Yorba Linda Serving Yorba Linda since 1917
AN EDITION OF
Star THURSDAY, MAY 1 6, 20 1 3
OCREGISTER.COM/YORBALINDA
REGION’S EARLY RESIDENTS LIVE ON
KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Woodgate Park
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Cedarbend Dr.
Fairlynn Blvd.
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A photograph of Jesus Negrete is set up near his burial site at the Yorba Cemetery on Saturday during a ceremony honoring the lives of the region’s pioneer families buried at the cemetery.
Woodgate Dr.
BY DANIEL LANGHORNE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
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Descendants regularly honor the pioneer families buried at Yorba Cemetery.
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uch of north Orange County’s pioneer history is buried in the Yorba Cemetery. More than 60 devoted local historians and descendents of the area’s pioneering families helped keep the memories alive Saturday at the 20th annual blessing of the cemetery’s graves in recognition of Mother’s Day. The unassuming Yorba Cemetery off of Fairlynn Boulevard and Esperanza Road dates to 1862. To many it is a forgotten historical site in a town where even the city seal highlights the birthplace of President Richard Nixon. “People come for Nixon, but people don’t know that
The Register S E E C E M E T E RY ● PA G E 4
Vietnam War POWs coming to town BY REBECCA KHEEL ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Buses filled with 185 American POWs from the Vietnam War will drive through Fullerton, Placentia and Yorba Linda May 23 as they make their way to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their homecoming from the war. “This is a really great opportunity for people to come out and express their patriotism,” said Jim Byron, communications and marketing assistant at the library. The motorcade of eight to 10 buses, which will also hold family members of the POWs, kicks off a two-day reunion. The second day marks 40 years to the day
that Nixon and his wife hosted the POWs for dinner after their release on the White House lawn. On May 23, the POWs will make their way from the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach via the 57 freeway escorted by California Highway Patrol officers. About 12:30 p.m., the buses will exit the freeway at Yorba Linda Boulevard. The public is invited to watch as the buses drive along the boulevard escorted by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Once the POWs reach the library, there will be a short ceremony open to the public. This is the third such POW reunion over the years, but it’s likely to be the last, said Chris Nor-
FILE PHOTO: THE REGISTER
Jack Fellowes, left, and Ron Bliss meet, along with 1 44 others who were POWS during the Vietnam War, at the Nixon Library in 2003.
dyke, director of marketing at the library. “A lot of them are up in age and won’t simply be able to make another reunion,” Nordyke said. The POWs are covering the cost of their buses and their stay.
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COURTESY OF ANAHEIM PUBLIC LIBRARY
Wedding portrait of Angelina Yorba and Samuel Kraemer, married on Sept. 30, 1 886. Kraemer’s father, Daniel, was an early pioneer of Placentia.
City lumbers to avoid trees prone to fires BY DANIEL LANGHORNE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The City Council is looking to root out the city’s practice of planting species that are deemed potential fire hazards by fire officials. The City Council took the first step last week by voting for a moratorium on city staff planting pine trees within the city limits. The Orange County Fire Authority put pine trees on a list of undesirable species that should not be used in fire prone areas. “There’s no reason to continue a bad practice,” said Councilman John Anderson, who proposed the pine tree ban. “To me it’s one of the clearest issues
we’ve faced in a long time.” Kris Concepcion, division chief for the Orange County Fire Authority, said fire officials learned a lot of lessons about troublesome landscaping from the 2008 Freeway Complex Fire. He said there are oils inside pine trees that make them more susceptible to fire and can be dangerous if they are planted close to homes and not maintained. The city will do a comprehensive review of its landscaping palette. This partly comes from damage that palm trees also did during the fire. If the palm fronds aren’t properly S E E T R E E S ● PA G E 2