Fillmore Remembers : Graduation night: A cruise is planned in an effort to avoid a drunk-driving tragedy such as last year’s fatal crash.

The close-knit community of Fillmore was stunned less than a year ago when Fillmore High School’s graduation night took a tragic turn.

James Anderson, an 18-year-old graduate planning on joining the Marines, was killed in a car accident after hitching a ride with a former classmate, Justin Burkley Neff, after a late-night party.

Authorities said Neff, 20, who was later sentenced to six years in prison, was legally drunk and also under the influence of cocaine when he crashed his car into a power pole outside town.

It was an accident that Fillmore has not forgotten. And this year, parents and local community leaders have organized a graduation night cruise to prevent a similar drunk-driving tragedy from occurring.

“Anything that I could do, I would to keep my son and any of the graduating students off the streets and away from drugs and alcohol,” said organizer Sheila Mumme, whose son and daughter attend Fillmore High School.

Mumme is one of more than 30 parents who have banded together to plan the cruise. With the help of school administrators, they have made arrangements for students to be picked up and returned by bus on the night of June 13.

They have asked for the help of community groups--such as the local chapter of the Optimist Club, a group that works with youth--in raising money. Parents will receive letters informing them of the cruise.

The cruise, which will circle the port of Long Beach, will feature a deejay and non-alcoholic drinks.

“We want to revive the graduation night party that used to be,” senior adviser Sheldon Ball said.

For years, Fillmore High School held on-campus graduation night parties, Ball said. The school parties stopped in the early 1980s, and students began having their own parties--with alcohol.

But many of the high school’s 140 seniors said they are still upset over last year’s tragedy, and they plan to attend the cruise rather than throw their own parties.

“We are going to stay there on the boat all night so it is going to be hard for people to drink and do stuff,” senior Marisela Bautista, 17, said.

There is a simpler reason for Bautista’s decision to attend the cruise: to have fun.

“That’s how come most people are going. Last year, it was sad,” she said.

Other students agreed and said they look forward to the festivities.

“They say it is going to be fun because of the dance. It is going to be all right,” senior Frank Murillo, 17, said.

Brett Adams, a member of the senior government, said school leaders expect a good turnout. “We won’t have the problems of last year, at least not on graduation night,” he said.

To attract students to the cruise, organizers are trying to keep the costs as low as possible. Although the cost for the bus ride and the cruise will total about $50 for each student, the students will probably pay a maximum of $25. The rest will be covered by donations, Ball said.

The cruise will feature several door prizes for students. The prizes will include a red 1991 Dodge Colt hatchback donated by Crown Chrysler Dodge in Fillmore.

“It kind of hit home,” said Dick Dornbusch, the dealership’s general manager. “I have children now grown, and I always worried about them on graduation night.”

Despite the reminder of last year’s tragedy, some Fillmore authorities said the alcohol problem among local teen-agers is increasing.

“Every Friday, Saturday night, there is a party with alcohol involved,” Fillmore Fire Chief Pat Askren said.”We feel it is a problem.”

Regardless of the extent of the problem, parents and school administrators say they are determined to do something about it.

“One accident, one death is too many,” Ball said.