This is one of my favorite photos of all time, it's of my dad Dr. Ron Pardee in his old office in the business building at Riverside City College, where he taught for nearly 45 years. Everything about this photo screams my dad: the gloriously cluttered desk, the motorcycle calendars, the door that was never closed, and my two boys welcomed on his lap.
My dad raised me to be an entrepreneur, and more than that, he was one of the grown-ups who took me seriously. My family and The Raincross Gazette both grow under the shade of the trees he planted.
This is another of my favorite photos, taken the morning of my father's funeral. Titus and Boaz wanted to bring donuts in to the office, because that's what Papa did on special occasions.
I know Father's Day isn't simple for everyone. People are missing someone today, or wishing things were different, or carrying a complicated story quietly. If that's you, I'm holding you in my heart with the same spirit that me dad would hold my kids on his lap.
Most men stand on the shoulders of giants I sat up there on one His hands lock around my ankles Mine rest against his cheeks Up here I see what strength is What love needs to believe I'm on my own two feet now It's so much harder here to see
— Justin Pardee | For Papa, 2018
Here's what my dad left me, and what I think this newsroom is for: what we know about our city determines what we believe about it, and what we believe about our city determines its future. He believed in Riverside, and he believed in me. The Gazette exists to spark that same spirit of neighborliness in the next kid, the next reader, the next generation.
We're 12 of 44 toward my birthday goal. If the Gazette has been part of how you stay connected to this city — or if you just want to honor someone who taught you to take your community seriously — I'd be grateful to have you join us. Free to read, always. Made possible by readers like you.
Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Ann Grell, Peggy Bradley, Brian Butler, Perla Fabelo, Dolores Green, Candace Holcombe, Krystle Joseph, Laurie Lucas, Jessica McIntyre, Sheila Kay Riley, Barbara Robinson, and Sharon D. Wilson. Your ongoing financial support is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves!
One hundred years ago, a barnstorming pilot flew under a 16-foot bridge span and into Riverside history.
Photo by E. N. Fairchild of Warren flying his plane under the Mission Bridge. (Courtesy of the Local History Archives of the Riverside Library)
One hundred years ago on Sunday, June 13, 1926, Roman Warren, known as the Cowboy Aviator, performed a daring feat under the Mission Bridge over the Santa Ana River at the base of Mount Rubidoux. Recorded in photographs and in film, the bold flight has come to be part of Riverside's aviation lore.
An early barnstorming pilot, Roman Warren, first made an emergency landing on an early field in Pennsylvania Avenue and Chicago Avenue in July of either 1922 or 1923, when he ran out of gas on a flight from Arizona to Los Angeles. Roman soon relocated to the area, and when the City of Riverside established the Riverside Airport (today's Flabob, not the Riverside Municipal Airport), he became its manager.
However, times were tough for many early pilots. Roman complained that he did not have enough money to even buy a hamburger. In a later interview, he reminisced, "In those days, you had to fly under a smaller bridge or over a bigger ocean to make a living, and my specialty was small bridges."
Warren decided that in order to draw attention to his flying, he would fly under the center span of the Santa Ana River Mission Bridge. The opening was only 16 feet high. The record at the time was set by a pilot who had flown under a 37-foot-high bridge. The newspapers generated interest in the event beforehand and announced that skeptics were wagering on whether the feat was possible.
Neighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods.
Lisa Diggs stands beneath the military branch seals at Westmont Village. (Brenda Flowers)
When Lisa Diggs moved to Riverside in February 1997, she arrived as a newlywed and an Army veteran with nearly a decade of military service behind her. Her husband, Ray Diggs II, was a sports writer for the Press Enterprise. She came ready to put down roots — and almost immediately, she got to work.
Her entry point was the Eastside community, where she began mentoring and tutoring youth through the YES program at Inland Agency. That led her to the University Eastside Community Collaborative (UECC) AmeriCorps program at UC Riverside, where she served two terms as a youth coordinator at Highland Elementary and Taft Elementary. From there, her community footprint kept expanding: outreach work with Fair Housing of Riverside County, volunteering with Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful, participation in the Neighborhood Leadership Academy, and training through the United Way of Inland Valleys' Blueprint for Volunteer Diversity, which prepared her for service on community boards and commissions. In 2000, she received both the Presidential Service Award and a Congressional Recognition for her work with residents in the Coachella Valley.
Over the years, Lisa has served on the Park Advisory Council for Reid Park, volunteered with the Riverside Neighborhood Program, contributed as a municipal volunteer for the Library and Parks and Recreation, and lent her time to the Dickens Festival, the Juneteenth Festival, and other cultural events around the city. For seven years she volunteered with the Riverside Arts Academy. She tallied more than two decades as a mentor, tutor, and coordinator for youth and children — and through it all, she kept adding to the list.
Her veteran advocacy has been just as active. She has volunteered as a Blue Star Families Ambassador and a Women Veterans Alliance member since 2015, and as a style coach and job coach with Working Wardrobes since that same year. She was honored as a Quilt of Valor recipient in both 2019 and 2025, and recognized by Working Wardrobes as Client of the Year in 2025. On the academic side, she earned a master's degree in school counseling from Concordia University Irvine in 2022 and currently works as a substitute teacher with Moreno Valley Unified School District while pursuing a school counselor position. She remains active with her American Legion, VFW, and AMVETS Post 77 groups.
These days, Lisa is working on a short story about her personal journey and hoping to get more involved with the Inlandia Institute. Readers who'd like to connect with her are welcome to reach out.
This week, we move from holding our place to holding our beverages. Our creative nudge is an aluminum can.
Or, if you are reading this outside of North America, the aluminium can. I admit I enjoy that extra “i” tucked into the British spelling. It feels fancy, like the word accessorized to impress at the party.
As someone who spends plenty of time scouring the outdoors for found objects to make art, I come across aluminum cans regularly. Roadsides, desert trails, parking lots—cans are everywhere. They are among the most common objects (chip bags is still far and away #1) littered by people. I don’t find them interesting as raw material.
A brand-new can is nothing special. But give that can a few months in the sun…
Let our semi-arid desert climate fade the colorful print, add a few dents, let a spider or three move in. Then I start paying attention. They are really only interesting once they’ve aged, shown some wear and tear. I hope the same can be said for me.
See something? Say something. Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please share it with us.
