SHAFTER, Calif. (KERO) — Dozens of people gathered at Minter Field Air Museum to remember the legacy of Ronald Pierce, a man who spent much of his life making sure Shafter's history would never be forgotten.
A flyover honored a man who dedicated decades of his life to preserving aviation history. Pierce, the longtime chairman of Minter Field Air Museum, died Sept. 4 following a short illness. He was 89 years old.
A Shafter native, Pierce's connection to Minter Field began as a child, when his father worked at the airfield during World War II. That connection would eventually turn into a lifelong passion for preserving the airfield's history.
Since the early 2000s, Pierce helped bring that history to life, sharing stories with students, visitors and generations of Shafter residents.
Sunday's celebration was about more than his contributions to the museum. Friends, family and community members took turns speaking during an open mic, sharing their favorite memories and personal experiences with Pierce.
"He called me up in the morning saying the alarm went off at 3:30. He could make it from his house out here to the museum before the alarm would stop ringing, and the alarm only runs for 15 minutes," one attendee said.
"I'm not sure whether he did this to remind himself or try to remind the rest of us husbands, but he would always call us on our anniversary and say happy anniversary. So that hopefully we would not forget to tell our wife happy anniversary, but he kept us out of a lot of trouble," another attendee said.
"He was an amazing person. He was just so excited and would exude this excitement to everybody," one speaker said.
"He was a great guy, and I hope we can keep his momentum alive and keep all the things that meant so much to him alive," another speaker said.
While Pierce spent decades preserving the history of Minter Field, those who knew him are now making sure his own story lives on.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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