SAAAB, Côté, Courreges, Archives and Brea

Today's photo shows WWII Army Air Corps veterans who trained at Santa Ana Army Air Base (SAAAB) holding a reunion in the Orange Coast College cafeteria in 1988. They'll be holding their 35th annual reunion at the (much smaller) Captain's Table -- also at OCC -- this Saturday, 11:30am to 1:30pm. $25. The address is 2701 Fairview Rd. in Costa Mesa. For information or reservations, call (714) 432-5707. Sadly, our WWII vets aren't as young or plentiful as they once were, but "nothing can stop the Army Air Corps!"

Those involved in local history or the history of arms are likely to know former Orange County Historical Commissioner Ed Côté of Santa Ana. And if you know Ed you're also likely to know at least some of his family. After a long and valiantly fought battle with cancer, Ed and Patty's daughter, Christine Renée Côté, 29, passed away on April 16th. I will leave the details to the obituary in the Register. A funeral mass will be celebrated Sat., April 30 at 10 am at St. Callistus Catholic Church in Garden Grove. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Callistus Youth Choir with a memo to the Christine Côté Memorial Fund.

Longtime residents of Fountain Valley mourn the loss of native Hazel Lee Courreges, 85, on April 3rd. Wife of the late Joseph John Courreges, Hazel was the matriarch of one of the area's best-known pioneer families. Again, I leave details to her obituary. I didn't meet her, but my friend Dann Gibb has often spoken of her tremendous help in his ongoing efforts to document the history of Talbert/Fountain Valley.

The Orange County Archives will hold an Open House this Saturday, April 30, from 10am to 4pm. This is a good opportunity to come do research or take a tour if you normally can't visit during the week. Hope to see you there!

The Railroad Days event once planned for this weekend by the Southern California Railway Plaza Association has been postponed until 2012, "due to the lingering effect of a weak economy and insufficient financial sponsorships for this year."