Continuing a Legacy of Service & Firsts

“To the youth who march onward and upward towards the light, this volume is respectfully dedicated.” These are the words inscribed in the dedication to a book and history that bonds me with one of southern California's most transcendent local public servants, Larry Horner, known as a founding father of Thousand Oaks, Calif.?

Horner, a former mayor and city council member also happened to be the city’s and Ventura County’s first Black city council member and mayor. In a country and particularly a state that prides itself on being innovative, we know that firsts are always important. We also know that being first can be tough.?

For Horner, being first was a byproduct of his service and in that, he simply paved a path for others to follow. That is the spirit that he exhibited until the end of his 91 years on the earthly plane. Horner passed away July 14, 2021 following a brief illness and surrounded by family.?

Despite being born 50 years apart, Horner and I share a bond of brotherhood. One that may not be directly by blood, but a bond that is very much linked to the greatness in our DNA that Generational Icon, Kendrick Lamar famously referenced in his multi-platinum hit of the same acronym.?

The aforementioned dedication is to the book, The History of Alpha Phi Alpha, A Development in College Life, which was first released in 1929, just a few months before Bro. Horner was born.?

As gentlemen of the first intercollegiate historically Black fraternity, we pride ourselves and often boast about our motto: first of all, servants of all, we shall transcend all.?

To sustain that motto comes with much less fanfare. And that was a common theme throughout Horner’s life. Born in Indiana, he was the oldest of 7 children. He attended Indiana University- Bloomington and shortly after was drafted into the Army. He met and married his wife, Betty and they began a family that resulted in three children: Cynthia, Lawrence Eugene Jr. and Kymberly Rose. Then, already a fixture in public service in the Westlake Village area, in 1986, Horner was recruited to one of the nation’s largest defense contractors, Northrop Grumman and was named Vice President for the Quality Assurance Division becoming the company’s first Black VP.?

While Bro. Horner understood all the tenets of intersectional leadership, that is being a public servant to people of various cultures and backgrounds, even throughout his retired years Horner invested in the future, the youth, or at least younger.?

In recent conversations with members of our fraternity in reflection of Bro. Horner’s influence on them, some common themes emerged.?

Horner remained dedicated to investing time and energy toward mentoring younger men, whether we knew it or not. A masterful storyteller, Bro. Horner’s stories often folded in subtle nuggets of his life experience, peppered with context of the era. Like when he casually mentioned the benefit of learning structure and strategy while working with a former CIA employee on campaigns. Horner’s stories however, always included a punchline and a message; undoubtedly a skill that came in handy as an elected official.??

“There is light at the end of darkness, but take no backwards steps,” one brother recalls Horner sharing in a phone conversation in recent months. That brother was a 2021 collegiate initiate of our fraternity.?

Horner demonstrated and provided a beaming example of a brother that remained very much rooted in family and involved in creating change in the world around him.?

And how infectious his example is.

When I first met Bro. Horner, I had just moved to Ventura County and was working as a district representative for a state legislator. I got involved with my fraternity’s local alumni chapter and Bro. Horner and I would often exchange a handshake and talk about our time and experiences working for elected officials and the benefit of that perspective. During those talks he would frequently mention how useful perspective was when he was the elected official. I later learned that Horner was also one of 7 charter members of the Xi Iota Lambda alumni chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. where I am now a member.

Then more than a year ago, the seed sprouted. I decided that I too could be of larger service to my community and have thrown my hat in the ring and make a run for Mayor of Santa Barbara and happen to be the first Black person to do so. This idea brought a smile to Bro. Horner’s face but was quickly followed by a series of tough questions and a warning.?

“You don’t want to be painted in a corner as the Black candidate, you’ve got to be for all the people,” Horner instilled.?

Continuing Bro. Horner’s legacy, I aim to be the change that I want to see and the change that my community deserves. Leaving the world around you a better place than it was when you arrived is the common aim in life. Bro. Horner definitely did that.?

This Saturday morning, I will be joined by my brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. as we conduct closing ceremonies for Bro. Horner during a public memorial service. We call it inducting him into the Omega chapter, which is designated for our dearly departed brothers.?

The Lawrence E. Horner Celebration of Life will be held on September 11, 2021 at 11:00 am, at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. For more information, please contact Kymberly Horner at?[email protected]?Masks and social distancing are required.?

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James Joyce III, is a current candidate for mayor of Santa Barbara, Calif. and founder of Coffee with a Black Guy. For much of the past decade, Joyce served as district director to former state Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson. Joyce is a March 2000 initiate of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. by way of Phi Chapter at Ohio University and is currently a member of the Xi Iota Lambda alumni chapter seated in Camarillo, Calif., which was chartered Jan. 1, 1983.

*Link to image source: https://www.toacorn.com/articles/former-mayor-takes-a-journey-through-the-past/