New monument to honor fallen Bearcats moves forward

By Camille DeVaul · Fri Jun 26 2026

Trustees unanimously approve War Memorial Stadium project recognizing 12 former students lost during World War II

PASO ROBLES — The Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously June 23 to move forward with construction of a new War Memorial Stadium Monument, a project designed to honor the 12 Paso Robles High School Bearcats who lost their lives serving in World War II.

The memorial, which is expected to be completed in time for the Bearcats' first home football game on Sept. 4, will be installed at War Memorial Stadium, located behind Lewis Flamson Junior High School.

The project traces its roots to the original dedication of War Memorial Field in 1946. At the time, the stadium was dedicated specifically to the 12 former Bearcats who died during World War II. A commemorative plaque was installed at the base of a flagpole, but the community and staff said it has become difficult to locate and read over the years.

The new monument will prominently recognize those 12 fallen servicemen: James Pearson, Robert Rogers, Donald Smith, James Farnell, Donald Steiner, Joseph Crettol, Benjamin Sauret, Louis Patriquin, Raymond Dauth, Abraham Van Horn, George Quintana and Edward Johnson.

Many of the young men were in their late teens or early 20s when they died serving their country.

Work on the project has been underway for several months. Veteran and former district staff Tom Harrington first provided an update to the board in December 2025, sharing that a group of volunteers had been researching the lives and stories of the fallen Bearcats. Local architect Gary Gery volunteered to design the monument and oversee the construction process.

The committee met at the stadium site in March to review concepts and provided updates to the board in June before presenting a final recommendation for approval on June 23.

The total project cost is not expected to exceed $110,000, including approximately $91,766 for construction and $13,722 for district-provided brass plaques. Funding will come initially from the district's Capital Facilities Fund, with donations collected by a district committee expected to reimburse those expenses.

While trustees expressed strong support for the project, discussion centered on how the memorial should balance its original purpose with broader recognition of military service.

Trustee Nathan Williams said he fully supports the monument but acknowledged concerns about altering the historical intent of the original dedication.

"I'm overwhelmingly in support of this," Williams said. "I think the only thing that I am slightly bummed about is that we are changing history a bit on this."

Williams noted that the stadium was originally dedicated specifically to those who died in World War II, but said he appreciated efforts to recognize Bearcats who served during other conflicts as well.

Veteran and trustee Leo Castillo voiced similar concerns.

"The intent of this war memorial was for those fallen from World War II specifically," Castillo said.

Castillo questioned whether recognizing only certain additional conflicts could unintentionally exclude veterans from others.

"The issue I also have with this is we are recognizing Vietnam and Korea, but now we are discounting the Gulf War, we're discounting the Iraq War, we're discounting the Afghanistan War," Castillo said. "Who's to say that the Iranian war won't be a boots-on-ground type of event as well that we are now not recognizing?"

According to the staff, the committee had proposed adding recognition of the Korean and Vietnam wars after hearing comments from trustees during previous board meetings about why only one conflict was represented.

Castillo noted that the Paso Robles Veterans of Foreign Wars is currently working on a separate memorial that would recognize all branches of service and all military conflicts. He expressed concern that the district's project could become limited to select wars while excluding others.

Seeking to keep the project on schedule while allowing additional discussion, Castillo made a motion to authorize construction of the monument structure while continuing conversations with the committee regarding the memorial's final scope and interpretation.

His motion also called for ensuring the original World War II dedication remains part of the memorial and that construction stays on track for completion before the Sept. 4 football season opener. Additional plaques or recognition for other military conflicts could be finalized later.

The motion passed 6-0. Trustee Kenney Enney was absent from the meeting.

The next Paso Robles Joint Unified School District meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 6 p.m.