Since 2014, the Twentynine Palms Historical Society has bestowed the title of “Old Timer of the Year” to honor early or long-time residents who have enriched the community, and the 2021 honoree has been announced and will be celebrated this weekend. Reporter Heather Clisby has the details …
To recognize “everyday heroes” amongst the city’s long-time residents, the Twentynine Palms Historical Society selects an “Old Timer of the Year,” and this year’s honoree is 81-year-old Thurman Carson.
Carson was just six when his mother died in a Pasadena car crash so he and his younger brother, Johnny, were adopted by Vi and Paul Carson, who lived in Twentynine Palms. Carson’s 1954 class was the last to graduate from the Old Schoolhouse, which is now a popular museum. He went on to graduate from Twentynine Palms High School, Class of ’58.
Carson worked hard in the family business, Carson Roofing, as well as in the Amboy salt mines. Later, Carson worked at the Iron Age Mine in the Dale Mining District east of town. For nearly two years, he acted as the Kaiser Steel Corp. union representative and the bodyguard for the president of operation engineers. Carson returned to the family business, ultimately retiring in 2018 and handing it over to his youngest son, Devon Carson.
Carson served on the Twentynine Palms Chamber of Commerce board for four years, including two as president. He helped orchestrate eight rodeos for Pioneer Days, and three rodeos for Grubstake Days in Yucca Valley.
Carson was an active member of the Needles Rod and Gun Club in Lake Havasu, Arizona, and the club’s president for six years. In fact, the club was founded in the early 1940s by veterans, including his parents, Paul and Vi Carson, who are remembered as kind, generous people.
In 1952, the couple also took in Randy and Clem Rogers, the adopted sons of actor, writer and Congressman Will Rogers Jr., who asked the couple if they would take the boys in for one semester. The Rogers boys extended their stay, ultimately graduating from Twentynine Palms High School, just as their new brothers had. Carson enjoyed telling of family adventures that included visiting movie sets with Will Rogers Jr.
Carson will be recognized during the society’s Old Timers Gathering on Saturday, October 16, from 1:00 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Old Schoolhouse Museum, 6760 National Park Drive.
