Freeway Memorial a Sign of Respect, Remembrance

It’s been more than nine years, but Callie “Joel” Buser Jr.’s family can still remember, down to the minute, when the Caltrans worker was felled on the Antelope Valley Freeway by a driver under the influence of PCP.

“It was July 29, 1992, at 1:03 in the afternoon,” one of Buser’s daughters, Cynthia Gooch of Woodland Hills, said Friday, as Caltrans unveiled a memorial sign it will place on the freeway near Acton, remembering him.

Buser was one of 72 Caltrans employees killed while working on the highways since the 1930s, said Douglas R. Failing, chief deputy district director of the agency in Los Angeles.

The Buser sign is the first erected under a new state law allowing such signs for anyone who falls victim to a convicted drunk or drugged driver, as long as it is paid for by an outside entity.

Cost of the Buser sign, under $1,000, was borne by the California Transportation Foundation, a private nonprofit organization, Failing said.

Caltrans routinely removes impromptu highway memorials, which are felt to be distracting and a possible safety hazard. This has been an issue too in other states. Last month, North Carolina ordered all wreaths, crosses and other memorials erected privately to be removed and stored for grieving families to pick up.

The Buser sign unveiled Friday, with white lettering on a blue background, is simple. “Please Don’t Drink and Drive,” it says, and, then below, in smaller letters, “In Memory of Callie ‘Joel’ Buser Jr.”

The man who struck Buser received a 10-year prison sentence for manslaughter.

Like her daughter, Buser’s widow, Norma, remembers what happened to him all too precisely: how she first heard on the radio about the incident and knew from the description it was probably her husband.

Later, of course, she learned more details. “This person was driving erratically. Others had seen him swerving. My husband was standing behind his truck, and he hit him going 60 to 70 miles an hour.”

As for the sign, Norma Buser said, “I think it’s really great. I think my husband would be very happy.”