Community Corner

Reflections from the Heart of a Rose Parade Float Rider

More than a month after riding the Donate Life Rose Parade float in January, Cerritos resident Cora Johnson reflects on her unique experience as a first-time float rider.

Editor's Note: This epistle was submitted by Cora Johnson,

2012 Donate Life Rose Parade Float “…One More Day”
The Ride of a Lifetime

My anticipation and excitement of riding on the donate Life 2012 float began in August, 2011 when I was notified that I would represent One Legacy Ambassadors. (One Legacy is the organ procurement organization for 7 counties in the greater Los Angeles area and has trained ambassadors who represent it in health fairs, the DMV, hospitals, and various events) What an honor and also, a responsibility! I pledged to myself that I would represent all of them with respect and dignity.

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Thus began a whirlwind of paperwork, forms and submission of pictures for the commemorative yearbook. My good friend, Dick Schmidt, took this head shot at the Tim Baptista Crab Cioppino dinner celebration and I thought it was kind of appropriate to use it.

The theme of the 123rd Rose Parade was “Just Imagine…”  That was pretty wide open and so our float committee chose “…One More Day” for its title.  It was very fitting as the families of organ and tissue donors, living donors and transplant recipients know about the preciousness of time.  Donate Life invited everyone to imagine “…One More Day” to remember a loved one, celebrate life, keep hope alive and make a difference to others.  Clocks adorned the float with 72 memorial floragraph portraits of deceased donors, whose gifts of organ and tissues added years and quality of life to those in need of transplants.  These thoughts were particularly meaningful to me since Bob was very close to death’s door when he received Tim Baptista’s heart. 

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My first official task was to attend a photo op with the Rose Queen and her court at the Tournament House in Pasadena.  There I met several fellow riders, floragraph families and a lot of Donate Life supporters.  I also got to shake hands with Raul Rodriguez, Fiesta Floats owner, who always rides one of his floats with Sebastian, his blue macaw.  Sebastian was a very well mannered macaw and was very calm with all the noise going on. It was a classy affair at a classy “house.”  A most interesting, historical house, too. I was able to take a tour of it after our photos were taken.  The Wrigleys (of chewing gum fame) bought it in the late 1910’s or early 20s, lived in it for a vacation house and then donated it to the Tournament of Roses committee. 

A strange thing that happened that day was that just as I was beginning the tour, a snorting Tyrannosaurus Rex stomped into the entry hall. It was very startling experience until I realized that, obviously, it wasn’t real. But, just for a second … In reality, it was a prop for the City of Los Angeles float. 

The month of December was busy, emotional and exciting. I worked with the Golden Girls at the Placentia office to help prepare donor photo buttons and a myriad of other tasks that we do to help prepare for floragraph and decorating shifts at the Rosemont Pavilion near the Rose Bowl. I worked two Saturdays at the “barn” (Rosemont Pavilion) as a floragraph specialist helping donor families create their loved ones’ portraits with organic materials.  My families had amazing, inspiring stories to tell and their floragraphs turned out beautifully.  It never ceases to amaze me that people, who in the morning have no idea how a floragraph is made, are pros by lunch time and they create a wonderful, amazing likeness of their loved one. My families were the loved ones of Andrew Clay Johnson and Krista Heidinger.

I didn’t have any official activities again until December 29 when Jerri, Allan and I placed dedicated roses on the float. Each year, Donate Life has a Dedication Garden into which thousands of roses in vials wrapped with loving messages are placed on the float. People from all over the world do this and I think it brings the donor/recipient community closer together.   

That night, Jerri, Allan and I attended a tasty dinner for all the float riders and their families. Riders included recipients, living donors, donor family members and recipient family members.  My feelings for the float and Donate Life were intensified as I heard each of the riders’ inspiring stories.   The three of us worked with other float riders at the float barn the next day to place floral decorations.  Jerri and Allan cut and prepared flowers for most of the day and my job was to clean up…literally.  I swept up trash, dust, and float debris most of the day.  Kind of humbling.

That night, Jerri, Allan and I attended the Donate Life Gala Dinner. This is a very nice affair where everyone dresses up to celebrate the float, its meaning for all the participants and its more global significance. We enjoyed the buffet and the entertainment and commraderie of all involved.  We had our pictures taken with Andrew Robinson, a San Francisco firefighter who is a heart recipient, and his fiance, La Monica.  Andrew is such a nice guy and so jovial.  We instantly gravitated toward him.

New Years Eve day, I was under the weather with a cold and stayed in the hotel room most of the day.  Jerri and Allan went to the float barn to help with finishing touches to the float.  It was so hot (in the 80s) that float builders were very concerned about the flowers, particularly the roses. They don’t do well in the heat. 

New Years Day was float judging day. It was also dress rehearsal day.  We were instructed to wear exactly what we would during the parade.  This was great, except for the fact that I was wearing a red sweatshirt and navy blue pants and sitting on the sunny side.  We were to be judged between 2:30 and 3:30 and it was still in the 80s with no relief in sight. Wow! The float wasn’t finished yet because one floragraph still had to be mounted and framed with cranberries, along with some touch ups and the roses and other flowers were wilting quickly in the heat. People were spraying the flowers with misters trying to keep them cool on all the floats. The excitiment and tension was really building (at least in me). Even if it was hot, the float was beautiful!  We all loved it and were grateful for all the dedicated volunteers who were still taking care of it. At the appropriate time, we all mounted up and sat waiting for the judges, sweating and tense.  I felt sorry for Anthony as he was wearing his black dress fireman’s uniform.  The sweat was rolling off of him (and many of the rest of us).  The judges were welcomed by a circle of floragraph family members singing the float theme song of “100 Years” that was in sync with the recording emanating from the float. The judges looked us up and down, strolled fore to aft and around the entire float and then conferred. The tension was palpable for me. Then, after a while, we heard some applause and then the judges came back to our side and told us that they wanted to applaud us because our float was so moving.  They talked with several of the riders and all the judges were in tears.  We didn’t know if this was a good sign or a bad sign. We’d find out the next morning prior to the parade.  We all had pretty good vibes, though. We knew it was good.

After the judging, we went back to the hotel to cool off and have dinner.  I turned in relatively early to try to get a good night’s rest, but it wasn’t to be.  I kept waking up thinking I’d missed the alarm and was awake for good about 3 AM.  I didn’t have to meet the other riders until 5:15 AM. Once I got going, I was ok and was on time  along with the other folks. After some last minute instructions, we got on the bus that took us to a local Von’s where we enjoyed a nice breakfast.  We then rode to our float location and then milled about, waiting for the signal to “mount up.” 

A continual stream of people walked by, many commenting and asking questions about Donate Life, the float, and us as riders. My smiling muscles were tired even before we arrived at the starting line. When we saw the B2 fly over, we knew our moment in the sun had arrived. It was Showtime! As we began to move forward in line, the audience began to applaud and cheer and that applause continued for the duration of the parade.  I was amazed, inspired and so excited to see the crowd reaction as we rode by.  As we reached the Tournament House, Girl and Boy Scouts carried a banner out in front of us that read Judges Special Trophy which is a major trophy for “outstanding showmanship & dramatic impact.”  Yes!  We were winners!

The ride was incredible and one that I’ll never forget. People cheering, applauding, giving thumbs up, showing handwritten signs and smiling. Many of the float riders were crying too. Max Zapata, my seatmate, told me to look down Colorado Boulevard just as we began to go down the hill and I was filled with amazement.  Many sharp bands and colorful floats were ahead of us with thousands of people lining Colorado Boulevard as far as we could see.  I wished I’d had a camera to capture that moment of a lifetime. Then, when we rode by the Donate Life grandstands, pandemonium broke loose. People were standing, cheering, crying, taking pictures and going bonkers about seeing their float and winning a trophy. 

I had anticipated in my head how I’d feel and how the ride would progress.  But none of my visions matched the actual experience as it totally exceeded my expectations.  It is difficult to express how I feel, but I think all the superlative adjectives should be used:  Inspired!  Amazed!   Enlivened! Ready to burst! Overwhelmed!  And many more that I am unable to think of now. I was humbled by the many stories of the riders and floragraph donors and was/am honored to be among them on that glorious day.  They will forever be in my heart and I will use them and my memories to try to help inspire more people to appreciate organ and tissue donation and sign up on their state’s registry. I am most grateful to my sister, Jerri, and her husband, Allan, for accompanying me to experience all the activities, frivolity and events in Pasadena and to One Legacy for selecting me to represent the Ambassadors and experience the ride of a lifetime on “…One More Day.”  


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