Southern Sierran
Passages

James Lesperance, 1931-2006

James C. Lesperance, former longtime leader in the Angeles Chapter Basic Mountaineering Course, died Jan. 20 following an extended battle with cancer.

Born in Chicago, Ill., Lesperance graduated from the University of Illinois and CSU Los Angeles. Lesperance was a long-time resident of Arcadia and Mammoth Lakes, Calif. and was very active in the Boy Scouts of America. He was also a Group Leader for the Sierra Club’s Basic Mountaineering Training Program in the San Gabriel Valley for nearly 20 years.

Lesperance was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1979. His zest for life allowed him to continue living in the mountains he loved for many years after his cancer diagnosis.

Gary Embrey, 1955-2006

Sierra Club member and leader Gary Embrey died Feb. 6, following a climbing accident on Mt. Baden-Powell. He was 50 years old.

An interest in rock climbing led Embrey to join the Sierra Club in 1985 and to take the Basic Mountaineering Training Course. Becoming an instructor for the course allowed him to combine his love of the outdoors with his love of teaching. He served BMTC from 1985 to 1989 and the Wilderness Travel Course from 1999 to 2004.

Embrey’s love of nature and fighting spirit also led him to join the Chapter Executive Committee from 2002 to 2004. He hoped to improve the diversity of Club membership by recruiting youth of color through participation in the outings programs, and from there to participate in grassroots conservation work in the community. Embrey was instrumental in helping to revise and improve the management of the outings program, serving as the first Chair of the Outings Management Committee. He also worked with the Endangered Species/Wildlife Committee, and most recently was outings chair for the Central Group.

The son of political activists, Embrey worked toward a just world where there would be no place for racism, sexism, or economic exploitation. As a young man he could be found at many a protest, working with the United Farm Workers in Los Angeles and serving as an elected union representative. A caring elementary school teacher with an offbeat sense of humor, Embrey was also a popular bilingual substitute for L.A. Unified School District.

-Adrienne Benedict

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