I was quite saddened to learn that Bob Ihsen passed away at his home this Christmas Day. He was 93. A beloved teacher of history at Covina High School for most of his career, Mr. Ihsen was also a founding member and long-time president of the Covina Valley Historical Society, and that's how he and I came to cross paths.
Mr. Ihsen in his native habitat. Photo by Marty Getz, used with permission.
Like Glenn Reed before him, Bob Ihsen was an invaluable source of knowledge about Covina history, and both men also enthusiastically encouraged my own research. Years ago, Mr. Ihsen gave me a stack of his own personal copies of the CVHS's newsletter—the Covina Citrus Peal—going all the way back to the turn of the century, and time and again these have proven to be useful references, indeed. For my efforts, Bob also awarded me a lifetime membership in the historical society, which was a great honor as you might imagine.
Unfortunately, because I live so far from Covina and am limited in my ability to travel, the only time I got to meet Mr. Ihsen in person was during my medical trip to the Southland in May, 2024. We met at Powell Camera where went through Mark Thiel's amazing collection of old Covina photographs, with each of us giving commentary on them when we saw someone or something worth noting. Afterwards, Bob and I went over to the Firehouse-Jail Museum, which I'd never had the opportunity to tour before. And when one visit to the museum proved to be not quite enough, he invited me back for another go-around a few days later! It was a real privilege to be able to spend all that quality time with Mr. Ihsen and the historical society's treasures from Covina's past.
Rest in peace, good sir. I'll do my best to keep the torch burning, and will always remember you fondly.
Addendum, 3/21/2026: I just found out today that Mark Thiel—owner of Covina's Powell Camera Shop—died only months after I met him and Bob Ihsen in May, 2024. I'm shocked. He was several years younger than me and he looked to be in the peak of health. I don't know how he passed yet, but I feel like it must have been sudden. To think I met both of these men not long ago at all and already both are gone.
I'd never known Mark prior to this and I immediately liked him. He had a deep knowledge of Covina history, and it was so great to be able to talk about it with someone who didn't need to have anything explained to them. He just knew and understood everything. Very rare, indeed. And he seemed genuinely excited to hear about the new findings I'd discovered, and the IDs I was able to make of previously unidentified pieces in his Tucker photography collection. Bob was, too, of course. And now, in almost no time at all, I've lost both of them.
So now I have to wish RIP to Mark, as well. I'm truly regretful I didn't get a chance to know him better. I have a feeling that, had I not decided to leave the LA area in the early '80s, Mark and I would have met long ago via the Historical Society and become really close friends. Even if that never happened, though, I'm at least grateful that I got to meet him at all.
Addendum, 5/2/2026: And yet another death I'm only just learning of: J. David Rogers passed away on August 23 of last year.
Dave was one of my earliest inspirations when I started to study local history; in fact he was my first "go-to" person to get authoritative answers about just about anything. He helped me with information and pictures for many of my earliest blog posts, too, especially my article about Memorial Glen. He and I actually first met when we were in the West Covina Model Rocket Society as junior highschoolers in 1967. I remember how he helped me try to find my treasured lost Aerobee in the hills at Galster Park. After that we went on to live our lives only to cross paths again 40+ years later when I got on Facebook. I'm just stunned realizing Dave is no longer here to enrich us with his stories and the meticulous work he did on local history.
All these losses in such a short period of time. It's sobering, and very sad.
