The Corcoran Journal

Stephanie Graville has received the Sanford Teacher Award for the state of Nevada. Sanford Teacher Award sponsored by National University recognizes and rewards the nation’s top inspiring teachers, one from each state.

The Tachi Yokut Tribe recently announced the opening of the Coyote Entertainment Center, which is located adjacent to the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino. The new center will open to the public Friday, Nov. 30.

The Corcoran High Panther Cross Country team had some fun last Thursday at the annual Rich Parris Twilight Invitational, which was held in Madera. The race is named after popular coach, Rich Parris who has won numerous Cross Country Valley titles. In the past, Coach Parris has visited Corcoran to give a motivational speech at the XC banquet.
The race is unique in that it is 3,000 meters instead of the traditional 2 and 3-mile distances. It is usually hosted at the end of the season to display everyone’s speed. It is a very fast course, which circulates around the Madera South campus.
The Frosh girls started out the night race with Malerie Price earning the first medal of the evening. Only the Top 10 runners get a medal. Malerie took eighth place with a 12:53. The frosh boys didn’t earn any medals but still had a few standout performances. Juan Garcia was followed by teammate Eddy Ramirez and both earned times of 11:04 and 11:07, respectively.
The JV boys won their first race of the season, with five athletes coming in very close to each other with four earning a medal. Jair Garcia was in second place for the whole race where he outkicked Clovis West to take the individual win. Taking 5th, 6th and 7th  respectively were Eli Mendez (10:13), Leo Villasenor (10:13) and Isaiah Madrid (10:14). Jesse Andrade rounded out the team, which beat out host Madera South.
The Varsity girls were able to stay competitive with four girls having great races. Gabriella Avila won the only medal for the girls, outkicking five girls at the very end to earn the last medal spot, taking 10th place in a very tough field. The Girls Varsity team took 4th place. Paulina Guerrero and Brandi Valdez worked together the whole race, finishing with times of 11:27 and 11:28. Arlene Magana wasn’t too far behind running the course in a time of 11:37.
The Varsity boys had a big showdown with Clovis West and Madera South present. It was a very competitive race throughout and came down to .01 of a second. The Panthers lost second place by .01 to Madera South. Corcoran and Madera South were tied with five runners in and lost by the tiny margin when the scores went to the sixth runner. The three teams have alternated back and forth, beating each other a number of times, said Coach Isaias Ramirez. Joe Manuel Gomez added to the medal count, taking 3rd place, only four seconds behind the winner. Marcos Ramirez was the last to earn a medal for the night taking fourth with a time of 9:18. Coming in back to back were Joseph Price (9:32), Paul Quintanilla (9:33), and Vicente Rojas (9:34).

Graveside services were held Saturday, Oct. 27 at 10 a.m. at Corcoran District Cemetery for Victoria Jane Messick, who was born in Oildale, California on January 19, 1947.  Mrs. Messick died October 20, 2018 at her home in Alpaugh at the age of 71. 
Victoria worked as a secretary for many years.
Survivors include her husband, John Messick; son, Darren Messick; her brother, Boyd Jordan, three grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Arrangements were made under the direction of the Bledsoe Family People’s Funeral Chapel.

Esther Arroyo of Corcoran, California passed away on Saturday, October 20, 2018 at the age of 67. She was born to Jose and Gumecinda Gonzalez on July 4, 1951 in Guanajuato, Mexico. Esther was married to Ignacio until his passing in 2016. She leaves behind her children to continue her legacy, Joel, Sergio, Augustin, Erik, Rosalba, Ana Maria, Yaneth, Claudia and Maria J. Her brothers; Manuel, Pedro, Jose Luis and Daniel, sisters; Gloria, Guadalupe and Marylou. Her 28 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
 Esther was a kind, generous, and loving woman who loved and protected the people she loved with fierce devotion. She was a devoted catholic you would always find her praying or singing with the Cursillistas, but that doesn’t mean that she didn’t find time to have some fun, her enjoyment was going to the Casino and cooking up a storm for her family. We will miss her dearly but feel comfort in knowing she is free of pain and has found peace and joy in Heaven with her loved ones who have gone on before her.
 She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, son Jesus and one grandchild and two great-grandchildren.
 Viewing was held on Thursday, October 25, 2018 from 6:30-7:00 pm with the Recitation of the Rosary at 7:00 p.m. Funeral mass was held Friday, October 26, 2018 at 10:00 a.m.  everything taking place at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church with interment at the Corcoran Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Yost & Webb Funeral Care, Hanford CA, (559) 582-5400.

Services were held Saturday, Nov. 10 at 9 a.m. at Central Christian Agua Viva Church in Corcoran for Dora San Miguel, 86, who died Nov. 2.
San Miguel was born in Corcoran September 16, 1932.  She was a homemaker for 45 years.
Survivors include her children, Rosie San Miguel, Norma Lopez, Barbara Hernandez, Rudy San Miguel and Elizabeth Hernandez; her sister, Sarah Balderama; 18 grandchildren; 28 great-grandchildren; and four great-great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband Rudy and her daughters Esther Lopez and Sylvia San Miguel Romero.
Visitation was held November 9 at the Central Christian Agua Viva church 101 Letts Ave., in Corcoran from 6-8:30 p.m. Following funeral services Saturday, interment was at Corcoran District Cemetery. Arrangements were made under the direction of the Bledsoe Family People’s Funeral Chapel.

The Corcoran Chamber of Commerce is in search of Corcoran’s finest for 2018. The chamber is looking for nominees for Man, Woman, Jr. Citizen and Organization of the Year. Know someone who is devoted to the community and needs to be honored for their volunteer work? Now is the time to put together a list of their commitments and service to Corcoran.
The person must be a resident of Corcoran, who is actively involved in the local community. Those nominating someone must give a detailed explanation of why they feel this person or organization is deserving of the award. Judging will be based on the length and breadth of civic and community involvement. Awards are based on volunteerism, not work-related accomplishments. And multiple nominations will not add to the judge’s scores.
Nominations need to include the name of the person making the nomination. A list of clubs, organizations, community activities and social groups the nominee belongs to will be considered by the judges. Also, add the number of years of service, along with any offices held. Work completed over the past year that has been of benefit to the community will also be considered.
When making a nomination, attempt to include the number of hours of service time. The winners will be honored at the annual Corcoran Chamber of Commerce banquet which will be held the beginning of next year.
To obtain a nomination form or to submit the name of a person or organization from the Corcoran Community that is worthy of being Man, Woman, Jr. Citizen or Organization of the year for 2018 contact the Corcoran Chamber of Commerce at 992-4514 or stop by their office at 1040 Whitley Ave.

The sign is up at the new pavilion at John Maroot Park and Sunday it will be officially dedicated in honor of Nate and Vivian Butler of Corcoran. The Butlers have been actively volunteering in Corcoran especially with its youth for many years. It is there volunteerism and impact that they have had on the community that has brought about this honor.
Since the 1980’s Nate and Vivian Butler have been nurturing and inspiring the youth in the Corcoran community. Nate worked for H.A. James Construction for 28 years before working for Tulare Lake and Drainage where he has been the past 17 years. In 1985 he began his volunteer coaching career at the then Corcoran Family YMCA, where he coached Youth Basketball. Eventually, he got involved coaching with the Corcoran Little League where he served on the CLL board as the Player Rep. Nate eventually became part of the coaching staff for The Corcoran Steelers Pop Warner football team. He continues his career there becoming the team’s President. Nate continued coaching for The Steelers for 33 years. During that time he served on The Sequoia Youth Football League board, was the town representative for all Corcoran teams. He also served on the Leagues’ Rules Governing Committee (RGC) as Vice President. In 2002, Nate was named Corcoran’s Man of the Year for his years of service to the community.
Vivian Butler taught Pre-school at Head Start for eight years followed by 18 years with Corcoran Unified School District as an Instructional Aide and In-School Suspension. She continued her career at the Recreation Association of Corcoran working as the receptionist for the past 11 years. In 1994, Vivian began her volunteer coaching career as the Senior Squad Cheer Advisor, later becoming the Corcoran Steeler Youth Cheer President. She oversaw the Youth Cheer Program from 1994-2011. In between coaching the Steelers, Vivian became the Corcoran High School Pep Squad Advisor from 1995-2001. During her time with The Steelers and CHS Panthers, Vivian served on the Sequoia Youth Football League Cheer board. She also went on to becoming the Sequoia Youth Football Vice President.
When the Dynamic Duo finds a bit of time to relax, they enjoy spending time with their family which includes trips to Sacramento to visit their son Ryan and his wife Kristin, their children Ryan Rochelle, Quincy and Reese. Daily adventures are had with their daughter, Charissa and her boyfriend, Alan, and can’t forget their fur-babies Bear and Coldy. Nate and Vivian can be found glued to the TV rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers or hosting family functions with their Mother, Dorothy Grier, as well as their siblings, nephews, nieces, cousins and friends!

The Corcoran High School Ag department continues to do great things. Among those is their partnership with Phytogen who works closely with the CHS Ag Department and their FFA students to make the large farm productive. Last week, was harvest time for cotton which had been planted on the big farm on Plymouth and Van Dorsten Avenues.
According to CHS Ag teacher Dustin Newby the partnership between the two entities provides a great hands-on learning opportunity for his students.
“Phytogen provides us with the cotton seed, and then we plant it, cultivate it, and water it. They help us during harvest time by picking certain varieties of the cotton from the seed they provide to us. After harvest is over Phytogen takes the seeds and Corcoran FFA gets the lint which is eventually sold,” Newby said.
The project grows two different varieties of Pima Cotton and seven different varieties of Upland. The project done on the big farm allows Phytogen to isolate the cotton for purity, noted Joel Mahill Cotton Breeder Research for Phytogen.
“It’s ideal for us”, added Mahill. “And, we wanted it to be a program that could support the students.”
During the visit last week to the farm students saw first-hand how the cotton was picked and they also learned more about GMO grown versus organic and what happens to cotton seed and fiber.
Glenn Terrell, Contract Coordinator for Phytogen spoke to the students regarding growing high quality California seed and explained how they kept the cotton grow isolated from others to prevent contamination—which included the foraging traits of the honey bee. He also spoke to students about going into a career in Agriculture.
“We hope we can continue this for years to come and provide it as a learning experience for you,” Terrell commented. “Ten to twenty years down the road you may be standing here giving this speech.”
Newby also hopes to continue the partnership with Phytogen.
“This program teaches them responsibility and brings to life what we learn in the classroom.  For the students who are interesting in going into an agriculture related profession after high school, it helps strengthen their skills, background and knowledge on farming. They learn the different varieties of cotton and all of the aspects that come with it. They learn how and when to plant, cultivate and irrigate,” Newby noted. “Next week they will return (to the farm) and learn about the stalk chopping and dicing the remains under. Going forward our goal is for the production farm to be totally student driven, actually having them out there planting and cultivating and harvesting, to the point where they are operating some of the equipment”.
CHS senior Travis Daniel who plans to a career in Ag said they’ve helped in some aspects and Phytogen has taught them what is being done in every phase of the process.
Newby is a pleased with the project and the opportunities it provides to his students.
“I think the project is great; more hands-on learning is the goal for our students in the ag department. The students are passionate about the program and the opportunities presented to them here. Great things are happening at CHS and within our department. Not many schools have 100 plus acres to farm and for the students here at CHS who wish to major in agronomy or plant science, taking part in growing 80 acres of cotton in a high school setting is only going to help pave the way for their future,” Newby added.

Graveside services were held Saturday, November 3 at 12:00 p.m. at the Corcoran District Cemetery for Patsy A. Shannon (Crist), who died October 24, 2018 in El Dorado Hills, Ca.
Shannon was born in Richmond, Indiana and her family moved to the Corcoran area in 1947.  Pat grew up in Corcoran, where she met and married her high school sweetheart, Wayne.  They then moved to San Jose and finally to El Dorado Hills. Following the death of Wayne on October 5, 2018, Patsy fell ill and passed peacefully in her home.
Patsy is survived by her daughter, Susanna Tator; her sons, Roger Wayne Shannon Jr. and his wife, Chandra, and John Shannon and his wife, Sherry.  She also has three grandchildren, Lon, Cierra, and Mikala. 
She will be truly missed by all who knew her.