Les Eastburg’s extended family came to Ripon in support of the 100-year-old who served as grand marshal for the Almond Blossom Festival parade.

They were hosted to a two-hour-long reception at the home of Brenda Lang at the corner of Vera Avenue and Fourth Street that drew some 100 people from the community who knew the Eastburg family – many of whom had gone through Ripon High School with them from 1937 until 1972. 

Following the parade as its grand marshal, the family gathered at the Ripon’s Clarence Smith Memorial Museum to see copies of their RHS yearbooks.

Art and Carol Eastburg hailed from Hemet in Southern California and daughter Liz and her husband Bill traveled from Milpitas in the Bay Area.  Dan and Jill Eastburg came to Ripon for their dad from their home in Texas.  A birthday party had already been held for Les on his birthday the first week of January.

Connie Jorgensen hosted the family at the museum and was quick to show them a 1928 film of Ripon businesses and schools that had been put on CDs for the public to view.  Gathered around a computer they were all sure they could pick out their dad among school children flooding out the door of Ripon Elementary School at the end of the day. 

The reception at the Lang home brought a number of cousins together – family members they hadn’t seen for years, they said.  

The Eastburgs were thrilled to see a framed portrait of their beloved Ripon High speech teacher Ernie Poletti in the museum.  Poletti was responsible for many of his students becoming proficient in public speaking during his tenure at RHS. 

There was one granddaughter who joined her parents to come to Ripon for the parade and to honor her grandfather, Aaron Eastburg.

To contact Glenn Kahl, email gkahl@mantecabulletin.com.