experienced a lot in recent years and have learned much about being reliant on too many things that families acquire over the years.  

Paula sums it up with a thought about the danger of acquiring too much.

“There's also the knowledge that you can lose everything in the blink of an eye, so there's more reluctance to get too attached to things.” 

Their destination was Yosemite, and they had a memorable visit inside the iconic national park.

But their journey, relying on public transportation and their bikes, made this vacation stand out as something special.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

He thanks the members of the Merced-AARP for inviting him to talk about his books and the people he meets when writing his twice-monthly column on MercedCountyEvents.

If your organization would like to have him present a program, you can reach him at SteveNewvine@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book, Beaten Paths and Back Roads, is available at the Merced County Courthouse Museum gift shop or online at https://www.lulu.com/shop/steve-newvine/beaten-paths-and-back-roads/paperback/product-emmv6r.html?q=beaten+paths+steve+newvine&page=1&pageSize=4

A Man, His Mule, and a Website-

Up and Down the Valley with the 3 Mules Group

A recent visit by a man and his mule in Turlock, Stanislaus County, draws attention to the 3Mules.com website and the story of this organization. Photo: Steve Newvine

There’s something one usually does not see while driving up and down the Highway 99 corridor in the Central Valley.  

A few ago, while waiting at a light at an access intersection to Highway 99 in Turlock in Stanislaus County, I encountered a man with a mule and a website address printed on a saddlebag.

The website 3Mules.com is for the 3 Mules organization. To find out exactly what they are all about, you can just look into the frequently asked questions section of the site.

At that point, one will learn these folks lead mules from San Diego to Sacramento. Once they arrive at the state capitol, they rest and head back to San Diego. They travel as many county back roads as possible.

“In Merced and Stanislaus Counties, we walked on county roads,” said John Sears, who answered my questions via the contact section of the group’s webpage.

While traveling to the state capitol and back, they move between five to twenty miles a day, stay outside, and spend their nights with friends or in public spaces.

That’s where the group’s legal issues begin.

A view of the 3Mules.com webpage featuring some of the mules that make the journey from San Diego to Sacramento and back every year. Photo: 3Mules.com

California Penal Code 647 covers many behaviors but is often referred to by this group as the illegal lodging law. It prohibits overnight use of public lands. Violators can be charged with a misdemeanor, which leads to a court appearance and possibly a fine.  

This does not sit well with the 3 Mules organization, which believes it has the right to use public space to sleep.

They had a legal dispute with the California Highway Patrol (CHP) that they settled when it looked like they would not win.

The CHP in San Luis Obispo County stopped one of their mule handlers in 2020. They took him to jail and sent the two mules to animal control. He was released the next day, and the two mules held by animal control were released after a $266 fee was paid.

The group used a GoFundMe campaign to help pay the costs incurred.

A journal page listing expenses from the 3 Mules group. Photo: 3Mules.com

Some argue that the plight facing the 3 Mules group is similar to those who find themselves homeless and either unable or unwilling to accept a shelter bed for the night.  

This group tries to maintain awareness of its advocacy for using public lands, but it also wants people to know more about the lifestyle these men and women have chosen.

Group members' technology, such as cell phones and laptops, have batteries that need to be recharged. This brings 3 Mules members into local libraries or coffee shops.

The group lists finding a place to sleep as their number one challenge. Other challenges include keeping the mules watered and fed and dealing with the results of people who call the local animal control center to claim the mules are mistreated.

They raise money when needed to cover animal care and legal expenses. The group offers accountability with photographs of handwritten journals that track how money raised is used.

“We are not aware of any issues here with the organization,” said CHP Public Information Office Eric Zuniga of the Merced region.  

So, maybe the lifestyle, the mules, and their annual journey from San Diego to Sacramento and back will continue for now.

If taken at their word, the organization just wants to be able to move freely along public roads, be assured they can camp for the night on public property, and enjoy the nomadic lifestyle.

Advocacy for an interstate trail system is a priority in the long term. While raising awareness may take time, this group can wait.

They are in this for the long haul at twenty miles a day, tops. 

-Steve Newvine lives in Merced

He will soon be featured in a McClatchy Media Group story about the famed Palm and Pine in Madera County, which will appear on the Fresno Bee website this summer.

Steve will speak at the Merced-AARP monthly meeting at the Merced Senior Center on June 26 at 10:00 a.m. The group encourages anyone to attend.

His new book, Beaten Paths and Back Roads, is available at the Merced County Courthouse Museum gift shop or online at https://www.lulu.com/shop/steve-newvine/beaten-paths-and-back-roads/paperback/product-emmv6r.html?q=beaten+paths+steve+newvine&page=1&pageSize=4

Celebrating Sixty in Print-

Merced County Times Anniversary is the Focus of the Museum Exhibit

The current staff and columnists of the Merced County Times, including a photo shot by Steve Newvine from a 2017 Our Community Story column on the late publisher John Derby (lower right). Photo: Steve Newvine

Day in and day out, the work cycle for a weekly newspaper is always the same. News is reported, copy is edited, the finished story goes through the layout process, and then the issue is printed and distributed

It’s a routine the staff knows backward and forward.  

The Merced County Times Sixtieth Anniversary exhibit, which is now open at the Courthouse Museum in downtown Merced, has an interesting story behind its creation.

The late John Derby, publisher of the Times, noticed that the Museum’s 2023 exhibit looking back fifty years to 1973 (Where Were You in 1973?) did not include any photographs shot by his paper’s photographers. 

https://www.mercedcountyevents.com/steve-newvine-1/where-were-you-in-1973-?rq=Where%20Were%20You%20in%201973%3F

The story, as relayed by current publisher Jonathan Whitaker at the new exhibit’s opening on May 23, ended with the Museum Executive Director suggesting an exhibit celebrating the Times on sixty years of service.

“John would go to Mexico every fall to enjoy his retirement,” Whitaker told the audience. “This year, John did not come back.” John Derby passed away in January.

The exhibit celebrates sixty years of publication, pays tribute to the staff that puts it together weekly, and honors Derby, who founded the paper in 1963.

John Derby was featured in an essay in this space in 2017 (Fifty-three Years of Community Journalism in Merced County — Merced County Events).

His story of creating the paper, preparing to end publication six months later only to be saved by an advertiser signing a one-year contract for advertising, expanding to specific community editions throughout the area, and the mantra “power of a positive press” are now all part of the weekly newspaper's legacy.

The Merced County Times exhibit includes two photographs from John F. Kennedy and Barrack Obama's presidential visits to Merced County.  

The Museum exhibit features photographs from the six decades the paper has been around. Select front pages from milestone events such as the creation of UC Merced and the visit by two US Presidents are featured on the walls..

Physical icons such as Derby’s typewriter and camera are also on display.

It is all on the second floor of the Merced County Courthouse Museum, and it will remain in place throughout the summer.

Selected front pages from the Merced County Times are part of the exhibit at the Courthouse Museum. Photo: Steve Newvine

Putting out a weekly newspaper in a community our size takes considerable effort and money. So, while all of the journalistic processes are going on, there’s an effort to generate advertising revenue.

At the exhibit's launch, readers and advertisers were thanked for keeping the Times alive over the decades. One group was not called out specifically, but they have played a role in keeping the paper going in recent years. This group is made up of individuals and businesses that are sponsors.

For the past several years, every January, the Times has asked for donations to help offset the costs of producing the paper.

Distributed free (and also available by mail now for eighty-nine dollars a year), the paper started the solicitation to help close the gap between advertising revenue and expenses.  

During the COVID years, the paper asked readers to consider an annual sponsorship. Sponsors pay one hundred dollars or more annually and have their names listed in the paper every week.

The sponsorship page from a recent edition of the Merced County Times.

Early in this experiment with reader sponsorships, John Derby wrote how the donated dollars helped during the supply chain crisis when the paper needed hard-to-find printing supplies.

The sponsorships continue to provide a steady stream of support for the paper.

The County Times took a short break on the evening of May 23 to reflect on its remarkable run, now entering its seventh decade of service.

Then it was back to work. The next issue needs to be reported and edited through the layout process, and then on to printing and distribution.

The cycle continues week after week.-

-Steve Newvine lives in Merced

He will be speaking at the highly anticipated Merced-AARP monthly meeting at the Merced Senior Center on June 26 at 10:00 AM. The group eagerly encourages anyone to attend.

His new book, Beaten Paths and Back Roads, is available at the Merced County Courthouse Museum gift shop.

Also, online at https://www.lulu.com/shop/steve-newvine/beaten-paths-and-back-roads/paperback/product-emmv6r.html?q=beaten+paths+steve+newvine&page=1&pageSize=4

A Valley Promise Fulfilled-

UC Merced Medical Education Building is the First of its Kind

A screen grab of a YouTube video produced by UC Merced touting the new Medical Education Building soon to be built on campus.

The young woman in the video from the UC Merced news release calls it a promise fulfilled.

“We built the future in the heart of California,” the voice begins on a ninety-second YouTube video produced by the University. “What once was a dream, an idea, a vision will become a reality.”

The woman, presumably a student who will one day attend classes in the soon-to-be-built new building, says the structure was built for the future. 

The sign promoting the new Medical Education Building soon to be built on the UC Merced campus. Photo: Steve Newvine

The construction project is the UC Merced Medical Education Building. Campus leaders and selected government officeholders participated in the ceremonial groundbreaking on May 14.

The building will house the University’s public health, psychology, and health sciences research organizations.

It is the brick-and-mortar, or more accurately, steel-and-glass, piece of the University’s effort to produce doctors who will serve the local community.

Construction will lead up to a grand opening of the new Medical Education Building in 2026. Photo: Steve Newvine

“Hard to overstate what a positive step forward this is not just for Merced but for the entire San Joaquin Valley,” said Mayor Matthew Serratto in a social media post.

At four stories tall and two hundred thousand square feet, the building will fit right in with the existing buildings that were part of the 2020 strategic plan from the previous decade. As mentioned in a column in this space from that time, the 2020 Plan effectively doubled the campus's footprint.

When it opened in 2005, UC Merced prioritized medical education. The Central Valley has been described as having a critical lack of health care professionals, so the University explored solutions to address the problem.

That solution is now known as SJV PRIME PLUS, a partnership with the University of California San Francisco and Fresno campuses. Those partners will bring their strength from educating future doctors to a new location ready to open new doors for students seeking a career path in health care.

It is a first-of-its-kind partnership. The partnership brings an institution such as UCSF, with expertise in medical education, to the valley.

The Medical Education Building is designed to fit in with the flow of other classroom buildings that were part of the 2020 project that opened a few years ago. Photo: Steve Newvine

“We know from the research literature that medical professionals are far more likely to establish practices in the places where they were educated and undertook their residencies,” UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz said at the groundbreaking.

That takes us back to the young student in the video. At one point, we see her viewing the campus far off in a farm field. The narration makes it clear she is happy about what’s in store for students preparing for a career in medicine.

“We are building the future again,” she says. “A dream delivered.”

The construction project will be completed in 2026. So, this UC student may be among the first to walk through the doors of the Medical Education Building when it opens for the fall 2026 semester.

-Steve Newvine lives in Merced

He will be speaking at the Merced-AARP monthly meeting at the Merced Senior Center on June 26 at 10:00 AM.  The group encourages anyone to attend.

His new book, Beaten Paths and Back Roads is available at the Merced County Courthouse Museum gift shop or on line at https://www.lulu.com/shop/steve-newvine/beaten-paths-and-back-roads/paperback/product-emmv6r.html?q=beaten+paths+steve+newvine&page=1&pageSize=4

The Big Story Becomes Local-

Anderson Passing Recalls Shared Reporting Efforts

Associated Press Foreign Correspondent Terry Anderson was taken hostage in 1985. Photo: AP

I never met Terry Anderson. However, the former Middle East hostage, a reporter for the Associated Press news service, brought back many memories from the years when I worked as a television journalist.

Anderson died on April 20 at the age of seventy-six. It had been thirty-three years since his captors freed him.

Back in 1985, I was working in a local television newsroom in Rochester, New York. Terry Anderson was once a resident of western New York, making his story a local one for our television audience.

It seemed as though every night for weeks following the start of his ordeal, we would run stories about his capture and try to make sense of the efforts to secure his release.

His sister Peggy jumped into the mix within days of his becoming a hostage.

She was engaging with the US State Department, trying to find answers. Over the coming weeks, her frustration was apparent in her routine appearances on the local newscast.

Terry thanked his sister Peggy for her efforts on the homefront to keep his captivity on the forefront of the minds of the public. Photo: Pool coverage from Wiesbaden, Germany, 1991.

It took a lot of work to put up with the apparent lack of progress our government was experiencing.

The weeks turned into months.

Like many other stories that go on for an extended period of time, the audience grew weary, and the news editors slowly removed the story from “front and center” awareness.

But Terry’s sister Peggy did not give up hope. Her perseverance paid off in late 1991. Anderson was released.

By then, I had moved to another station in Rochester, serving as Executive Producer.

Our station was part of an effort with a local radio station to be among the reporters who would meet with him upon his release in Germany.

We covered the return from captivity, asked questions at Terry’s first news conference as a free man, and brought the story home for our viewers.

Some takeaways from the events surrounding Terry’s release were easy to see at the news conference.

He made great efforts to thank his sister, Peggy, for keeping the pressure on the US government to end his captivity.

All he wanted to do was be with his family, including a daughter born within months of his capture.

Terry shared his story in an interview with the Bob Graham Center for Public Service on the thirtieth anniversary of his release by Hezbollah captors. Photo: Graham Center.

An embossed card arrived in our newsroom mail within weeks of Anderson’s return to the United States. It was a mass-produced thank you card that he sent to every news outlet in western New York and probably to national news organizations in New York City and Washington, DC.

He did not know our names, but he knew that the news media had kept the story alive for six years collectively.

He wanted us to know how much it was appreciated.

Terry’s life after captivity appears to have had more downs than ups.

The Associated Press report of his death stated he received millions of dollars from US-held frozen Iranian assets.

Yet, according to the AP, he filed for bankruptcy five years ago. He wrote a book about his hostage ordeal, appeared on the popular Phil Donahue program, and lived out of the limelight.

The AP reported he made unsuccessful investments, taught college students, and dabbled in business enterprises with limited success.

Terry Anderson was the most prominent face in those pictures of Americans who were taken captive by Middle Eastern kidnappers in the 1980s.

His story was kept at the forefront of local news outlets thanks to the tireless efforts of his sister, Peggy.

He was a man who remembered the efforts of the many journalists to keep his story alive. His gratitude is his legacy.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

He was a television journalist for several local stations from 1979 to 1994.

Though unrelated to the Terry Anderson story, his new book Rocket Reporter reflects on his years covering the Space Shuttle's early missions as a local reporter in northern Alabama.

The book is available at Lulu.com    

History on the Highway-

Spanish-style Building was once the California Highway Patrol office in the Merced Region

The former CHP district headquarters was housed in the Spanish Mission style building on 16th Street in Merced where KAMB radio’s studio in located now. Photo: CHP Archive

We know that the Spanish Mission-style building south of G Street on 16th Street in Merced is the home of KAMB radio.

But it was built for and had a long history as the headquarters of the California Highway Patrol's four-county district, serving Merced, Fresno, Madera, and Mariposa Counties.

CHP moved into the custom-designed building in 1934. It is the first state-owned building dedicated to CHP. Leadership at the time anticipated advancements in the relatively new era of radio communications, so the building was designed to accommodate these changes.

“Before that building, CHP was located in the basement of the old Merced County Library,” said Officer Eric Zuniga. “We were in the Library basement for five years.”

The library was in the old Merced County High School building at 2125 M Street in Merced. That building was originally the Merced Academy private school.

After six years, the Merced Academy building was used as Merced County High School, the first public high school in the district, in 1903. The County Library moved there in 1921. 

The view from the front door at the former CHP facility on 16th Street in Merced. Photo: Steve Newvine

The tower or turret room on the 16th location was notable.

It was built to serve as a radio room but was never used for that purpose. The steep stairway leading up to the top of the tower proved too much of a challenge for bulky radio equipment.

While that building feature intended for radio communication was scrapped, the building served the four-county CHP district for twenty-nine years.

Captain William Burch was the CHP Merced Regional Headquarters Commander from 1929 to 1965. Photo: CHP Archive

Throughout all those years, the district headquarters was under the command of one person: Captain William Burch.

Captain Burch headed the district command from 1929 through 1965.

He likely had a hand in the design features of the 16th Street facility.

Space requirements for an ever-growing CHP forced a move to a larger facility near Childs Avenue and Highway 99. That building served the agency for another three decades. CHP now operates a six-thousand-square-foot facility in Atwater.  

The building is now the home of KAMB Radio, a Christian music station. Offices that once housed CHP personnel are now occupied by radio station staff. The station’s studios offer a view of 16th Street.

The KAMB radio studios have windows that look out onto 16th Street, the original highway 99. Photo: Steve Newvine

KAMB has been at this site since beginning broadcasting in Merced in 1967. Station Manager Chris Grant likes the idea that their studios once served as the district headquarters for the CHP.

“You can still see elements from the building from when CHP was here,” Chris says, pointing to a gate believed to have been installed when the facility was built and two reflector posts that he believes were part of the original construction.

The radio station found the same challenge in that tower turret room as CHP. Navigating the spiral stairs that lead up to the room requires a lot of work. While CHP abandoned early plans to house radio communications in the small turret room, KAMB uses the room for storage only.

The turret tower on the former CHP Merced headquarters was formed as a seven-point star, a symbol of the CHP. Photo: Steve Newvine

The building will always have a claim to California history as the first state-owned CHP district headquarters.

There’s no historical marker on the property, but from 16th Street, there is a symbol of the building’s connection to the law enforcement organization.  

The window of the turret tower is shaped like the seven-point star symbolizing the CHP.

It’s another piece of the past that remains intact on historic Highway 99.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.  

He thanks CHP Officer Eric Zuniga for background information and archive photos and to Chris Grant at KAMB Radio for access to provide updated photos of the building as it stands today.   

He is also indebted to County Librarian Amy Taylor for providing information about the old Merced County Library. Amy retrieved information from the book “An Early History of the Merced County Free Library 1901-1976” by Kathleen L. Brantley-Gutierrez, M.L.I.S. c. 2006, 2009.

Steve’s new book Beaten Paths & Back Roads is available for sale at the Merced County Courthouse Museum Gift Shop or online at https://www.lulu.com/shop/steve-newvine/beaten-paths-and-back-roads/paperback/product-emmv6r.html?q=beaten+paths+steve+newvine&page=1&pageSize=4

Seven from the Wall-

Remembering Soldiers Listed on the Vietnam Memorial- Wall that Heals

By Steve Newvine

The Wall that Heals on display in front of Merced College. Photo: Steve Newvine

There are over fifty-eight thousand names on the “Wall that Heals”.

This column is about seven of them.

The Merced community has been honored to host the Wall that Heals, the three-quarter representation of the Vietnam War Memorial.

The Merced Breakfast Rotary Club, the group that started the Field of Honor flag tribute on the grounds of Merced College over the past several years, was primarily responsible for getting the traveling exhibit to the community.

For the few days leading up to and including Easter Sunday, the wall allowed many of us to honor the brave soldiers who were killed in action during the Vietnam War.

My family had a soldier who fought and came home from Vietnam. US Army Specialist Four William Newvine served in 1966 and 1967. He made it back but was killed nine months later in an automobile crash.

I wrote about Bill both in this space and in a book (Finding Bill, Lulu Press). He did not talk much about the experience, and I was too young to probe.

Only in my later years, with the help of a man who has made it his life work to honor those who served in the same company as my uncle, did I get to piece together his story. 

As I wrote my book, he connected me with soldiers who knew my uncle. When I told him I was going to Washington, D.C., on business, he asked if I would check in on seven soldiers named on the wall. The book tells the stories of the men who knew my uncle and those from his unit who were killed in action.  

Here is a summary of seven of the more than fifty-eight thousand brave soldiers honored on the wall.

Seven soldiers who served alongside my uncle in Vietnam and who lost their lives on the battlefield. Photos from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (vvmf.org). Photo illustration by Steve Newvine

Armand Auffiere, Donald Evans, and John Faidley were killed on January 27, 1967, in the jungle about two miles from their base camp, attacking a bunker complex manned by Vietcong.

Their unit was hit hard, with two platoons devastated and a third going inactive for weeks after this battle.

Don is the first Medic to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Two medical buildings are named in his honor.

Joseph Noel died Jan 14, 1967. He was killed by artillery rounds that were accidentally sent into his column in response to a fire mission called when the Vietcong were spotted near a rubber plantation.

Tom Nickerson and Clint Smith were killed on March 15, 1967, when attacked while dumping garbage by Vietcong rummaging through the area looking for anything useful. The dump area had been moved, and the new site had no security to protect the men.

Larry Barton was killed on March 21, 1967, at the height of the conflict known as the Battle of Suoi Tre. He was filling in a foxhole as his unit was moving out.

The company was part of a mission that came to the rescue of a firebase that was close to being overrun by the enemy on that day.  

The battle was successful but at a tremendous cost. Larry was among thirty-one Americans killed. It’s estimated the enemy lost eight hundred soldiers, although the official count was six hundred forty-four.

The unit received the Presidential Unit Citation, a prestigious award only ever given during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.

My uncle knew these men. He even wrote about Tom and Clint in a letter to his sister, Betty. Thankfully, images of those letters have been saved.

The Wall that Heals at night in front of Merced College. Photo: Steve Newvine

The pictures of the seven men who served alongside my uncle were found at the website for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. 

I learned a lot about these men thanks to the dedication of Bill Comeau, who runs the Alpha Association, which connects veterans, especially those from the Vietnam era.

Bill was a company clerk in the War and knew of my uncle. He recalled when he saw Bill Newvine return from a harrowing mission.

“The look on these men’s faces was that of sheer terror. But not Bill. He had a look of serenity, a calmness that communicated maybe he knew more than the rest of us.”  

My uncle Bill Newvine and one of the letters he wrote to family members in my hometown of Port Leyden, New York. Photo: Steve Newvine

Bill Newvine died more than a decade before the Vietnam Memorial opened. I always believed that he would have visited Washington, DC, to pay his respects to his fellow soldiers.  

Losing someone you know is hard enough. Losing seven who served under the conditions of war is hard for many of us to imagine.

I made that visit for him in 2012 in Washington, DC, and this year here in Merced at the Wall that Heals.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His book Finding Bill is still available at Finding Bill - A Nephew’s Search for Meaning in his Uncle’s Life and Death (lulu.com)

Steve is grateful to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and its website vmf.org for information and pictures of the seven soldiers who served with his uncle in Vietnam and who lost their lives in the War.

The Biggest, Sweetest Smile-

Governor Schwarzenegger’s UC Merced 2005 Visit Recalls a Special Memory

On September 1, 2005, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger met this young fan while visiting the UC Merced Campus. Photo: (C) Roger J. Wyan, All Rights Reserved

Pictures from the 2005 visit by Arnold Schwarzenegger to UC Merced were recently posted to social media, and they show a side of the former Governor few have seen.

The photographs show the Governor getting the attention of a young and seemingly shy boy. The boy, likely a pre-teen, was among the hundreds of area residents who came to the campus on the Thursday before Labor Day weekend: September 1, 2005.

The young boy was Minhaz Azam, and like many in the crowd that day, he probably thought he might get a glimpse of the Governor.

After an amazing career starring in the first three Terminator movies, Schwarzenegger was elected in a memorable 2003 recall election that saw the office transition from Gray Davis to the actor-turned-politician.

The pictures were taken by professional photographer Roger J. Wyan who was on duty that day with his camera. “I was and I still am in a unique position to experience the development of the campus,” Roger said.

Roger’s connection to UC Merced began in the late 1980s when he was chief photographer for the Merced Sun-Star covering the story of how the tenth campus of the University of California system came to be located in Merced. His photographs have documented every major development of the new campus.

“I do not know why Minhaz was attending the Governor's visit except that it was The Terminator visiting,” Roger recalls. It appeared Minhaz may have had some affiliation with the University given his shirt.”

Roger was in a position to capture the image of the most important person in California at the time. The Governor stopped his hurried pace to meet the young constituent.

Roger writes in a recent social media post: “Arnold lifted Azam's chin and said a few words of encouragement which brought a smile. The Governor later met up with Azam away from the crowd.”

Shortly after meeting Minhaz Azam in the crowd during his 2005 UC Merced visit, the Governor was able to spend a little more time with the young visitor. Photo: (C) Roger J. Wyan, All Rights Reserved

It was that later encounter that really touched the people who witnessed it as well as Roger J. Wyan. From the same post, Roger wrote “The governor gave Azam a big bear hug.”

It was a special moment early in the first year at UC Merced.

A visit from the Governor, a promise of continued state support for the institution, and as Roger wrote, “It brought the biggest, sweetest and heartfelt smile I’ve ever seen.”

Efforts to track down Minhaz now have yet to pay off, but there’s little doubt it was a special moment for him.

Roger has been engaged with the UC Merced community since those early days. He taught photography there for a couple of years, and he’s been on the scene for such special moments such as the groundbreaking, the first graduation, and Michelle Obama’s commencement address as First Lady in 2009.

He’s nearing the twentieth anniversary of starting the Transitions Project, a study of the first UC Merced students. The project details what some students have been doing since attending the University.

Those students likely have some fascinating stories to tell, and the Transitions Project will share those stories in the coming years.

But for Roger, September 1, 2005, remains a special memory.

That’s when the Governor took a few moments from his busy schedule to greet and hug young Minhaz Azam. It remains a memorable moment.

“It was pure joy to witness then,” he says. “And still is to this day.”

Steve Newvine has lived in Merced for eighteen years.

One of the first invitations he accepted upon arriving in the City was from UC Merced to attend the first commencement ceremony in 2006.

Steve’s book Beaten Paths & Back Roads is available for sale at the Merced County Courthouse Museum Gift Shop, or online at https://www.lulu.com/shop/steve-newvine/beaten-paths-and-back-roads/paperback/product-emmv6r.html?q=beaten+paths+steve+newvine&page=1&pageSize=4

Filling Up the Space-

New Building Downtown Will Complete Property Across from City Hall

The new office under construction on West Eighteenth Street in downtown Merced. Photo: Steve Newvine

Before a grader can start clearing the property, before concrete can be poured, a lot of work goes into creating a unique cluster of buildings.

Another new office building is under construction on a key parcel of land in downtown Merced.

A two-story office that will house the Merced County Employees Retirement Association (MCERA) is expected to open later this year. The office is under construction adjacent to the Merced College Business Resource Center at 630 West Eighteenth Street.  

In recent years, downtown Merced has been the center of activity with new construction of office and retail space.  

The building will eventually house the Merced County Employees Retirement Association (MCERA). Photo: Steve Newvine

This particular block is the star example of that surge. A parking structure and the space where the West America Bank sits helped kick off the renewal of the block. 

The opening of the Merced College Business Resource building in the early part of the last decade added to the activity on the site.

In 2018, the University of California (UC) Merced Downtown Campus Center opened right across the street from City Hall. As noted in a column here six years ago, that opening solidified the link between the City and the UC with that strategic location.  

The new building under construction is in the same block as the UC Merced Downtown Campus Center seen here in a photo from the grand opening of 2018. Photo: Steve Newvine

Together with the rehabilitation of the Tioga building and the opening of the El Capitan Hotel just a short walk away, these projects have fueled new interest in downtown Merced.

This has been seen as a good sign by visitors to the City, the elected leaders, and the citizens who have lived here for years.  

Each new construction brings more workers downtown. Those employees generate economic activity in restaurants and retail establishments.

The Merced County Employees Retirement Association's new office will be next door to the Merced College Downtown Business Resource Center 

“Yes it will,” said Merced Mayor Matthew Serratto acknowledging the positive impact of this project. “(We) need more people down there.”

Downtown Merced suffered a hit last summer with the sudden closing of the Bitwise facility. But with new projects in the pipeline, there is cause for optimism.  

The area has seen more new construction than in any other time in recent history.

Little by little, the space is filling up.

Steve Newvine marks his twentieth year living in California, spending eighteen years in Merced.

His new book Rocket Reporter, looks back at his career as a television news reporter covering the first three space shuttle launches in the early 1980s. The book is available at ROCKET REPORTER (lulu.com)

Behind Bars in LaGrange and Hornitos-

Old Jails Still Standing-

The old Stanislaus County Jail in LaGrand. Photo: Steve Newvine

We have an opportunity in the Central Valley to touch history many times and in many ways. . That opportunity comes anytime we care to hop in our cars and drive a relatively short distance.

Two jails in former gold rush towns are of special interest. While neither no longer houses inmates, these former jailhouses remain in place thanks to the thoughtful preservation by area history buffs.

What is known as the Old Stanislaus County Jail stands at the intersection of Yosemite Boulevard and La Grange Road just over the county line.  

According to the description on the website NoeHill.com, the jail was built in 1900 to replace a jail that burned earlier that year.

When exploring it up close, the inside looks as though it might be the last place someone would want to be. It’s cramped, and in the days before heating and air conditioning, it was probably even more uncomfortable in extreme weather.

A look inside the Old Stanislaus County Jail. Photo: Syd Whittle, hmdb.org

The Old Stanislaus County Jail was in use for just six years, from 1856 to 1862. A new jail opened in Modesto and all functions surrounding the incarceration of inmates centered on that facility.

It is also interesting to note that the Old Jail was made of wood. All the other California jails recorded in the NoeHill website from that period were made of stone.

The building was restored by volunteers from the group E Clampus Vitus in 1976.  

The Hornitos jail in a black and white photo from the Library of Congress website.

Another old jail that still stands is in Hornitos, Mariposa County. Hornitos was a thriving gold rush town in the 1800s, and while those days are long past, several historic buildings remain including the jail.

The Historical Marker Data Base (HMDB.org) states the jail was built in 1854 around the same time as the Old Stanislaus County jail. According to the database site, it was likely built by Chinese labor living in the area. Stone blocks quarried in the nearby hills were used.

We can assume there were some dangerous characters spending time behind the bars in both jails. While the gold rush brought prosperity to the region, it also brought crime, criminals and the need for a place to hold the people who found themselves on the wrong side of the law.

There is a large ring of iron embedded in the center of the floor inside. It is believed this ring was used to shackle prisoners. There are iron rings attached to the inside walls presumably for the same purpose.

Hornitos Jail. Photo: Steve Newvine

Both jails are fascinating points of interest in the region. Both are relatively close to downtown Merced. While these former jails no longer keep inmates locked up, they stir the imagination as to what incarceration might have looked like back then.

Behind bars was a place no one wanted to be, then or now.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His new book Beaten Paths and Back Roads is available at Lulu.com

Historical Marker Database, HMDB.org

NoeHill, NoeHill.com

Hallowed Ground at Never Forget Lane-

The California 9-11 Memorial in Clovis

The World Trade Center statue in the California 9-11 Memorial in Clovis. Photo: Steve Newvine

The California 9-11 Memorial in Clovis honors the victims of the attacks and the first responders who answered the call on September 11, 2001, in New York City, the Pentagon, and in western Pennsylvania.

The memorial started as an act of respect by the Chief Executive Officer of Pelco, David McDonald.

Pelco manufactures rescue camera equipment. The company provided hardware and support that was used to find the remains of many who perished on that day at the World Trade Center.  

Touched by the cruel attacks and the inspiring bravery of the first responders, McDonald set aside a conference room in Pelco’s headquarters to display icons retrieved from the rescue scenes and tokens of appreciation received by the company in the aftermath of the recovery efforts.

This soon led to the dedication of an outdoor memorial in front of the company’s main building.

The California 9-11 Memorial was noted for its large American flag.

The entrance to the California 9-11 Memorial. Photo: Steve Newvine

Change took place in the years following the initial dedication of that flag and the bronze plaque at its base.

Pelco was sold to Schneider Electric, David McDonald retired, the National 9-11 Memorial opened in New York City and most of the collection once held in Clovis was shipped east to be preserved by that new organization.

But back in Clovis, some folks would not let the idea of a permanent California Memorial pass. A non-profit was formed and funds were raised to enhance the outdoor memorial.

The mission statement of the California 9-11 Memorial is to never forget the civilians, first responders, and military personnel who died in the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

The California 9-11 Memorial never really closed.

Cook Land Company established a permanent monument site assuring that the Memorial will endure.

New features at the Memorial were dedicated in 2019 with additional features coming online in succeeding years.

A depiction of survivors from the attacks on the Pentagon at the California 9-11 Memorial. Photo: Steve Newvine

The new features include the 9/11 Memorial Monument, monuments from the three locations where the terrorist strikes took place, a spot honoring first responders, and a tribute to our armed forces.

All of this sits on a small piece of land with the address now known as Never Forget Lane in Clovis.

A person can spend a good deal of time walking around the memorial park.

Individuals and families can come to the site anytime. Arrangements can be made on the non-profit California 9-11 Memorial & Museum website for larger groups.

The vision statement of the group states “Through honor, education, and remembrance we are committed to memorializing those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.” 

But the most telling statement is the one a visitor reads upon entering the site. It reads: “Please enter the memorial with respect.”

Engraving on the step of the Flight 93 section of the California 9-11 Memorial. These were the words of one of the passengers in the flight that stopped the hijackers from attackers from a planned assault in Washington. Photo: Steve Newvine

The words are carefully chosen because they carry a lot of meaning throughout the park.

Whether it is the event timeline that depicts what was going on at various locations during the morning of September 11, or the explanations of why certain types of flowers were planted at the site, or even the heart-stopping mantra “Let’s roll” of the brave citizens on board Flight 93 as they moved ahead to stop the terrorists, words make a powerful impact.

The California 9-11 Memorial naturally gets a lot of attention every September.

But throughout the year, the non-profit encourages visitors. The organization engages young visitors with a writing, poetry, and art competition that awards prizes including trips to the National 9-11 Memorial in New York.  

The organization’s website captures some of the feelings of honor and respect for the victims of the attacks.  

The annual 9/11 Ceremony honors the brave and in 2023, the event brought in a first responder who survived the attack on the World Trade Center.

But the Memorial is open every day. It is easy to find, there’s plenty of parking, and there is no cost to attend. 

While people are encouraged to find the time to visit, the next best thing is spending some time browsing through the organization’s website.

Photographs and narratives help tell the story of how the state of California, through the initial dedication of one individual encouraged the volunteer spirit of the community, to create this sacred space.

Most folks from California will likely never get to New York City, let alone see the National 9-11 Memorial. This special place, about an hour’s drive from downtown Merced, is the next best thing.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced

His new book Beaten Paths and Back Roads, is available at Lulu.com

The California 9-11 Memorial website is California911Memorial.com

Planada- One Year Later –

Community Recovering from Devastating Floods

The community of Planada in Merced County one year after the entire town was flooded by January 2023 rains. Photo: Steve Newvine

When driving through the streets in Planada, Merced County, in January 2024, it’s clear the community is on the mend.

One year ago, the community was coping with floodwater when heavy rains made life difficult for everyone.

Within hours of the disaster, help was on the way. Residents were evacuated to shelters. The Sheriff’s Department set up roadblocks to protect the abandoned homes from looters.

Shortly after the rains ended, residents could return to their homes. Emergency food and water supplies were brought in. Right away, volunteers began jumping in to offer their time.

Photos from the early aftermath of the floods in Planada. Photos: Steve Newvine

Early pictures taken about a week after the floods showed streets lined with debris.

Large trailers from such organizations as Salvation Army and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association set up in the center of town.

A trailer with dozens of washers and dryers was moved in so that residents could catch up on laundry. Daily food distribution followed.

One year later, the debris is gone, the relief organizations have long since moved on to the next critical area of need, and Planada is slowly moving on with what looks like normal.

“I’d guess we are at about seventy-five percent back,” one resident told me as he looked through his neighborhood in mid-January.

The U S Post Office in Planada closed immediately after the floods, and as of January 2024, remained closed. Photo: Steve Newvine

Many of the businesses that were damaged during the 2023 flooding are back up and running.

One notable exception is the U S Post Office that closed after the floods, and as of this writing, is still not open to serve residents.

Some wondered how an agency of the federal government could not find a solution to reopen a post office, even if in temporary quarters.

“We’ve had to go to Merced to pick up our mail,” one resident said.

Inquiries as to the reopening of the post office were being referred by the Town to the postmaster’s office in Merced.

Calls to that office get a recorded message that encourages the caller to remain on the line.

After a two-to-three minute wait, a busy signal is heard over the line.

On our visit in mid-January, contractors were working on painting parts of the post office building. A contractor pointed out how the gutters and drainage system had to be replaced as well.

“More than one contractor, and a landlord from outside the area,” is how one resident described the likely reasons why it has taken more than a year to get the post office building back into shape.

Scenes from the community of Planada one year after the floods of January 2023. Photo compilation: Steve Newvine

On January ninth, the Merced County Board of Supervisors heard a presentation on how a twenty-million dollar state and federal aid allocation will be distributed to help homeowners and business operators recoup some of their out-of-pocket expenses related to the flood aftermath.

According to the presentation, about forty-percent of the money will go toward home repair.

Direct assistance programs for residents will consume a little over twenty-percent.

The rest will go to business support services with about ten-percent of the total going to administration of the money.

It is money that has been promised since the early weeks after the flooding.

There were hearings to find out what the people of Planada wanted as priorities. There was also some frustration over early scenarios about how the money should be spent.

The real test may come as the community sees the government aid come into the area.

The County of Merced will work with community organizations in February on outreach to residents and business owners.

They will explain the aid package and offer help on how to apply. Applications will be accepted beginning March 11 and be closed by April 20.

Today, the streets of Planada show little sign of the horrific damage done by the January 2023 flooding.

Most homes look like they did before the storms. Signs promoting candidates in the upcoming County Supervisor race dot some of the lawns.

It’s been a year of ups and downs as the community rebuilds.

A year ago, the sounds of debris removal trucks and building repair power tools permeated the town in the weeks following the storm.

Today, those sounds are mostly gone; replaced by a weary silence as residents wait on promised financial help.

There is hope however that the wait will soon be over for the reopening of the town’s post office.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His new book, Beaten Paths and Back Roads is available for sale at the Merced Courthouse Museum Gift Shop or online at BEATEN PATHS AND BACK ROADS (lulu.com)

The website Planada20M.com has been set up for residents and businesses impacted by the floods to view the application process for relief.