On Friday, November 11th the boys and girls varsity teams competed on the challenging Mt. San Antonio Cross Country Course. The course consist of two flat loops that measure approximately one mile. After the first mile, there are three challenging climbs that will test the best of athletes. The boys and girls Division 4 competition featured three heats and several top individuals. The top five teams in each heat, and the next fastest team in the 3 heats qualified to CIF SS D4 Finals. The top 8 individuals in each heat not on a qualifying team also qualify qualified.

For the Flashes, the girls lined up in the third race of the day at 7:58 a.m. In this second heat 13 teams toed the line, and 7 individuals joined them. Niza Laureano led the girls by placing 12th in a time of 19:44. Niza was followed by Nataly Vigil 21st in 20:23.4, Andrea Laureano 29th in 21:00.8, Leah Barragan 39th in 21:32.9, Alexandra Martinez 43rd in 21:50.7, Diana Santa Rosa 45th in 21:57.7, and Monique Hurtado 68th in 23:40.2. As a result of good grouping, Fillmore placed 5th in a heat of 13, thus qualifying for CIF SS Division 4 Finals.

In the Boys Varsity race Eduardo Vigil led the boys with a 19th place finish in 16:38.6. He was followed by Nicholas Hurtado 39th n 17:25.0, Diego Ramirez 41st n 17:27.1, Joshua Estrada 46 th in 17:52.2, Angel Laureano 58th in 18:19.7, and Angel Garcia 65th in 18:32.9. In a heat of 15 teams Fillmore finished in 7th place, thus ending a good season for the boys.

Next week, on Saturday, the Fillmore Girls Cross Country will return to Mt. San Antonio College and compete against the top 16 CIF SS D4 teams. On the line is a chance to compete in the State Finals. To qualify for State Finals, they must finish among the top 7 teams. This race is scheduled to start at 7:45 a.m.

Written by Carina M. Montoya

It is true that big things come in small packages. When I met long-time Fillmore resident Barbara Filkins and learned that she is a pilot and has been flying planes for several decades, I wanted to know more about this accomplished petite lady. Originally from Connecticut, Barbara came to California in the early 1970s to study at Harvey Mudd Collegein Claremont, known for its curriculum that educates talented scientists, engineers and mathematicians. It was at Harvey Mudd where she learned to fly and earned her pilot’s license under the tutelage of Iris Cummings Critchell. Critchell served during World War II as a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) and Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). She also raced airplanes competitively during the 1950s and together with her husband, Howard Critchell, helped found the Bates Aeronautics program at Harvey Mudd College in 1962.

After Barbara obtained her degree in physics, she returned to the East Coast and began working for the aerospace industryin Upstate New York where she met her husband, Dale, who is also a pilot. Barbara’s career soared through the years as her talent and skills in the aerospace industry grew and were in demand within the industry and related industries. A job offer at an aerospace company on the West Coast brought Barbara back to California, where she and Dale decided to make Fillmore their permanent home. They both share a love of flying and have three planes. Dale built one of the planes, a Velocity V-Twin engine,which is a flagship model of the Velocity Aircraft line. Although both have had their share of flying solo, they have flown together many times coasttocoastand often fly somewhere out of town for a weekend getaway. Barbara now teaches aeronautics through distance learning, including flight instruction at the Oxnard and Camarillo airports.

In addition to Barbara’s busy daily schedule, she still finds the time for a passionate hobby in an equestrian sport called dressage, which is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition. It is also known as “the highest expression of horse training,” which involves the rider and horse to perform from memory a series of predetermined movements.

But wait, there’s more . . .Barbara is a member of the Fillmore Rotary Club and gives of her time for community service by enriching the lives of others locally and around the world, which is at the core of the club’s mission.

Next time you see a plane flying above when you’re out and about in town, give it a wave because it just may be Barbara flying over the town.

The interior of original Fillmore Historical Museum.
Enlarge Photo

Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

Join us Thursday, November 17th, 2022 from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM via Zoom for A Hidden Gem: The Fillmore Historical Museum, sponsored by the Historical Society of Southern California.

The Historical Society of Southern California is spotlighting the Fillmore Historical Museum and its local history in their Community Focus series. Learn about the history of the Museum as well as an overview of our local history. Presenters will include Museum Director Martha Gentry, Museum Volunteer Sue Zeider, and local historian Michele Ybarra McKinley. A question and answer session will follow the presentation. Register now at https://forms.gle/TcQzbTqjX8kWDjXY9.

In 1972, the Fillmore Chamber of Commerce approached a retired Spanish teacher, Edith Moore Jarrett, to start an historical museum. Mrs. Jarrett was not just any retired Spanish teacher. She had written the Spanish textbooks, El Camino Real I. II, and other books. The textbooks became the most commonly used series of Spanish text books in the United States for several decades beginning in 1940 and into the 1970s. She also loved traveling and history. She was a Fillmore native, graduating from Fillmore Union High School in 1916 and from the University of Southern California in 1921. After graduation from USC, she returned to Fillmore and taught in its schools until her retirement.

Mrs. Jarrett accepted the Chamber of Commerce’s request. Space was rented on the ground floor of the Masonic Temple Building on Central Avenue and the word went out to the population of the area that she was looking for items for the Museum. She was overwhelmed with donations and soon out of space.

In 1974, the Southern Pacific Railroad was ready to demolish the depot they had built in Fillmore in 1887. It had not been used except for storage for many years and was in very poor condition. Edith Jarrett bought it for $1 plus 5₵ tax on the condition that she immediately move it from its original site. She petitioned the City which provided a lot on Main Street. Mrs. Jarrett then paid for the moving and renovation of the Depot as a donation to the town of Fillmore.

Fifty years have passed since the Fillmore Historical Museum opened its doors. After extensive damage in the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, the depot was again moved and renovated.

The new site for the Museum was only a block from the old site, but now had room for a 1905 bungalow, the 1919 Rancho Sespe bunkhouse, a 1960’s caboose and several smaller buildings. An entirely volunteer operation, it receives no funding from any government agency.

The Museum is open four days a week and by appointment. It regularly hosts interns from local colleges and universities as well as welcoming local school children. Its website, fillmorehistoricalmuseum.org, includes information about the Museum and its programs as well as over one hundred stories about the Fillmore, Bardsdale, Sespe and Piru communities.