YUBA CITY, CA — Amanda Ortega ran her fingers over the raised bronze letters of her son's name and held back tears.
She still remembers how he ran back in the house that fateful May morning and surprised her with a kiss, instead of his usual hair-tousle goodbye, she said. Now, 35 years after Bobby Ortega's death, she needs only to walk a block from home to feel close to him once again.
A memorial to the 28 students and teacher who perished in the 1976 Yuba City High School choir bus crash was unveiled in Yuba City on Saturday. Hundreds of people gathered for its dedication, where they shared tears and laughter, reminisced and reconnected in honor of the tragedy.
"Now we can visit any time we want," Ortega said. "We feel closer to them even though they're not there. All of us parents, brothers, sisters, cousins — we've looked forward to having something like this."
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