Robert Earl Saunders |
| Posted 2009-07-17 by Judy Wight Branson |
| The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, California Wednesday, March 4, 1998 R.E. Saunders, Coachella activist, 64 Prescott Valley, Arizona Robert Earl Saunders, a longtime civic activist in the Coachella Valley and Anza and a former candidate for Riverside County supervisor, died Thursday in Prescott, Ariz. He was 64. Mr. Saunders died at the Fort Whipple Veterans Administration Hospital. The cause of death was pending a doctor's report. A native of Wheeling, W. Va., Mr. Saunders grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and had lived in Prescott Valley since 1994. He spent most of his life in Riverside County. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1951 through 1956. He studied civil engineering at the University of Southern California and worked as a civil engineer in the Palm Springs area for more than 20 years. Mr. Saunders was active in civic affairs in Cathedral City and was president of its chamber of commerce in 1968 and 1969. He was a leader in drives to establish a park and recreation district in the Cathedral City and Rancho Mirage areas. Citing air pollution concerns, Mr. Saunders, as chamber president, led opposition to a proposed oil refinery in Beaumont. In 1970, Mr. Saunders ran for county supervisor in the 4th District, which covers eastern Riverside County desert areas. He vowed to fight for clean air and advocated having the county Planning Commission meet in Indio when considering matters affecting the desert, which it now does routinely. He finished third out of five primary election candidates in a race won by former Supervisor Al McCandless. In 1976, Mr. Saunders and his family moved to Anza, where he was a consulting engineer, volunteer firefighter, ambulance driver and emergency medical technician. He received the Citizen of the Year honor by the Anza Valley Outlook newspaper in 1992. He was elected to the Anza Valley Municipal Advisory Council and later served as its chairman. He resigned from the council in 1992 with four others after some members complained about a letter Mr. Saunders had written that criticized representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to attend a meeting in Anza on endangered species regulations. "Bob did a lot of things for the community to try and make it a better place to live," said Carl Long, editor of the Anza Valley Outlook. "He was a good friend." "Bob was very active in support of things he believed in," said Kay Ceniceros, dean of institutional advancement at Mt. San Jacinto College and a former four-term county supervisor. She said he was outspoken and not afraid to criticize elected officials, including herself. "He was a very independent thinker." Mr. Saunders is survived by his wife, Marilynn of Prescott Valley; one son, Michael, of San Marcos; one daughter, Patricia Barrett of Anza; and five grandchildren. Cremation arrangements are being handled by the Arizona Ruffner Wakelin Funeral Home in Prescott. |
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