Don Larson, a teacher and college instructor for more than 40 years who became known as Fresno’s leading political pundit, died in late June at the age of 91.

Funeral services are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 26, at Stephens and Bean Funeral Chapel, 202 N. Teilman Ave., in Fresno.

During a remarkable life that included serving as UC Berkeley’s mascot, Oski the Bear, while an undergraduate, Mr. Larson oozed energy and passion for every task and hobby he took up.

A San Francisco native who grew up in Kerman, Mr. Larson’s keen sense of humor and frequent observations about history’s ironies populated his conversations with friends, students, and politicians.

‘Totally Committed to the Truth’

“Don was a vanishing breed among political analysts,” former Fresno Mayor Alan Autry told GV Wire. “He was totally committed to the truth — that was his guiding light. He also had respect for the people he worked with and covered.”

After starting his teaching career in Caruthers, Kerman, and Fresno Unified schools, Mr. Larson joined the staff at Fresno City College, where he taught history. Beginning in 1980, he began delivering political analysis for local television.

“I always enjoyed interviewing Don for his observations as a political analyst,” ABC30 news anchor Warren Armstrong wrote on Mr. Larson’s digital obituary page. ‘People vote their pocketbook’ he would say and he was usually right. Occasionally, I would talk to him at his home and when we didn’t discuss politics, he would get a twinkle in his eye speaking about trains, Christmas, and cooking.”

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Christmas, Cooking, Church, Trains, and Sports

Trains, Christmas, and cooking were some of Mr. Larson’s other passions; so were sports, church, and community projects. Somehow he found a way to make his busy schedule work.

Mr. Larson began keeping official stats at basketball games in 1948 when he was 15 years old and continued those duties for more than 60 years. And he ran the chain gang at Fresno City College home football games for three decades.

“I first met Mr. Larson as a student in his history class at Fresno City in 1973,” remembered Jeff Klein in another post on Mr. Larson’s obituary page. “As a member of the Football team he met me on the way out of class to introduce himself personally. From then on I was his friend which is the way He treated everyone, calling me into his office occasionally to check how I was doing.

“Don had a great Influence on me and on thousands of the young people He taught over the years.”

Klein also recalled Mr. Larson’s deep commitment to Christianity: “On our first visit he wanted to know if I knew The Lord because he lived his faith out as we all should and to this day I haven’t forgotten that.”

Committed to Improving the Community

Among dozens of community projects, Mr. Larson served on the Fresno County Grand Jury, Fresno Housing Authority, the Economic Opportunities Commission, and the Democratic Central Committee. He raise funds to restore Fresno City College’s Old Administration Building, helped start Reading and Beyond, and attended First Covenant Church.

Mr. Larson was preceded in death by his wife of 46 years, Carol Kratt Larson. He is survived by his daughter Lynn Roth, son-in-law Daniel Roth, and two grandchildren: Jennifer Roth and Jessica Bryant, along with their spouses, Jonathan Lehmer and Trevor Bryant, and his great-grandchildren Rachel, Charlotte, and Isaac Bryant.

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