Steven Carl Vandergrift was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Vandergrift and was born in Santa Cruz on March 14, 1950. His maternal and paternal grandparents, along with several aunts, uncles and cousins were residents of the county, which provided him with a large extended family. Also included in the Vandergrift household were his brother David and sisters, Debra and Victoria. Steven Vandergrift attended Soquel High School and graduated in June 1968.

In the summer of 1968 Vandergrift joined the US Navy and trained at the US Naval Training Center in San Diego. Following boot camp and advanced training, he was assigned to a US Navy aviation facility in the Philippine Islands. While working at that station on May 3, 1968, Steven Carl Vandergrift was accidentally run over by a tractor and killed. His body was returned to Lake Tahoe, California for burial.

(CBR; SCSn May 27, 1969)