“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” — Ronald Reagan.
This is one of the many reasons why Todd Anton, a history teacher, historical author, and son of a World War II veteran, enjoys teaching Tri-Community youth all about the Greatest Generation.
On Nov. 20, 2025, the Don Ferrarese Foundation, along with Anton, hosted a dinner and dessert auction fundraiser to benefit the WWII Greatest Generation Education Project. Anton, the founder of the Greatest Generation Project, currently teaches history at the Heritage School in Phelan but will soon retire from teaching and continue to help grow the project.
The Greatest Generation Project is an educational and community service program for schools, business leadership, and organizations. The heart of the project is to honor the service and sacrifices of veterans of the World War II era and to leave every attendee of a Greatest Generation Project event with a new sense of community purpose. The Greatest Generation Education Project honors the sacrifices of World War II veterans through its services. Some of the services include (but aren’t limited to) hands-on teaching about World War II and World War II veteran funeral services. Anton has an extensive collection of period artifacts, props, and documents that emphasize the impact of his presentations. One of his prized pieces is a WWII-era Willys Jeep, for which he is currently rebuilding a trailer. The trailer will allow him to transport fallen veterans to their gravesites in honor of their service and ultimate sacrifice.
The dinner and dessert auction was hosted at the new location of the veteran-owned small business, Phelan Pizza Factory. At the fundraiser, attendees who purchased a $20 ticket received a meal and an auction paddle. During the dinner service, guest speaker Gaylon Patella was invited to the podium to share her story, but was first awarded a Certificate of Achievement by Miriam Munos, the district representative for Sen. Valladares, for continuing to share her touching story. Patella is a Pearl Harbor survivor. When she was just 8 years old, she and her sister, who was 12 at the time, experienced the attack on Pearl Harbor. As she recalls the experience, she said, “After the first wave of the attack, me and my sister began to run around and pick up the shrapnel off the floor.”
Patella is currently writing a book on her experiences during this time, called Memoirs of a Navy Brat. Her sister has already written a book about her own experience during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Auctioneer Joe Affleck, an FFA teacher at Serrano High School, gave his thoughts on how he felt when Patella shared her story and how it impacted the younger audience. He said, “She gave a first-hand talk about it, and hearing her first-hand story was saddening,” and, “For the youth that were there, it really opened their eyes, because all they see is just what they read in the history books, or what they see in movies or TV shows. So when you hear a first-hand account of what you’ve read, it hits you different.”
After dinner, the auction began, and attendees began waving their paddles in hopes of being the highest bidder and claiming their prize. Talking about hosting the event at the Pizza Factory, Affleck said, “The setting for this fundraiser was a more intimate setting, which is really good for what it promotes.” He also gave his thoughts on the local support, stating, “I recognized a lot of people there, and that was big. You know, having our community come together and help support something like this is what communities are all about.”
One resident, Lee, stated, “Local events like this can help new generations not just know history, but also experience a little bit of history as well.” Looking forward to another fundraiser in support of the Greatest Generation Education Project, Affleck said, “I can’t wait for next year. I’ll do it again.”
The recently relocated Pizza Factory is at 4264 Phelan Road in Phelan. For more information about Todd Anton and the Greatest Generation Project, visit the Don Ferrarese Charitable Foundation at www.don-frse.com.
