TORRANCE TRIBUNE April 20, 2017 Page 3 Up and Adam South High’s Esphorst Not Forgotten By Adam Serrao Sometimes, there is more to sports than just the game that is being played in between the lines. For South High sophomore Jesse Esphorst, Jr., sports, and specifically baseball, was life. Esphorst began this season as a shortstop for the South High Spartans baseball team, but was tragically taken from the field and the world after a senseless hit-and-run accident took his life nearly one-and-a-half months ago. Now Esphorst not only leaves behind a mourning community, but has also been taken away from a loving mother--and an incredibly strong father who continues to fight through injuries and grief. Jesse Esphorst, Jr. was a rare talent who attended Torrance’s very own South High and started at shortstop for the Spartans ever since he was a freshman. As a sophomore, Jesse was one of the team’s very best players. He boasted a strong arm in the outfield and a potent bat at the plate with the ability to will his team to victory with either his talent or his bright, beaming smile. “His impact was far greater than South High,” Spartans baseball coach Grady Sain explained. “Everybody in the baseball community in Torrance and neighboring communities knew Jesse. He was special.” To say that Jesse was special is an understatement. The over-2,000 people who attended his funeral told us that Jesse was so much more. The way that he continuously provided a spark for his team told us that he was extraordinary in every single way. There wasn’t one game that the sophomore played in this season that he didn’t hit at least one double and score at least one run for his team. Jesse hit a two-run home run and had two RBIs in a 13-3 victory over the Hawthorne Cougars earlier the same day that he was tragically taken from this world. Torrance police said that two cars ran through a red light and crashed into a van that was carrying Jesse and his father on the night of March 7 in Torrance. Jesse was coming from his nearby grandmother’s house where he was undoubtedly celebrating his torrid start to the baseball season by eating his favorite meal- -chicken enchiladas. The two men who caused the accident were arrested by Torrance police and later released after each posted $50,000 bail. Despite their discharge from jail, the two men are scheduled to appear in Torrance court in early May--but not before the damage had already been done. Jesse was unable to survive the accident, while his father still attempts to recover from the injuries that he has sustained. There never quite is a way to recover from a horrific tragedy like losing a child. Support from the community sure does go a long way to help in the process. As nearly 2,000 people gathered at Jesse’s memorial, his mother, Julie Esphorst, addressed the crowd. “Jesse’s journey was to slide home head first, totally worn out, shouting, ‘Holy crap, what a ride.’ Thank you all so much for being here honoring him. I can’t tell you what it means to us all.” Jesse’s coach had his own ideas on how friends, family and a community could cope with such a tragic loss. “We’ll hug and we’ll shed a lot of tears, share a lot of stories and just be there for each other,” Sain explained. “That’s all we can do, and that’s what we will do.” There is currently a Jesse Esphorst Memorial Fund that is gaining more and more support every day on GoFundMe.com. The fund has currently raised in excess of $3,500 with the intent of initiating a project at South High and naming it in Jesse’s honor. As the baseball season progresses, the South High Spartans play on in Jesse’s memory as well. The Spartans shut out the Bishop Montgomery Knights by a final score of 14-0 in their next game following the passing of Jesse, and went on to shut out Temple City 7-0 the game after that. South is currently undefeated in league play and sits in first place in the Pioneer League standings. The Spartans will take on their rivals, the Torrance Tartars, as divisional play continues in a truly special season for players, coaches and fans of the team everywhere. The memory of Jesse Esphorst, Jr., a young man with a humble soul and a kind heart, will never be forgotten. Sometimes, fans have a way of forgetting about the person behind the uniform who plays the game in between the lines. Jesse was a prime example of an individual who was certainly good at sports, but was even better at making those around him proud and cheerful. “It doesn’t feel the same without you, but I know you are going to see us through this and you will forever be our angel,” Jesse’s sister Katelynn explained. “I guess God needed a shortstop up there. There was no better one than you.” – Asixlion@earthlink.net • See School Board, page 4 City Council from front page DEADLINES OBITUARIES: Monday at noon. CALENDAR ITEMS: Monday at noon. PEOPLE ITEMS: Monday at noon. CLASSIFIEDS: Tuesday at noon. LEGAL NOTICES: Wednesday at 11:00 am. REAL ESTATE ADS: Monday at noon. AD CANCELLATIONS: Prior Thursday. LATE CANCELLATIONS WILL BE CHARGED 50% OF AD Aerospace Contractor Answers a Rare Request from Washington By Rob McCarthy The nation’s new Commerce secretary has asked manufacturers which federal regulations hold them back the most, signaling the White House intends to keep its promise to make it easier for companies to do business on U.S. soil. The chance to talk directly to a member of the White House Cabinet doesn’t come around often. Gino DiCaro, a spokesman with the California Manufacturing and Technology Association, said in the past his industry’s calls for relief fell on deaf ears in Washington, D.C. But that’s changing with the new administration. “More than ever, growing our economy through manufacturing is at the forefront of public opinion and policy discussions at every government level,” DiCaro said. “Everybody wants good wages, jobs and innovation.” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in March invited manufacturers and industry groups to tell him which federal regulations hinder their businesses and expansion plans. An executive memo signed January 24 by President Trump tasked Ross to investigate the impact of federal regulations on the manufacturing industry. The president has said he wants to keep factory jobs here in the States. It’s unusual for a president to single out one industry with an offer of help. It’s rarer that the manufacturers themselves got the chance to tell the Commerce Secretary which federal rules to reduce or eliminate altogether. There were 175 comments and suggestions left for Ross and his staff on a federal website, including one by Northrup Grumman. The aerospace and defense contractor operates in three South Bay cities and in all 50 states. Robert Foster, a Washington, D.C.-based manager for Northrup Grumman, recommended that the environmental permit process be simplified. He offered ways the administration could help Northrup Grumman to better suit the company’s needs. Simplify the process for obtaining a federal permit to comply with clean air, clean water and wastewater rules. Require the same data, but share it among the agencies reviewing the application. Also, cut down on the nine- to 12-month wait to get a permit approved, Foster suggested. Northrup Grumman must submit duplicate information to the California and federal See Aerospace, page 6 School Board Approves MOU Between TUSD, Kanda University By Cristian Vasquez The Torrance School Board on Monday night approved a request for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Torrance Unified School District (TUSD) and Kanda University of International Studies. Through the newly approved MOU, the District can allow KUIS Pre-Service Teacher Training Program for Teaching English to Children to sit in and observe selected TUSD elementary school classrooms. “Every year we have many different college aide students coming from Japan and they are volunteering in our classrooms for three to four weeks thorough the lighthouse program,” Senior Director, Elementary Schools Dr. E Don Kim said. “Specifically, this is one of the universities that sends the students, Kanda University in Tokyo, Japan.” The staff report presented to the School Board describes KUIS as being “very interested in our American educational system and therefore” seeking to gain “greater insight on how to properly teach English to second language learners.” The interns volunteering at TUSD will be sent from KUIS through Lighthouse Career Encourage (LCE). Lighthouse Career Encourage (LCE) has been part of the district for at least 16 years and has allowed KUIS, along with several other universities in Japan, to send students to TUSD as interns. Since 2000, LCE has provided customized educational programs to those who study in Japan with the cooperation of local educational institutions within the greater Los Angeles area. LCE’s considers that the racial, language and cultural diversity within Los Angeles are a benefit to its students. Living in the area will provide students the opportunity to not just learn new things and meet new people, but also allow them to examine their own biases while discovering “new horizons, and develop a stronger sense of themselves.” KUIS interns are required to be insured throughout their volunteer assignment. They must be tuberculosis-free; sign a volunteer form (guest registry); and wear volunteer badges while on their assigned campus. TUSD is not under any contractual obligations with KUIS interns, other than introducing elementary schools. Furthermore, KUIS interns will not hold TUSD responsible “for any loss, liability, claims, damage, or costs that may be incurred due to intern participation.” KUIS, a private university founded in Japan back in 1987, is an extension of Kanda Institute of Foreign Languages in Tokyo. The university is divided into six departments: English, being the largest, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, International Communication, and Languages and Culture. The English Department consists mainly of the English Language Institute (ELI), with more than 60 native English-speaking, non-faculty foreign lecturers. In addition, KUIS works as a research university that specializes in learner autonomy (developing student’s ability to set appropriate learning goals, take charge of their own learning). “One of their professors from Japan also comes with them [interns],” said Dr. Kim. “They get to learn how an elementary school classroom operates in the United States. All of these college students want to be teachers in Japan.” The interns will spend three to four weeks under the direction of an individual teacher. As interns, their only duties are to observe and assist within their assigned classrooms. Given that KUIS provides accredited university courses, and since this is not a study abroad trip, the university is responsible for and will monitor interns before, during and after the program. The collaboration serves both the intern and the classroom teacher, who will benefit from the additional assistance. One vendor expressed concern over parking and how more than half of the farmers market customers are older than 50. The vendor went on to suggest that on Saturday a volunteer should be made available to escort traffic, during peak market hours, in order to ease the increased traffic presence caused by park patrons. She shared that the increased number of cars attending sporting activities at Wilson Park is forcing customers to the farmers market to park farther away, if not on the streets, making it difficult for that older population to get to and from their vehicles. Staff has been working on this item for several months and reached out to vendors on April 4, April 11 and April 15. The vendor zoning plan was also shared through boards at the farmers market vending area and at the Dee Hardison Sports Center for vendors to look at and provide an opportunity to attend Tuesday night’s meeting. For Mayor Patrick J. Furey, this rezoning is just one of many steps taken to improve the farmers market experience and he indicated that he looks forward to future efforts to continue enhancing the event. “Change is very difficult,” Mayor Furey said. “Certain people want to be at certain locations and sometimes that location won’t be there anymore, but I know that staff and you [Jones] will be working with them to make them as comfortable as possible. Furey added, “This is what we are going to be approving tonight, but it’s not concrete out there. This is a good plan to start with and it’s not always going to be this way. We will always be making improvements. We can improve what we have now by doing this and we can improve later by making changes.”•
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