Keeping a memory alive

If he were still alive, Cipriano Rangel (1881-1946) would surely delight at how children still laugh and play in a park named for him.

Rangel Park sits south of the railroad tracks in a close-knit neighborhood that dates back to the very beginnings of Beaumont.

And while Rangel passed away 66 years ago, we can still catch a glimpse of a beloved figure from the city’s past. It can be found in a six-page, heartfelt account preserved by the San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society.

Loved by all

As we peer at the handwritten pages through plastic sleeves, neatly numbered in pencil at the top, we see a smiling gentleman who kept the streets clean at a time when the clip-clop of horses could be heard all over town. Rangel, like the Pied Piper, attracted a gaggle of youngsters as he went about his work with a push broom and a cart.

Beaumont Library Director Gwen Bronson wrote the tribute to the dedicated street sweeper. It seems to have been authored right around the time of his death. One passage poignantly describes how church bells peeled in his honor throughout Beaumont on Sept. 5, 1946.

For nearly a quarter century, the humble man worked as a street sweeper, tipping his hat to townsfolk and greeting them with a cheery “Buenos Dias!”

Rangel spoke fluent Spanish, French and English and rumor had it that he graduated from a university in Mexico City. But the writer never says what brought him to Beaumont and so we’re left with an enduring mystery.

But we learn many things about Rangel from the article. We know that he faithfully raised the American flag everyday in his neighborhood at Fifth Street and Egan Avenue.

Beloved street sweeper

And he could sure take a joke from his young admirers. One summer night, they snuck up and painted black stripes on Rangel’s horse the day before he was to ride in the Cherry Festival Parade. But in the end, we also know how much Beaumont loved the humble street sweeper. At a rosary, flowers overflowed the church for the man who had become a fixture to his neighbors in a small town.

And fittingly, they named a park in his honor that still keeps his memory alive to this day.

The Beaumont Blogger would like to thank the San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society for providing information for this article on Cipriano Rangel.

Ripped from the headlines: “Boost Beaumont!”

The old hometown newspaper—with its fraying, yellowing pages—delivers a glimpse back in time and new hope for the future.

The September 6, 1912 edition of the Beaumont Leader hit the streets with the latest on our hometown—two months before cityhood. As usual, the weekly newspaper proudly proclaimed: “WE PRINT ALL WE KNOW.”

This early newspaper, perhaps the oldest surviving bit of newsprint about our hometown, will be displayed on Thursday evening, Feb. 9 at the City’s Information Social. The Beaumont Blogger would like you to take a look and discover your city’s rich history. Please join us from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for hot cocoa and learn all about your city government.

We’ll be celebrating our 100^th anniversary on Nov. 18, 2012.

Headlines announce stories of the day

Generations of readers have been captivated and spellbound by newspaper headlines, even if they’re increasingly found online these days. Hollywood often talks about stories “ripped right from the headlines.”

Well, the Beaumont Leader exhaustively chronicled the everyday lives of our forefathers in a small farming town. A century ago, the front page carried stories like this:

“SUDDEN DEATH OF MRS. FRED D. WEST
Well Known Beaumont Lady is Called to Life Beyond”

The story began, “Once more the community has been shocked and saddened by a visit from the Grim Reaper who spares no homes.”

Many other stories filled the front page, but as readers reached the bottom, they came across this headline:

“LOCAL SCHOOLS TO OPEN SEPT. 16^TH

New Teachers in High School Faculty—Others Engaged”

Scattered about other pages of the paper were stories about Beaumont’s incorporation petition to the county Board of Supervisors, signs of oil being discovered south of town and an article reprinted from the Hemet News about a booming canning factory creating huge prosperity in that town.

Boosting Beaumont

One story touted a Board of Trade exhibit that showed how eucalyptus trees grow “wonderfully fast” when planted in Beaumont. Other articles talked about the rising sugar beet industry in town, T.H. Silverwood returning from Los Angeles with a new team of horses to raise apples north of town, and several boys heading out for 10 days of hunting, fishing and camping in Whitewater Canyon.

Advertisements also covered the pages of the Beaumont Leader. They suggest a growing, vibrant local economy in the early 20^th Century. One front-page advertisement touted Belford’s Grocery offering Lovell Peaches for canning for three cents a pound. An ad from Beaumont Pharmacy tried to attract students, saying they could listen to music recordings for free on the latest gadget—a Victor phonograph. Other ads advised readers to stock up on their supply of coal for the winter and get their wagons and buggies repaired by blacksmith L.C Gist.

Call to arms

Back then, hometown pride was an article of faith, just as it is for so many today. As we approach Beaumont’s 100^th anniversary, its residents have much to celebrate. In the Sept. 6, 1912 edition, the Beaumont Leader issued a challenge that still rings true today:

“Be a booster. He who looks only on the dark side is a curse to himself, his country and his God, if he has one. Conditions are perfect in Heaven. Nowhere else. Don’t yamp like a guttersnipe. Make the best of everything and be a man among men. The pessimist can always find something to feel sore about. Look on the bright side. It will do you good.”

The Beaumont Blogger would like to thank the San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society for preserving the Sept. 6, 1912 edition of the Beaumont Leader and for sharing the newspaper with the community.

Lois Denman: Beaumont’s 2012 Citizen of the Year

She lived up to her motto until the end of her career at the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce.
“I intend to wear out—not rust out!”

As a bookkeeper, office manager and Chamber volunteer in a career spanning 25 years, Lois Denman could always be counted on. She kept the office humming for busy executive directors, kept the books balanced to the penny, and kept busy answering the phones and helping walk-ins as a volunteer.

On Thursday (Jan. 19), Denman capped her rewarding career by being named the Chamber’s 2012 Citizen of the Year. A grateful community extended heartfelt accolades for her long and distinguished service.

Chamber Executive Director Sheri Bogh spoke for many at the Chamber’s 58th annual Installation Dinner at the Highland Springs Resort.

“There was no task too big or too small for her,” Bogh said. “Today, with our growing, thriving Chamber, we are forever indebted to Lois.”

"About 200 people attended the event and Denman received three standing ovations from the crowd."

At 90 years old, Denman officially retired last month in her final post as a Chamber volunteer. She will be moving to Florida to be close to her family.

Always delivering

Her love affair with the Chamber happened by chance.

In 1981, Denman, a retired teacher and counselor, moved west from Ohio with her husband. Along with another couple, they were looking for a small-town business to buy. They scoured the Inland Empire until they quickly discovered a throwback to the days when the milkman came calling every morning.

She and her husband Tom, and Gordon and Jackie Predmore found just what they were looking for when they spotted the Beaumont Drive-Thru Dairy on 6th Street. It was a perfect spot for a retired school teacher with a friendly, outgoing personality.

“Customers would drive up and we would go out and wait on them,” she said.

Going out to those cars and delivering milk orders gave Denman the opportunity of a lifetime.
In the early 1980s, she often waited on Chuck Hermes, who was executive director of the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce. He would pay for his milk and always ask Denman if she was ready to work at the Chamber. She politely explained about having to help run the drive-thru dairy.

But when the business was sold after about four years, Denman got her chance.

She ran into the Chamber executive at the Post Office, asked if the job was still open, and got hired on the spot in the mid-1980s as a part-time Chamber receptionist. At the time, the Chamber was located on 4th Street. She moved up to office manager and finished her paid Chamber career as bookkeeper before becoming a volunteer in 2005.

As a volunteer, Denman put her training as a school teacher to good use by proofreading the Chamber’s newsletter. At the Chamber, she helped keep things organized with the Winter Wish program. Denman and other local Soroptimist Club members founded the gift giving drive to help local families at Christmas.

Now, as she looks back on decades spent helping others, Denman says she is gratified to be honored and will always cherish her many years and strong friendships in Beaumont.
“This community has given so much to me,” she said.

A Drink of History in Beaumont

The old water fountain has refreshed many of us. But few know its history.

On Christmas Day, the drinking fountain dedicated by the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union all the way back in 1910 will celebrate its 101st anniversary. The women’s temperance group was known for its fight for Prohibition, often kneeling and praying outside saloons. But whether the WCTU did that in Beaumont has been lost in the mists of time. About 10 percent of Beaumont’s 412 registered voters were Prohibitionists around the time the fountain was erected.

Hometown fountain

The drinking fountain sits in a tiny, triangle-shaped park at Egan Avenue and Seventh Street. It’s a sliver of grass with some lofty deodar trees for shade and a picnic table. Today, it’s called Veterans Park.

Over the decades, young and old have stopped at the fountain to wet their whistle. Some would take a break from playing ball to sip water at the fountain. Others would stop on their way to Beaumont Library for the waiting adventure of books. Many came to enjoy a moment of reflection in a quiet, peaceful setting.

Prohibition

Nine years after the fountain offered up its first drink, the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution banned the sale or manufacture of alcoholic beverages. That was 1919. But by 1933, the 21st Amended ended the failed experiment with Prohibition. But in our hometown, the echoes of Prohibition still reverberate from long ago when pioneering women fought for their beliefs. A plaque at the base of the stone fountain in town reads:

“WCTU Dec. 25, 1910”

Two more years would pass before Beaumont became a city.

Speakeasies and respite

The days of speakeasies, moonshine stills, and Al Capone faded long ago in America. But if we close our eyes and try real hard, in our mind’s eye we can still envision a hometown of long ago, when farms, orchards and a community were on the cusp of change, and a fountain offered fresh water to all comers just as it does today.

*The Beaumont Blogger would like to thank the San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society for this story idea.

Santa is coming to Beaumont

“You better watch out

You better not cry

You better not pout

I’m telling you why

Santa Claus is coming to town”

In November, 1934, this traditional Christmas standard aired on the radio and became a big hit. By Christmas, record buyers snapped up 400,000 copies.

More than 75 years later, the holiday favorite has been covered by dozens of artists, including Alvin and the Chipmunks, Bruce Springsteen and Justin Bieber.

On Monday, Dec. 12, the city of Beaumont will add its own refrain with “Operation Santa.”

On that night, jolly Old St. Nick will be in town for a quick visit to see the children of Beaumont and the Pass. And we know Santa is checking his list “twice” to see who’s been “naughty” and “nice.”

So, youngsters in the Pass must be on their best behavior as they await Santa’s arrival next Monday night (Dec. 12).

After his long trip from the North Pole, the City of Beaumont is giving Santa a VIP welcome and tour of the town. With their lights flashing and their sirens sounding, the Beaumont Fire and Police Departments will escort Santa to his two stops.

Be sure and have the whole family enjoy a cup of hot chocolate with old St. Nick while he listens to Christmas wishes of our youngsters.

Here’s Santa’s itinerary for his visit to Beaumont. (His arrival times are approximate.)

—Rite Aid Pharmacy at Golf Club Drive and Oak Valley Parkway between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.

— Wal-Mart in the 2^nd Street Marketplace (garden side) between 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

And then in a flash, his sleigh packed, his reindeer rested, and with Rudolph The Red-Nosed reindeer in the lead, Santa is off to the North Pole!