City Council will consider an ordinance to an ordinance to deter copper wire theft, review progress on State-mandated housing goals, and consider increasing construction fees to reduce so they are paid for by users of the services.
What began as a classroom assignment in 2001 has grown into one of the nation’s largest veteran tribute programs. At Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, a project that started with a handful of students interviewing veterans now fills the gymnasium each spring, drawing about 200 veterans, 600 students, and the entire community.
John Corona, a U.S. history teacher who launched the project, said he was inspired after realizing many of his students lacked direct connections to World War II and Korean War veterans. “Everybody has a story,” Corona said, a mantra that has guided the program’s growth.
The annual event allows students to interview veterans, preserving their stories and fostering intergenerational understanding. Small groups of students are paired with a veteran, asking questions from a short list of open-ended prompts. The goal is for students to prepare a brief biography, but the impact of these conversations extends far beyond a typical 11th-grade project.
Bridging Generations
The program also challenges stereotypes about young people’s readiness to inherit the world. During this year’s event, Korean War veteran Walter Parks shared stories with four students assigned to his table. Parks, from describing life aboard the destroyer USS Fletcher to his time learning ancient pottery methods in Chihuahua, Mexico, captivated the students with the story of a life well-lived.
King High junior James Jacops said he was deeply moved by the experience. “I have a great deal of respect for the veterans,” Jacops said. “It means the world to me to hear all of their stories and what they have to relay from their past. I feel it lets me learn from their life, and I can almost build myself from it.”
The project also appears to break down barriers between generations. After the conversation, Parks passed around a small spiral notebook, asking students to write down their emails so he could stay in touch. Later, after the students had left, he reflected on the experience.
“Those kids are sharp,” Parks said. “They are going to do great things.”
A Purpose Beyond the Classroom
For the veterans, the project offers an opportunity to share their pride in and love for the country — as well as the work and sacrifice it takes to maintain it. For the students, it is a chance to demonstrate that they share that commitment.
The notion that young people are disinterested or waiting passively to inherit what previous generations built is an old one. In the gymnasium at King High, it didn’t hold up.
King Remembers has evolved into a community institution, providing a platform for veterans to share their experiences and for students to learn firsthand about history, sacrifice, and service. As the event grows each year, it continues to build bridges between generations and trust that the next one will be ready to carry the torch.
