A tribute to Rudy"Rudog"Jaramillo

My friend Rudy"Rudog"Jaramillo approached me several months ago in my office to discuss his concerns about the local gang violence. Prior to our meeting there was a shooting in the Lenwood area where Rudy lived his entire life. He was frustrated because he tried to get the attention of the Desert Dispatch to publish a story of his pursuit. Rudy wanted people to get involved to improve the quality of life for the gang members,"I want a 1,000 "Rudogs" to get involved and make a difference in their lives and the community'' explained Rudy. He definitely had a passion and a mission to reduce gang violence in the area. Well, he finally got every one's attention and my hope is that someone continues his efforts and maybe his dream of 1,000 "Rudogs" will be realized. My prayers to his family. Your Friend Joe

By AARON AUPPERLEE Staff Writer April 25, 2007 - 7:40AM BARSTOW - Family members believe Rudolph Michael Jaramillo came to Earth with a mission to help people. On Tuesday, that mission came to end for Jaramillo, known by many by the ironic nickname "Rude Dog." "He would help you before he would help himself," said his wife, Mary Alice Jaramillo. The well-known and loved lifelong Lenwood community member was killed on Tuesday mor ning when his Ford Contour rolled across Interstate 15 just south of Fort Irwin Road at approximately 6:15 a.m. Califor nia Highway Patrol Officer Greg Smoak said that for an unknown reason, Jaramillo's car drifted across the northbound lane of the I-15 and struck a hill on the right shoulder. The collision caused his car to become airborne, flip back across the freeway and come to rest in the center divider. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. It is believed Jaramillo was on his way to work at the Marine Corps Logistics Base, where he had worked for about 30 years, Mary Alice said. Jaramillo was a union steward there. Born with deformities to his feet and hands, Jaramillo eventually lost a leg and worked closely with other disabled workers at the base. His brother, James Jaramillo, said supervisors and commanders at the base "teared up" when they heard Jaramillo had died. When not at work at the MCLB, Jaramillo worked with youth in the Lenwood community. James said Jaramillo held meetings at his house with kids who were in gangs or in trouble and work with them to turn their lives around. "He took it upon himself to these boys jobs, get them out of gangs," James said. "The guys here loved him, and they're doing a lot better because of him." Mary Alice said an assault by gang members on their 20-yearold son, Marcus, two years ago prompted Jaramillo to take action in the community. He began working with a local church and giving at-risk youth gang alternatives such as jobs, she said. "He had a mission," she said. "It just became his passion; it became something he had to do." Sgt. Mark Franey of the Barstow Police Department remembered working with Jaramillo to try and start programs in the Lenwood and Barstow areas for kids. He said even though Jaramillo ran into some trouble getting started, he continued to try. "He was trying to turn some of these kids lives around," Franey said. "These were kids who are in trouble." Dario Hernandez, head of the Lenwood and Grandview neighborhood watch, said Jaramillo became involved in that group to help turn the area around. Jaramillo's sister, Diane, said the neighborhood watch allowed him to keep things under control. "He did everything he could to keep the peace in the neighborhood," she said. Jaramillo left behind his wife, Mary Alice, and three children, Marcus, 20, Christopher, 17, and Monica, 6. James said many of the people he touched in Lenwood will wear crosses Jaramillo gave them in his memory. Smoak said Jaramillo was wearing his seatbelt, and drugs and alcohol do not appear to be a factor in the crash. A report from the CHP stated that Jaramillo was traveling in excess of 80 miles per hour at the time of the collision. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.