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.

The Turkey Bird and a Future President-

Merwin Amerine’s Contribution to Ronald Reagan’s Legacy

One of President Reagan’s White House Turkey Pardoning Ceremonies. The annual event connects the former President to a Central Valley turkey farmer. Photo: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

There is a colorful sidebar to our Central Valley history that combines elements of aviation, turkeys, and Ronald Reagan.  

The story of Stanislaus County turkey farmer Mervin Amerine is one of bravery, business savvy, and preparation meeting opportunity.

He was a World War II bomber pilot who served proudly in the Pacific. He headed the crew that took photographs of Hiroshima before and after the atomic bombing.

He piloted the B-29 Superfortress bomber.

Merwin and Nancy Amerine are believed to be at President Reagan’s left in this photo from the 1983 Turkey Pardoning Ceremony. Merwin served as a pilot in WW II and then built up a successful turkey farm operation following the war. Photo: George H.W. Bush Presidential Library archive.

Following his military service Merwin, who preferred to be called Merv, was a successful turkey farmer and a staunch promoter of the birds he bred at Amerine Turkey Breeding Farms in Oakdale.

Merv also loved flying and is credited with using planes to deliver newly hatched turkeys to farmers around the country.

He used a converted World War II DC 3 airplane to deliver the young birds (also known as poults).

At one time, he was credited with flying forty-eight thousand live birds all over the country at one time.

Bill Mattos heads the California Poultry Industry Federation trade association and he spoke highly of the contributions Merv (who passed in 2008) made to the turkey industry in California.

He told an interviewer, “Merv had a flair for marketing, and he understood the industry.” 

Merv’s marketing savvy found another use for his piloting skills and his turkey transport aircraft.

In 1966 during Ronald Reagan’s first campaign for California Governor, the candidate hated to fly. Yet, Reagan knew that to take his campaign all over the massive state, he’d have to find a way.

The Oakdale turkey farmer was an early supporter of Reagan’s candidacy.

He is credited with helping to ease the candidate’s worries about flying.

Promising the campaign he would convert one of his planes from carrying turkeys to carrying the candidate and his team, Merv got the go-ahead.  

Soon, the turkey transport was named “Turkey Bird” and it took Reagan to every corner of the state.

That first flight carried the future Governor to Angels Camp in Calaveras County.

The Turkey Bird display at the Castle Air Museum indoor exhibit area. Photo: Steve Newvine

The rest, to borrow the cliché, is history.

Ronald Reagan served two terms as governor and two terms as President of the United States.  

The actor-turned-governor and eventually President would get over his fear of flying thanks to Merwin and those early flights aboard the Turkey Bird.

The former President did not forget Merv’s role in the 1966 campaign. He said of the Oakdale turkey farmer, “Merv had done more to ease my concerns about flying than anyone else.”   

In 1983, the President and Mrs. Reagan invited Merv and his wife Nancy to the White House for the annual White House Turkey Pardoning ceremony.

A Washington Post story references how the President spent time with the Amerines reminiscing about those California campaign flights aboard the Turkey Bird.

The Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California. Photo: Steve Newvine

We know a little bit more about the Turkey Bird and Merv Amerine thanks to a display in the indoor exhibit space at the Castle Air Museum. 

It’s interesting to note that in addition to the Turkey Bird exhibit, the Museum is also home to the Douglas VC-93 Presidential Aircraft.

The plane was Air Force One during part of President Reagan’s time in office.

The next time you or someone you know take in the tour of Air Force One at the Castle Air Museum, consider spending a few extra minutes to see the display about the Turkey Bird and how it helped elect Ronald Reagan to the governor’s office in California.  

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

He is grateful to Castle Air Museum, the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library, and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for their archive of photos and narrative in preparing this column. Photographs of Merv and Nancy Amerine’s 1983 White House visit are hard to track and we hope our efforts have paid off.

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

The Best of 2023-

Looking back on memorable columns in 2023

(Left) Flood damage in Planada. (Right) Muralist Martin Figueroa working on his project in Merced. Photos: Steve Newvine

Peering through the archive of my twice-monthly columns in the past year reminds me of how much change our community went through in 2023.

The year was barely new when in January heavy rain caused considerable flooding throughout the county. Especially hard-hit was the community of Planada where every house had water damage.

I visited the community, talked with residents, and shared the stories that offered some rays of hope in two columns about the restoration. Residents were beaten down by the heavy rain, but optimistic about assurances that help was on the way.

That help came in the form of a host of community service and non-profit organizations setting up relief services in the center of town. Pallets of bottled water, trailers with full-sized washers and dryers, and daily drive-through meal pick-up sites were just some of the ways these agencies offered to help.

Government dollars were promised and by the end of the year, some concerns were raised about how this financial help will get to where it is needed efficiently.

It is a story that is still evolving.

By early summer, mural artists were busy creating public art on the walls beneath overpasses on all the Highway 99 exits passing through the City of Merced.

I spoke to an artist named Martin who works a regular job by day and pursues his passion for commercial art in his off-hours.  

Martin applied to Cal-Trans for the grant money to paint his mural. The work honors his three children and their sense of optimism and opportunity.

(Left) Parker’s Hardware closes on 18th Street in Merced after six decades of operation. (Right) The Merced Fire Department displayed the pumper Old Betsy at an exhibit at the Merced County Courthouse Museum. Photos: Steve Newvine

By mid-summer, customers said goodbye to the staff at Parker’s Hardware store in downtown Merced.

The store was an institution in the City with one of the best testimonials coming from a comment found on social media: “If you can’t find it anywhere else, you can find it at Parkers.”

After six decades on 18th Street in the City, the Parker family closed up shop. As for reasons why, some point to the competition from big box home improvement centers; a store employee told me there just wasn’t enough interest in the next generation of the family to continue.

Upon closing up on that final day, the Parker family could look back on a successful local business that helped homeowners, contractors, and just about anyone else who would stop in to find what they needed for various projects.

The Merced Fire Department marked a milestone in 2023:

One hundred fifty years of continuous service to the community.

To celebrate the occasion, the Department brought out a restored pumper acquired in 1874.

The pumper named Old Betsy was the star of the show at an exhibit at the Merced County Courthouse Museum.

The Fire Department hopes Old Betsy will rest on a permanent display at City Hall in the future.

(Left) The site where the Billy Graham Crusade in Modesto was held in 1948. (Right) One of the few remaining Dust Bowl travelers shared his story about a childhood journey from Arkansas. Photos: Steve Newvine

Along the way, the Our Community Story column marked the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Central Valley Billy Graham Crusade with a look at how part of the money raised from that Modesto event was invested in helping the less fortunate and how that initial investment continues to reap dividends.

We met a man who made the trip west from Arkansas to the Central Valley as part of the Dust Bowl exodus in the 1930s.

Charlie was just a baby when his parents loaded up the family vehicle with everything they had, and left the ruins of the Dust Bowl for a land that promised nothing more than an opportunity for a better life.  

The move paid off for Charlie.

In many ways, these stories showed how hard work and a strong belief in doing the right thing paid off for the people we met in our community.

From the Planada residents who faced rebuilding their damaged homes to the proud display of a retired fire tanker and everything in between, it was a year of resilience.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

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

Entering Elvis’ Building-

Recalling 3 Visits to Graceland 4 Decades Ago

In front of Graceland, the home of the King of Rock-and-Roll Elvis Presley. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

When my book Rocket Reporter was released earlier this year, I promised an Elvis Presley story for “later this summer”.  

Well, as we wind down the year, here’s that summer story. What can I say? It’s been a busy year.  

There is a timely “hook” to this story. December 3 marks the 55th anniversary of the Elvis Comeback Special.

That 1968 television show on NBC was the first small-screen appearance of Presley in seven years. It transformed Elvis from a poor-quality movie-making machine to a dynamic stage performer. Sadly, that transformation lasted only a few years before prescription drugs and a less-than-healthy lifestyle would take his life in 1977.

That program made an impact on a young grade school boy who watched with his parents on that cold December evening.

I became an Elvis fan that night. Little did I know I would connect to his legacy in my adult life on three occasions.

Rocket Reporter is a memoir of my two years working as a television news reporter in Huntsville, Alabama back in 1980-1982.  

I visited Graceland three times during the two years I worked in Huntsville, Alabama (1980-1982). Memphis was about four hours away from Huntsville. Elvis had passed just a few years prior to this time. As a fan, I knew how important the singer was to the South.

I could not squander the opportunity.

In the years leading up to the spring of 1981, fans were allowed to walk onto the grounds of the mansion.

We could see the gravesites of Elvis and some family members. We did not know it then, but paid tours inside the house were just a year away.

That first visit was personal, but as a local television news reporter, I saw an opportunity to return to Memphis and do some stories for the sweeps period when stations were rated on how many viewers tuned in.

I proposed a three-part series on Elvis for the November ratings period.

My photographer and I would shoot and report the story during the August commemoration of Presley’s death.

We pick up the next part of the story with this excerpt from Rocket Reporter:

Fans were lined along the extended driveway from Elvis Presley Boulevard on up to the front of the mansion. People were everywhere. Across the street was a strip mall retail center with every store selling souvenirs of Memphis, Elvis, and Graceland.

   One of the advantages of being a television reporting team was the privilege to head to the front of the line. With camera and microphone in tow, my photographer Bill and I made our way to the guard gate shack. From there, we were escorted through a line of more visitors to the right side of the mansion.

   Back in 1981, the interior of the mansion was not open to the public. Visitors were directed along the right side of the property to where Elvis’ grave marker, along with the markers for his mother, father, twin brother (who died at birth), and grandmother were located.

   We had plenty of things to shoot on the grounds.

   We interviewed some of the visitors waiting their turn to enter the area where the grave markers were. I did a couple of stand-ups where the reporter talked on camera from the scene of a story. 

   One of the stand-ups was for the fourth-anniversary story. Another stand-up would be used in the three-part series to air later in the fall. We then went back out onto Elvis Presley Boulevard where I did another stand-up.  

The TV Guide advertisement promoting The Elvis Influence series of special reports that aired on station WAAY-TV in 1981. Newvine Personal Collection

There’s plenty more to share about the time we shot the Elvis story in Memphis. Included in the extensive chapter about Elvis in Rocket Reporter, is the story behind my chance encounter with Sam Phillips, the man who first recorded Elvis in the Sun Records studio in the mid-fifties.

I interviewed Phillips and asked him about that often quoted comment he made back in the fifties about finding a white artist who sounded like a black rhythm-and-blues singer.

He confirmed his comments and elaborated on exactly what he meant.

Our television story on the fourth anniversary of Elvis’ death aired the next night on the six o’clock news. The three-part special report called, The Elvis Influence aired over three nights in November. 

   I would visit Graceland one more time just one year later in the weeks before leaving the station. That story is in the book as well.

 Telling a small part of the story of Elvis Presley remains one of my personal career highlights from over forty years ago. It was topped, or maybe tied with the other big story I was privileged to report back then: the first three launches of the space shuttle program.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

Rocket Reporter is available online at lulu.com

Steve is indebted to the late Twila Stout, a local woman whom he met on a couple of occasions while speaking about his books before local civic groups. Twila was a fan of his books and a true community steward.

Lights, Camera, Castle

1957 Natalie Wood Movie Filmed at the Air Base

Natalie Wood stayed in Merced County for a few weeks in early 1957 filming the movie Bombers B-52 on location at Castle Air Force Base in Atwater. Photo: Castle Air Museum 

Hollywood came to Merced County in early 1957. It arrived in the form of movie star Natalie Wood and a film about military air power.

Over the recent Veterans Day holiday, a Hollywood movie starring Natalie Wood was played on the big screen at the Merced Theatre. The film, while not a blockbuster or even a critic’s choice, has a distinction we can hold close for generations.

Parts of the movie, titled Bombers B-52, were filmed at the Base in early 1957. Most of the scenes depict the large landing strip that is still in use by private and public sector customers who use the former base in a reimagined role as an industrial business park.

Natalie Wood and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. share an embrace for the movie Bombers B-52 on location at Castle Air Force Base. Photo: Warner Brothers trailer. 

The storied history behind the fences of the former Castle Air Force Base in Atwater continues to be gathered and documented for future generations.

The Base closed as part of a Clinton-era realignment effort in the 1990s, but the Castle Air Museum holds many of the documents and items that fill the background about World War II and Cold War-era military air power.

The Castle Air Museum has an exhibit on the filming of Bombers B-52 in its indoor exhibit building. Visitors can see photographs the Air Force took while the crew and stars were in sight.  

Visitors can even see two military uniforms and a red dress worn by the actors in a display case.

Natalie Wood danced with local teens at a fund raiser event for polio during her time filming the movie Bombers B-52 on location at Castle Air Force Base. Photo: Castle Air Museum exhibit. Photo: Warner Brothers Archives. Research done by Rick Marshall with help from Allen Thompson.

The movie was directed by Gordon Douglas whose credits include movies with the likes of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lewis, and even Laurel and Hardy.

The screenwriter was Irving Wallace who would go on to write several novels and the non-fiction The People’s Almanac.

Natalie Wood, fresh off her role with the late James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, was the star of the picture. Her father was played by Karl Malden who we best remember from the television series The Streets of San Francisco.

Natalie’s character has a love interest played by then forty-year-old Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. who would later star in the television series 77 Sunset Strip and eventually on The FBI (the version that aired in the 1960s and 70s, not to be confused with the franchise currently on CBS).

But it’s not these stars who local audiences filed into the Merced Theatre to see on Veterans Day.

As far as Merced audiences were concerned, the star of this movie was Castle Air Force Base.

In this photo, Natalie poses in a Ford Thunderbird with the movie slate below the car door. Photo: Castle Air Museum.

While the love story between Wood and Zimbalist was intended to keep moviegoers entertained, the military side of the story involved the B-52 Stratofortress. This was a new bomber the Strategic Air Command wanted to introduce to America and the rest of the Cold War world.  

There are plenty of references to how this bomber is the biggest, most powerful conventional weapon in the world.

“The film tells that story real well,” says Castle Air Museum Executive Director Joe Pruzzo.

There’s no doubt some local folks still remember the film from when it was first released or some who were connected to the rollout of the Stratofortress.

On the Internet Movie Data Base website (IMDB.com) there is a comment posted from someone who was stationed at Castle in the late fifties. This person (no name was included in the post) stated he has photographs of Natalie Wood posing with some of his squadron mates.

Quoting from that post, “The high point was the low altitude flyover of a flight of B-52s. The segment where the landing gear is jammed was done in our maintenance hanger with the bomber on jacks with wheel well doors open.” 

"(left) Natalie Wood and Efrem Zimbalist Jr.  (right) Director Gordon Douglas and Karl Malden. Photos from the Castle Air Museum exhibit.

Some of the narrative in the Castle Air Museum exhibit tells of how Natalie attended a March of Dimes fundraiser dance with over two hundred people from the Teen Agers Against Polio organization. The narrative says the actress stayed at the Hotel Tioga. More than one hundred movie production workers were assigned to the movie.  

She was photographed dancing with Buddy Obenoskey, a Merced High School teen in 1957. By all accounts, she enjoyed the dance and was gracious to servicemen at Castle.

While the movie fan magazines may have had Natalie Wood on their covers in early 1957, Life Magazine was consumed with the story of the around-the-world flight with no landing for refueling. That flight began at Castle Air Force Base. To read more about it, go to: The Week Merced County Made the Cover of Life Magazine — Merced County Events

It’s interesting to note the film came out in 1957, the same year Castle Air Force Base made the cover of Life magazine. In January, three aircraft left Castle for a first-of-its-kind around-the-world flight with no landings for refueling.

Operation Power Flite (the Air Force used this spelling for naming the mission) tested the US's ability to refuel military aircraft from the air. That type of refueling was not done back in the fifties; Operation Power Flite proved it could be done.

1957 was a big year for Castle Air Force Base. The year began with an accomplishment that made the cover of Life magazine. It ended with the release of the movie Bombers B-52 which showcased Castle on the cinema screen.

The airmen of Castle were right in the middle of it all.  

Steve Newvine lives in Merced

You can read the column he wrote about Operation Power Flite by clicking on this link. The Week Merced County Made the Cover of Life Magazine — Merced County Events

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

Castle Air Museum: https://www.castleairmuseum.org/

’48 Modesto Crusade Still Reaping Benefits-

75th Anniversary of Billy Graham's Visit to the Central Valley

A poster promoting the Modesto revival meeting with Billy Graham. (right) The intersection of LaLoma Street and Burney Avenue in Modesto where the 1948 revival meetings were held.

October 24, 1948, was a Sunday. A large canvas tent set up in a rural Modesto field was about to be filled with over two thousand people.

For the next two weeks, that tent would fill up every night with more people coming out to hear a special young man speak.

They were there to see a Southern Baptist minister who would preach the Bible by night, and work with his close associates by day to write the rules for a newly formed evangelical organization.

The evangelist was Billy Graham and he was on the precipice of becoming a world-known religious leader. Eleven US presidents would call upon him for spiritual comfort. More than a billion people would hear him preach.

The seventy-fifth anniversary of what became known as the Modesto Crusade was recently noted with little to no fanfare anywhere.

But what took place there three-quarters of a century ago was truly remarkable. 

The Crusade ran for two weeks with an estimated twenty-eight thousand people taking part. It was important to the Graham ministry on three fronts: national prominence, the Modesto Manifesto, and the Modesto Gospel Mission.

Pictures from the actual Modesto Crusade are hard to come by. Here is a promotional photo from the Los Angeles Crusade that followed several months after the Modesto stop. Photo: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

National prominence

The event was an important step that would propel the organization into the national scene. The two-week Modesto Crusade was among the last Graham would lead before heading to Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Crusade in 1949 would run for eight weeks and bring his preaching to over three hundred thousand people. After the success of the Southern California crusade, the stage was set for a worldwide public ministry.

Modesto Manifesto

A key accomplishment from the Modesto Crusade is what Graham and three of his associates worked on during the day throughout the duration of the event.

Working from the former Rock Motel on the old Highway 99 in Modesto, the team wrote a set of four principles they would call the Modesto Manifesto.

The principles spelled out in the Modesto Manifesto are:

• Accountability-transparency in reporting finances and Crusade attendance

• Purity-specifically addressing sexual immorality. This led to a directive that no one working for the Graham organization be allowed to have a closed-door meeting with someone from the opposite sex.

• Integrity-no criticism of local churches or local pastors

• Humility-no seeking out “exaggerated publicity” for the crusade events

A key player in writing the Modesto Manifesto was Billy Graham’s close friend Cliff Barrows.

Barrows grew up in nearby Ceres, Stanislaus County. He went to work with Graham when the preacher hired him to fill a music minister post prior to a revival meeting in North Carolina.    

Barrows suggested the Modesto stop hoping that his connections with local churches would make a Central Valley crusade successful. As part of Graham's inner circle, he took part in those daily sessions where the core principles were discussed.

Barrows coined the term Modesto Manifesto.

Two of the early locations of the Modesto Gospel Mission. (lower left) The organization is now on Yosemite Avenue in the City. (lower right) An early sign for the Mission. Archive photos: Modesto Gospel Mission archives. 

Modesto Gospel Mission

A continuing example of what made the 1948 Modesto Crusade a success is what was done with excess funds raised from the nightly offerings attendees gave.

With an estimated five thousand dollars from excess offerings from the Crusades, local pastors started the Modesto Gospel Mission.

“There was homelessness in 1948 just like we have now seventy-five years later,” said Modesto Gospel Mission Chief Executive Officer Jason Conway. “Back then, it was more transitory with men coming into Modesto riding in on a boxcar of a train.”

Jason said in the early years, the Mission’s primary work was that of a soup kitchen. “Most of the visitors would get a meal and then move on. Some might stay a day or two, and then they would be on their way.”

That 1948 model has changed a lot. Today, the Mission annually serves nearly a quarter-million meals, shelters about eighteen hundred men, and does the same for over two hundred women and children.

“Today, residency is the focus on most of Modesto’s homeless,” Jason said. “Our clients come here with the intention of staying in the area. That wasn’t the case in 1948.”

This cross sign has been in front of the Modesto Gospel Mission in many of the locations where the organization has been housed. It is now attached to the main building at 1400 Yosemite Avenue in the City.  

This effort was made possible because a group of Central Valley pastors invited Billy Graham to bring his revival meetings to Modesto some seventy-five years ago.

There’s no memorial to the Central Valley’s role in the development of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Organization.

While one can find a bronze rendering of the American Graffiti era honoring native son George Lucas, no such memorial exists for that extraordinary two weeks back in October and early November in 1948 when the Modesto Crusade captured the attention of thousands.

But there is what can be considered a memorial to the Billy Graham visit in the work of the Modesto Gospel Mission.

Founded right after the Graham visit, the organization marks a seventieth-fifth year of service along with the Modesto Crusade.

The Mission feeds the hungry, houses the homeless, and helps families throughout the city.

From that five-thousand-dollar investment in human service made possible by the 1948 Modesto Crusade, a living tribute to the work of Billy Graham continues to reap dividends to countless numbers of people who over the years have needed a handout and possibly a hand up in turning their lives around.

It is the living testament to the Manifesto tenet dealing with working with local churches.

It is the true memorial to a historic event in the Central Valley.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

He is available for public speaking events at service clubs and other organizations to discuss his new book Beaten Paths and Back Roads.

The book is available for purchase at the Merced County Courthouse Museum gift shop or online at BEATEN PATHS AND BACK ROADS (lulu.com)

For more information on the Modesto Gospel Mission, go to MyMission.org

How they Put Out the Fire 150 Years Ago

Courthouse Museum Helps Merced Fire Department Celebrate Anniversary

Old Betsy, the first piece of firefighting equipment acquired by the Merced Fire Department in 1974. Photo: Steve Newvine

Imagine it is 1874 and a downtown Merced building is on fire.

Someone runs to the nearby Merced Fire House. An alarm is sounded. Volunteer firemen rush to get the gear they need. The station’s pumper, Old Betsy is hauled to the scene of the blaze.

That pumper had been in service in Stockton for more than a decade before being sold to the Merced Fire Department in 1874. The fire department was established one year earlier in 1873.

The organization is celebrating a One hundred fiftieth anniversary this year.

Old Betsy is still here, though long retired.

Vintage firefighting equipment that was part of the opening ceremony for the exhibit titled: 150 Years Later: Old Betsy’s Legacy Continued. Photo: Steve Newvine

For a few decades, Old Betsy was one of the focal points at the Merced County Courthouse Museum.

On loan from the Fire Department, the vintage pumper gave Museum visitors something to admire about the past, something to compare with today’s modern firefighting equipment, and something to look at with a sense of pride.

At a ceremony on October 12 in front of the old Courthouse, the Museum launched the exhibit titled: 150 Years Later: Old Betsy’s Legacy Continued.

Three rooms in the upper level of the Museum have been dedicated to showcasing the development of the city fire department.

Old photographs have been reproduced showing Old Betsy and other pieces of the firefighting arsenal in action.

Memorable fire events such as the destruction of a lumberyard in 1951 are captured in the displays.

That particular blaze could be seen as far south as Fresno and as far north as Modesto according to accounts in the exhibit.

Old Betsy was used in firematics-type competitions and demonstrations up until a crack formed on the pumper’s frame. Photo: Merced County Courthouse Museum exhibit 150 Years Later: Old Betsy’s Legacy Continued.

Old Betsy was already in use by the Stockton department when Merced acquired it one year after forming the fire department.

"It was the first fire engine of the Merced City Fire Department,” Museum Director Sarah Lim said as she wrote about how the engine was built in Rhode Island. “It was shipped around Cape Horn and purchased by Merced from Stockton Eureka Engine Company No. 2 in 1874.”

On the City of Merced website’s fire department history section, the narrative states the name Old Betsy was given by the publisher of the Merced Express local newspaper.

The fire engine was used for over three decades. 

Members of the Merced Fire Department engage in a bucket brigade competition as part of the opening ceremony for the exhibit. Photo: Steve Newvine

While Old Betsy was removed from firefighting service as more efficient equipment came online, it was used in fire department competitions and public events.

A crack in the wood frame of the pumper forced a retirement from these activities.

“It is a fantastic representation of the Merced Fire Department,” Fire Chief Derek Parker said. “Old Betsy will return to the firehouse for continued maintenance.”

Chief Parker says the department is in the planning stages of preparing a secured display for Old Betsy.

Eventually, it will be on display at Merced City Hall. 

If that continued maintenance is finished in 2024, it may be ready for another welcoming party exactly one-hundred-fifty years after first being brought to the City to help protect the property and people of Merced.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His new book Beaten Paths & Back Roads is available at Lulu.com or at the Merced County Courthouse Museum Gift Shop.

Steve thanks the Atwater Rotary Club and the Merced Women’s Club for hosting him for talks about his new book.

The exhibit 150 Years Later: Old Betsy’s Legacy Continued will be featured at the Courthouse Museum throughout the fall.

Preview of Beaten Paths & Back Roads

New book explores “the other California”

Beaten Paths & Back Roads is available on line at Lulu.com. Locally, the book will be available for sale at the Merced County Courthouse Museum Gift Shop.

My new book is called Beaten Paths & Back Roads.

It contains more than forty stories about places and people all over California with a focus on locations off the so-called beaten path.

In many ways, this is a sequel to the 2017 book California Back Roads. There are just too many stories to write about in just one book.

Here’s a preview

The California Gold Rush was sparked by the discovery of nuggets in the Sacramento Valley. It put California on the radar of the nation.

When gold was discovered at John Sutter’s mill near Coloma in El Dorado County, California in 1848 (the actual year, not 1849 as legend states) the gold rush was on. Soon, the region would fill with prospectors, wannabee gold seekers, and a myriad of service providers.

As news spread of the discovery, thousands of prospective gold miners traveled by sea or over land to San Francisco and the surrounding area. The non-native population of the region exploded from fewer than one-thousand in 1847 to well over one-hundred thousand by 1850.

Resting on a customized park bench as the base of two of the many trees inside Calaveras Big Tree State Park.

Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

While the rush peaked in 1852, some people who look at the era estimate that over two-billion dollars of gold was found during that short period of time.

The rush was effectively over within a few years, but left behind is a beautiful part of the California landscape that visitors now enjoy.

The scenery is spectacular, to coin a word often used by the late California Gold television show host Huell Howser. The region lies north of Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Mountains.

Calaveras Big Tree State Park is a free venue that offers small and medium scale hiking paths among the Sequoia trees.

The trees are the stars of the show. Looking up in some spaces, it is hard to see the tops of the majestic towers of nature.

There are a couple of fallen trees that have been left for visitors to view up close. You get a real idea as to how big these big trees are.

My wife and I posed for a photo in front of the Empire State Tree. As we are transplants from upstate New York, the symbolism of standing next to a tree named for our native state really hit home.

The park had a gift shop that had just the right number of taxidermy wild animals to impress the visitor.

My suggestion is to save the gift shop visit until the very end.

Otherwise, you might be on the lookout for an angry wildcat or wolf just like the ones preserved for posterity in the gift shop.

There’s too much to document in these pages, but permit me to share three venues that have provided natural beauty, with a link to the state’s motion picture history, with a little Broadway thrown in.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

Beaten Paths and Back Roads is available now on Lulu.com.

After October 5, copies will be available for sale at the Merced County Courthouse Museum gift shop.

Steve is launching the new book at a meeting of the Merced Women’s Club on October 3.

A Secret Mission and a Monument to Bravery-

Finding a Memorial to an Army World War II Battalion

My dad Ed Newvine stands next to military banners honoring family members who served in the military. Chester T. Dean is memorialized with a banner honoring his service in World War II .

Over the past ten years, I have been on a mission to learn as much as I can about my great uncle Army Corporal Chester T. Dean.

Chet was killed in a training accident in Wales on June 8, 1944, just two days after D-Day.

In this space, I have shared new-found pictures, newspaper clippings, and the text of an Army Adjunct General’s letter written to the widow in response to her inquiry asking for more information on how Chet died.

The letter confirmed the worse, but went on to praise Chet as a soldier, leader, and friend to his platoon partners. This past summer, a new search started.

Taking the exact wording from what was inscribed on his headstone a new journey for more information started. What has been found is information that Chet and his battalion worked on a secret Army mission.

There’s even a memorial to that company on the grounds of a former training camp in Arizona.

Corporal Chester Dean and the headstone in the Port Leyden Cemetery.. Photos: Find a Grave.com

Chet served with the 748th Tank Battalion, Medium. They were also known at the time as the Rhinos. On August 20, 1942, they were activated from Camp Rucker in Alabama.

Eight months later on April 15, 1943, they were sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky for training.

Five days later on April 20, they were reorganized as a special battalion ready for a top secret Army mission. The secret mission was all about a powerful lighting device that would be attached to tanks.

The group was trained on and equipped with special CDL spotlights. CDL stands for Canal Defense Light. CDL was a powerful searchlight mounted on a tank that was intended to be used during night-time attacks to disorientate enemy troops.

The Rhinos would be sent to Camp Bouse, Arizona where they would be attached to the 9th Armored Tank Group. Rhinos landed at Glasgow, Scotland on in early April of 1944, and then proceeded to South Wales.

The Rhinos landed in Normandy on Utah Beach on June 6th, 1944, D-Day.

Corporal Dean trained with the soldiers and remained in Wales, presumably to train with more troops that would be deployed sometime after D-Day.

Two days after D-Day, Corporal Dean was killed in a training accident in Wales.

All three locations where Chet trained: Camp Rucker, Fort Knox, and Camp Bouse are confirmed in a newspaper clipping found several years ago when I started looking for more information about my great uncle’s service.

American military history has been compiled on-line in a number of websites and databases.

I learned most of this new information for a Google search that took me to the Historical Marker Database (https://www.hmdb.org).

According to the website Veterans.ND.org, over nine-thousand troops spent time at Camp Bouse.

All were sworn to secrecy about the projects. Solders could not transfer out of the camp and their movements were restricted.

Historical marker honoring the 748th Tank Battalion, also known as the Rhinos. My great-uncle Chester Dean served with the 748th. He died in a training accident two days after D-Day in Wales where the unit prepared for deployments in the European theater. Flanking the photo are Hank Leintz and his wife Leota. Hank served in the 748th Tank Battalion. Photo: hmdb.org

The internet search took me to a stone marker and bronze plaque honoring the 748th Tank Battalion.

The monument is on the site of Camp Bouse Desert Training Center in south western Arizona.

According to the website DesertTrainingCenter.com, Camp Bouse was established in 1943 expressly for the secret CDL training. It closed when the soldiers left for Europe in the spring of 1944.

The inscription on the monument can be found at https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=92814

The man in the photo is Henry “Hank” Leintz who served in the 748th.

Hank’s son Jon was instrumental in getting the monument placed through the group E. Clampus Vitus. Hank passed in 2017.

Like many of our brave men and women who died while wearing the uniform of our armed forces, Chet Dean’s story has not been completely told.

Left: plaque marking the Bouse WW II Desert Training Camp where my great-uncle Chester T. Dean and his unit trained on the Canal Defense Light tank project. Right: Unidentified soldiers from the 399th Engineer Battalion who also trained at that location. Photos: deserttrainingcenter.com

Little by little, new information is being uncovered. We know now that the secret mission, the Canal Defense Light was found not to be as effective as the Army hoped.

That did not stop the 748th from completing the mission to win the war in Europe.

The soldiers of the 748th Tank Battalion made it to Omaha Beach, and would remain in France through the end of the war. The memorial at the site of the former Camp Bouse stands, along with several other monuments as a tribute to all the soldiers who passed through that aptly titled Desert Training Camp for that short time during the critical days of the war.

Chet Dean was there too. He paid the ultimate price.

-Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

He is indebted to four groups:

Citizens of Bouse, Lost Dutchman Chapter 5917, Billy Holcomb chapter 1069, John P. Squibob Chapter 1853, and E. Clampus Vitus for making this and other monuments at Camp Bouse possible.

Steve will launch his newest book Beaten Paths and Back Roads at the October 3 meeting of the Merced Women’s Club.

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

The Virtue of Work-

Labor Day Holiday a Reminder of the Value of Doing Well at Work

A successful participant in a skills training initiative is honored by Merced County WorkNet. Photo: Merced County Workforce Investment Board

I'll never forget a Friday before Labor Day when I got a call from one of the program managers at Merced County WorkNet.

He was asking if I could attend a completion ceremony that afternoon.
The event was set up to award certificates of completion for a skills training program I played a small role in putting together.

WorkNet is the agency that helps employees upgrade their skills while helping employers by providing better trained workers.

It is the public facing arm of the Workforce Investment Board. These boards direct the expenditure of state and federal tax dollars earmarked for job training.

The Friday before Labor Day was one of the quietest work days of the year for me. Most of the company leadership was already starting their three-day weekend.

But I was in the office, and told WorkNet program manager I would be there for the ceremony.

Earlier in that summer, we were able to secure skill training resources from my company with resources that WorkNet received from the Obama-era American Resource Recovery Act (ARRA).

By leveraging these resources, training was provided that targeted older youth (defined as ages 16-22). WorkNet had the infrastructure to provide program. My company had the specialized job training skills ready to teach.

As a result of this collaboration, about thirty older youth got specialized training in energy efficiency alongside job readiness training in soft skills.

Completion of the program helped these young people prepare for careers in such fields as heating and air conditioning service repair.

Through an on-the-job training incentive, some of the class members got jobs in the field upon completion of the program.

The job skills program was recognized by my employer with a community service award in 2016. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

Several months later, the program was nominated for a community service award sponsored by the company.

In the late spring of 2016, I received word that the program would be recognized at a ceremony to be held in San Francisco.

My wife accompanied me to the ceremony. Our daughter who lived in San Francisco was also able to attend the event.

Awards were presented in such categories as safety and diversity. In the community service category, the program that helped Merced County workers improve their job readiness skills was recognized.

Most of my colleagues were based in San Francisco so they assembled in the company auditorium along with other work teams and families. I could hear our team cheering when I was called up to accept the recognition.

It was a special day, but not as special as that particular Friday before Labor Day a decade ago when I was asked to come by the local WorkNet office for the completion ceremony of the job training program.

Attending that ceremony helped me see the real value of these programs.

I saw satisfying looks on the faces of the participants, proud smiles from family and friends, and a sense of purpose from the WorkNet staff.

It made we feel good knowing that my company played a role in making it possible.

From about that time going forward, I stopped looking at Labor Day as just a signal that summer was over

The holiday now became associated with the virtue of honorable work. It is a time to be grateful for the job and to work diligently to improve skills that add value to the workplace.

The words on my arms in this art presentation from about a decade ago still holds true. A job is a blessing. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

A few years later at a conference of Workforce Investment Boards, I met an artist who was asking attendees to allow him to paint our forearms with a few words about how we feel about the virtue of work.

He took my picture and included it in his project called “Dear World”.

My key words were: A job is a blessing.

Now three years into retirement, I feel the same way about the virtue of work now as I did back when that photograph was taken.

The virtue of work coming into clearer focus on this Labor Day.

-Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His new book is titled Beaten Paths & Back Roads.

It will be formally released on October 3 at the fall meeting of the Merced Women’s Club. He will talk to the group about the project, and the book will be available for sale at that time.

Two of his books: California Back Roads and Can Do Californians, are available at the Merced County Courthouse Museum gift shop or online at Lulu.com

Columbia Takes You Back-

Historic State Park Lives On as a Gold Rush Community

A team of horses drawing an authentic stagecoach is ready to take another group of visitors on a historic ride through Columbia, California. Photo: Steve Newvine

Let the next five minutes take you back to 1849. Gold has been discovered at Sutter’s Mill in the Sierra Mountains.

Tens of thousands of wannabe millionaires storm the region. Gold rush towns such as Hornitos in Merced County pop up. In Columbia in Tuolumne County California the rush came.

But long after the prospectors left, this little town was not forgotten. A trip to Columbia can take you back to the Gold Rush days because the town never let go of its history. According to a historical plaque placed by the State Park Commission, Columbia never became a ghost town.

A worker helps visitors pan for gold at the prospector’s shop in the Columbia Historic State Park. Photo: Steve Newvine

More than five-thousand people lived there in the Gold Rush era. Today, the population stands at just over two-thousand.

Many of the buildings that made up what is now known as Columbia Historic State Park are still standing and still in use. Gold is no longer the big business.

Tourism is the draw now with an estimated impact of nearly a quarter billion dollars of annual spending from travelers according to the Visit Tuolumne County 2021 Annual Report (visittuolumne.com).

On a warm sunny day in August, my wife and I took in the village as part of a one-day getaway.

Upon parking the car, we were in the historic confines in a matter of minutes.

We watched a pair of blacksmiths pound out customized horseshoes for paying customers. We picked up some chocolate treats from the candy shop. We saw how traditional candles are made at a shop that sells nothing but candles.

We bought lunch at a sit-down saloon with sarsaparilla available upon request.

Sarsaparilla was a favored non-alcoholic drink from the Gold Rush era. Fortunately for me on that sunny weekday in that authentic western saloon, other beverages were served as well.

Our day was topped off with the Sierra Repertory Theatre’s presentation of Jersey Boys, the one-time Broadway musical staged during the summer season with professional actors and professional stage personnel.

While the show was great, experiencing it inside the historic Fallon House was a capper to a refreshing day of old and new.

The Fallon House in Columbia Historic State Park hosts selected productions of the Sierra Repertory Theatre. Photo: Steve Newvine

The Columbia Historic State Park was created in 1945. It was established by the state to preserve the historic buildings.

Some eight decades later, it remains very much like it was back in the Gold Rush era.

The region around Columbia was known as the southern mines as it lies well south of Sutter’s Mill where the first discovery of gold took place. For people living in the Merced and Atwater side of the County, you can get there within an hour and a half.

My wife and I have used Columbia as a convenient one-day event destination for out-of-town visitors.

It is another side to California that sometimes gets lost in the common misconceptions of the state being only about San Francisco or Los Angeles.

There’s a lot of history up there, and thankfully a lot of it has stayed in place ready to be rediscovered.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced

Two of his books: California Back Roads and Can Do Californians, are available at the Merced County Courthouse Museum gift shop or online at Lulu.com

An “Arkie’s” Journey to California

Ceres Man Shares His Family’s Trek During the Dust Bowl

Charlie Brown from his post at the pro shop at St. Stanislaus Golf Course. Photo: Steve Newvine

It’s amazing what you can learn about people when you take the time to get to know them.

I met Charlie at the pro shop at a golf course one summer afternoon several years ago. He was on duty that day. In succeeding years, Charlie and I became friends over a cup of coffee midway through my weekly round of golf.

Through the weekly coffee breaks I learned that among other things, Charlie and his family were part of the Dust Bowl influx of people who left the Midwest and southern United States for the promise of a better life in California.

The Dust Bowl refers to a series of severe dust storms that swept across Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas in the 1930s. Photo: State of California Capitol Museum (capitolmuseum.ca.gov)

The Dust Bowl of the 1930s, brought drought and discomfort for many living in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas. According to the State of California Capitol Museum, where an exhibit was staged in 2014, more than three hundred thousand people packed up their belongings and drove to California during the Dust Bowl years.

According to the Oklahoma Historical Society website, the use of abbreviated terms to indicate state origins is long in practice, and "Okie" is no exception. "Arkie" for Arkansas and "Tex" for Texas are well known and accepted.

Charlie doesn’t remember the trip as he was only six months old when his family made the move from Arkansas.

“My parents, siblings, and even the family German Sheppard made the trip here in 1934,” said Charlie.

“We brought along the family dog with us,” Charlie recalls. “That dog would sit behind the front bumper of the family Model T, right in front of the radiator.”

According to the story Charlie’s parents told him about the trip, the German Sheppard would sit right behind the bumper throughout the journey.

There was enough space between the bumper and the radiator for the dog. There was no room in the car as it was filled with all the family’s possessions.

“When we’d stop for a break, my dad would tell the dog to get up,” he remembers. “The dog would wander around, do his business, and then get back into his spot before we’d all load up in the car.”

Charlie’s work ethic was forged in part by the journey his family made from Arkansas to California in 1934 during the Dust Bowl. Photo: Steve Newvine

Charlie’s family found a new life in the Central Valley. Charlie would work at a number of jobs, primarily in agriculture, throughout his life.

He and his wife owned a fast-food and ice cream franchise for a few years in Ceres, Stanislaus County.

He continues to work, now as a part timer in the golf course pro shop.

Without really putting a finger on the key to his success at work, anyone talking to him can tell you his secret is a strong work ethic.

He’s on the job early, keeps busy when he’s not checking in golfers, and is a reliable team player. “Staying active is my key to a long life,” Charlie says.

It’s been a long journey from Arkansas as a baby, making his way to California during the Dust Bowl, and building a meaningful life in the Central Valley.

He may have started his life as an Arkie, or citizen of Arkansas.

But he’s happy to call California his home and to call himself a Californian.

It’s amazing what you can learn about people when you take the time to get to know them.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

In October, he will publish a sequel to his 2016 book California Back Roads.

His California books are available at Lulu.com, or at the Merced County Courthouse Museum Gift Shop.