With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Visitation planned for Jaime Escalante at Garfield High
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)
(
AP Photo
)
A closed-casket visitation will be held tomorrow at Garfield High School for Jaime Escalante, the former East Los Angeles calculus teacher who inspired the film "Stand and Deliver.''
Escalante died March 30 of cancer at age 79.
The six-hour visitation at the school will be held from 2 to 8 p.m. in Escalante's former classroom, MH1.
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.
Support for LAist comes from
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's success was immortalized in the film "Stand and Deliver,'' with actor Edward James Olmos portraying the teacher.
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.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Tornadoes could have hit San Louis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties last night, though we're awaiting confirmation. -
Jet Propulsion Laboratory leadership announces that 11% of the workforce is being cut. -
The rock legend joins LAist for a lookback on his career — and the next chapter of his music. -
Yes, it's controversial, but let me explain. -
What do stairs have to do with California’s housing crisis? More than you might think, says this Culver City councilmember. -
Doctors say administrator directives allow immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and compromise medical care.
Best of LAist