Community Corner

Rotary Art Project Honors 'Don Roberto in His Element'

The Lemon Grove Historical Society's winning design features local hero Roberto Alvarez Sr.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the landmark school desegregation case Alvarez v. the Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District, which ruled that Mexican-American students could not be barred from the classroom and sent to an “Americanization” school the district had hastily built. It's a case that has come to be known as the .

In honor of the late Roberto Alvarez Sr., who in 1931 was the 12-year-old lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, the Lemon Grove Historical Society chose “Don Roberto in His Element” as its theme for the “” utility box art project, sponsored by the and San Diego.

“We are delighted that our design was chosen for the power box painting project,”  says Helen Ofield, president of the historical society.

Find out what's happening in Lemon Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Alvarez is more than an historic figure in equal rights for students. He founded a successful produce distribution company that is today run by his daughters.

“As you may know, he was a pupil in the Lemon Grove Grammar School in the late 1920s and early 1930s,” Ofield says. “An exceptionally bright student, he grew up to found Coast Citrus, the huge, multinational produce import/export company that is based in San Diego.”

Find out what's happening in Lemon Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Ofield and another historical society member began painting the utility box, located on the west side of Broadway by the Rite Aid store, on Monday.

“Audrey Hamm, our ace chair of special events, is working with me on the portrait of Roberto Alvarez Sr.—flanked by all manner of fruits and vegetables, together the very symbol of living well in Lemon Grove,” she said.

To prepare for the winning designs to be painted on the utility boxes, Rotarians spent a long, hot morning scrubbing, sanding and painting more than 20 of the fixtures with a primer coat. That effort was part of , a worldwide day of hands-on service held by the organization each year on the last Saturday in April.

Would you like to paint a utility box as part of the project? Submissions will be taken through the end of May. The application can be downloaded from the Lemon Grove School District website, which also explains all the rules. Artists will be notified within three days of entering their submission.

 

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here