About 12 years ago, I found myself being embarrassed by the California Girls at the Olympics, particularly those from Orange County. They were so inarticulate, and emotionally dwarfed. At the time, I was being annoyed by the OC’s lack of culture, and refinement. It was like making a visit to the moon, to come from the Inland Empire to Orange County, even though you would think it to be the other way around?
So today, I see that Big Bear is the home of Shaun White (The Flying Tomato) world greatest snow board champion. Big Bear is also the home of another remarkable teenager, Jordan Ramero, who recently was the youngest to climb Mt. Everest. My point is simple enough to make, the population of the IE is not great enough to compete with the OC, and yet…
According to one of my (former) teachers from Rim of the World High School; Dr. Tim White, was of the class 1969 (or maybe 68). Tim is today, the world’s foremost paleontologist, and Prof. @ Cal Berkeley. WOW! There aren’t many things that impress me, but that sure does! Going to Tim’s website, I read this quote: “Told by a high school guidance counselor that his dream of studying dinosaurs was unacceptable, …” Yep, there’s the definitive proof, he went to Rim alright! (I’ll bet that was Mathews!)
Tim was part of the team that found/studied Lucy. And he has found even an older ‘missing link’ between man and apes that’s 4.4 million years old, that walked upright as well (Ardi). Tim is one of the guys rewriting history for all the right reasons. Dr. Tim White’s website
Now, I’m not one who is impressed by Youngest to do… Rich kids, with parents that need to be examined, is my issue. None the less, climbing the world tallest and deadliest mountain is huge. Way to go, Jordan!
As for Shaun White, that guy is just too cool, and impossible not to like. And unless you’ve been living under a rock, you already know all about him, so I say no more!
Way to go, boys of the local mountains, and men of the IE.
Filed under: Life,the Universe and Everything
Trackback Uri
