OXNARD : ‘Royal Readers’ Hold Classes Spellbound

Mike Dillon took a deep breath and began reciting the long narrative poem “The Cremation of Sam McGee” by Robert W. Service.

Dillon, a carpenter for the Oxnard School District, had been invited to read before Mary Ann Uelmen’s second- and third-grade class at Juanita School on Monday as part of the school’s Royal Readers Program.

The program, in its second year, tries to show youngsters that adults enjoy reading and that the skill is used throughout life.

With that in mind, various Oxnard dignitaries--from Mayor Nao Takasugi to school board members to the district’s plumber--have given up time to read their favorite tales, garbed in crown, cape and scepter to match their “royal” status.

Dillon chose to recite a favorite piece of literature rather than read. For more than 10 minutes, and with only one look at the poem to refresh his memory, Dillon had the class in the palm of his hand.

The narrative of Sam McGee tells the tale of the rough gold-mining days of 1898 when men poured into the Klondike mining region by way of the Dawson Trail.

Dillon told the class that he had taken a speaking class in high school 25 years ago, and he had to memorize the poem for that class.

“It took me two weeks to rememorize the poem all over again,” he said.

An employee of the district for 4 1/2 years, Dillon recited the poem standing up, wearing a baseball cap emblazoned with the American flag. Only after some prodding did he sit in the royal chair and wear the crown.

Earlier in the day, Pete Tafoya, a trustee of the Ventura County Community College District, read two of his daughter’s favorite books to Myrna Abdel-Gawad’s third-grade bilingual class.

Tafoya sat in the royal chair for close to an hour, reading “Coyote Cry” by Byrd Baylor, a story about a young Latino shepherd’s experience with a coyote.

At the end of the book, Tafoya asked what the shepherd had learned. When no answers came from the crowd, he said the coyote was sad and wanted friends.

“They speak at night through their howls,” Tafoya told the children.