Supervisor Baca unveils monuments honoring four local sports heroes

On Saturday, January 15^th Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr., with the support of the Bloomington community gathered at Kessler Park to unveil monuments in honor of four committed Bloomington High alumni. The event had a great turnout and many supporters from the community in attendance.

A huge concrete monument and a baseball field scoreboard at the park were named the “Gary Mendoza Memorial Field,” in honor of Mendoza who was an integral part of Bloomington Little League. Gary Mendoza’s legacy had a lasting impact on the Bloomington community and his support for the children will be passed on through generations. During the ceremony personalized benches honoring Evric Gray, retired New Jersey Nets Basketball Player; Mike Ashman, retired head coach of Cal Poly Pomona’s baseball team and current batting practice coach; and Lonell Roberts, 11 season baseball player for by the Toronto Blue Jays organization, were unveiled.

“Coming together with the Bloomington community and honoring such supportive members of our community was really such a beautiful moment. All those we honored are Bloomington High School alumni as well and it goes to prove just how much impact members of our community can have on the world around us. As Gary Mendoza would always say, ‘At the end of the day, it’s all about the kids,'” remarked Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. “And that’s exactly why this park was the perfect place to honor these four great people. This park will hold memories and accomplishments of local heroes for generations to come. I would again like to thank all those who showed up and supported our community on such a special day.”