Top Row: From L to R: Riverside City Council Members Philip Falcone, Ward 1, Clarissa Cervantes, Ward 2; Steven Robillard, Ward 3; Chuck Conder, Ward 4; Sean Mill, Ward 5; Luis Hernandez, Ward 6; Steve Hemenway, Ward 7. Bottom Row, From L to R: Gerald Malone, Riverside BOS Jose Medina, Alicia Malone, Jackie Malone, Community Friend, Carmen Roberts, Dell Roberts, Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, Mary Welch, and NAACP representative and friend Dr. Patton. / IVN Photo by Bryce Hudson

Riverside, CA — For more than eight decades, Adrian Dell Roberts has called Riverside home. Along the way, the longtime educator, coach, mentor and community leader has helped shape generations of young people — and, according to city leaders, helped shape Riverside itself.

On Tuesday, the Riverside City Council celebrated Roberts’ 90th birthday by proclaiming August 25 as “Dell Roberts Day” in recognition of what officials described as an extraordinary lifetime of leadership, mentorship and community service.

The recognition drew an unusually large crowd to City Hall, with supporters filling the council chambers and others unable to get inside.

Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes said she had never witnessed such a turnout during her years on the council for an individual birthday recognition.

“It’s a testament to the community that you’ve touched here in Riverside,” Cervantes told Roberts.

For Cervantes, the tribute was also personal. She recalled seeking Roberts’ support and historical perspective while running for City Council and realizing the weight his endorsement carried throughout the community.

“There were times where they’d look and say, ‘All I need to know and see is that Dell and Carmen are with you, and I’m with you,’” she recalled.

Cervantes said Roberts’ legacy stretches far beyond Riverside through the students, athletes and community members he has mentored over the decades.

“Some of their stories are tied to you,” she told him.

According to the city proclamation, Roberts came to Riverside at age nine and graduated from Riverside Polytechnic High School in 1955, where he participated in swimming, football and track.

While attending Riverside City College, Roberts began working at Butcher Boy Foods and later joined the City of Riverside Parks and Recreation Department at Lincoln Park, launching what would become decades of work serving young people.

His involvement expanded across Riverside institutions and civic organizations. Roberts has served in leadership capacities with organizations including the Riverside City College Foundation Board, Bordwell Park Advisory Committee, Salvation Army, Riverside Police Chief’s Advisory Committee and other community organizations.

He also helped direct Riverside’s Black History Month parade beginning in 1980 and has remained closely involved in community celebrations, youth activities and civic initiatives throughout the city.

Roberts’ work in education became another major part of that legacy.

Representatives from the Riverside NAACP noted that Roberts served young people through the school district as an educator, administrator and football coach. He also helped establish a Black Student Union at Polytechnic High School and later advised the United Black Students of California.

His influence extended beyond the classroom.

Through trips to places including the beach, snow and educational conferences, Roberts exposed Riverside youth to experiences outside their immediate neighborhoods — opportunities city leaders said helped young people imagine possibilities for their futures.

Riverside County Supervisor Jose Medina, who said he first met Roberts more than 30 years ago while working as a new teacher at Polytechnic High School, described him as both a mentor and longtime friend.

“The history of Riverside and the history of Dell Roberts are so much intertwined,” Medina said. “You can’t talk about the history of Riverside without talking about the history of Dell Roberts.”

Medina also shared a story involving Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, a former Polytechnic High School student.

According to Medina, Mitchell once told him she had never visited Sacramento until Roberts took her and fellow Black Student Union members there during her time at Poly.

That early exposure would prove significant. Mitchell later became a California state senator and now serves on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Mitchell also appeared by video during the Riverside ceremony, crediting Roberts with demonstrating to generations of students what meaningful civic engagement looks like.

She described the lessons Roberts taught through his example — showing young people what individual citizens can do to improve their communities for generations to come.

Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez highlighted another part of Roberts’ legacy: his longstanding work building relationships between Riverside residents and the police department.

Gonzalez described Roberts as a community leader, coach, mentor and friend who remained engaged during some of Riverside’s most difficult periods.

Roberts, he said, served on police advisory boards across multiple administrations and helped strengthen trust between the department and residents.

“To get us through our darkest days, and even our good days, and our darkest days again, that man was there from the beginning,” Gonzalez said.

The chief also described Roberts as someone willing to speak candidly when city leaders needed to hear difficult truths.

“He’s gonna shoot me straight. He’s gonna tell me the truth,” Gonzalez said.

But what stood out most personally, Gonzalez added, were Roberts’ calls that came with no request attached.

While many calls to a police chief eventually lead to someone asking for assistance, Gonzalez said Roberts sometimes simply calls to ask, “How you doing? You all right?”

“That means a lot,” Gonzalez said.

Riverside is also permanently placing Roberts’ name on one of its community institutions.

City officials recently celebrated a construction milestone for the Dell Roberts Gymnasium at Bordwell Park, a project currently taking shape on Riverside’s Eastside.

Councilmembers described the facility as another reflection of the community’s desire to preserve Roberts’ contribution for future generations.

The tributes extended beyond Riverside City Hall. Roberts also received recognitions from state lawmakers, county officials and the Riverside NAACP.

The NAACP’s Riverside branch honored Roberts for what it described as a lifetime exemplifying service, advocacy, leadership, opportunity and commitment to the advancement of the community.

Speakers repeatedly returned to one theme: giving Roberts his flowers while he is still able to receive them.

After hearing the proclamations, memories and accolades, Roberts kept his own remarks brief.

He first acknowledged his wife, Carmen, joking that every award he receives ultimately means more work for her.

Then he reflected on the city that has been home for 81 of his 90 years.

“I came here when I was nine years old,” Roberts told the audience. “And I can truthfully say … I’ve never wanted to be any other place.”

Roberts acknowledged Riverside is not perfect, but said he remains proud of the city and its school system.

“I love the city,” he said. “I love the school system.”

Then, surrounded by family, friends, former students, civic leaders and residents whose lives he helped influence, Roberts ended simply:

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. God bless you.”

For Riverside, however, the ceremony represented something larger than a birthday celebration.

It was an opportunity to recognize a man whose fingerprints can be found throughout the city — in its schools, parks, youth programs, civic institutions and in generations of residents who learned from him what it means to serve a community.

And now, every August 25, Riverside will have a day bearing his name.