A respected community leader has died. Starting in 1959, Lou Gerard ran his family’s car dealership, which would later be Crown Motors. He became Executive Director of the Greater Redding Chamber of Commerce in the early 1980s, greatly expanding membership numbers. He also founded Leadership Redding and launched the Downtown Lighted Christmas Parade. He was named Citizen of the Year in 2001. Gerard led the campaign to raise $5.5 Million to restore the Cascade Theatre. He served on the Shasta Elementary School Board, and was President of Rotary. Lou Gerard is remembered fondly by many who knew him.
-Steve Gibson