Edgar C. Pierce

On Monday. Jan. 9, 2012, Edgar C. Pierce, of Cambria, passed away after a short hospitalization. He was born in January 1923 in Billings, Okla. As a boy, he moved to California with his parents, Edgar C. and Edith M. Pierce, and attended public schools in Upland, Calif. Ed graduated from Chaffey High School and attended Occidental College (Class of ''44). While there, Ed was a member of Phi Gamma Delta and the track team. As both an undergraduate and graduate student he was very active in music and drama. Ed was a member of the Glee Clubs and Occidental Players, and in 1946, he received the Marion Schumacher Award as the Outstanding Member. He also attended the University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies in the early-1940s. Ed enjoyed a successful 40-year career in live television production, broadcast advertising and public relations, and was a charter member of the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters. His positions included Vice President of Wade Advertising in Hollywood, Director of Public Relations for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association and Director of News & Publications for Cal Poly University at Pomona. Ed and his family lived in Altadena, Calif., in the 1950s through mid-1970s, and enjoyed annual family summer vacations on Balboa Island. He was a co-soloist as a bass for the Kirk Choir of the Pasadena Presbyterian Church, where he also held the position of General Manager for radio station KPPC. Ed joined the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association as a volunteer in 1961, served as a Committee Chair for several years and was made an Honorary Life Member in 2003. He was an active member of the Altadena Town & Country Club, and served as the meet announcer of the Sunkist League swimming and diving championships for almost 40 years. While working at Cal Poly Pomona, Ed met his wife, Peg. He retired from Cal Poly Pomona in 1989, and he and Peg moved from Monrovia to Cambria in 1990, where they became members of the Community Presbyterian Church and choir. Ed is survived by his sister, Mary Ellen Jackson of Orange, Calif.; children Susan DeVaughn of Redlands, Calif., Gwendolyn Welles (Corey) of Carpinteria, Calif., Laurie Pierce of West Los Angeles, Calif., Lisa Pierce of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., David Pierce (Jane) of Altadena, Calif., and Debbie Pierce of Marshfield, Mass. He is also survived by his stepson, Michael Whittington (Casey) of Paso Robles; two nieces; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Peg, in September 2010; and previous spouses Olive Mae in 1982 and Delores in 1983. A memorial service to honor and celebrate Ed''s life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, at the Community Presbyterian Church, 2250 Yorkshire in Cambria. A reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall.