Ellen Perrault
“It was during the summertime in the mid-sixties when I was working at Southern California Edison as a Customer Serviceman and was driving down 2300 W. Victoria or 6th Street on my way to turn on a customer’s lights when I passed a house and noticed this man standing in the front yard washing his car,” wrote Black Voice News Publisher Emeritus, Hardy Brown Sr., sharing his memories of Walter Jarman who passed recently. His life was celebrated at the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church on Saturday, August 31.
“I said to myself, he looks like ‘Big Boy’ from Trenton. So, I turned around and went back to his house and asked him, “Are you Walter Jarman from Trenton, [North Carolina]?” And his response was ‘Yes.’” We started laughing with excitement and started talking about growing up in Trenton. After the surprise finding each other, we exchanged our contact information, and our families began a relationship like our families had in Trenton. So, you know by now, Big Boy is the nickname for Walter Jarman.”
Brown continued, “The Jarman’s had a tobacco farm on Highway 41, just outside the town limit and when I was still in elementary school, I helped them on their farm putting in tobacco for two summers.
Walter was several years older than me, but the entire Walter Jarman Sr. and Floyd Brown Sr. families were well connected in the NAACP, Masons, church and other community issues. As a matter of fact, I talked with his dad, Mr. Jarman, in 1976 while home on a family vacation and I have a picture of Cheryl and Mr. Jarman in front of my dad’s house. Mr. Jarman came by my dad’s house to talk about some issues the local NAACP was involved with because Mr. Jarman was the president at that time.”
Walter Jarman Jr. was born November 9, 1937, in Jones County in a small town near Trenton, North Carolina to Walter Jarman and Hagar Dillahunt Jarman. He would later resettle in Southern California where he earned a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from California State University, San Bernardino.
He was a military veteran who served in the United States Air Force and upon his retirement from active duty, he served in the State of California Highway Patrol (CHP) for thirteen years before transferring to become an Alcohol Beverage Control licensing agent.
Throughout his life, Walter maintained a strong and extensive commitment to both civic and community activism, including organizations like the NAACP San Bernardino where he served as Branch President for several years. He was also Executive Director of San Bernardino NorthWest PAC, treasurer of N.O.B.L.E , (National Organization of Black Law Enforcement), the 6th Ward City of San Bernardino Police Commissioner, a New Hope Missionary Baptist Church Trustee, Chairman of the Multimedia//Cyber Security Committee, and San Bernardino Valley College Gospel radio host. In his spare time, Walter enjoyed playing his guitar and singing with a quartet, the Loving Five. Walter was a member of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church for more than 30 years.