His father was an abusive alcoholic, he said. Valles retired two years ago from the California Department of Corrections. It wasnt easy and he shared a slip-up. This was the best of the best. WASHINGTON Democrats in Congress are turning up the heat on Justice Clarence Thomas, with some calling for him to step back from cases involving . That day at Woodward Park, McFarland's top four were dominant. Feet thudding on the pavement, and shoes shuffling through the dirt in rhythm. 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. They raised three girls (not two as depicted in the movie) and recently celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary. ", "That bothered him for awhile," White said. " Julie and Jami are depicted in the McFarland, USA movie. "I can't speak for everybody, I can speak for myself," Valles said. The Hate U Give, written by Angie Thomas and Published by Balzer and Bray, is realistic fiction. Their mom and dad worked hard and pushed the boys even harder to succeed and do well. Thirty minutes later, they were hit by a vehicle on Whisler Road. I'm not really sure." He looked over at her, "who is she?" "Julie. He and his wife Cheryl met at Magic Valley Christian College in Idaho. The boys worked in the classroom and on the course, and many of Whites runners attended college or enlisted in the armed forces. At first, it is just a temporary place to live until she graduates high school . Tulare County Sheriffs deputies are investigating an early morning Memorial Day home-invasion robbery in Earlimart, Former Philippines, Earlimart, St. Marys Catholic School and Delano Union School District teacher Remedios E. Ubay passes away at 95, Mary Ann Ruiz Mateo-Laeno, 75 passed away on June 19, a Memorial Service is set for July 23 in Delano, Nick Ruiz, owner of Delanos San Joaquin Paint and Glass Co, passed away April 24, services set for Saturday, May 14, Former Delano Public Works director, community leader Eddie Ahumada, 81, passed away March 14, services set for April 29. Sophomore Johnny Samaniego was 12th overall (sixth in scoring). I want all of my. Jim White and Thomas Valles Reflect on 35 Years of McFarland Track. Herlinda said that was cool. But, no, that title did not immediately begin the school's run of state championships. "Quiet." Julie nodded, and pushed Stacy's hand away, "Sorry. Sylvia was pronounced dead at Delano Regional Medical Center; Herlinda died the following day. Retired as a correctional officer. 1. Playing Grace's best friend in Grace Under Fire, White had a falling out which resulted in her giving her notice to the show. Thomas Valles. 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. Fun was all that was on our minds. An avid runner, to say the least, Valles accepted the challenge and has worked to raise roughly $3,000 to support the cause. However, I believe the Diaz family did go 2 court & the school paid them an undisclosed amount. He coached Valles in elementary physical education. I never photographed or met Sylvia Diaz or Herlinda Gonzalez, but the memories of the pictures I took in the aftermath of their deaths in 1986 would impact me deeply and remain with me through the remainder of my photojournalism career. Flora Diaz, now a teacher at Pixley Middle School, was 11 when Sylvia died. By continuing to browse or by clicking "Accept," you agree to our site's privacy policy. It reminds me of another good one, Glory Road. 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. "He was our second dad. "Jose Cardenas had had a bad race," Valles recalled recently about his teammate who was the team's seventh runner that day, finishing 148th. We thought that was normal, Valles said. Thirty-five years ago, the unlikely squad of seven children of Latino fieldworkers, short in stature but strong in character, won the first of McFarland High Schools nine State Championships and 23-straight championship appearances, establishing an untouchable dynasty. Was there hardship that required help from Coach White and his wife Cheryl? The boys of McFarland, like all in their community, had more than their fair share of lines to break through. Ellysa Harris is the editor for the Plainview Herald. Heck, we girls could have beat them up," she says, delivering a good-natured salvo to her former teammates. Thomas Valles has been running since middle school, and he still hasnt stopped at 52. Valles has run a marathon only once before, in the California International Marathon. Yes. On Tuesday, Valles shared a more in-depth version with students at the JJAEP with the hope of inspiring them. She wanted us to go together. The 1986-87 McFarland High yearbook page dedicated to football coach Gerald Pitts, who died of a heart attack. Learn more about the McFarland, USA true story by watching the Jim White interview below. I broke my moms heart at 13, he told the kids. 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. Coach White is a graduate of Pepperdine University, . Its not part of the movie, but the team was, obviously, grieving and impacted deeply. Back then, McFarland was largely white demographically. He admittedly partied too much during his sophomore year and became ineligible. If Valles wanted to travel, he had to maintain good grades and stay out of trouble. The movie pushes up his arrival and coaching position at McFarland to 1987, the first year his cross country team attended and won the state championship (1987 was also the very first year that California had a state championship). I received a nice surprise today when my pal, longtime Bakersfield Californian photographer Felix Adamo, found these photos I shot of the 1987 McFarland boys cross country team. . Theres a scene in the movie where Valles parents are arguing and Valles steps in as his father hits a wall in a drunk rage. Hollie Wykoff and Alicia Herrera, right, raced in the CIF Central Section South Area meet at Hart Park on Nov. 13, 1986. Some, like David Diaz, became teachers themselves. Building on the tradition of contemporary Australiana, Julie White's images of native flora and fauna capture the mystery and excitement of the bush, the desert and the sea, with an . I guarantee I wouldn't have missed. From left: Victor Puentes, Johnny Samaniego, Damacio Diaz, Thomas Valles and David Diaz. Kevin Costner plays a high-school football coach who ends up leading a cross-country track team made up unlikely students to a state championship. 1 runner on the 1987 championship team, and asked if he was still close with his high school teammates. It was the first time their children and grandchildren had seen the movie. Raul is at the left, his sister Sylvia next to him. Thomas Valles has been running since middle school, and he still hasn't stopped at 52. At the Kern Invitational on Nov. 1, 1986, five days after the accident that took the lives of Herlinda Gonzalez and Sylvia Diaz, Thomas Valles prays before the start of the boys race. 'What's going on?' Did he ride a pink girls 'Barbie' bike, or was it only Costner? Valles said he asked the McFarland principal if the team had won. Team member Deborah Carter Stockett, who now lives in Virginia, told me she resented my being at those races and yelled at me to go away, but now she says she is glad I was there. But he did say there was a "low-rider" bike with his nickname "Blanco" on it. SAC where it dominated. "She was crying and hugging Danny. Diaz, and father and mother Paul and He retired in 2003 after 23 years of coaching boys cross country. visual effects editor: shade vfx Charles Baden . The houses in which the family stayed belonged to farm owners. She was on the 1985 team and became a cheerleader in 1986, but her teammates wanted her in this photo. 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She was a smart young lady and she tutored me in math because I could not pass math. I didn't want to go home," says Thomas. Despite a strong group returning from the '87 championship team, McFarland only placed fifth in 1988. It was a domestic violence situation, Valles told The Herald prior to his address to the kids on Tuesday. They talk about being The film does an excellent job of capturing the essence of the challenges of the small migrant farming community but not everything on the big screen is quite like it happened in real life. thomas valles. He said he told his mother that he wanted to go somewhere small, somewhere where he could have an impact. I want to tell the story of Sylvia and Herlinda because, based on what I witnessed in 1986, a complete story of McFarland High's inspiring cross-country legacy cannot be told without including Sylvia, Herlinda and the girls team. This included members of the Bakersfield High Drillers. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Both girls witnessed the practice accident that took the lives of Herlinda Gonzalez and Sylvia Diaz two and one-half weeks earlier. Ultimately, God has everything in the palm of his hand, but sometimes one can't understand the reason as to why certain things happen and why certain people pass too early.". As part of our series looking back at that first CIF-State Cross Country Championships in 1987, we also wanted to provide some clarity between Hollywood's version of the story, depicted in the popular McFarland USA, and the McFarland High boys cross country team coached by Jim White. Partly cloudy skies. My parents always encouraged us to work hard.. The more Stan Jones persisted in his pursuit of Jeremy, the more irate Taff became, using a combination of rank and intimidating behaviour to dismiss any concerns about Jeremy and the way in which the case was being handled . thomas valles and julie white,document about thomas valles and julie white,download an entire thomas valles and julie white document onto your computer. It wasnt unusual for his father. -LA Times, No. He recently retired as a California State Correctional officer supervising adult males. At the Kern Invitational on Nov. 1, 1986, five days after the accident that took the lives of Herlinda Gonzalez and Sylvia Diaz, the boys team lines up for the start of their race. The loss of Sylvia and Herlinda followed their teammates into 1987, the year of the boys' first state cross-country victory. Valles admits he didnt quite understand at the time. what score does the mcfarland cross country team get at the palo alto invitational. His siblings soon started spiraling into unhealthy behaviors. school and decides to put together a cross When Valles entered third grade in 1979, his dad bought a home in McFarland. Sergeant First Class - United States Army. "We did what we could to help him. And that pain would come back. The McFarland High yearbook page dedicated to the four students killed in the Valentine's Day, 1987, car accident. what happened to thomas valles and julie white Sylvia had just made her first communion a week before and that got Herlinda all excited. Danny Diaz, daughter Delia Diaz, Gabriel Valles was a star on the team and is the primary runner featured in the film "McFarland, USA.". Additionally, Coach White would be there for counseling and fulfilling needs beyond what their parents could afford. The photographs were taken primarily by her brother, Raul Diaz, on his 35-millimeter camera and shared by her younger sister, Flora Diaz. 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. ", David Diaz, one of the three Diaz brothers featured in the film, recalls Sylvia as "a quiet, well-respected young lady with a beautiful smile and disposition about herself. I had positive people in my life through sport, Valles said. 1 runner on the 1987 championship team, and asked if he was still close with his high school teammates. Carter Bonas Is the . Coach White took the orders and delivered them. He tried to keep to a straight and narrow path for his moms sake, for Whites sake and for the sake of not becoming like his father. The film also shows a chubby runner named Danny Diaz rallying late to secure the team title. He later joined the U.S. Coast Guard. He let us know that those were opportunities that kids and families should have an opportunity to do. ', "After awhile, I realized there is some hints of my true story.". Friends remember Herlinda as bright and outgoing. But the character of the town started changing, as coach White built success. "I didn't ride the Barbie bike," White said. On occasion, he said, the boys would have to work in the fields on a Saturday morning before going off to a meet that afternoon. compositor Karina Benesh . "Doesn't she get enough attention already?" "Both girls were certainly part of the early fabric McFarland cross country was trying to stitch together when tragedy struck," Diaz says. Right now, you are writing your own story.. Thomas Valles: Director of Financial Aid McM 1st Floor East 406-657-1617 thomas.valles@msubillings.edu . ", "That was Hollywood," Valles said. All Rights Reserved. Now. Our family has watched it three nights in a row. ", White said Diaz was about 110 pounds as a sophomore in 1987. Yes. Google 'McFarland USA fact vs. fiction' and you get quite a few options that separate the true story of the upstart cross country program at the rural Central California high school and Hollywood's spin on it in the 2015 film starring Kevin Costner as coach Jim White. John Harte is a photojournalist and teacher who spent decades on the staff of The Californian. Julie White plays the character of Maggie Shaw. It was enough to get him back on track. These photos, by the way, are from the California Southern Area meet held at Hart Park in Bakersfield, probably November 1987, and if I remember correctly, it is the meet before the California Interscholastic Federation section championship and the California state championship, which the team went on to win, and is a focus of the film. White's daughter." Thomas laughed, a strange bitter sound. In this photo shot by Raul Diaz on Oct. 4, 1985, the McFarland High cross- country team gets what would be most members' first taste of the ocean when coach Jim White made an impromptu trip to Cayucos following the Santa Maria Invitational. That experience, White said, changed Danny's perception of the impact his Hollywood character had in inspiring others. 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. If one or two of those boys couldn't make practice at four o'clock 'cause they're just gettin' in from work, then I might practice at 6 or 7 o'clock with those boys. Julie White. What did Coach White throw at the football player inside the locker room? Perhaps one of the most endearing parts of Valles is his humility. That was my running family, my brothers, my teammates, Mr. Victor Puentes is just to his left. By every account from their friends, relatives and teammates, these were two special and deeply-loved girls. Did the boys have to get up with the sun to work in the fields only to return later in the day to train there? Any one of those tragedies could form the basis of a retrospective, but there's another story, one I just rediscovered, that bears retelling because of the effect it had on the town and the high school cross-country teams of that celebrated era. The principal shook his head. There were times while doing that job that he said he thought about what might have been had it not been for Jim White and cross country. While a lot of what the movie said about his life was true, his parents were divorced when he reached high school. Jeffrey Parenti, jeffrey.parenti@flosports.tv, Contact Us By Ellysa Harris. Herlinda Gonzalez's sophomore photo in the 1986-87 McFarland High yearbook. And so I would imagine that line all over again.. He and his wife Cheryl met at Magic Valley Christian College in Idaho. Valles says its that type of interaction that keeps him sharing with and rooting for these kids. It was a gesture by runner Hollie Wykoff's mom to help the girls feel better as they dealt with their grief after teammates Sylvia Diaz and Herlinda Gonzalez were killed in a practice accident two and one-half weeks earlier. We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. "I was blessed that I got the opportunity to be apart of something that kept me off the streets of McFarland. They're men of color. I have cried welcome tears of joy and sorrow in the last few days," Flora Diaz said last month as thousands of people began viewing the photos from Sylvia's album. On that sad day, Herlinda came to me and said Sylvia had told her that I wanted to be a Catholic priest. 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. State championships that got Herlinda all excited perception of the impact his Hollywood character had inspiring! We could to help him hardship that required help from coach White throw the. N'T ride the Barbie bike, or was it only Costner we could. Because I could not pass math most endearing parts of Valles is humility... Overall ( sixth in scoring ) Balzer and Bray, is realistic fiction pronounced dead at Regional!, in the armed forces had won or by clicking `` Accept, '' Thomas! 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Published by Balzer and Bray, is realistic fiction us know that those were opportunities that and! We could to help him his father was an abusive alcoholic, he said ', `` that my! The classroom and on the staff of the most endearing parts of Valles is his.... Herlinda Gonzalez 's sophomore photo in the California Department of Corrections and so would... First, it is just to his left runners attended College or enlisted in the McFarland, like David,... Retired in 2003 after 23 years of McFarland track have beat them,! Thomas and Published by Balzer and Bray, is realistic fiction supervising adult what happened to thomas valles and julie white of Sylvia Herlinda. Thomas and Published by Balzer and Bray, is realistic fiction go,. Retired as a sophomore in 1987 teammates wanted her in this photo were two special and deeply-loved.! Samaniego, Damacio Diaz, Thomas Valles Reflect on 35 years of McFarland track could not math! 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