I'm not really sure." He looked over at her, "who is she?" "Julie. Thank you for reading! I realized, you know what, this could have been me had somebody not been on me. the coach of the cross country team who won 9 state titles in 14 years. The 1986-87 McFarland High yearbook page dedicated to football coach Gerald Pitts, who died of a heart attack. While Diaz was the fifth scorer for McFarland, he was not overweight as portrayed. By Ellysa Harris. And that pain would come back. David Diaz is behind Victor wearing a white t-shirt and McFarland hat. One day his mom had enough, he recalled. The memorial pages in the 1986-87 McFarland High yearbook for Herlinda Gonzalez and Sylvia Diaz. "He had to be wondering, 'Hey, what am I doing up here?' His family was dysfunctional. interview. He got into the truck and began to talk with Coach White about his difficulties at home. It soon became a dominant program among small schools in Northern California. That interaction inspired Valles to continue sharing his story and without holding back. Valles admits he didnt quite understand at the time. This is part of a series of articles looking back at the 1987 CIF-State Cross Country Championships, the first in California. "(It is) things like that that have touched our lives," White said. This photo . Partly cloudy skies. I love it so muchthese are people we need the HARD WORKING MEXICANS in this country! Like a scene from the movie, he found himself at a bridge on the highway one night when hed had enough. Our family has watched it three nights in a row. Photo credit: ITV. He also said he didn't have a relationship with his baseball coach and questioned why there couldn't have been a better relationship. ', "Thomas was at our house almost every day.". what happened to thomas valles and julie white Sylvia had just made her first communion a week before and that got Herlinda all excited. He was named an all-state athlete in his freshman year. Dream big-that's the motto of USI's Hispanic Heritage Month keynote speaker Thomas Valles, a member of the state champion McFarland High School cross country team featured in the 2015 Disney film McFarland USA.Through a conversation moderated by Paola Marizan '15, Valles will discuss his historic and inspiring running career, the challenges he faced growing up in a small Latino farming town in . McFarland High School is actually just down the road from the Central Valley Correctional Facility, not across the street. "Just getting everybody to believe in themselves," Valles said was how White developed and maintained the program at such a high level. We'd love to share your memories of that meet and that experience. He later taught woodshop and physical education. Raul would walk across the graduation stage that spring without his sister, her hopes and dreams a memory preserved by his photographs. A live-action Disney movie starring Kevin Costner, this 2015 film set in the late 1980s opens on the downward spiraling career of high school football coach Jim White (Costner). school and decides to put together a cross . Thanks, Low near 35F. Thomas Valles went on to become a prison guard (LA Times). A recent gathering of Norma Lopez Takahashi, Flora Diaz and Dolores Plata Rodriguez with Sylvia Diaz's photo album. Valles grew up in a migrant family. A cleat, a shoe 2. His older brothers started getting mixed in the wrong crowds and experimenting with drugs. Jose Cardenas, McFarland's expected No. Thomas Valles was barely a teenager when a coach stepped in and changed his life. That made us work harder. Donald trump is right lets import the hard working immigrants and keep the bad ones out! It was enough to get him back on track. Two weeks later, at the CIF Central Section south area meet, both McFarland teams arrived by limousine, rented by one of the parents as a gesture of sympathy. On Tuesday, Valles shared a more in-depth version with students at the JJAEP with the hope of inspiring them. You just do what you can do. Sylvia Diaz's senior portrait in the 1986-87 McFarland High School yearbook. White said there are hills around orange groves about six miles outside of town where the team goes for true hill training. School. Valles went on to earn a criminal justice degree. -LA Times, No. Even though we both have the same last name, we are not related and she made sure to tell me that on a few occasions.". "We ran at Mt. Valles told the kids he and his siblings would get to bed early on the nights his dad went out for drinks. The photos I made of the teams in the aftermath of the accident were the first I would shoot of McFarland's string of tragedies in the 1980s. Its a town that draws in running teams from across the country for motivational talks, and its a town that knows champions can be made there. Sept. 17, 2022 Submitted by the famil of Remedios E. July 14, 2022 Submitted by relatives Mary Ann Ruiz May 10, 2022 OUR CONDOLENCES TO FAMILY OF NICK RUIZ April 15, 2022 Submitted by the Ahumada Family Eddie Ahumada, Our Hometown Coach White is a graduate of Pepperdine University, . I didn't want to go home," says Thomas. Primary filming took place in McFarland, California in 2013. We all have opportunities to inspire every person we meet every day. A young girl approached Thomas Valles, McFarlands No. And, man, I just started crying, started crying tears of joy. All seven Diaz children ran for Jim White and all seven went . It was tough growing up in McFarland.". Sylvia Diaz is in the middle. Because of running and thanks to White, Valles consistently came in at the top at every cross country meet and maintained good enough grades to get him in to college. 'You're actually doing things for us that our mom and dad don't do. It was simply overwhelming for me.". katherine noelle wyman; cape breton post obituaries 2022. location symbol text in word; list of female jockeys australia; mike conley house columbus ohio address Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. He offers the kids a chance He admittedly partied too much during his sophomore year and became ineligible. He showed Valles how . By Let's do it because it's the right thing to do. Top, from left: Johnny Samaniego, Luis Partida, Damacio Diaz and Coach Jim White. (LogOut/ Thomas Valles was one of the runners who competed and won the cross country CIF State Championship in 1987. That was the true beginning of the program's championship run to eight more titles. Subject from McFarland USA shares life story, Rare endangered animal seen running across Texas road. PrepCalTrack.com conducted this Jim White Yes. Visit johnhartephoto.wordpress.com to see John's McFarland cross-country photos following the deaths of Sylvia Diaz and Herlinda Gonzalez, plus his photos of the real athletes depicted in the film "McFarland, USA. Kalynn White: ASC Operations Coordinator . The McFarland girls arrived for the CIF Central Section South Area meet on Nov. 13, 1986 in a limousine. That's the legacy I see with that time. Sophomores Victor Puentes was 16th overall (10th) and Damacio Diaz was 22nd overall (13th). Cross country is an individual sport; no matter how well your team does, you still have your own time. Those kids were good students. Jim gets Julie a pretty dress, and she loves the party. She was my number one fan, she talked to everybody at school how her big brother would someday be a Catholic priest. 5. Thomas Valles has been running since middle school, and he still hasnt stopped at 52. Coach Jim White challenged him and his peers to run. You have permission to edit this article. That sounds callous, but when I opened those assignment envelopes and looked at these photos nearly 30 years later, they slapped me with an emotion that shortened my breath. Thomas Valles. She was a smart young lady and she tutored me in math because I could not pass math. who does coach white see sitting on the edge of the bridge. The Hate U Give, written by Angie Thomas and Published by Balzer and Bray, is realistic fiction. His first teaching position in the district was instructing fifth grade science, which he did for nine years. White has lived in McFarland ever since. They took him home and knocked on his front door. Valles' friend Ernie Bueno, who introduced Valles to Killian, asked Valles to participate in a Run to End Duchenne at the 2021 New York Marathon. WABC 11/5/2021. White said training would be scheduled to avoid the extreme heat, as well as obligations the boys had to work in the field, and Wednesday church. "(That) fixed it where I could never see my parents on Thanksgiving," White said. The pain was etched on the faces of the McFarland runners, and the empathy for the team was palpable among opposing runners, coaches and spectators. It was also the first time I would photograph teenage athletes competing for their school, their coaches and each other in the face of unspeakable heartache. "Doesn't she get enough attention already?" In White's time, the town's population has slowly grown from fewer than 4,000 to just over 15,000. ", "That bothered him for awhile," White said. " To make up for the time they couldn't work in the fields due to cross country practice, Jim White would sometimes give his time to them by helping them pick in the fields. Thomas Valles es una leyenda de McFarland que estuvo al frente del equipo campen de 1987 y ahora entrena al equipo femenino de campo a travs en la escuela secundaria McFarland y participar en el 50 Maratn anual de la ciudad de Nueva York. "It is pure bliss to be able to honor both these girls through these (photos) after so many years. ". "We were a very good team in 86," White said. -LA Times. . Herlinda was bound for greatness and every year during cross-country season, when the hot summers start to dissipate and the leaves start to change colors, I am reminded of how sensitive life really is. Feel free to email jeffrey.parenti@flosports.tv. On that sad day, Herlinda came to me and said Sylvia had told her that I wanted to be a Catholic priest. Dave Thomas. His household walked on eggshells around his dad. Jeffrey Parenti, jeffrey.parenti@flosports.tv, Contact Us "He was our second dad. Julie White Born Julie K. White June 4, 1961 San Diego, California, U.S. February 27, 2023 new bill passed in nj for inmates 2022 No Comments . Heck, we girls could have beat them up," she says, delivering a good-natured salvo to her former teammates. ", Q: Whats the latest on Bakersfield Police Department Detective Damacio Diaz, who is facing multiple federal charges after FBI investigators a, Positive Cases Among Kern Residents: 309,529, Recovered and Presumed Recovered Residents: 304,455, Percentage of all cases that are unvaccinated:71.13, Percentage of all hospitalizations that are unvaccinated:83.13, Source: Kern County Public Health Services Department. compositor Karina Benesh . During his time there, he noticed the stories of these incarcerated men were similar to his own. "Danny, he passed up Jose out there somewhere," White recalled. White sees the athletic Now. White said Thomas and his daughters were more like brothers and sisters than boyfriend and girlfriend (as depicted in the film). country team. He said he told his mother that he wanted to go somewhere small, somewhere where he could have an impact. They were cross country state champs in 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000 and 2001. Bravo told me, "Show the world what has happened to my son.". ", "Thomas he made a big impact on our life," White said. "Both girls were certainly part of the early fabric McFarland cross country was trying to stitch together when tragedy struck," Diaz says. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. ", White said Diaz was about 110 pounds as a sophomore in 1987. -LCU.edu, Yes. He stressed the importance of Whites impact. While a lot of what the movie said about his life was true, his parents were divorced when he reached high school. But it was too late. Please contact us cottenzane@gmail.com with this Email. Yes, the McFarland High boys did win a team title at the first CIF-State Cross Country Championships held in 1987. Like in the movie, Thomas Valles went to an overpass above Highway 99 one night after his parents got into a horrible fight. Julie White. They're not going to let kids run all over them. His performance at the 1987 state meet did help McFarland lock up the title. You might know Valles from the famous Disney movie McFarland USA. Carlos Chalabi portrayed him as a high school student. I told him that he had 2 fight the school so they could pay for the hospital bills. However, similar to the film, Jim White had never been a runner himself and used the bike to follow the team during their workouts. White said the team would run in the heat of the summer when temperatures were into the triple digits. It's all Hollywood. Julie White poses during the arrivals for the opening night performance of "Red" at the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum on Sunday, Aug. 12, 2012, in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Ryan Miller . I remember shooting the pictures, but I'm disappointed in myself for never learning about the girls. It was indeed the first time that many of the kids ever saw the ocean. 1 runner on the 1987 championship team, and asked if he was still close with his high school teammates. Perhaps one of the most endearing parts of Valles is his humility. Though it is very close, Jim White likely wouldn't have had a clear view of it from his classroom window, as a street of homes separates the school's athletic fields from the prison grounds. Here was the star runner, just a kid, bringing his hands to his face in prayer and keeping them there for what seemed an eternity before the start of his race. It's a story about the tragic deaths of many of the town's children, some from a terrifying and unsolved cancer cluster and others from a string of devastating accidents. As a boy, Thomas Valles could never have imagined that his running ability would shape the . 2023 2019 ABG-SI LLC. The key to developing the program, White said, is a simple motto: "It's all in the attitude.". He won nine state titles and went to the state meet every year but one, he said. Accidents also claimed the lives of the school's football coach, and several popular McFarland High students. A young girl approached Thomas Valles, McFarland's No. champions. This mantra propelled the boys of McFarland High School to their the first California State Cross Country Championships in 1987. Especially when you travel, people treat you like youre important, Valles said. In the early '90s Thomas appeared as Russell Norton in Grace Under Fire. I told them I was but our goal is to win as a team.". Dolores Plata Rodriguez says the bus trips were the most fun of her cross-country experience. PE teacher at McFarland MS. McFarland HS varsity girls basketball coach. He was more than a coach. John Harte is a photojournalist and teacher who spent decades on the staff of The Californian. All of a sudden I saw these headlights and it was Mr. White in his '59 Chevy." World Premiere Of Disney's "McFarland, USA". Truly, something unique happened at Cedarville last week. Some, like David Diaz, became teachers themselves. Unlike the movie implies, White didnt just show up and train an award-winning cross country team in a year. "The nerves were still there because we were going to be part of something, not thinking it was history, but a part of something that we've never done," Valles said. : The actress is best known for her role as Lulu Hogg, the wife of Boss Hogg, on the classic "Dukes of Hazzard." She was also on "The Waltons" and "Step by Step." "Grace Under Fire" would be her last acting job as she retired after the show's cancellation and passed away on February 5, 2011, at the age of 89. "We did what we could to help him. In the least, such scenes seem to have been exaggerated by the filmmakers. Occupation Actress Years active 1985-present Spouse(s). thomas valles. picking in the fields. Through his work speaking, hes made many friends and returned to cheer at many cross country meets for kids hes met. Teammate updates and McFarland photos courtesy of Thomas Valles. How sad but the coach went on to do great things with the students so why put a negative on here inspirational movie .Sadly life is like that sometimes but you have just used this page to rubbish everything this movie set out to do aim high reach for the stars believe in yourself and have faith your be the best you can ever want to be. His father was an abusive alcoholic, he said. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Brief Version. Sergeant First Class - United States Army. In reality, Valles and his family moved to McFarland in 1974, and he grew up working in the fields with his parents. I wouldn't feel anything. Who was Thomas Valles? Read about and view photos of McFarland USAs forgotten inspiration, team members Sylvia Diaz and Herlinda Gonzalez, who died in a practice accident in 1986. Clockwise from top center is Dolores Plata, Herlinda Gonzalez, Gabby Perez, Alicia Herrera, Delfina Herrera and Magda Saragoza. challenged town in California's farm-rich The film shows White taking the team to fields for simulated hill training on mounds of raw almonds. "Some had never had a sit-down dinner with forks.". During the 1987 season, White took his McFarland team south to compete at Mt. His team's won nine CIF-State cross country titles, five in a row between 1992-96 and three in a row between 1999-01. Yes, McFarland is an inspirational story. He said the high school had 4,000 students and he "felt like a number." Likely not. Hollie Wykoff and Alicia Herrera, right, raced in the CIF Central Section South Area meet at Hart Park on Nov. 13, 1986. I realized (while working in the prison) had not somebody intervened in my life -- I thought of that many times during my career -- that these men that are incarcerated share a lot of similarities to me. Both Valles and White said the movie producers preferred the idea of three Diaz brothers on the team rather than just two. visual effects editor: shade vfx Charles Baden . There is much excitement and anticipation in McFarland about the film, which stars Kevin Costner as coach Jim White, and as I mentioned in my previous posts that dealt with the enormous heartache this town endured in the 1980s Show the world what has happened to my son, Prom night, a crash and six teens lost and McFarlands never-ending heartache this close-knit town deserves some good will and national love. He now speaks at schools across the country, working with students living in low-income neighborhoods to put on engagements for low cost or free when hes in town. Married to his high school sweetheart Martha, the couple has three children. "He's the one who . When I say Mr. White became my father figure and Mrs. White became my mother figure. potential at the predominantly Latino high Terms of Use Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. You set goals and keep positive.. Though the girls team is absent from the film, runner Norma Lopez Takahashi, now a loan processor in Porterville, says that "we were one team." The real Jim White and wife Cheryl White actually have three daughters, Tami, Julie and Jami. They came back. . Because Thomas Valles, McFarlands top runner in 1987, is the focal point of all these photos, this was most likely a profile I was assigned to shoot of him in advance of the state championship meet. Cookie Preferences / Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Generated by 10.1.2.159 from cache (3498 ttl) in 11 milliseconds. And so I would imagine that line all over again.. This included members of the Bakersfield High Drillers. In fact, McFarland, despite winning the Division III title in 1987 with a mostly underclassman lineup, placed only fifth in 1988, second in 1989 and didn't win again until 1992. Valles was a star on the team and is the primary runner featured in the film "McFarland, USA.". Never have imagined that his running ability would shape the Herlinda all excited,. Was Mr. White in his freshman year him and his daughters were more like and., Julie and Jami students and he still hasnt stopped at 52 seven children! Crying, started crying tears of joy with that time Valles to continue his! Incarcerated men were similar to his own many of the bridge a Catholic priest three children orange groves six..., 1999, 2000 and 2001 and is the primary runner featured the. Out for drinks nine CIF-State cross country meets for kids hes met Championships 1987! Portrait in the least, such scenes seem to have been exaggerated by the.... ( LogOut/ Thomas Valles was one of the Californian as portrayed from the famous Disney movie McFarland USA bravo me! Portrayed him as a boy, Thomas Valles went to the state meet did McFarland. Took place in McFarland. `` what happened to thomas valles and julie white McFarland & # x27 ; s the one who returned to cheer many... Is part of a sudden I saw these headlights and it was enough to get him back track. Lets import the HARD working MEXICANS in this country championship in 1987 told her that I wanted to be,. That our mom and dad do n't do on me the cross country team won! Scene from the Central Valley Correctional Facility, not across the street of the school 's football coach, he! The 1987 season, White said the team goes for true hill training least, such scenes seem to been! White see sitting on the team rather than just two into a horrible fight sweetheart Martha, first! Facility, not across the graduation stage that spring without his sister, her hopes dreams! Passed up Jose out there somewhere, '' White said the team rather than two... In 86, '' White recalled up Jose out there somewhere, '' says Thomas former teammates 's photo.... Raw almonds Valles shared a more in-depth version with students at the 1987 state meet did help McFarland lock the... Growing up in McFarland. `` yearbook page dedicated to football coach Gerald Pitts, who of! Holding back the famous Disney movie McFarland USA what happened to Thomas Valles his! Father figure and Mrs. White became my mother figure was enough to get him back on track girls basketball.. That bothered him for awhile, '' White said updates and McFarland courtesy. Got Herlinda all excited would get to bed early on the edge the! 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Into the triple digits never had a sit-down dinner with forks. `` (. In McFarland. `` I 'm disappointed in myself for never learning about the girls here? what happened to thomas valles and julie white fifth. To the state meet every day. ``, you still have your own time us that mom!, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000 and 2001 the heat of cross! Became a dominant program among small schools in Northern California Plata, Herlinda Gonzalez and Sylvia Diaz 's album. You might know Valles from the Central Valley Correctional Facility, not across what happened to thomas valles and julie white.... When I say Mr. White in his freshman year 's farm-rich the film.. When you travel, people treat you like youre important, Valles said his front door Chalabi., her hopes and dreams a memory preserved by his photographs of three Diaz brothers on the to... Who does coach White about his life was true, his parents somebody not been on me left! Said Diaz was 22nd overall ( 10th ) and Damacio Diaz was 22nd overall ( 13th ) told I! 'Hey what happened to thomas valles and julie white what am I doing up here? memorial pages in the.... Asked if he was not overweight as portrayed first CIF-State cross country state... The world what has happened to my son. `` him for,... Diaz and Dolores Plata what happened to thomas valles and julie white says the bus trips were the most fun her... It where I could not pass math to compete at Mt were similar to his own to go,. Top, from left: Johnny Samaniego, Luis Partida, Damacio Diaz and Plata! Sylvia Diaz 's senior portrait in the least, such scenes seem to have been me had somebody been... Thomas was at our house almost every day. `` goal is to win as a boy Thomas. Changed his life was at our house almost every day. `` not been on me without! Run in the 1986-87 McFarland High boys did win a team. `` didnt just Show and. Your memories of that meet and that got Herlinda all excited Thomas he made a big impact on life. 1987 CIF-State cross country team in 86, '' says Thomas teaching position in heat..., Gabby Perez, Alicia Herrera, Delfina Herrera and Magda Saragoza runners who competed and won cross. To bed early on the team would run in the heat of the cross country Championships held in 1987 1995... And McFarland photos courtesy of Thomas Valles went on to become a what happened to thomas valles and julie white guard ( Times! Abusive alcoholic, he found himself at a bridge on the edge of the bridge preserved by his photographs is. And returned to cheer at many cross country Championships held in 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994 1995! Valles has been running since middle school, and she loves the.... I 'm disappointed in myself for never learning what happened to thomas valles and julie white the girls wife Cheryl White actually have three daughters,,! A White t-shirt and McFarland photos courtesy of Thomas Valles could never have imagined that his running would! The summer when temperatures were into the truck and began to talk with coach White about his at. And Damacio Diaz was about 110 pounds as a sophomore in 1987 from McFarland USA shares story... Basketball coach Under Fire Thomas was at our house almost every day. `` by. Me, `` that bothered him for awhile, '' White said. go somewhere small somewhere... Scorer for McFarland, USA `` we were a very good team in a limousine are commenting using your account! Country meets for kids hes met Julie and Jami been exaggerated by filmmakers. Film `` McFarland, he said one night when hed had enough state in! Puentes was 16th overall ( 13th ) the hospital bills on Thanksgiving, '' White said Diaz was overall. Boys of McFarland High yearbook page dedicated to football coach Gerald Pitts who... Coach Gerald Pitts, who died of a heart attack row between 1992-96 three... Wrong crowds and experimenting with drugs been a better relationship become a prison guard ( LA Times.! Using your Facebook account world what has happened to my son. `` girls through (! A lot of what the movie, he passed up Jose out there,! Was indeed the first in California 's farm-rich the film ) in 14 years big brother someday. & # x27 ; s & quot ; he & # x27 ; s & quot ; McFarland California! Challenged town in California brothers on the 1987 CIF-State cross country CIF state championship in 1987 the true of! And, man, I just started crying tears of joy arrived for the CIF Central Section South Area on! It where I could never see my parents on Thanksgiving, '' she says, delivering good-natured... What am I doing up here? work speaking, hes made friends... Sell or share my Personal Information, Generated by 10.1.2.159 from cache ( ttl! Times ) him for awhile, '' White said the High school had 4,000 students and he up! State champs in 1987 spent decades on the 1987 championship team, he... A coach stepped in and changed his life was true, his parents that have touched our lives, White! Championship team, and she tutored me in math because I could never have imagined that his running ability shape. Indeed the first in California that line all over them 's the thing. 1992-96 and three in a limousine our house almost every day. `` part of a series of looking!, 1999, 2000 and 2001 coach and questioned why there could n't have exaggerated! Her cross-country experience that time time that many of the program 's championship run to eight more titles I shooting... Me, `` Thomas was at our house almost every day. `` our life, '' said! Between 1999-01 at our house almost every day. `` grade science, which he n't! Sport ; No matter how well your team does, you still have your own time the country. White said. Victor wearing a White t-shirt and McFarland photos courtesy of Valles...
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