Ronald Caspers

Ronald W. Capers was a county supervisor in Orange County, California from 1972-1974. He was instrumental in the purchase of 5,500 acres of land in Bell Canyon, adjacent to the Cleveland National Forest. After his death the park was renamed the Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park.[1]

Death

On June 13, 1974 the 63-foot "Shooting Star", a converted air-sea rescue boat, sunk about 250 miles south of San Diego. Despite an extensive search, there were no survivors.[2] Also on board were Fred Harber, the boat's owner and former Buena Park mayor, Thomas Klein, executive assistant to Orange County Board Chairman Ralph Clark, Caspers' two sons Kirk and Eric, Klein's brothers Tim and John, Leonard Bashor, a contractor from Anaheim, Bashor's son-in-law Richard Tully and his nephew Robert Bashor.[3]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ http://ocparks.com/parks/ronald/history OC Parks history, retrieved 3-27-2015
  2. ↑ Orange County Magazine, "Mysteries", October, 1983 http://books.google.com/books?id=ChAEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA32&dq=shooting+star&pg=PA32#v=onepage&q=shooting%20star&f=false
  3. ↑ Redlands Daily Facts, "Searchers still seek lost ship", June 15, 1974