When more than 300 people show up for a celebration of life gathering for someone who has passed away, you kind of know there was something uniquely special about that person.
That’s what happened in the city of El Cajon this week.
The person who had died was not a politician or a celebrity entertainer or a sports star or a Hollywood actor or famous author.
This longtime resident of El Cajon who passed away in early August was none of those.
Her name was Rita Hall Cloud. She was 89 years old; she lived in El Cajon for several decades and raised a family.
But she was born and raised in Kansas City at a time when people like her faced all kinds of life challenges.
You see she was black.But she also was a trailblazer and in the 1950s, it wasn’t easy to be one.
She was the first black student at her high school. She was the first black sales clerk at a big department store.
She was described as a woman who stood in the gap for so many, no matter what their color. and made everyone who knew her better in some way.
And she is proof that you don’t have to be famous to make a tremendous impact on others.
(Photo c.e. albert)