Cal French

Cal French Cal French, our beloved father, brother, and friend has passed away at the age of 83. He died March 16 th 2020, after a difficult yearlong struggle with colon cancer. Ever a good, moral and upright man, he lived such a life. He relished the astonishing beauty of the earth and the enigmas of thought and intellect. His facade of reserve was quickly banished by an ironic sense of humor and unrestrained belly laughter. How we will miss that laugh! Cal's greatest devotion, outside of family, was to the earth itself. He faced the quixotic task of saving our remaining wild places with fortitude and bravery, the Sierra Club being the primary beneficiary of his guidance and leadership. He led conservation efforts for both the San Gorgonio Chapter and for Sierra Club California, and was a leader for National Outings, in the Sierra Nevada, Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and Lake Baikal, Russia. He served on the Executive Committee of Friends of the Carrizo Plains and donated property, where bald eagles were nesting, to the Ventana Wildlife Society. He was married for 57 years to his Stanford sweetheart Letty Maurer French, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2015. They built their lives together volunteering for environmental causes and backpacking, hiking and camping throughout California and the West. They particularly loved adventuring and exploring cross-country in the High Sierra. They had three daughters. The oldest, Kathy, died at age seven, a devastating, life-long sorrow. Daughters Frances Reneau and Margaret Graham were bedside with him when he died. Cal was the first of four sons born to Dr. Edison and Frances French of San Luis Obispo, CA. A quiet, studious, sensitive boy who loved animals, his early exposure to the outdoors was on hunting and fishing trips. The hunting didn't stick, but the call of the wild did. The four French brothers remained lifelong friends, all ending up back in the San Luis Obispo area. Cal taught English at Upland High School and served as department chairman for twenty-five years. He remained a stickler for proper usage, spelling, and grammar all his life. He would read newspapers and magazines with red pen in hand, and was wryly amused by finding poorly written road signs or poorly translated instruction manuals. 1970-1971 was spent at the University of Edinburgh, with wife and daughters in tow, in an effort to earn his PhD. He never got the doctorate he wanted, but was known to family as "the professor" anyway as his knowledge and intellect were so eminent. Cal and Letty retired to 30 acres outside Paso Robles, CA, in 1998, where Cal enjoyed planting an orchard, raising chickens, making new friends, and hosting family gatherings. His last big adventure was his "River to Sea" walk across California, from the Colorado River to Morro Bay, in 2011. In perusing maps of Southern California, he had noted that it would be possible to cross entirely (almost!) on public lands, so he did it. He had some hiking companions along the way, and Letty drove sag wagon, showing up with fresh supplies and hot food and drink at road junctions. He was rightly proud of his big trip. He is survived by his daughters, Frances Reneau and Margaret Graham, his grandchildren, Patrick Reneau, Sara Graham, Emma Graham and John Graham, his significant other, Gail Marshall, his brothers, Chuck French, Jim French and John French, his sisters-in-law, Carolyn French, Mary French and Ronnie French, as well as cousins, nieces, nephews and many dear, dear friends. Goodbye Daddy, Cal, Nivlac, Bubby French.