Crossing Guards Honored for Long Service to Children : Safety: Fountain Valley recognizes eight workers with 10 or more years of traffic experience near schools. Mayor Laurann Cook calls them ‘unsung heroes.’

Robert Lehman stepped off the curb at Slater Avenue and Los Jardines East in his bright-orange jacket, raised a red stop sign above his head and walked student Brett Yamaoka across the busy street.

“Thank you, Bob!” the 6-year-old James H. Cox School student said to the crossing guard.

The two gave each other a high five as the boy walked safely to the curb.

“I’ll see you tomorrow!” Brett called.

Lehman, who recently turned 90, smiled back at the boy.

Lehman and seven other crossing guards with 10 years or more on the job were honored last week by the City Council.

Others recognized included Alice Bullard, 17 years of service; Ann Maclean, 17 years; Lillian Kuhlendahl, 16; Marilyn Wimpenny, 15; Margaret Longstein, 13; Helen Keith, 12; and John Sacripanti, 11.

“My only reason why I do this is because I like little kids. I always have,” said Lehman, who has been a crossing guard for 20 years in Fountain Valley.

Lehman is one of 27 city crossing guards who help children cross streets for 11 elementary and middle schools.

Mayor Laurann Cook called the city’s crossing guards “unsung heroes”--people who perform a service and don’t get the recognition they deserve.

Wimpenny, 52, like her co-workers, doesn’t consider herself a hero.

“I feel I’m doing something in the community I live in,” said Wimpenny, who started the job after she helped a group of her Girl Scouts cross the street.

“The cars wouldn’t stop for them, so I got out of the car and helped them,” said Wimpenny, a crossing guard supervisor.

Wimpenny said because some motorists don’t pay attention to crosswalks, it’s a job that keeps them on their toes.

“It’s not an easy job. You have to be patient. You have to sit around and wait, and you have to be concerned about the drivers. Are they paying attention? Do they know the rules of the road?

“Yesterday, I was out on a crossing and a car pulled out from behind a van and screeched the tires (by braking) when he saw me,” she said. “It keeps you alert--and it scares you.”

Despite the potential hazards, after working 31 years as an aerospace engineer, Lehman said he wanted the job to keep him busy during his retirement. Guards earn $4.95 to $5.46 an hour. “I didn’t want to sit around and die on a vine when I retired,” said Lehman, who has been married to Jenny, 83, for almost 50 years. “I don’t need the money--my pension and Social Security take care of our living expenses.”

The crossing guards said they enjoy their work because of the satisfaction of crossing children safely, and because they get to know them and watch them grow.

Lehman keeps a sheet taped onto his stop sign to remember names of children.

“When you call them by name, they just light up and smile,” said Lehman, who wears a Mighty Ducks cap, a birthday present given to him by fifth-grade student Katie Hara.

Lehman, showing a birthday card he received from Katie and her three siblings, said the children brighten his life. The handmade card reads: “Thank you for being our crossing guard.”

Katie’s mother, Lily Hara, whose four children have crossed Slater Avenue with Lehman’s help, said, “We’re happy that he’s here to help. With Bob, we’re pretty confident they can get across safely.”

Lehman said he plans to reduce his working hours soon, because he and his wife would like to travel. But he won’t give up his job.

“I’m going to do it as long as I can,” he said. “I figure I still have all my marbles and I can still appreciate the smiles on the little kids’ faces and the high fives.”