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Wednesday, January 18, 2012 – Daily News 7A Obituaries CAROL JEAN VIKSE DAVIS Carol Jean Vikse Davis was born July 16, 1928, and passed away at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Sac- ramento January 12, 2012, from complications of an aneurysm she suffered November 14, 2011. She was the daughter of Arthur and Bessie Barber Vikse GEORGE RAGUDO, JR. 8-10-1947 ~ 1-12-2012 who came from Donalda, Alberta, Canada, in the 1920s to join with other Barber families in Los Molinos. Carol was born and raised in Los Molinos and attended school there graduating from high school in 1946. Carol's life was one of adventure, teaching, mentoring, and service. She began working in her eighth grade year at Hardy's Soda Fountain, working lunch hour, after school, weekends, and summers all through high school. After her senior year, she worked at Latimer's Pharmacy. In 1946 she attended Chico State College choosing a Physical Education major and health and drama minors. She was active in the a cappella choir, dance, PE Club, Associated Women's Club, and Alpha Chi Sorority. She was chosen to represent Chico State in the 1951 Miss Cali- fornia Pageant. In 1952, Carol received her BA in Physical Education Preceded in death by his father George Sr. and mother Lucille Ragudo, two brothers Patrick and David, he is sur- vived by his wife Karen Ragudo, six daughters; Jennifer, Andrea, Virginia, Kara, Theresa and Amy, five brothers and seven sisters. George was an Elder Tribal Member of the Ione Band of Miwok Indians, a Vietnam Veteran, and a Roofer for 30 years, he also belonged to the American Legion. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, nephew, cousin and friend. Services will be posted at a later date. Death Notices Death notices must be provided by mortuaries to the news department, and taught at Chico High for two years. In the summer she volunteered as a Gray Lady at Letterman Hospital in San Francisco. While in San Francisco, she was invited to become a line dancer at The Italian Village in North Beach. It featured such acts as Don Ameche, Marx broth- ers, and The Andrews Sisters. The "line" was also booked in Anchorage, Alaska, and Denver, Colorado. During her time in Denver, she took a children's drama class at the University of Denver and performed in the ballet "Sleep- ing Beauty" at the Red Rocks Amphitheater. Carol's teaching career resumed at Westwood High in Westwood, California, where she taught P.E. and drama. She purchased a lot at Lake Almanor and helped her dad and her uncle, Lide Barber, build a cabin. She lived there and taught until the Westwood mill closed down and the students began attending Chester High. She enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City where she lived for six and a half years. She acted in, and directed, Off-Broadway plays. She also taught at Seward Park High (located near the area where the Twin Tower site would be) and at Public School No. 45 in Harlem. Carol returned to Los Molinos to be with her ailing pa- rents. She taught one year at Los Molinos High and three years at Red Bluff High. Students considered her a "ray of sunshine and appreciated her liveliness and the loving care of her students." She directed and acted in local plays during this time. While living in Los Molinos, Carol met and married Dr. William Scott Davis. They were mar- ried for seven years and led an active life in the commun- ity and school. Carol especially appreciated family time with his children, Scott, Stephanie, and Melanie, with their school activities, water skiing, snow skiing, and sailing. Carol returned to Chico State and earned her master's degree in education and a high school administrative cre- dential. She worked for twenty years in the Fairfield, Cali- fornia, School District as the school counselor at Sem Yeto Continuation High School. While living in Fairfield, Carol visited several different churches and home prayer groups. She accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her Savior and became an active and dedi- cated Christian. After her retirement and back in Los Molinos, she joined the Los Molinos Methodist Chur ch. A teacher at heart, she led Bible studies, Bible drama studies, and was a member of the choir - her training at Chico State benefiting her church community. She was a mentor to many community members. Friends invited Carol to a planning meeting and then nominated her to be chairman of a P.G. & E. project called the Los Molinos-Tehama-Vina Community Con- gress. Twenty-one projects were completed to benefit the Los Molinos area alone. Carol also accepted the chairman- ship of a committee to set up a Community Services Dis- trict. The committee applied for a $2.4 million govern- ment loan/grant through Farmers Home Administration to purchase the existing private domestic water system in Los Molinos and install a state-of-the-art computer-run do- mestic water system. She continued to serve on the CSD Board of Directors. Carol was the volunteer director of the Los Molinos Se- nior Center for the past 10 years. She worked on commit- tees for the Riverboat galas and the Extravaganzas that raised funds for the Tehama Museum and the Community Center in Red Bluff. The Los Molinos High School Alumni Association was a magnet for Carol's continuing interest in the high school: during the twelve years she was a member of the board (1998-2010), she served as secreta- ry and a committee chairman. Carol was a long-time member of the Masterworks Chor- ale in Red Bluff. During WWII, when Carol was a high school junior, her beloved brother, Maurice, a P-38 pilot, was shot down and killed in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. She was also predeceased by her parents, Arthur and Bessie Vikse. She is survived by her stepchildren whom she loved as are published at no charge, and feature only specific basic information about the deceased. Paid obituaries are placed through the Classified advertising department. Paid obituaries may be placed by mortuaries or by families of the deceased and include online publication linked to the news- paper's website. Paid obituaries may be of any length, may run multiple days and offer wide latitude of content, including photos. Kenneth Diddens Kenneth Diddens of Corning, died Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012, in Chico. He was 79. Affordable Mortuary is handling the arrangements. Published Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012, in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. Walter McCabe Walter McCabe of Los Molinos died Monday, Jan. 16, 2012, at St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Red Bluff. He was 49. Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers is handling the arrangements. Published Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012, in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. SCORES (Continued from page 1A) gy bars, jerky, nuts and other snacks are some of the favorite items service members enjoy receiving. The Military Family Support Group will be on hand to collect names of service members for care packages and listing on MULLS (Continued from page 1A) Kerstiens recom- mended checking with some of the bigger renters at the fairground including the Bull Sale and Red Bluff Round-Up to see if they would be open to keeping up maintenance and in-kind services. "If we get enough interest, it'll generate revenue by minimizing maintenance costs," Ker- stiens said. "It'd also give them an interest in the building and create a better line of communi- cation." The group would be her own: Scott Davis of Quincy, Illinois, Melanie Barton of Cool, California, and Stephanie Scott of Camden, So. Carolina. Carol had a deep appreciation for the Handi-Riders (a therapeutic horseback riding program for those with handicaps). Memorial donations may be made to them at Handi-Riders, P.O. Box 1885, Chico, CA 95927 (see: www.handi-riders.org). Memorial donations can also be made to the Los Molinos United Methodist Church, P O Box 385, Los Molinos, CA 96055, or the Masterworks Chorale, c/o Ron Bennett, Treasurer, 8842 Oat Ave., Gerber. CA 96035. A celebration of Carol's life will take place at the Los Molinos Veterans Hall, January 21, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. After the service a buffet will be provided by the differ- ent organizations Carol was associated with. allowed to make smaller changes to the building such as painting it and would mainly need to come to the board for approval on major pro- jects, he said. Former fairboard director Joyce Bundy reminded the board that legislation takes time. "Even if something were proposed today, it'd take at least a year-and- a-half to do something," Bundy said. One option the board has is researching the non-profit route, Reda- monti said. "Alameda has run as a non-profit since 1912," Redamonti said. "There's looks like a heck of a lot bigger deal, but it looks promising that at least we wouldn't have to reinvent the wheel." Redamonti is sched- uled to meet with the local Gulf War Era monument that is under construction at 727 Oak St. in Red Bluff. The team and the Mili- tary Family Support Group hope supporters will pack the gym to honor and recognize the sacrifices of veterans and service members who have bravely served their country. Alameda's CEO Rick Pickering on Friday to further discuss the possi- bilities of going that route, she said. "I'm of the mind that this really should not be put off," Redamonti said. "I think we could pull off the model they're doing, but we have to have our county on board." In Calaveras County, the fairground has a Friends of the Fair group that started sometime between 1992 and 1995 who have already helped raise $350,000 in the past 10 years and put up a building it donated, Redamonti said. "I think we need to come up with a guideline proposal and have it for the February meeting whether it's a Joint Pow- ers Authority, friends of the fair or a non-profit," Redamonti said. Kerstiens agreed that something needed to be done, adding that the fairboard cannot contin- ue down the same path because it's a "dead-end road," he said. "We need to have ini- tiative," Bianchi said. "There's no reason for the state to change the status-quo." The Tehama District Fairboard meets at 1 p.m. on the third Tues- day of the month in the Tehama Room. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynew s.com. Walmart was evacuated temporarily just after 7 a.m. Tuesday when Red Bluff firefighters were called about smoke coming into Walmart briefly evacuated Tuesday morning the store. blame. After nearly an hour, firefighters determined that a faulty heating and air conditioning unit was to The smoke possibly came from a burning belt inside the heating and air unit, said a spokesperson for Red Bluff Fire Depart- ment. Firefighters cleared the scene just before 8 a.m. and no damages were reported. Judge to end state prison receiver SACRAMENTO (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered California officials to prepare for the end of a six- year, court-ordered oversight of the prison system that has cost taxpayers billions of dollars and helped force a shift of lower-level criminals from state prisons to county jails. U.S. District Court Judge Thelton Henderson cited improving conditions in the prison system in a three-page order that says ''the end of the Receivership appears to be in sight.'' The ruling marks an important milestone in a process that began nearly six years ago when the judge appointed a receiver to run California's prison medical system after find- ing that an average of one inmate a week was dying of neglect or malpractice. He cited inmate overcrowding as the leading cause, but said in Tuesday's order that conditions have improved. He praised the better conditions throughout the system, particularly noted during inspections of medical facilities by the prison system's independent inspector general. ''Significant progress has been made,'' Henderson wrote, citing the receiver's own report to the federal court last week. ''While some critical work remains outstanding — most notably on construction issues — it is clear that many of the goals of the Receivership have been accomplished.'' Gov. Jerry Brown's office issued a statement to The Asso- ciated Press, with the Democratic governor praising the deci- sion. ''We have been working very hard to clean up the mess in the prisons and I appreciate the judicial recognition of our efforts,'' he said in the statement. Don Specter, director of the nonprofit Prison Law Office, said it is premature to end the receivership, although he said it is ''reasonable to start thinking about it.'' Conditions have been improving but still ''are nowhere near adequate'' at many of the prison medical facilities, said Specter, whose group brought the lawsuit against the state. Moreover, the state has yet to finish building some of the facilities required by the receiver, and the judge has yet to decide what standards the prison system must meet to pro- vide constitutionally adequate medical care, Specter said. ''I understand the governor really wants to end the receivership,'' he said. ''Having a light at the end of the tun- nel might even spur them to make more progress or faster progress, to act quicker or sooner.'' J. Clark Kelso, who took over as receiver in January 2008, looks forward to participating in the talks with state officials but declined further comment, said his spokeswoman, Nancy Kincaid. Henderson ordered Kelso, state officials and attorneys representing inmates to report by April 30 on when the receivership should end and whether it should continue some oversight role. The Prison Law Office filed the lawsuit in 2001 and the state settled the case in 2002 by agreeing to improve inmate health care. But Henderson found in 2005 that conditions had not improved, leading to his appointment of a receiver. Attorneys for inmates asked federal judges in 2007 to rule that prison crowding was a leading cause of the continued poor care. The judges agreed, and required the state to ease prison crowding. That led to a shift that began last year that is sending lower-level inmates from state prisons to county jails. In a ruling last May, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the lower court's authority in ordering California to reduce inmate crowding as a way to improve medical conditions. The federal courts had ordered the state's 33 adult prisons to reduce their total population by 33,000 inmates over a two- year period. The prison system had an all-time high of 162,268 inmates in 2006. The receiver's office also was given authority to greatly expand the prison system's medical staff and increase pay significantly. Henderson said he expects the receiver will continue in a general oversight role, even if the state takes back the author- ity to run the medical system. That will ensure that care is not diminished in the future. THE PASSING PARADE "My father was very ill with pneumonia, the second time this winter of 1918. The doctor said he would never survive another New Jersey winter. With 6 children from 4 to 18 years of age and a farm with lots of work, my mother was scared. She persuaded father to sell the farm and possessions and move to California. When we left the farm, the snow was 3 feet deep but we had a friend take us to Bridgeton 3.5 miles in an open hay wagon to catch a train. We were 7 days and 7 nights before landing in Bakersfield. My folks knew of a Dr. Fogg practicing in Wasco. They bought a home there and enrolled us children in the local school. The family was anxious to farm again, but finding nothing available in Wasco, they bought a 2nd hand 7 passenger Studebaker, and along with my older brother David, they headed to San Francisco. However, the car was in such bad shape they had to weld the rear wheels to keep them from falling off. In San Francisco, they saw advertisements to promote ground in northern California by Jas. Feeley & co. It was a wet year and everything looked grand. Especially volunteer grain 3 or 4 feet high. My folks bit on the ads and bought 40 acres about 3 miles south of Red Bluff on Tyler Road. We bought 2 dozen beautiful Plymouth Rock hens but a few nights later somebody stole them all. We bought a cow as we 6 children needed milk, but after a few months, we had the cow tested and found that she was a TB reactor. We planted about 5 acres of orchard but one night someone pulled up or broke off all the young trees. It was probably just as well because we knew nothing about California orchards. We also planted beans, corn and potatoes but none did well. The real estate company said the ground would grow anything, and it would but nothing profitable. We lived in a barn while the house was being built. The family lived in the west side, the horse and cow in the east side and we were all fairly comfortable. David worked in town for O'Connor Bros. Construction and later for Standard Oil and the railroad. Mother cut peaches for Tabor Brothers and Fred Weeks orchards. Grace worked for Guy Davis Garage. But we were having it tough and so moved back to town and rented out the farm. We had to make every dime count to keep the family together. I like the prosperity and fine care the area around our old farm has attained. The large dairy where our house was looks prosperous as do the new orchards along Tyler Road. And the new owners have vastly improved the old Orchard Park School which I once attended a long time ago." The Passing Parade is brought to you by by Minch Property Management, 760 Main Street specializing in commercial leasing and sales. 530 527 5514 (Uncle Stanley Minch recounts his move from New Jersey to California in 1918) Arthur Stanley Minch 1906-1992