Four New Honorees for City's Wall of Fame

Four long-stand civic contributors — Rich Bartke, Rose Lernberg, Al Miller and the late Roy Mespelt — were inducted Monday night into  El Cerrito’s Wall of Fame at a City Council meeting packed with families, friends and supporters.

Only Bartke and Miller were present, with Lernberg, 85, absent due to health problems. “I’m hoping she’s at home watching this on television,” Councilwoman Janet Abelson said.

Framed portraits and proclamations detailing each inductee's contributions stood on a counter at the side of the room, ready to hang in the foyer outside the council chambers, while Mayor Ann Cheng presented each recipient or representative with a personal copy.

The Wall of Fame honors community leaders and volunteers who were active at least ten years. All four inductees had been deeply involved with city affairs for decades; each list of achievements took up to a minute for council members to read out loud.

Bartke, who founded the El Cerrito Historical Society in 1974 and serves as its president today, was recognized for persuading Bay Area Rapid Transit to donate the right of way for the Ohlone Greenway, and all but single-handedly caused the transfer of the East Ridge neighborhoods from Richmond to El Cerrito.

His proclamation also acknowledged his two terms on the city council, twice serving as mayor, and named seven of many organizations and committees he joined or served on over the years.

Bartke entertained the audience by comparing his reaction to the news to his clothes washer: Soak cycle, humbleness; agitation cycle, “reflecting with pride, changes I was part of”; rinse cycle, “a little regret — I don’t think I look as good as that picture"” and spin cycle, thankfulness.

Lernberg’s proclamation and myriad plaudits stressed her passion and work at the local, county and state level for animal rights. It won her Contra Costa Humane Society’s Volunteer of the Year award in 1998 and the State Humane Association of California’s Humanitarian Award in 1999. She represented El Cerrito on a county Animal Service Task Force.

Miller, who nominated her, revealed that when animal columnist Gary Bogue “had questions on animal rights, Rose was his source. She put El Cerrito on the map in animal rights,” he said.

Abelson recalled being amazed, while lobbying in Sacramento, when the staff in Assemblyman Dion Aroner’s office pointed out a desk and “told me that desk was Rose's desk” because she lobbied at the Capitol so constantly.

“The level of her dedication is utterly amazing,” Abelson said. “I remember seeing her at meeting after meeting on subject after subject.”

Those other subjects included lobbying for single-payer health care and Democratic party work. Still active in the El Cerrito Democratic Club, she received the California Democratic Council's State-wide Volunteer Award in 2000.

Mespelt, who died in 2008, served two terms on the El Cerrito City Council 1964-72, acting as Mayor 1967-68 and 1971-72. His proclamation noted involvement in numerous organizations including the Masonic Lodge, Christ Lutheran Church, where he was a Sunday school teacher, Junior Chamber of Commerce, El Cerrito Lions Club, Mt. Diablo Boy Scouts and all levels of El Cerrito schools. He received myriad awards for his service.

Boy Scout leader George Fosselius noted that “Roy was so generous. The Scouts benefited through the Lions Clubs as sponsoring clubs.” He summarized his memories of the community leader in two words: “Pancake breakfasts!”

Miller, a regular at city council meetings and frequent commenter , took a seat on the Stege Sanitary District Board of Directors in 1985 and a year later started serving on a string of city committees and commissions, from the Park & Recreation Commission in 1986 to the Citizen Street Oversight Committee in 2008.

Still a Stege director, he has devoted years to a vast range of issues from Alzheimer’s support to schools, Cerrito Theater renovation, and the NAACP — all of which earned him the Recognition in Special District Governance Award from the California Special District Leadership Foundation.

Miller credited his mother, Helen, whom he described as “an organizer before her time, or a rabble rouser,” for his passion for public service.

“She made off-hand comments when I was 11 or 12,” he recalled. “‘If you want to be heard, be part of the solution, not the problem,’ and ‘None of us can do everything, but each of us can do something.’”

“When I looked at those people on the Wall of Fame, I told myself, ‘You can't do all they did, but you can do something.’”

Following the ceremonies, visitors attending the ceremony gathered for refreshments in an upstairs conference room.