Solano author answers questions on new book

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Laura Kendall, author of “My Prosthetic Life,” will be signing books at the

The book-signing will occur from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Fairfield Civic Center Library, In celebration of Women’s History Month and 2023’s theme of “Women Who Tell Our Stories,” Kendall will participate in a questionand-answer discussion.

“My Prosthetic Life” details Kendall’s physical and emotional struggles with a birth defect and subsequent journey to self-love, acceptance and healing.

For more information, go to https:// solanolibrary.com.

Tahoe snowstorm forces ski resorts to close Sunday

Council, 6 p.m. Tuesday, City Council chamber, City Hall, 1 Main St. Info: www.riovistacity.com/ citycouncil.

n Suisun City Council, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, City Council chamber, 701 Civic Center Blvd. Info: www. suisun.com/government/ city-council.

n Rio Vista Planning Commission, 6 p.m. Wednesday, 701 Civic Center Blvd. Info: www.riovistacity. com/citycouncil/page/ meeting-agenda-attach ments-minutes-video.

n So lano County Board of Education, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Solano County Office of Education, 5100 Business Center Drive, Fairfield. Info: www.solanocoe.net.

n Solano Transportation Authority Board, 6 p.m. Wednesday, STA Board Room chamber, 423 Main St., Suisun City. Info: www.sta.ca.gov.

n Solano County Civil Service Commission, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, County Government Center, 675 Texas St., Fairfield. Info: www. solanocounty.com/depts/ bos/meetings/videos.asp.

n So lano County Airport Land Use Commission, 7 p.m. Thursday, 675 Texas St., Fairfield. Info: solanocounty.com/depts/ rm/boardscommissions/ solano_county_airport_ land_use_commission/ agendas.asp.

Solano Museum prepares for inaugural Emerald Railway Fest

SUISUN CITY — The Western Railway Museum is planning its inaugural Emerald Railway Fest to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in style.

People are invited to hop aboard one of the museum’s historic vintage locomotives and travel across the lush green Solano County country- side. Guests will enjoy a day of live entertainment and activities for the whole family, accompanied by the best food and brews Solano County has to offer.

Be sure to come dressed in your St. Patty’s Day best, and prepare for a rollicking good time on the rails.

Trains are scheduled to depart at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Organizers have put a call out to vendors to help support the inaugural event. Those who seek information about food and entertainment vendor options are asked to contact Katrina Gomez at katrina. gomez@wrm.org.

The Western Railway Museum is located at 5848 Highway 12 in rural Suisun City between Suisun City and Rio Vista. For tickets or for more information, visit https://www.wrm.org/ events and select Emerald Railway Festival.

Adolph Spencer Almquist

Adolph “Gus” Almquist, 97, retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, on February 19, 2023, heroically and peacefully “slipped the surly bonds of Earth,” navigating his proverbial final flight from Fairfield, California, hands steady on the controls and blue eyes fixed on an uncharted horizon, surrounded by adoring family.

Gus was born in autumn of 1925 to parents Gustaf Almquist and Augusta Ingeborg, both Swedish immigrants. A wild and independent “Yooper” from Upper Peninsula Michigan, the youngest child was raised on a large farm with brothers Clarence, Len, and Kip, and sister Evelyn. The family raised cows, chickens, and pigs, and collected wood from a forested section of the farm. Gus recounted a moment of awe at 10 years old, looking out at the cedars under fresh snowfall, thinking, “I’ll remember this all my life.

When Gus was age two, in 1927, Charles Lindbergh piloted the Spirit of St. Louis across the Atlantic, winning the Ortieg Prize to become the first man to fly solo non-stop from New York to Paris, instantly receiving worldwide adulation with steady and inspiring news coverage throughout Gus’s formative years. He developed a deep passion for the aviator that defined the dreams of Gus’s youth and foreshadowed his destiny.

During the depression, his older siblings moved to Brooklyn, where brother Len, equally inspired by Lindbergh, learned to fly. In 1938, a twelve-year-old Gus finished the first eight grades in a oneroom schoolhouse, skipping two grades. The farm was sold, and the family moved to Brooklyn, arriving on a Friday evening. The next morning, Len took Gus up for his first airplane flight! In 1941, Len joined the Canadian Royal Air Force and in 1942 Gus began flying lessons, soloing at age 17 on December 17, just four days after news that Len’s plane was missing during a WWII night mission off the coast of Holland. For Gus, flight was an escape from gravity— the exhilarating feeling of freedom born of intense concentration.

After earning a bachelor ’s degree in civil engineering through the GI Bill, Gus began his Air Force career as a Flight Instructor, applying an unconventional teaching style of encouragement that instilled leadership capabilities in his trainees. Then followed a combat tour in the Korean War (narrowly surviving his last flight mission under fire) and a prestigious assignment serving in the Strategic Air Command during the Cold War, flying B-47 Stratojets that carried two nuclear bombs intended for specific Russian targets in the event of a war. Ironically, in later years, visiting Russia remained on his bucket list.

Although that joy of flying never left, his diverse career and aptitude for computer technology led to fulfillment serving on the ground. He quickly rose to Branch Chief at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) supporting the highly classified Satellite Reconnaissance System out of Arlington Virginia during the Kennedy administration, including handling incoming satellite imagery during the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion. His last assignment was as Division Chief with the Pacific Air Force Command in Hawaii during the tRibune content agency

At least three ski resorts in the Lake Tahoe area are closed Sunday because of the heavy snow and dangerous driving conditions caused by a winter storm that struck Northern California this weekend.

As of 7:45 a.m. Sunday, operators at Heavenly Ski Resort, Homewood Mountain Resort and Sugar Bowl Resort said they decided to close out of caution and for the safety of their guests and employees.

The winter storm created hazardous conditions in the Sierra Nevada on Saturday, forcing the closure of several highways, including Interstate 80 over Donner Summit.

The National Weather Service warned residents of another strong storm that could bring “multiple feet of snow with major impacts” Sunday into Monday, meteorologists wrote in a forecast discussion. A winter storm warning is in effect through 10 a.m. Monday for the Sierra Nevada, Coastal Range and Northern Mountains, the weather service said. An avalanche warning was in effect for the central Sierra through 7 a.m. Monday.

In the Bay Area, the forecast called for another round of scattered showers and below normal temperatures Sunday after thunderstorms, hail and strong winds struck the region overnight, the weather service said. More rain is forecast through Tuesday night, with conditions easing Wednesday morning.

Vietnam War, where he was promoted to Lt. Colonel.

After retiring from the Air Force in 1969, he leveraged his DIA connections for MacDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company working with the proposed Manned Orbiting Laboratory. Later, drawing on his computer expertise, Gus automated the Alameda County’s library system and, in a final career, engaged his engineering mind at Contra Costa Public Works Department, creating innovative solutions for flooding and representing the agency at public hearings, always appreciating democracy in action.

In 1950, Gus met Dorothy “Dottie” Sikes on a blind date in San Antonio, Texas. Transferred two hundred miles away, he courted her weekly by airplane and they enchanted each other into 67 years of devoted marriage. They parented four free-spirited daughters, creating permanent close-knit family bonds forged, in part, by frequent relocations to bases throughout the United States, including Hawaii. After Dorothy was paralyzed by a stroke in 1957, changing their world overnight, Gus was devoted to tender and steadfast caregiving for the remainder of her remarkable life. These two, each showing extraordinary character in response to challenge, modeled enduring and resilient love something their daughters will carry forward always.

Blessed with an inquisitive intellect, Gus enjoyed countless hours reading and sharing ideas—relevant to each person’s interests —about current events, health, politics, science, music, philosophy, photography, and biographies of world leaders. His life experience was the foundation of captivating stories told with expressive delivery!

In 1951, Gus fell in love with photography and the Rolleiflex camera. He recognized the contemplation required to take meaningful photographs and printed lively portraits and bucolic landscapes to give as gifts. In recent years, always in step with current technolog y, Gus favored his iPhone 11 for photography and, over his 96th year, inventively engineered a hand-held device that comfortably steadied his hand.

Until his last breath, Gus sustained a life filled with connections to loved ones near and far, sharing impassioned discourse, asking about their lives. Dynamic, purposeful, and quietly caring, he never stopped learning, inspiring others, and being surprised by life’s wonders. His compass never failed.

Gus and the family are grateful for advancements in health care that sustained excellent quality of life into his late ninth decade, and the phenomenal Fairfield doctors who cared for him. We greatly appreciate the compassionate Sutter Health Hospice and Medical Aid in Dying care teams that guided his last weeks, and California’s End of Life Option Act sanctioning his decision to die with dignity

Gus is survived by his four daughters Marty (Larry), Suzun (Richard), Ellie (Randy), and Karen (Wendy); three grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; nephews Bill, Len, and Dean; niece Sheryl, and many lifelong friends. He is preceded in death by his wife Dorothy, his parents and siblings, and nephew Len Almquist.

Gus will be interred during a private family ceremony at Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, California.

To honor Gus’s memory, keep reaching out in love — to everyone.