Millions of baseball fans across Southern California are rooting for the Dodgers as they try to win their first World Series since 1988—perhaps none louder than Long Beach’s Ford family. The Fords lost the patriarch of their family, Bruce, last November. The longtime Long Beach Port operating engineer’s unexpected passing devastated his wife and five […]
Obituary
Obituary: Tierney Kaufman Hutchins Left Mark At Wilson High
The Wilson High community is still mourning the death of Tierney Kaufman Hutchins. Last month, the accomplished alum and her unborn child, Keira Wade Hutchins, passed away due to complications during pregnancy. Kaufman Hutchins was 35. “Her biggest super power was the ability to connect with people,” her brother Dalton Kaufman said. “She was very […]
Obituary: Bruce Flanders, Longtime Grand Prix Voice
Bruce Flanders, the longtime voice of the Grand Prix of Long Beach, passed away last Friday at the age of 75. Flanders had been the official race announcer for the race since 1978, with an energetic and enthusiastic voice that became synonymous with the sunshine and excitement of Long Beach’s signature event. “The ‘Voice of […]
Obituary: Wilson Volleyball Coach Susan Pescar Passes Away
PHOTO BY Stephen Dachman; Susan Pescar and her son Spencer accompany Wilson volleyballer Cynthia Barboza for her induction into the school’s Hall of Fame last Fall. Legendary Wilson volleyball coach Susan Pescar passed away earlier this month at the age of 70 after a long battle with cancer. Pescar, who coached both girls’ and boys’ teams […]
Obituary: Jim Herrick, Understated and Irreplaceable
10/2/41-7/1/20 The Long Beach sports world lost a unique and irreplaceable figure earlier this month with the passing of baseball/softball champion and longtime Century Club volunteer Jim Herrick. Herrick was golfing at Little Rec with three friends when he passed away at the age of 78. “You don’t find guys like him very often,” said […]
Long Beach Paralympian Angela Madsen Tragically Dies At Sea
Three-time Paralympian Angela Madsen died at sea over the weekend while attempting a solo row from Southern California to Honolulu. Madsen was about halfway through her record-setting solo row when she stopped responding to messages on Sunday. A cargo ship enlisted by the U.S. Coast Guard discovered Madsen in the water with her boat, Row […]
Long Beach Basketball World Mourns Passing of Wright, Mosley
The Long Beach basketball world is mourning a pair of losses with the passing of Millikan alum Naomi Iman Wright and Poly alum and longtime volunteer Matthew Mosley. Wright, 23, was tragically killed in late January after being stabbed while dancing at Catch One, a nightclub in Los Angeles. A recent Millikan alum, Wright was […]
Long Beach Sports World Mourning Loss Of Kobe Bryant
There is a hole in the Southern California sports world after the loss of Lakers icon Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday along with his daughter, Gianna, and seven others. Bryant was an inspiration for generations of athletes in Long Beach, and not just basketball players. “I met Kobe at the […]
Obituary: Jordan Alum, MLB Star Ron Fairly Passes At 81
Jordan alum Ron Fairly had one of the most unique lives of any Long Beach athletes, making his name twice over as a baseball star and as a beloved broadcaster. Fairly died on Oct. 30 after a years-long battle with cancer, at the age of 81. Fairly grew up in Long Beach in the 1940s […]
Obituary: Aquatics Legend Bob Horn Passes
A Long Beach water polo legend passed away last week as Bob Horn passed away at 87 after a long illness. Horn was known most for his legendary career as a men’s swimming and water polo coach at UCLA, but he was a two-time All-American player at Long Beach State in 1957 and 58. Horn […]