By Glenn Barnett
What are the qualifications to be Mr. Alhambra? Consider this. Larry Stevens was born in Alhambra in July of 1924. He was enrolled in the first kindergarten class at Marguerita Elementary School and graduated from Alhambra High School in 1943, in the midst of a world at war.
Like most of the boys graduating from high school that year, Larry joined the military. He took photography classes at AHS and thought he might fly reconnaissance missions, so he joined the Army Air Corps. The Army had other ideas and trained him to be a gunner. While in training, he learned that his older brother Ernest had been killed while fighting with General Patton’s Army in Sicily. Several Alhambra men died in that war.
As a part of the 8th Air Force, Larry would be stationed in Great Britain as a tail gunner manning two .50 Caliber machine guns in the tail end of a B-17 bomber as a member of its 10-man crew. Arriving at their barracks in England his crew was shown around their new living quarters. Larry noticed that there were 40 wallets lying on a table. He asked what they were for. The grim answer was, “We lost four planes yesterday. You are their replacements.” The war suddenly became real.
While in England, Stevens would fly 35 combat missions over Nazi-occupied Europe. On June 6, 1944, he flew over Normandy on D-Day. Later, as a part of Operation Frantic, his plane flew non-stop to Soviet Ukraine, bombing enemy targets in eastern Europe along the way. From Ukraine he flew on to Italy, bombing the oil fields in Romania before flying back to England.
After serving, and surviving, his 35 missions, he was sent home, where he immediately volunteered for service in the Pacific. He trained as a tail gunner in a B-25 bomber. The war ended before he could be sent into combat again. In addition to the American issued Distinguished Flying Cross, he was awarded a Soviet Air Medal for his participation in Operation Frantic and the prestigious French Legion of Honor (Légion d’honneur) Medal for helping to liberate France.
After the war, Stevens returned to Alhambra and went to work in his father’s lath and plaster business. For several years he helped to build local churches, businesses, homes, and public buildings, including the offices of the True Light Presbyterian Church and San Gabriel High School. While continuing his construction work, he was hired by the Alhambra Fire Department and served the city as a firefighter for 31 years, retiring with the rank of Captain. He still attends Fire Department reunions and other functions.
Few among us can say that we have served our city and our country like Larry Stevens. Happy Birthday, Mr. Alhambra.
