Antique school bell reinstalled

More than two months after a 150-year-old school bell was stolen from one of the oldest existing school districts in Tulare County, the bell has been returned to its home — Rockford Elementary School.

The disappearance of the bell, believed to be the same bell that hung in the belfry of the original school established in 1862, devastated the entire Rockford community when it was stolen on Nov. 25, said school superintendent Andy Schultz.

“A piece of Rockford lore, a piece of history, a piece of each and every one of us associated with this District had been ripped away,” said Schultz.

Board chairman and Rockford graduate Ed Flory said he can still remember ringing the bell when he was a student at the small rural school located amidst the vast farmland on Road 208, west of Porterville.

“You can’t put a dollar figure high enough on its worth” Flory said.

Superintendent Schultz also noted that Louis Flory, J. Claude Nelson, and Lovell “Fat” Wilson, who were students of the school in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, had restored the bell for a dedication ceremony in 1956.

“I know they’re cheering too!”, Schultz said.

Tulare County Sheriff’s Department detectives were notified Nov. 25 after the bell disappeared on Thanksgiving Day. The case was investigated by Deputy Justin Thigpin.

The bell, estimated to be valued at $50,000, was located and returned by the sheriff’s department.

Deputies reviewed surveillance video of the theft and recognized the suspect car. The two-day investigation led deputies to eventually locating the stolen bell and arresting 32-year-old Mark Walker Jr. Walker was charged with alleged possession of stolen property, grand theft and committing a crime while on parole, and booked into the county jail.

Two weeks ago, under the direction of the district’s facilities manager Steve Salter and his custodial staff, the bell was reinstalled, drawing rousing spontaneous cheers from the 350 plus students who came out to watch as the bell was set back into place.

Following its placement, former Rockford parent Mike Flynn donated his time and equipment to secure the bell.

On Friday, the Honorable Judge Valeriano Saucedo sentenced Walker Jr., now 33, to three years in state prison for one count of grand theft.