Eddie & Lou Movers & Shakers

Making a Lifelong Impact in Redding…

Retirement is an aspirational time for most hard-working humans. It’s a phase marked by the time and space to do the many things working life doesn’t always afford – alarm-free mornings, leisurely afternoons, quality time with friends and grandchildren, and the breathing room to travel.

For the movers and shakers among us, retirement isn’t so much a move into a more relaxed phase of life, but a transition from paid employment to purely voluntary, community-shifting action. Making a lasting community impact becomes a motivating factor for springing out of bed every day. To change lives in a community they love – to live with the purpose of creating an enduring legacy – that is what propels them forward. That is the case for two local legends, Eddie McAllister and Lou Gerard.

“These days, I’m not so much a mover and shaker as a slow rocker and steady roller,” says Eddie McAllister.

McAllister, a 78-year-old Vietnam-era Army Veteran, is originally from Waukegan, Illinois. He moved to Redding in 1990 with his wife, Celeste, and two sons, Alan and Adam. By 1991, he had already begun building community at Redding’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Center as a Recreation Specialist. Nine years later, McAllister became a Shasta County Public Health Community Organizer, a position he held for 18 years until his retirement in 2018.

“Our work, as Community Organizers, was called ‘asset-based community development’ or ‘ABCD.’ It meant creating opportunities for people to see what assets they had in their neighborhoods,” says McAllister. “Instead of people focusing on what they didn’t have, we encouraged them to see what they did have.”

The Community Organizers worked to bring Latino, Mien and African American communities together, supporting health, wellness, and safety initiatives for groups that were sometimes marginalized due to language barriers or lack of proximity to necessities. McAllister and his fellow organizers worked to increase trust between communities, coordinated heart health and immunization clinics, looked for ways to reduce traffic in school zones, and helped develop crosswalks and bike lines that help keep school children and their families safe, even today.

“Our office looked like the United Nations,” says McAllister, fondly recalling the work he did and the people he worked alongside. “I never had a retirement party with food and people. I had one planned, but it never happened. And since I never had a retirement party, I figured I wasn’t retired. I just kept on rolling.”

Today, McAllister works with several community groups, including the Shasta Coalition of African Americans for Community Health, Education and Empowerment (SCOACHE), the Anti Racism Task Force and the Shasta County Chemical People. McAllister serves as a board member with the Salvation Army and Shasta County Citizens Advocating Respect (SCCAR) and is on the Steering Committee with Shasta Equal Justice Coalition. He is on the advisory committee with Building Bridges, a new initiative pioneered by The United Way of Northern California, designed to promote community unification and respect through conversation and civil discourse.

In 2013, McAllister spearheaded a 50th anniversary celebration for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech, one of his proudest accomplishments during his retirement. That event was the impetus for the creation of the Shasta Beloved Community, an organization that continues to carry on Dr. King’s legacy. McAllister still serves as the organization’s Facilitator.

Every year, McAllister coordinates the African American Community Graduation, honoring grads of all ages. In June, McAllister, along with several community partners, will host the Second Annual Juneteenth Celebration in Downtown Redding on Thursday, June 19th.

“Building relationships is one of the keys to community development,” says McAllister. “The second is sustaining trust and recognizing a person’s gifts of the head, heart, and hands. I always keep a seat open at the table so there is a room for others to use their gifts as we continue building this beloved community together.”

In 2024, McAllister received the Martin Luther King Jr Humanity and Civil Rights Award from the National Education Association. In 2019, McAllister was awarded Citizen of the Year by the Redding Chamber of Commerce and the Redding Record Searchlight. He was honored as Leadership Redding’s Alumni of the Year in 2014.

“To see the success of others and be told how I influenced their growth has been the most meaningful part of my work. My greatest hope for Redding is to see all ethnic groups represented in our local elected positions, for the word ‘multicultural’ to become a more common word, and for trust to be increased in the community.”

Lou Gerard has always believed in the power of education and community service. Born in Oakland in 1929, Gerard, a former teacher, moved to Redding in 1959 to join his father in the car business. The Gerards’ Ford dealership ultimately became Crown Motors in Redding.

“When I retired from the dealership in 1981 or 1982, I didn’t stay retired very long,” says Gerard. “I became the Executive Director for the Greater Redding Chamber of Commerce for nine years. I didn’t do anything further vocationally after I retired from the Chamber, but I stayed active in community service.”

Gerard’s tenure with the Chamber yielded incredibly high enrollment, and he went on to found Leadership Redding, an organization that has spent the last 40 years raising Redding’s leaders with a focus on excellence.

During his time with the Chamber, Gerard created the University of Shasta Action Committee, a grassroots group that lobbied the University of California to build a campus here in the North State. Redding was one of two finalists, but, ultimately, the university decided to build the campus in Merced.

Both Gerard and his wife, Diane, remained committed to supporting education in the community in which they raised four children. Dave, Amy, Alice, and Bruce. “Education has a way of raising communities up,” says Gerard.

Gerard spent 47 years on the board of the Shasta Elementary School District, a position he retired from in December of 2024. During his time on the board, Gerard was instrumental in building the New Millennium Partnership, a connection between the Shasta Elementary School District and the Redding School District. Shasta Elementary, the oldest continuously operating public school district in the state, struggled to be able to provide the best amenities to its students due to size and funding challenges. Seeing an opportunity to create a best-of-both-worlds scenario, Gerard suggested that the New Millennium Partnership take over administrative oversight of the smaller district. It meant kids in the Shasta Elementary School District could attend functions alongside students in the Redding School District. Shasta benefited economically in not having to employ a full-time superintendent. The administrative functions were handled, and Shasta enjoyed the benefits that came with being a part of the larger district while also maintaining its own school board. The New Millennium Partnership is still in effect today, positively impacting local students.

Gerard’s legacy isn’t just woven into the fabric of the educational system and business community in Redding. It can be seen in one of Redding’s most exquisite venues: the Cascade Theatre. Gerard chaired the Steering Committee that raised $5.5 million for the Cascade Theatre Restoration Project, which brought the 1929 theatre roaring back to life in 2004.

Every Christmas, when the Lighted Parade makes its way through the Downtown Redding streets, Gerard smiles, knowing he helped bring such a wonderful holiday tradition to the community he loves. The Lighted Parade, now coordinated by the Active 20-30 Club of Redding, was initially started by Gerard during his time at The Chamber.

In 2001, Gerard was honored as Citizen of the Year with the Redding Chamber of Commerce and Redding Record Searchlight. Gerard is still a member of the Rotary Club of Redding and served as past president and past district governor of the service organization. He was a long-serving member on the board of Mercy Foundation North. He raised funds for Golden Umbrella and the Shasta Senior Nutrition Programs, which became today’s Dignity Health Connected Living Food Bank.

“Community service has always been important to me. I believe in consensus-building and teamwork. I have always worked for the economic, social, educational, and cultural betterment of the people of Redding and Shasta County,” says Gerard. “My greatest hope for this community is that it continues to grow in a positive way.”

With the legacies built by great men like Eddie McAllister and Lou Gerard, one thing is for certain: Redding has a solid foundation from which to flourish. •