It was indeed a privilege to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the great community luminaries as we honored a church who’s first pastor was Colonel Allen Allensworth, the first African American to reach the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army. I have visited the State Historic Park named after Pastor Allensworth in the Central Valley, and it is an honor befitting a person of this magnitude. Congratulations to the current pastor, Chris Bourne. You have big shoes to fill and you are beloved by everyone. Again, congratulations to a church that I love to visit because they truly embody the Christian ethic.

Margaret Finlay for Duarte City Council