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Solemn Escalante visitation draws current, former Garfield High students
Jaime Escalante is seen here teaching math at Garfield High School, in California, March 16, 1988. Escalante is the teacher on which the character in the movie "Stand and Deliver" is based. (AP Photo)
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Current and past Garfield High School passed solemnly by the flower-covered casket of Jaime Escalante today, honoring the former math teacher who inspired his students to succeed and was the basis for the film "Stand and Deliver.''
Escalante died March 30 of cancer at age 79.
The six-hour visitation at the school was held in Escalante's former Garfield classroom, MH1.
One of Escalante's former students, Elsa Bolado, told ABC7 at the visitation "how important it was for me to see him before he left, to tell him once again thank you ... for everything you did for me, thank you for everything you did for all of us, and he will be in my heart forever.''
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A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Weingart Stadium on the campus of East Los Angeles College. A funeral procession will leave Garfield High School bound for the stadium at 9 a.m.
Born in La Paz, Bolivia, Escalante was credited with turning the East Los Angeles high school into a breeding ground for successful math and science students. Escalante taught at Garfield for 17 years, leading his low-income, inner-city students to success on advanced-placement calculus tests, achieving
a passing rate that led some authorities to accuse the students of cheating.
Escalante was immortalized in the film "Stand and Deliver,'' with actor Edward James Olmos portraying the teacher.
"I think the one thing that people will remember about him and people should remember about it is that he had a tremendous love to give to others and to help others understand their lives,'' Olmos told Channel 7.
Escalante had been in Reno, Nev., receiving treatment for bladder cancer. The day before he died, Olmos drove Escalante from Reno to Roseville, Calif., where Escalante died with his family at his side.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Jaime Escalante Legacy Project. Donation boxes will be available at Garfield High School and East Los Angeles College. Donations can also be made online at www.edwardjamesolmos.com or www.fasenet.org/escalante.html. Donations can also
be mailed to 236 W. Mountain Ave. #105, Pasadena, CA, 91103.
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