MAR 20 Clayton Pioneer 2009.pdf

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www.claytonpioneer.com

March 20, 2009

925.672.0500

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IT’S YOUR PAPER

Community mourns Ray Casso Clayton man remembered as a loving father and grandfather with a giving spirit

JULIE PIERCE

ANDRÉ GENSBURGER & TAMARA STEINER

MAYOR’S CORNER

Senseless crime hard to fathom Two weeks ago, the family of Raymond Casso and the Clayton community lost a member. While some of us did not know Ray personally, we all feel his loss. Ray’s contagious smile leaps from the photograph and those of us who didn’t get to know him wish we had. The circumstances of his tragic death only make the senseless loss harder to fathom. While I write this column, it is not yet a week since Ray was taken from us. I know many of you will have joined in the candlelight vigil and celebration of Ray’s life that was held in The Grove Park last Saturday evening. It was a wonderful time of coming together for our Clayton family. In the wake of such sadness, it’s comforting for us to share such a strong community bond. Our hearts and prayers are with Ray’s family. The Casso family has asked me to convey their heartfelt “thank you” and indebtedness for the outpouring of love they have received from the Clayton community. I also wish to commend all of the on- and off-duty police and post office personnel who responded to the emergency and quickly apprehended the suspect. Their quick action kept the tragedy from becoming worse and we truly appreciate them. There are many public safety

See Mayor, page 6

Clayton Pioneer

The Clayton community was rocked the morning of March 8 to learn that one of its own, Ray Casso, 73, had been stabbed to death in a random, unexplained attack while picking up his mail at the Clayton Post Office. Shannon Bradley Moore, 37, from Concord was apprehended minutes after the assault and has been charged with murder. Ray, a member of the Concord/Clayton Sunrise Rotary, left behind a wife of 47 years, JoAnn, a daughter Robin and two sons, Ray Jr. and Ricky, four grandchildren, Shelby, Nick, Samantha and Carlton, and three brothers and two sisters. ALWAYS PITCHING IN Ray was well-liked, always congenial and happy to be involved in the community where he had lived since 1990. “Four or five times a year, you could just as easily find him picking up trash along Clayton

Photo by Pete Barra

THE CLAYTON COMMUNITY GATHERED AS ONE LAST SATURDAY to mourn the death and honor the life of Ray Casso, who was murdered in a random attack at the Clayton Post Office on March 8. Road for Adopt a Block,” said friend John Morgan, a Rotarian at Ray’s club. “One of his favorite club projects was with Every 15 Minutes, the drunkdriving consequence program

Photo courtesy of the Casso family

RAY AND JOANN CASSO were married for 47 years. Friends and family remember his quick smile and generous spirit.

put on for our local high schools.” Every Christmas, he volunteered his time to the Salvation Army as a Bell Ringer – braving the cold and sometimes unfriendly people to help out those less fortunate. Richard Lueck, a friend from Rotary, remembers Ray’s abiding sense of humor. Inside jokes and wry quips kept his friends and family laughing. “There was always the big smile,” Leuck said. “It’s a smile that will never be forgotten. “Ray’s death is a devastating loss to his family and a great loss to our club and the community,” said Chuck Graham, friend and fellow Rotarian. “It is impossible to understand how something like this can happen in Clayton.” “If you were ever at one of the Rotary Fourth of July

Pancake Breakfasts in downtown Clayton, you would have definitely noticed Ray buzzing around flipping pancakes or serving coffee,” Morgan said. “This really is a horror story. This is so profoundly difficult for everyone.” COMMUNITY OUTPOURING Concerns for the family led Morgan to set up a Web memorial page with photographs and information about Ray, as well as a trust fund in the hope that the community would reach out to this family. Guestbook comments clearly show the love and grief felt by many within the community, including a touching message from Shelby who described her grandfather as “the core of our family.” Friends have gathered protectively around Ray’s family. One group of friends – includ-

ing Anne Holt, Christine Carroll, Linda Moon and Sue Lambert, along with their husbands – organized the candlelight vigil at The Grove last Saturday evening where over 200 mourners gathered under cold and cloudy skies as Fr. Richard Mangini from St. Bonaventure’s Catholic Church called the community together “in a spirit of profound solidarity.” “The unthinkable has happened,” he said, and prayed for “calm vigilance” for the community and for “hope and a new tomorrow.” The vigil was a way for the community to express its grief, explained Ann Holt. “Things like this just don’t happen in this beautiful little town,” she added. “Everybody is involved. It affects everybody.”

See Casso, page 6

Volunteer combats hunger pound for pound with fruit On any given day, Clayton resident Anna Chan, usually with daughter Ava in tow, can be found knocking on neighborhood doors of homes with fruit trees – asking if she can take the excess. Once they hear her reasons, most homeowners eagerly agree. “I even met a lady on Iowa Drive who already knew who I was,” Chan said, reluctant to allow notoriety to interfere with her mission. Chan feeds the hungry through her deliveries to the Salvation Army in Concord, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano and the Monument Crisis Center. She has exceeded 1,200 pounds of fruit. “I have a trunk full of oranges and a few lemons,” she said. “Probably close

to 200 pounds I will be dropping off at the Salvation Army.” “We’re helping more than 300 families per month with groceries,” said Lauri Vint, social service director at the Salvation Army of Concord. “Fresh fruits and veggies are often things struggling families can’t afford to buy themselves and are difficult for us to get. The fruit Anna (and Ava) bring by flies out our door as fast as it comes in.” Ann Lou, a volunteer at the Monument Crisis Center, wrote a letter of appreciation to Chan. “It is people like you who open their hearts and care so much that make our world a better place.” Low to the ground makes easier pickings, although Chan prefers homeowners pick the fruit and leave it for her in bags which many gladly do rather than seeing the fruit spoiling on their

lawns. “A gentleman on Connecticut said he would pick oranges over the weekend,” Chan said excitedly. Of course, volunteers would be especially useful given the sheer quantity of fruit available throughout Clayton and Concord. It’s something Chan knows that she cannot do alone. “There are so many trees,” Chan said. “Especially the sweet Meyer lemon trees.” While she does not consider herself an activist, Chan is persistent – dropping off handmade fliers to houses asking for their fruit donations and trying to organize a garden club at the Salvation Army. And she doesn’t overlook her project from last year – offering assistance to

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Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . .5 Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Police Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Safety Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

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ANDRÉ GENSBURGER Clayton Pioneer

André Gensburger/Clayton Pioneer

DISTRESSED AT THE THOUGHT OF UNHARVESTED FRUIT rotting on the ground while so many are going hungry, Anna Chan picks oranges and lemons to deliver to local food banks and shelters.

What’s Inside Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 At the Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Church News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Community Calendar . . . . . . . . .16 Deal With It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

See Hunger, page 4


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