Stephen Kanner, a longtime Pacific Palisades resident and award-winning architect, passed away on July 2 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 54. Renowned for both commercial work in the United States and abroad and a series of elegant private homes, Kanner also stood out for his interest in and attention to smaller projects, often with restricted budgets. Born in 1955 in Los Angeles, Kanner grew up in Mandeville Canyon in a talented family. He was the third-generation to lead his family firm, Kanner Architects, started by his grandfather Herman. His father Charles took over the firm in 1974, and Stephen became director in 1998, after his father’s death (also from pancreatic cancer). His mother, Judith, is an interior designer with whom he often collaborated, and his sister, Catherine, is an award-winning illustrator and designer. ‘Stephen’s vision to make things beautiful came early in life,’ recalled his brother-in-law Winston Chappell, who was his art teacher at Oakwood School in 1971 before becoming an architect himself. ‘He was the best student I had. I was teaching an art class, where we studied classic structures and tested the integrity of materials, and pushing them beyond their tolerances until they collapsed. His project had a degree of skill, clarity of conception and accuracy of execution that was in a league by itself. He tested his beautiful thing until it was crushed, but then instead of throwing it in the trash, he rebuilt his structure. He liked to manifest the vision and maintain it.’ Kanner graduated from Oakwood and studied architecture at UC Berkeley, earning a combined B.A/M.A. degree in 1980. However, he found his creative energy more in independent studies rather than the departmental philosophy of that era. ‘At that time, social issues were over-emphasized’how do you feel about these things, then learning about form,’ he told the Palisadian-Post in 2001. After graduation, Kanner joined Urban Forms in Santa Monica, where he worked on multi-unit residential housing. He then headed East for a year and associated with the Cambridge 7 firm in Boston, where he worked on the design for the Baltimore Aquarium and the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. He came back to California in 1982 and joined his father in the family firm a year later.   Kanner and his wife, Cynthia, lived in Venice until the couple moved to the Palisades in 1994. He was a committed Palisadian, whose major contribution to the community was the new gym at the Recreation Center, which he designed with his father pro bono in 1998.   As Kanner oversaw the growth of his firm, he took on more responsibilities. However, not only did he continue to be involved in all the design ideas, he also was an involved teacher and mentor to young architects who joined the firm. He sketched quickly and made all the preliminary drawings for everything the firm produced.   ’He would come up with a design, but they would execute it,’ said Chappell, who has collaborated with Stephen on many projects. ‘Even though he was the principal figure, many people could work with the aesthetic.’   Kanner’s aesthetic moved from playful L.A. Modernism as observed in his iconic design for the In-N-Out Burger in Westwood and his own home on Almar, to a more toned-down palette, focusing on buildings that were well-built, practical, full of natural light and air. Kanner’s home, completed in 2001, is a star in his portfolio and a fine example of the design inspired by the imagery he saw growing up’the Googie-style drive-ins and his dad’s Pop art imagery. A man of great talent and energy, Kanner viewed architecture beyond his own projects, respecting and nourishing the Los Angeles architectural community. Perhaps the A+D Museum is Kanner’s lasting legacy to the city he loved. A showcase of architecture and design that he co-founded 10 years ago, the museum moved from one location to another until finally finding a permanent home on Wilshire Boulevard across from LACMA this year. Surrounded by family and supporters of the museum, Kanner presided at the grand opening in April (‘New Museum Melds Architecture/Design,’ Palisadian-Post, June 10).   Called ‘an architect’s architect’ by Frank Gehry, Kanner was convinced that architecture could improve people’s lives.   ’He believed in making the design and making it buildable,’ Chappell said. ‘He was passionate and optimistic that way, no matter what the reality of the budget or building code. He would invent an interesting solution that was particularly evident in the affordable housing project on 26th Street for the city of Santa Monica. He would say ‘Light and space are essentially free, and with simple and sustainable materials, good design is possible.”   Chappell added, ‘Stephen was brilliant in his use of color and simple textural moves. If he had nine square panels and changed one color, this small, smart move would impact the whole design.’   Kanner continued to sketch, respond to e-mails and participate in conference calls up until two weeks before he died. ‘He was optimistic that he could prevail,’ Chappell said.   Kanner’s influence will continue in the several houses under construction and 10 to 15 commercial projects in the works. The firm can complete these projects and will continue promoting Kanner’s emphasis on materials, textures and color as the key to making a home livable, bright, open and exhilarating.   He is survived by his wife of 18 years, Cynthia; his daughters Caroline, 15, and Charlotte, 9; his mother Judith; and his sister Catherine and her family, Winston, AnnaKate and Rebecca.   In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Kanner’s name to the A+D Museum (aplusd.org), where a memorial service and retrospective exhibition will be held on Thursday, September 30.

Thomas Spillman Dawson, a longtime resident and realtor in Pacific Palisades, died on July 5 at the age of 76.   Born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, on November 18, 1934, Tom was the son of Thomas Delos and Gertrude Spillman Dawson, both natives of Jackson, Louisiana.   Tom attended Glen Ridge High School, graduating in 1952, and the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, Class of 1956. He started his career at the Statler Hilton in Boston, but the job was short-lived. He was drafted by the U.S. Army in late 1957 and spent his second year with the MAG forces in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.   Following his discharge, Tom returned to Hilton’s Eastern Division, taking on regional responsibilities managing food and beverage operations and booking night club and cabaret entertainment for a number of properties, including the Boston Statler and the Waldorf-Astoria and Plaza Hotel in New York.   In 1962, Hilton promoted Tom to executive assistant manager with major responsibilities for food and beverage operations at the new San Francisco Hilton, which was still under construction. Three years later, New York-based InterContinental Hotels offered him a position as Food and Beverage Director. He developed concepts for, and created and opened nearly 100 restaurants, bars and coffee shops for company hotels worldwide. His travels took him to Ghana, Cote d’ Ivoire, Kenya, Rhodesia, Zambia, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Thailand, Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico, plus various countries in Europe, Scandinavia and Central America.   In 1969, Tom relocated to Minneapolis, where, as Assistant to the President of Radisson Corporation, he helped pioneer the start-up of the fledgling Radisson Hotel chain. In 1971, he joined Los Angeles-based Continental Airlines as Vice President/Hotels responsible for developing hotels in Micronesia and Guam. He retired from Continental just prior to that airline’s hostile takeover by Texas Air in the early 1980s.   Tom began his 25-year real estate career in mid-1984, working first with George Elkins in Brentwood and later with Coldwell Banker and Sotheby’s International in Pacific Palisades.   In 1968, Tom met Barbara Magan, a New York writer/editor whose resume lists Good Housekeeping and Restaurants and Institutions (a hospitality industry trade publication headquartered in Chicago). They were married in 1975, shortly after she moved to Los Angeles to become R&I’s West Coast editor. They moved to Pacific Palisades from Brentwood in 1988.   Tom loved to cook and was proud of his vintage cookbook collection, which was featured in a New York Times article in 2006 and as a full-page feature in the Palisadian-Post (May 28, 2009).   Services for Tom will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 29, at Corpus Christi Church, corner of Carey and Sunset. Donations may be made in Tom’s name to VAGLA, Hospice Program, Voluntary Service (135) VA Hospital, 11301 Wilshire, Los Angeles 90073.

William A. ‘Bill’ Kelly, a former resident of Pacific Palisades, passed away in Monterey, California, on July 4, at the age of 86.   Born in Los Angeles and a graduate of Fairfax High School, Bill trained as an airplane mechanic in the U.S. Army Air Force and served in China and India during World War II.   After safely returning home, he earned degrees in art and architecture from UC Santa Barbara and the University of Illinois.   He led bicycle tours of Europe in the 1950’s for AYH (American Youth Hostels, now Hostelling International). On a detour through Denmark he met Bende Iris Goodley through a Norwegian architect colleague. They were married in Los Angeles in 1961 and soon welcomed a son and a daughter.   They moved to Bestor Boulevard in Pacific Palisades 1969, where they lived until 1992. They were active members of the Pacific Palisades Historical Society. ‘   Bill taught architectural history and related topics at L.A. Trade Technical College and maintained a small architectural practice while Bende taught at the Methodist Preschool on Via de la Paz.   The couple shared a love of travel, taking the kids to Europe regularly. Domestic travel included family camping trips to the East Coast, Alaska, Canada and Mexico. Every trip featured architectural landmarks, whether cathedrals in England or Frank Lloyd Wright homes in the Midwest.   After retirement, the Kellys moved to Monterey and continued traveling voraciously, visiting Europe, Turkey, Russia, Africa, South and Central America. Bill filled his free time painting watercolors of local landscapes and volunteering for the Maritime Museum and Monterey State Historic Park.   He was an artist, a mechanic, a handyman, a cook, a photographer and a nature lover, but his supreme hobby was making people laugh.   In addition to Bende, his loving wife of 49 years, Bill is survived by their son Ken of Columbia, South Carolina; their daughter Annelise of Portland, Oregon; his sister Bea and brother Dick (wife Margaret).   His family is planning to celebrate his life with friends in August. In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Carol Lee Bees, 75, passed away on June 21, after a well-fought battle with cancer.   Carol was born on December 28, 1934 in Council Bluffs, Iowa to Ardis & Elmer Kelsen. She was raised in Sherman Oaks by Ardis and her loving stepfather, Bob Bretz, until 1955 when Carol married Larry Bees. The couple made a home in the San Fernando Valley along with their three daughters.   Carol had a career in banking for 35 years. In her later years she spent time in Pacific Palisades with her daughter Cheryl Knapp’s family. She especially enjoyed the annual Fourth of July parade, times at Bel-Air Bay Club, and attending her grandchildren’s PPBA baseball games at the park. She loved the small-town feel and warmth of the Palisades.   Predeceased by her brother Gordon Kelsen, Carol is survived by three daughters, Kathy Bogart (husband Fallon) of Biloxi, Mississippi; Cheryl Knapp (husband Tom) of Pacific Palisades; and Linda Brader (husband Jeff) of Lafayette, California; five grandchildren, Tara and Heather Bogart, Courtney, Tommy and Garrett Knapp; and great-granddaughter Kyleigh Bogart.   A memorial service celebrating Carol’s life will be held Saturday, July 31, at 11 a.m. at Calvary Church of Pacific Palisades. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Premiere Oncology Foundation/Santa Monica are appreciated.

Ernest ‘Ernie’ Allan Kaplan, a longtime resident of Rustic Canyon, passed away peacefully in his own home, surrounded by his family, on July 7. He was 72.   Born on March 30, 1938 and raised on the south side of Chicago, Kaplan spent his early childhood in military school before moving in fulltime with his father, Charles. Ernie played baseball, basketball and football at Nicholas Senn High School. When not playing sports, he would help at his father’s men’s clothing store where he gained his first taste of style and flair.   Ernie attended Miami University of Ohio and graduated from UCLA, where he was an active member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. During the early 1960s he spent a short time in the Army, serving as a medic before returning to Los Angeles to start a career in business.   In 1965, Ernie married another UCLA graduate, Judye Maxine Radom. The two started a life together in an apartment on Beverly Glen. Ernie’s natural gifts as a people person eventually led him to form a small commercial real estate company with Robert Gindy, his business partner for over three decades. The two young men went about leasing, managing and eventually procuring real estate properties.   In 1975, Ernie and Judye and their young son Andrew moved into the couple’s dream ‘tree’ house. The unique architecture blended recycled materials, tile and ceramic blown on-site, wood and glass for a house truly ahead of its time. Over the years it has been photographed and documented in several magazines and has served as an example of how to build a house among the natural surroundings and environment of the land. In 1976, Jonathan Kaplan was born to complete the family. The house in Rustic Canyon has served as the family’s home for the last 35 years.   Ernie’s professional career and civic contributions culminated in his hard work and dedication to the city of Santa Monica and what is now known as the Third Street Promenade. During the early 1980s he served as chairman of the board of the Bayside District, which coordinates and still manages the Promenade. His eight years of service at this position brought both private and public entities together to actively clean up and promote business and lifestyle in what was a strategically placed but neglected part of Santa Monica. His company, Century Commercial Brokerage Company, still holds offices on Second Street, and Ernie still loved to walk the Promenade, greeting and chatting with the people he met.   Ernie was a staunch supporter of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces and served on the board of directors of the Los Angeles chapter. One of his dreams he fulfilled was taking his sons with him to Israel for Israel’s 60th anniversary. He also dedicated his time to speak at local high schools and universities to share his experience as an entrepreneur and in real estate. He was very giving both of his time and his heart.   Ernie leaves behind two sons, Andy and Jon, as well as his brother Lee (wife Nora) and sister Terri (husband Ron).   Services were held on July 11 at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park.

Theodore Dwight Buettell, a resident of Pacific Palisades since 1957, died of metastatic cancer on July 4 at age 88. Blessed with a great sense of humor, he would have enjoyed knowing he ‘went out with a bang.’   Born at home in a blinding blizzard on February 3, 1922 in Mitchell, South Dakota, Dwight grew up in small-town America where his father was the local dentist. He had one younger brother, Bob. During high school days, Dwight argued against George McGovern on the debate team, then moved to California to study at Caltech. Upon graduating in 1944 with a degree in industrial engineering, he was immediately drafted and trained as a Navy radar technician.   On November 25, 1944, Dwight married the love of his life, Marjorie, a UCLA graduate with whom he would spend the next 65 years. After the war, he began work at Douglas Aircraft as part of the post-war aerospace boom, while contributing to the baby boom with Michael in 1946, Christina in 1949 and Heidi in 1953.   Dwight attended night classes to earn his MBA at UCLA, began teaching ‘Time and Motion Study’ courses, and learned computer programming on the original room-size computers at UCLA. He usually carried a few ‘tab cards’ in his shirt pocket for handy scratch paper, and eagerly forecast the dawn of the computer age.   In 1957, the Buettells moved to Rustic Canyon where Dwight planted a massive, experimental iris garden, taught the family how to use a telescope to map the skies and plotted exotic travels to the South Seas and Tibet. The family began attending the Palisades Presbyterian Church, and in 1972 they moved to the upper Chautauqua neighborhood.   Dwight eventually settled at TRW, where he worked for decades as a computer consultant before retiring to his many hobbies, including geneology, rare maps, exotic seashells, travel and the L.A. County Museum of Art’s Far Eastern Art Council, which he served as president.   At home, Dwight and Marjorie landscaped and maintained their own Japanese garden, grew several varieties of hibiscus and cymbidiums, and hosted garden tours and annual art sales. In their later years they also participated in the Caltech Century Club and enjoyed two grandchildren and one great-grandchild.   Dwight’s gentle kindness, sharp mind, eternal optimism and irrepressible good nature will long be cherished. There will be a small, family service at home.   In lieu of flowers, please send memorial donations in Dwight’s name to the UCLA Prostate Cancer Research Program, the Palisades Presbyterian Church or the L.A. County Museum of Art’s Far Eastern Art Council.