Led by top player Oliver Thornton (above), the Palisades High boys’ tennis team is heavily favored to repeat as City Section champion. Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
It was a foregone conclusion that the Palisades High boys’ varsity tennis team would be awarded the top seed in the City Section’s 12-team championship division. Sure enough, that’s just where the defending champion Dolphins ended up–#1 in the tournament and ready to bring home another title. It is a position Coach Bud Kling and his team is accustomed to being in. “We’re a little banged up going into the playoffs, so you never know,” Kling said, noting that some of his best players are nursing injuries. “Eagle Rock is seeded second but I haven’t seen them play so I really don’t know how good they are.” The Dolphins went 12-0 in the Western League and their only losses (barring tournaments) were to perennial Southern Section powerhouses Brentwood and Harvard-Westlake. By virtue of its seeding, Palisades got a bye in Monday’s first round and routed #8 Marshall, 28-1 1/2 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. The Dolphins crushed the Barristers 29 1/2-0 in the same round last spring. Marshall defeated #9 Chatsworth 18 1/2-11 in the first round on Monday. Palisades hosts the Granada Hills-Taft winner in the semifinals at 1 p.m. next Tuesday at the Palisades Tennis Center. The finals are at 1 p.m. next Friday, May 14, at Balboa Sports Center in Encino. Baseball Mike Voelkel’s varsity squad stayed undefeated in the Western League with a 9-2 victory at University last Wednesday and a 3-1 home win over Fairfax on Friday. The next day, Palisades lost 4-0 to Carson in a Redondo Tournament game–only its second loss to a City opponent all season (both are to Marine League teams). Dylan Jeffers pitched a complete game with 11 strikeouts, Chase Holmes homered to right field and Josh Korn homered off the scoreboard in deep center field against the Wildcats. Back at home against the Lions two days later Korn doubled to deep center to plate a run and Nick Poulos pitched five shutout innings for the Dolphins. Palisades suffered its first league loss on Tuesday, falling 13-1 in five innings at Fairfax. Girls’ Lacrosse Palisades beat Westridge, 10-3, then routed Birmingham, 16-4, and outscored Huntington Park, 16-14, last week to extend its winning streak to 10. Its last loss was 10-5 to Mission Viejo on March 6 at the Rose Bowl Tournament. The Dolphins remain unblemished versus City Section. They head to La Canada for a first-round tournament game today. Softball The Dolphins wrapped up the regular season with a 13-10 victory at Malibu in a intersectional game last Saturday and Coach Ray Marsden liked what he saw. “We were able to turn two double plays and only made two errors, which was remarkable considering only four girls were playing in their normal positions,” Marsden said. “I had to move around several players and they were all able to play their new positions effectively. Three in particular were Shannon Dunn going from center to catcher, Karina Perez going from catcher to third base and Tara Farahdel at second base.” Pitcher Reyna Zaragoza hit a two-out RBI double in the top of the sixth inning to regain the lead for Palisades, which finds out today if it made the City Invitational playoffs. If the Dolphins are in the 32-team draw they will either host a first-round game at 3 p.m. (if they are the higher seed) or travel for a first-round game at 3 p.m. (if they are the lower seed). Second-round games are next Thursday (same time) and will be hosted by higher-seeded teams. Track & Field Sophomore Grant Stromberg won the boys’ 1600 varsity race in 4:39 and the 3200 in 10:34 while freshman Jacklyn Bamberger pulled off the same “double” in the girls’ varsity at last Friday’s Western League dual meet against Westchester. Eric Lopez won the 800 meters in 2:08.
The Pali Blues of the United Soccer League’s (USL) W-League and the Hollywood United Hitmen of the USL Premier Development League (PDL) have announced a formal partnership. In addition to sharing the same home stadium, Palisades High’s Stadium by the Sea, the clubs will now share resources and expertise to create one of the most unique soccer environments in the world. The Blues are one of the most successful women’s soccer clubs in the United States, having won back-to-back W-League championships under head coach Charlie Naimo in 2008 and 2009. Since their inaugural 2008 campaign the Blues remain undefeated in all competitions, having fielded numerous top names in women’s soccer, including United States national team players Lauren Cheney, Tobin Heath, Amy LePeilbet and Kendall Fletcher and World Cup stars Kirsty Yallop, Collette McCallum and Kate Munoz. The Hitmen were formed in late 2008 as a new branch of the world-famous Hollywood United club, which has competed in Los Angeles-area amateur leagues for over 20 years, defeated the Portland Timbers in the U.S. Open Cup in 2008 and its senior team has boasted some of the biggest stars in TV, film, music and sports. The Hitmen won the PDL Southwest Division regular season title in their debut season in 2009 with a roster that included former Cuban Olympic Team goalie Jose Miranda, Guatemalan international Willie Sims and former Chivas USA defender Rene Corona. When the Pali Blues were established in 2007, local owners Ali and Maryam Mansouri intended to have both a men’s and women’s team. However, because of existing territory rights, the USL could only grant them a women’s franchise. A new opportunity arose when the Hitmen acquired the rights to the former San Fernando Valley Quakes PDL franchise in 2009, and the Mansouris joined the new team’s ownership group; now, with the support of former professional goalie, actor, and long-time Hollywood United stalwart Anthony LaPaglia, the owners’ dreams are finally being realized. “The Hollywood United organization couldn’t be more excited about formalizing our relationship with the Pali Blues,” Hitmen general manager Jason Mathot said. “Ali, Maryam and their staff have set the standard for teams, not only in this league, but in this country. The daily operation of the club is amazing and all of the hard work their staff performs pays off with the product they put on the field. This new chapter in our organizations’ histories will hopefully strengthen both of us, in terms of the level of professionalism off the field and the level of success on it.” The Hitmen began their 2010 PDL campaign on April 24 with a 3-0 road victory over the Fresno Fuego and made their home debut last Saturday, May 1, falling 1-0 to the Southern California Seahorses. The home opener was preceded by a celebrity charity game, the inaugural Steve Cassen Memorial Cup, in which the senior Hollywood team remembered one of its teammates and celebrated his life. Cassen, who passed away a few weeks ago, was a member of the Hollywood United family for many years. The Blues, meanwhile, begin defense of their W-League title on Saturday, May 22, when they host the Santa Clarita Blue Heat. At halftime, players and fans will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for most people juggling soccer balls simultaneously in one place. For more details about the Hollywood United, call Kenzo Bergeron at 310-709-2242, e-mail kbergeron@hollywoodutd.com or visit the Web site: www.hollywoodutd.com. For more details about the Pali Blues, call Jason Lemire at (310) 264-4649, e-mail jason@bluessoccerclub.com or visit the Web site: www.bluessoccerclub.com.
Stanford freshman Walker Kehrer (above) and his doubles partner Greg Hirshman won the Pac-10 Invitational title last weekend at the Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament. Photo: Stanford Athletics
Walker Kehrer and Stanford teammate Greg Hirshman won the Pac-10 Invitational doubles championship at the 110th Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament last Sunday. Kehrer, who grew up in Pacific Palisades and had a stellar prep career at Brentwood School, is only a freshman but already he is showing the same poise and confidence that got him to the top of the national rankings in doubles in the juniors. He and Hirshman, a junior, beat Washington’s Tobi Obenaus and Alex Rosinski, 8-4, in the final. Palisades High players advanced deep into their respective draws in the junior divisions. Joseph Silvers made the semifinals of the boys’ 14s singles, beating Reed Stadler, 6-3, 6-4, and Joseph Rotheram, 6-2, 6-1, Tanner Smith, 7-6, 6-2, and Fabian Schaefer, 6-4, 6-2, along the way. Spencer Pekar made it the furthest in the boys’ 16s singles draw, losing to Cristobal Rivera, 6-2, 6-2, in the quartertfinals. Robbie Bellamy lost to Rivera in the round of 16 while fellow freshman Alex Giannini reached the round of 32. Oliver Thornton, the Dolphins’ top player, lost in the second round of the CIF singles division, as did Santa Monica High’s Connor Treacy. Brett Alchorn and Max Licona scored an upset victory in three sets in the second round before falling to the fifth-seeded duo in the CIF doubles division. * * * * Adam Sraberg won the boys’ 12s division at the South Bay Tennis Center Spring Junior Open last weekend, upsetting second-seeded David Goulak of Oak Park, 6-3, 6-2, in the semifinals, then upsetting top-seeded Gilbert Chung of Los Angeles, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, in the finals. Harry Cohen got to the quarterfinals and fellow Pacific Palisades resident RJ Sands reached the semifinals. Palisadian Sophie Bendetti beat Katie Chang of Rancho Santa Fe in three sets, then won three more matches to take the girls’ 12s title at the Woodbridge Tennis Club Spring Open in Irvine. Bendetti upset top-seeded Riley Gerdau of Newport Beach, 7-6, 6-4, in the final. Roscoe Bellamy is currently ranked No. 1 in Southern California in the boys’ 10s singles and doubles–the only player in any age division holding the top ranking in both. Clay Thompson is No. 2 in singles in the boys’ 18s after recently winning the boys’ International Championships at Claremont. He has accepted a scholarship to play at UCLA in the fall.
So much for a “sophomore slump.” Last year, Palisades High freshman Jamie Greenberg set the girls’ frosh/soph pole vault meet record of 9′ 0″ at the South Bay Championships in Torrance. On Saturday, Greenberg came back as a sophomore and won the varsity girls pole vault with a jump of 10′ 2,” topping girls from 16 other schools. Greenberg said her goal is to help Palisades win the City track and field team title this spring: “I hope I can contribute a few points at City [finals] because our team is looking strong and I think we have a good chance this year. We have some amazing athletes. Coach [Perry] Jones, Coach [Ron] Brumel and their assistant coaches are so knowledgeable and have been very supportive.” Greenberg was not the only Dolphin to bring home a first-place medal from the two-day meet at West High. On Friday night, freshman Laura Carr cleared 8? to win the frosh/soph pole vault. Sophomore Grant Stromberg won the 3200 meter race in a time of 9:53:54, breaking Peter Gilmore’s school sophomore record. It was the third fastest varsity time in Palisades High history. Freshman Drake Johnston took 7th place in the same race with a time of 10:18:28. Sophia Stone won the girls? 3200 in 11:45:11 (the fourth fastest time in school history). The medal count grew on Saturday, starting with Erika Martin, who won the varsity long jump with a leap of 17 feet. The Wake Forest-bound senior also finished second in the 100 hurdles a school-best time of 14.65 seconds. Dennison-bound senior Lauren Gustafson was 7th place in the 800 meters in 2:28:33 while younger sister Kendall, who broke her wrist in practice the previous week, competed in the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relays. Kendall, a freshman, is one of the top track and field athletes in the country in her age group. Freshman Jacklyn Bamberger won the 3200 in 11:14:52 (the second fastest time in school history), Eric Lopez ran sixth in the 800 meters, clocking 2:00:32 (the fifth fastest time in PaliHi history) and Kolmus Iheanacho was fifth in the shot put with a throw of 47′ 5″ (the third best mark in school history). Earlier on Friday, Palisades’ varsity boys and girls teams both defeated Fairfax in a Western League dual meet at Stadium by the Sea. Even with many of their top athletes resting for the South Bay meet, the Dolphins still won easily, as Martin won the 100 hurdles and Mariah Fisher won the 300 hurdles.
The last two weeks have been all about winning for the Palisades High varsity baseball team. Heading into the season Coach Mike Voelkel was unsure whether his team could dominate the Western League like it did last spring. Well, so far, so good. Ace pitcher Julian Achez blanked LACES, 10-0 behind three hits from Philip Joseph and two more from Julian Harrison. Next was a 16-0 shutout of the same team, with Nick Poulos striking out 14 in the complete-game victory. Achez beat rival Venice 5-2 four days later, thanks to two hits each by Sam Wasserman and Julian Harrison. The second game of the home-and-home series included a home run blast by Cary Jacobson that cleared the 30-foot screen in left field, 328 feet from home plate. Ryan Kim added two hits in the 10-1 victory. At the Redondo Tournament, Palisades routed Gardena 12-1 as Joseph had three hits while Jake Green and Achez each added two. Next came a 7-3 win over Burbank on two hits apiece from Brad Schaeffer and Jacobson. The Dolphins’ winning streak came to an end last Saturday against Corona Centennial, 12-4. Chris Kaufman had a double and Adam Levin nearly hit a three-run homer to tie the game at seven, but the wind knocked it down on the warning track. Palisades bounced right back on Monday, beating University 11-1 at George Robert Field. Julian Achez pitched a complete game, Jacobson has a double and a triple and Elliott Barzilli added two hits. Swimming Palisades won its annual showdown against Venice last Friday, but the Dolphins’ varsity girls were upset 88-81’a result Coach Brooke King hopes will motivate her team come City Finals. “We had a lot of things go wrong and other things that didn’t go our way,” King said. “In a way, I think they needed that. Venice is our rival, so I think losing to them is a good wake-up call. The girls aren’t used to losing. The rest of the Western League dual meet went Palisades’ way. The varsity boys won 93-77, the frosh/soph boys won 95-37 and the frosh/soph girls won 81-36
Gary Green, MD, was appointed Medical Director for Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner announced last Wednesday. Green has a private medical practice in the Village, the Pacific Palisades Medical Group, specializing in internal and sports medicine. Dr. Green has served as a consultant to Major League Baseball on anabolic steroids and performance- enhancing substances since 2003. As Medical Director, Dr. Green will evaluate Baseball’s Drug Prevention and Treatment Programs at the Major and Minor League levels and will make recommendations on updates to the programs. He also will serve as the Office of the Commissioner’s primary liaison to club physicians and certified athletic trainers. He will assist in the development of educational programs and materials and will advise on all issues related to the health and safety of MLB personnel. “Dr. Green has been an outstanding asset to Major League Baseball as a consultant, and we are pleased that this expanded role will provide him an opportunity to make significant contributions to our game,” said MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said. Dr. Green succeeds Elliot Pellman, MD, who will remain in an advisory capacity. Dr. Green currently serves as a clinical professor in the Division of Sports Medicine at The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He has researched performance-enhancing drug use in athletics through the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory. For five years, he chaired the NCAA Committee on drug testing and drug education. Dr. Green, who is board-certified in both Internal Medicine and Sports Medicine, is a fellow in the American College of Physicians and the American College of Sports Medicine. “The reason I think drug testing is important is because it creates a level playing field,” Dr. Green told the Palisadian-Post in 2006. “It also goes to the nature of sports, of playing by the rules. When we do surveys of athletes. They are supportive as long as the testing is applied fairly. “At the professional level, it is part of a collectively bargained issue,” he added. “Each sport tests for specific drugs and most sports have a caveat that you can’t use a related substance.”
AYSO Region 69, serving Brentwood, Pacific Palisades and Topanga, will hold on-site new player registration this Sunday, May 2, at Paul Revere Middle School from 3-5 p.m. All children with birth dates between August 1, 1991 and July 31, 2006, are eligible to play. New players must be pre-registered online prior to the on-site activity. Information and all forms can be found on the website: www.ayso69.org. All player and volunteer forms must be brought to the field (located at Sunset and Mandeville Canyon) and turned in with a copy of the birth certificate or other proof of age, and the fee of $210 per child (credit card use online, check, or cash). Players who will be 6 years old by July 31 must also attend for evaluation purposes. It is mandatory that new families attend the on-site registration. New players (U8 and older) will be given an evaluation and should wear sports-appropriate footwear. Region 69 also sponsors a VIP special needs division. For more information, call (310) 454-KICK. “Space available” makeup registration will be held Sunday, May 23, same time and location. New player forms found through the mail will not be processed until June 1 for the waiting list. * * * * AYSO Teams Medal in Santa Clarita Pali Power, a local AYSO Girls’ U10 All-Star team, took fourth place at the Santa Clarita Showdown last weekend. Six players combined for Power goals in victories over Santa Clarita and Santa Monica and scored the only goals of the tournament against first-place Tulare. Power’s squad consisted of Alexandra Angeledes, KK Bishop, Caroline Douglas, Elyse Forman, Maddy Glick, Kate Holt, Izzy Levi, Tessa Nikkhoo, Cameron Rawlings, and Cameron Stokes with Coaches Dan Forman and Adam Glick at the helm. Meanwhile, the Pali Hurricanes, a local AYSO Boys’ U12 team, reached the championship game, beating Castaic 4-1 and Hesperia 5-1 and tying Valencia 1-1 in pool play before falling 2-0 to Winnetka in the finals. Matt Kors led the way with four goals, Ryan Alford and Brendan Goldberg scored two apiece and Aaron Forman and Jack McCartney each added one. Rounding out the Hurricanes’ squad were Quentin Barnes, Jeffrey Ehlers, Daniel Mosch, Louie Nadeau, Max Parcell, Chris Reiss and Jack Schoenfeld.
If your path crosses the bottom of Temescal Canyon Road, just above Pacific Coast Highway, then word of mouth has no doubt already lured you over to Galvan’s Food Catering. The Mexican food truck, which offers a clear ocean view, has been parked in the same spot along Lower Temescal Park since 1999, when the Galvans”David and Janet”bought the truck and the route from a previous owner. The truck”which employs five including the hands-on Galvans”offers familiar Mexican food, as well as some curve balls culled from David Galvan’s personal and family recipes from his native Jalisco, Mexico. Galvan prides himself on using fresh ingredients and creating ‘handmade corn tortillas and homemade tortilla chips. ‘One of the things I try to do is make Mexican food like I had in Mexico,’ he says. ‘The real stuff.’ There’s even a total invention or two, such as the truck’s preparadas (a twist on the chicken quesadilla). ‘The daily soup has become popular,’ Galvan adds. ‘Each day’s soup is different.’ On this chilly April morning, customers line up at the truck. At times, they run six to 10 people deep. Many seem to know the Galvans and vice versa. David Galvan points out a charro placing an order to one of the truck’s three cooks. ‘He’s a regular,’ he says. ‘He always orders the meatball soup.’ On this day, the albondigas, as it is called, is popular. ‘My grandmother used to make it,’ Galvan says. The customer, a Mexican man in a cowboy hat, walks away with a generous container of soup that costs $5 and is worth its weight in oros. The thick meatballs arrive packed with rice and spices while the cooked vegetables”carrots, potatoes and celery”taste as fresh as the meat and fish Galvan uses in his entrees. ‘It’s the best food this side of the Mississippi,’ says ‘Big Dog,’ who shows up at 11 a.m. with two fellow city workers. ‘It’s hot and it’s good,’ says his colleague, Marcel Bertrand, who oversees maintenance at city parks in Pacific Palisades. ‘There’s nothing I don’t like here,’ adds Joe Leyva. ‘David is a professional chef.’ The best part of his job, Galvan continues, is ‘running my own business. And meeting all kinds of hard-working people.’ Customers include local Latin immigrant workers, Palisades High students, businessmen, even other restaurateurs, such as the folks who drive down from a Zuma Beach establishment to frequent the truck. Members of the Santa Monica Police Department often stop for a meal. ‘I discovered the truck last summer,’ says Palisadian Bruce Hulse, who tried the ceviche at the urging of a friend. ‘I tried it and it’s the best. As a model, I’ve tried restaurants all over the world, and it’s the best.’ Here, tostadas de ceviche is a popular order, as is sopes (tostadas filled with beef or chicken) and the coctiles camaron y pulpo (shrimp and octopus cocktails). Ceviche (citrus-marinated seafood) tacos cost $2 each, as does the chicken empanada (which is fried but not greasy). Carnitas (pulled pork) and carne asada (roasted beef) tacos cost $1.50 each, the fish or shrimp, $1.75 each, and $5 gets you the full rice-and-beans combo. The chile rojo is something special: shards of beef intertwined with cooked cactus and sauce that tastes piquant but not too spicy. Sauce is crucial, says Galvan: ‘A taco is not a taco if you don’t have some salsa on it.’ Galvan seems indifferent to the gourmet food truck trend covered by the L.A. press since 2008. He says he hasn’t felt a significant bump in business as a result of the truck craze, as sales have remained steady. ‘I try to focus on what we do, not pay attention to what’s going on.’ Unlike the gourmet trucks, lunch trucks suffer from the ‘roach coach’ stigma”greasy, unhealthy”even among Galvan’s regulars. ‘I don’t usually eat at trucks,’ Leyva says. ‘That’s true,’ Bertrand interjects. ‘Normally, I stay away from trucks.’ ‘But David and Janet are good people,’ Leyva says of the Hawthorne couple, ‘and I’ve never had a bad meal here. We’ve never had a [health] problem.’ Janet Galvan points out options for vegetarians: veggie burritos, salads, and health-conscious Aloe drinks. In addition to Mexican fare, the Galvans offer an array of morning selections (breakfast burritos and sandwiches), burgers, hot dogs and fries. As the truck’s name suggests, they also cater parties and events. That Galvan authenticity goes back to Jalisco, where Galvan grew up on the coastal town of Barra de Navidad with his father, a fisherman. Galvan’s mother died when he was 9, which meant that, as the oldest child, Galvan grew up cooking meals for his three siblings. Seafood was always a staple: lobsters, shrimp and oysters. In fact, Galvan shows the Palisadian-Post a photo in his cell phone from a recent visit back to Barra de Navidad, where a buddy holds up two big catches. Galvan came to Southern California when he was 18. For 15 years, he worked in the restaurant business for a popular Italian chain in the Valley and Hollywood. Then ‘I opened that place from scratch,’ he says of a Manhattan Beach Italian eatery owned by a pair of New Yorkers. The Galvans married 11 years ago and purchased their truck shortly after. ‘My best friend’s mom happened to know David,’ says Janet Galvan, born and raised in Hawthorne and of Cuban descent. ‘She had been trying to set me up with him and I kept saying, ‘No, no, no.’ By coincidence, we met [randomly at a club].’ ‘We wanted to get a business of our own,’ David Galvan says. ‘Now our dream is to open a restaurant.’ The Galvan’s Food Catering truck, on Temescal Canyon Road near PCH, is open from 5:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m., Monday through Saturday. Contact: 310-308-4453.
Palisadian-Post publisher Roberta Donohue with Palisades High teacher Rose Gilbert, who was honored as the Post Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
‘What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet.’ If emcee Sam Lagana wanted to sound scholarly by quoting Shakespeare while paying tribute to Palisades High English teacher Rose Gilbert at the Citizen of the Year dinner last Thursday evening, it’s understandable. Gilbert, 91, has raised the bar high during her 54 years in the classroom. And over the past four years she has donated $2.1 million to help build the Maggie Gilbert Aquatic Center on the campus at PaliHi, in memory of her late daughter, Maggie, who died in 2004. In recognition of Gilbert’s extraordinary career and a vision (backed by her generosity) that will soon result in a 12-lane swimming pool available to the entire community, the Palisadian-Post presented her with the 2009 Citizen of the Year award in the banquet hall at American Legion Post 283. ‘We have sponsored this award for 62 years,’ said Post Publisher Roberta Donohue. ‘It’s the most prestigious honor that can be bestowed on a resident, and is given to a person (or persons) who has made an outstanding contribution to our community and to the welfare of its people.’ ‘I’m wordless, which is so rare for me,’ Gilbert said upon accepting her award, but she nevertheless went to deliver thoughtful, heartfelt remarks as a sold-out audience of 180 looked on. Attendees included her identical twin sister Lily Kompaniz, son Michael Gilbert with wife Karen, grandson Cezanne Farris-Gilbert and wife Sarah, and granddaughters Fabienne Shknevsky, Savannah Farris-Gilbert and Sheila Gilbert. The evening began during the cocktail hour at the Legion when the Post caught up with Gloria Stout Nedell (Citizen of 1978), who was walking in with her husband, Jack Nedell. They had driven up from Coronado. ‘It’s always nice to see old friends like Dotty Larson and Dr. [Mike] Martini,’ said Nedell, who owned a camera store on Swarthmore with her first husband, Jim Stout, when they won ‘Citizen’ honors in 1978. ‘John Prough was the emcee,’ she remembered of her big night. ‘He successfully roasted us. That was quite a funny bit.’ Community Council member Haldis Toppel arrived with her husband, Kurt (Citizen 1998), and recalled how four years ago they had helped bring the Citizen dinner back to it’s inaugural 1948 setting, after years at the Riviera Country Club and other venues. ‘We negotiated a very affordable cost at the Legion the year there was no ‘Citizen’ to honor,’ Haldis said. The following year (2007), the nominating committee named a popular honoree (Emil Wroblicky), and the event has remained at the Legion. ’We brought everything back to the heart of the Palisades, back to the community,’ Haldis noted. The Post also spoke to local historian Randy Young, a native of Pacific Palisades and the only person to win the Citizen award twice (in 1991 and 2000). ’This is the hoi polloi of the Palisades,’ said Young, gazing around the room. Lagana opened the program by asking for a moment of silence on behalf of two Citizen dinner stalwarts who had passed away this past year: Babs Lebowsky (who for many years choreographed the traditional Citizen roast following dinner) and actor Peter Graves, who often provided amusing on-stage cameo appearances. State Senator Fran Pavley, Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, City Councilman Bill Rosendahl and Flora Gil Krisiloff, senior field deputy for County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, introduced and honored the three Golden Sparkplug Award winners (Eric Bollens, Marge Gold and Linda Jackson Vitale) with their certificates. While emceeing the Sparkplug ceremony on behalf of the Community Council, which has presented the award since 1974, vice chair Janet Turner praised the behind-the-scenes work by volunteers from the Council and the Palisadian-Post who had organized the festivities. ‘I’d like to note that Noah’s Ark was built by volunteers and the Titanic was built by professionals,’ she quipped. Moving on to the Citizen award, Lagana read a pair of letters that Rose Gilbert had received praising her efforts. One was signed by Congressman Henry Waxman. The other was from ‘Dewey and Dolly, a pair of dolphins now residing in Sea World,’ in reference to PaliHi’s school nickname and the evening’s watery theme. After dinner, the show kicked into high gear with a musical revue written by Post Publisher Roberta Donohue and dubbed ‘Mrs. Gilbert’s Lovely Hearts Club Band,’ with choreography by Emily Kay (the show’s producer) and Jeanette Mills of Fancy Feet Dance Studio and accompaniment by pianist Dr. James E. Smith. Singer Paige Kamin played Rose Gilbert and joined the ‘Just Off Via’ chorus line’comprising Donohue and Ed Lowe of the Post, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Arnie Wishnick, SRF Lake Shrine’s Brad Lusk, longtime activist Bob Locker, Sparkplug winner Gold, and historian Young”to present an amusing show parodying the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper epoch. The 15-minute Beatles medley/dance number began when Young comically emerged in a purple ‘Sgt. Pepper’-style vest. ‘She’s on fire alright! She’s the original Energizer bunny,’ quipped Gilbert’s former student, and the colorfully outfitted group sang about building the pool ‘With A Little Help From My Friends.’ Wishnick wore a bright yellow sweater and wielded a guitar, while Lusk and Locker wore tie-dye shirts lifted from a Grateful Dead concert. And to the tune of ‘A Hard Day’s Night,’ the group sang how tough it was ‘to raise the money to build a pool.’ Donohue, in a flower tiara, led a cover of the solo Paul McCartney rocker, ‘Band on the Run.’ So why did the Beatles playbook magically and mysteriously detour into ‘You Are My Sunshine’ when the Beatles had not one but two famous ‘sun’ songs (‘Here Comes the Sun’ and ‘Good Day Sunshine’)? As Donohue explained later, ”You Are My Sunshine” and a ‘South Pacific’ tune (‘Bali Ha’i morphed into ‘Pali High’) were meant to entertain Rose’s generation.’ Before a room packed with 16 previous Citizens (including 95-year-old Phyllis Genovese from 1952, Dr. Martini ’67, Joan Graves ’87, Flo Elfant and Kit Festa ’89, Bobbie Farberow ’95, Hal Maninger ’96, Carol Leacock ’99, Mitzi Blahd ’01, Stuart Miller ’04 and Marie Steckmest ’08) Donohue brought the evening to a close when she called Gilbert to the dais. She described the longtime resident as ‘a very special angel,’ whose ‘unique kindness’ and ‘inspired vision’ came from her heart and yielded ‘a state-of-the-art aquatic center on the Palisades High campus that will benefit both community and school.’ Gilbert, no stranger to awards during her long and productive career, stepped up to the podium. ’That’s a tough act to follow,’ she said, referring to Donohue’s introduction and the revue. ‘Those are the kids I taught [Randy Young]. I always performed for them, and now, they’re performing for me!’ She paid tribute to her late husband Sam, who died in 1987, and spoke of her late daughter, who loved swimming. ’As I stand here before you,’ she said, ‘I feel like a magician, for I remember when the Maggie Gilbert Aquatic Center was just an embryo and now it will open and fully operate by mid-June, 2010!’ ’I’m so proud to be a member of this community,’ Gilbert said in closing, recalling that when her husband developed Pacific View Estates in 1962 (where she continues to live, above the Getty Villa), ‘He told me, ‘Bubs, Pacific Palisades is God’s country.’ Well Sam was right’this is truly God’s country.’
Palisades Charter High School’s board has begun the search for an interim executive director to replace Amy Dresser-Held, who leaves June 30. After a lengthy discussion at the April 20 meeting, the board charged Dresser-Held, interim Principal Marcia Haskin, Chief Business Officer Greg Wood, and Human Resources Director Jennifer Avant Eustice (who is out on maternity leave) to review applications and bring a short list of candidates to the board for consideration. Board chair Karen Perkins told Dresser-Held, ‘It would be important to have someone to start soon to work with you, so you can do some explaining, and it’s seamless when you go.’ Dresser-Held has accepted a position at a start-up charter school, and she told the Palisadian-Post on Monday that she will announce the name of the school soon. To provide continuity in leadership, Haskin (who came out of retirement to fill the position) will stay through the 2010-11 school year. The board will continue to search for a permanent principal and/or executive director with the assistance of consultants from the UCLA School Management Program. Perkins stressed at the April 20 board meeting that the hiring of an interim executive director would not circumvent that process. At a March 9 meeting, the board agreed to hire the consultants for $5,000. The faculty had asked for an objective third party to facilitate the selection process. ’It’s so we can do some soul-searching and reflection, and it’s to help us learn how we can select what we need and want,’ Haskin said at a board meeting. The consultants will help decide how upper management should be structured at the school. Should the executive director supervise the principal or the board oversee both positions? Would the school function optimally with both a principal and an executive director or should those roles be consolidated? Right now, the principal reports to the executive director. The consultants met with the parents on April 7 and worked with the faculty (approximately 120 teachers) this Tuesday and on two other occasions. They will confer with the classified staff and student senate this Friday and the board on May 11. Dresser-Held and Haskin will be available to the teachers on May 5 and 6 to answer questions about their roles and responsibilities as administrators. Haskin explained that the consultants are working with the teachers more than the other campus groups because ‘the teachers are going to be evaluated by the leaders and will deal with them on a daily basis. It’s important to have as much of a consensus as we can garner from that stakeholder group.’ Stakeholders are asked to analyze what attributes they want in a leader and what kind of structure they want for upper management. They are also asked to share their vision for the hiring process and to consider what obstacles have prevented PaliHi from securing permanent leadership. In the past two years, the school has had turnover of its principal, director of instruction, operations manager and human resources director for reasons other than retirement. ’Once all this input is garnered, we will have a terrific snapshot,’ Haskin said. Haskin plans to present a full report of the compiled information to the board at the May 18 meeting or the first meeting in June. Then, she imagines that a selection committee will be formed and trained. She envisions the interviewing process taking at least two days. ’As my legacy, I want to leave knowing the school is in good hands,’ Haskin said. As for the immediate search for an interim executive director, Dresser-Held said that those interested in nominating someone should contact her or Haskin at (310) 230-6623.
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