COVER STORY Patrice Edwards Jondi Gumz
publisher editor
contributing writers Colleen Martin, Jondi Gumz, Deborah Osterberg, Risa D’Angeles, Tom LaHue, Sam Storey, Ron Kustek, Joyce and Barry Vissell, Manu Koenig, Tony Tomeo layout Michael Oppenheimer, Jim Johnson graphic artists Michael Oppenheimer, Jim Johnson photography Michael Oppenheimer, Jim Johnson, Brad King website Michael Oppenheimer, Camisa Composti production coordinator Camisa Composti media consultants Teri Huckobey, Brooke Valentine, Tara Carcamo office coordinator Cathe Race distribution Bill Pooley, James Hudson
Times Publishing Group, Inc. 9601 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA 95003 The Times Publishing Group, Inc., publishers of the Aptos Times, a bi-monthly publication, the Capitola Soquel Times and Scotts Valley Times, each printed monthly, Coastal Weddings Magazine, Coastal Home and Garden Magazine, Aptos’ Fourth of July Parade Official Program Guide and Capitola’s Summer Festivals Official Program Guide, is owned by Patrice Edwards. Entire contents ©2022. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form is prohibited without the publisher’s written permission PHONE: (831) 688-7549 FAX: (831) 688-7551 GENERAL E-MAIL: info@cyber-times.com Patrice Edwards: patrice@cyber-times.com Publisher’s Assistant: assistant@cyber-times.com Editor: info@cyber-times.com Calendar Listings: www.tpgonlinedaily.com Graphics Department: graphics@cyber-times.com Billing Inquiries: cathe@cyber-times.com Classified Sales: sales@cyber-times.com Production: production@cyber-times.com CHECK OUT OUR WEB SITE AT: www.tpgonlinedaily.com mission statement We at the Times Publishing Group, Inc. are dedicated to providing a voice for the individuals and organizations in our community while highlighting the outstanding accomplishments of our local businesses. We seek to promote healthy family values through our coverage of youth activities, school news, senior events, community groups and entertainment
“Bytheal Ratliff” from page 1 Bytheal Ratliff worked for the Live Oak School District for about 18 years. He was hired as a campus supervisor at Shoreline Middle School and quickly started coaching after-school sports for the middle school: Boys’ basketball and girls’ softball. He became our athletic director and was passionate about making sure that we had new equipment and uniforms that our students could wear with pride. Bytheal was a fixture on campus. He stayed every weeknight for our evening games, usually handling the scorebook and the clock for basketball and volleyball for all 3 teams. He spent the rest of his evenings and weekends coaching football at Santa Cruz High School, baseball at Live Oak Little League and softball with Cabrillo Crushers. Bytheal wanted every student to learn how to be on a team, so he was always willing to add another team and coach it himself, in order to give the kids in our community an opportunity to play, even if they didn’t make the A team. He was known around the Cabrillo Gals League for the C teams in travel ball, spending his summer teaching girls how to improve their softball game and have fun with the teammates. These were volunteer coaching positions, when he didn’t even have a daughter on the team. Bytheal established relationships with all students on campus and dramatically changed the culture at our school. He earned the trust of the students, so they would share information knowing he would never give up his source. He made sure that no child ever went hungry. I often observed him handing $2 to kids who didn’t have money and weren’t able to get free lunch from the school. He was very passionate about kids having access to food. Bytheal had gone to culinary school and then shifted his focus to working with
kids when he was hired by Live Oak School District. His position grew from a 5-hour campus supervisor, to an 8-hour campus supervisor/district security. He was trusted with keys to the entire campus and he checked up on each campus, every day, 7 days a week. Everyone in the neighborhood knew him and respected him when he told skateboarders to leave campus, dog walkers to go to a park, or teachers to go home and not work so late. Bytheal never went home until everyone was home for the evening. Even though it was the job of each night custodian at our 5 sites to alarm the buildings in the evenings, Bytheal kept driving to each campus to check on staff who were still working. When he suddenly passed away on June 1, 2017, we were a community struck by grief. He was a friend to everyone. Every school in our sports league had stories to tell about how Bytheal had helped their coaches, players and athletic directors. Every employee and student in our district had a special relationship with him. Our district realized that we had to hire about 4 people to replace him, he did so many jobs, and never asked for anything. We used to tease him because he was always talking on his phone. Parents from other schools would call and ask for details about game times and locations (even when they weren’t playing against Shoreline). Everyone knew that Bytheal had the answer. He played football, basketball and baseball at Santa Cruz High School and went on to play football at Cabrillo College. That was the extent of his collegiate career. His friends described him as not the best player on the team, but the guy with the biggest heart. How to Help n Dec. 12, Bytheal’s birthday, parent volunteers at Shoreline Middle School launched a fundraising campaign, to
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Bytheal Ratliff
upgrade Shoreline’s gym with a new wood floor in his memory. The goal is to complete fundraising by June 1, the fifth anniversary of his death, so installation can take place over the summer, and then rename the gym in his honor, commemorating his legacy in Santa Cruz County youth sports. The campaign includes a matching donations up to $7,500, grant-writing, and a fundraiser with the Santa Cruz Warriors at 1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 17, at the Kaiser Arena in Santa Cruz. Details: https://sites.google. com/losd.ca/shorelines-gym-floor n ••• Cover Photo: Shoreline Middle School parents are raising money to redo the floor at the 24-year-old gym and rename it in memory of Bytheal Ratliff, a beloved coach who worked for the school district for 18 years.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Celebrate Clara Barton’s Birthday By Helping Others “You must never think of anything except the need, and how to meet it.” hese words from American Red Cross founder Clara Barton — who would have turned 200 in December — continue to serve as a guiding light for today’s Red Cross volunteers, donors and partners, who exemplify her compassion and devotion to helping others. This generous spirit is needed now more than ever. COVID-19 has taken
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a heavy toll on our most vulnerable neighbors, and they’re in dire straits when another crisis strikes. That’s where our Red Cross community — of people like you — steps in to provide help and hope. This year, our volunteers responded to 63 local disasters — many of them home fires — collected 5,323 units of lifesaving blood and trained 4,926 residents in first aid and water safety. And those are just a few of the many ways our chapter made a difference in our local communities.
This continues to be a time to take care of each other, and what better time to honor Clara’s lifesaving legacy than when we celebrate her 200th birthday this holiday season. Join us by making a financial donation, an appointment to give blood or platelets, or becoming a Red Cross volunteer. Visit redcross.org to learn more about how you can make a difference for those in need. — Michele Averill, CEO, American Red Cross of the Central Coast
