If there is anyone at SambaLá that embodies the spirit of the school and Carnaval, it is our very own "Rei" (King) Momo. His real name is William Dalzell III, or as he is known by most at SambaLa, "Bear". He has been appointed for life by the school and has presided over the Brazilian Street Carnaval as well as the Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro.
 
Making History in the Sambadrome

Bear made history when he was the first ever gringo King Momo to reside over the parade in Rio de Janeiro in the year 2000. He paraded as King in the parade of Champions with Unidos do Mundo, an all-gringo samba school.
 
Friends with Rio King Momo

Bear met the Rio King Momo, Alex de Oliveira in 2001 in Rio de Janeiro and they became friends. Bear invited the Rio king to the Long Beach Brazilian Street Carnaval and in 2001, Alex came and they presided over carnaval together in Long Beach.

Bear’s Father Saved by Brazilians

Although "Bear" never really associated with Brazilians before SambaLá, he literally owes his life to them.

At the beginning of World War II, Bear’s father was an officer on a Merchant Oil tanker. During a trip down to South America, his ship became one of the the first non-military ships to be torpedoed by a German U-Boat or submarine. The torpedo hit the engineering room, instantly killing all the men there and causing general panic. As the ship quickly sank, one of Bear’s father’s fellow officers went back for his dog. When he did not return, the other fellow officer went after the two. Bear’s father never saw them again.

Bear’s father was the only officer to escape and was badly burned. They floundered in a life boat for days in the hot sun and were presumed dead by the navy and American government.

Miraculously, Brazilians fishing boats found them and picked them up. The Brazilians took the sailors who were barely alive to Rio de Janeiro and admitted them to a hospital. Bear’s father was nursed back to health by the Brazilians. During his stay there, he watched the spectacular Carnaval from his window. Little did he know that his future son would some day be the King of Carnaval in Los Angeles