Pleasant Valley : Names Sought for Pool War Memorial

The Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District is asking the public to submit names of men and women from the Camarillo area who died in the Vietnam War.

The district’s pool was originally dedicated on Memorial Day in 1969 to 14 local men who died in Vietnam. The men had lived in the park district, which includes most of Camarillo, Camarillo Heights and parts of Somis, Oxnard and the Santa Rosa Valley. A memorial plaque was placed at the foot of Pleasant Valley Park and Pool’s flagpole in their honor, but did not include their names.

The pool was recently renovated and during its reopening on Oct. 3, district officials had a dedication ceremony and read the 14 names out loud. At that time, officials learned that the name of Victor B. Kelley, a Camarillo High School teacher killed by a sniper in Vietnam, was left off the list.

District General Manager Eldred E. Lokker said he is “trying to find out if there are any more who died or if there’s any” who are missing in action.

Kenneth Huston, a district board member when the pool was first dedicated, said officials “didn’t know how long the war would continue and we forgot to include some people. This is an effort to make sure that everyone who deserves to be on the plaque is indeed on it.”

The 15 names that district officials now have are: Michael P. Moritz, Robert J. Treasure, Lewis A. Kimmel Jr., Philip C. Stafford, James A. Cooney, Tony Palacious, Richard A. Weske, Barton Uplinger, Gary Humphrey, Richard C. Drews, Terry A. Russell, George E. Ellis, Kenneth Combs, Ronald Plake and Kelley.

Lokker said the district will install another plaque with all the names the district receives.

To submit other names for the memorial plaque, call 482-1996.