Jeanne Ann Ziering, a former longtime resident of Pacific Palisades, passed away on March 6 in Santa Monica. She was 95. A third-generation woman college graduate and a second-generation attorney, Jeanne was educated in New York City and was a part of New York’s then fabled public school ‘genius’ program. She entered Barnard College in 1929 at age 15 and Columbia University for her master’s degree at age 20. She also studied French, her undergraduate major and passion, at the Sorbonne. In 1965, at the age of 51, she graduated from the UCLA School of Law with a juris doctor degree. Arriving in Los Angeles in the late 1940s with her husband, Jonas Ziering, who became a familiar figure on horseback in some of the Palisades Americanism parades, Jeanne left her New York careers in magazine editing and creating crosswords (before computers) and actively worked with the Palisades chapter of the League of Women Voters and charitable organizations, often creating much of the illustration and writing for various media/news purposes. Former members of the Brentwood Country Club, Jeanne and Jonas were avid golfers, bridge players and active supporters of the arts. After Jonas died in 1977, Jeanne left her Palisades home on Ravoli Drive, but only for the corner of Ocean Avenue and San Vicente, where she could still enjoy her beloved canyon, mountain and ocean views. She continued to be involved with the Palisades for over 20 years thereafter as a commercial property owner and enthusiastic supporter of the village. Her children, Sara Jane and William, attended Canyon Elementary, Paul Revere Middle School and were in the first classes (’63 and ’65, respectively) graduating from Palisades High School. Jeanne is survived by her daughter, Sara Jane (whose husband Steve is a former chairman of the Pacific Palisades Community Council); son William of Rancho Santa Fe; and two grandchildren, Morgan Boyers and Lily (‘Kate’) Boyers. Following a private funeral service, Jeanne was buried next to her long-missed husband.
Rhena Schweitzer Miller, Daughter of Nobel Winner
Rhena Schweitzer Miller, the only child of Nobel Prize-winning humanitarian Dr. Albert Schweitzer, who carried on his medical missionary work in the West African country of Gabon, died on February 22 at home in Pacific Palisades. She was 90. Schweitzer-Miller was born in Alsace, Germany, in 1919, her father’s only child. She studied in Germany, France and Switzerland. After marrying and raising four children, she became a laboratory technologist, working for her father, and took charge of the laboratory at his hospital in Lambar’n’, Gabon, after he died in 1965. During the Nigerian-Biafran conflict of the late 1960s, Rhena brought a group of Ibo refugee children to Lambar’n’, and cared for them until the war ended in 1970. She then took them back to Nigeria and was able to reunite many of them with relatives. She informally adopted one of the children and paid for his entire education, said her daughter Dr. Christiane Engel, a medical doctor and classical pianist. At that time, Rhena worked with Dr. David Miller of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, who was also in Nigeria as the chief medical advisor to the Nigerian Red Cross. After their work together in Nigeria, Rhena and David were married and lived in Georgia. They worked together on nutritional surveys in India, Bangladesh, South Vietnam, Ethiopia, Egypt and Haiti. From 1979 to 1983, they worked in the Yemen Arab Republic on projects of primary health care, and in 1984-85, in Pakistan for refugees from Afghanistan. After David died in 1997, Rhena moved to the Palisades to be close to Christiane and her family. The Engels built an ocean-view apartment for Rhena in the front of their home along Paseo Miramar. She loved nature and the wild things that she observed in her new home: a family of skunks, squirrels and birds. In addition, she was accompanied by her beloved cat, Kitty, who was there on her bed when she passed away. ‘Rhena was an extraordinary woman in her own right, embodying fully her father’s ethic of reverence for life and his insistence that ‘my life is my argument,” said Dr. Lachlan Forrow, president of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship. Christiane will take her mother’s ashes back to Lamb’ren’ to be buried alongside her parents’ graves. In addition to Christiane, Rhena is survived by her three other children, Monique Egli, Philippe Eckert and Catherine Eckert; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Contributions may be made to the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, 330 Brookline Ave. (BR), Boston, MA 02215.
Mixing Home, Kids, and Business
Sarah Robarts is a Pacific Palisades loyalist. ‘I love Ivy Greene,’ she says softly with a charming English accent, beaming, as her youngest, son Jamie, 5, runs around in a ‘Transformers’ shirt she bought for him there. She champions other local spots, listing the Village Pantry, Beech Street Cafe, Taj Palace and Vittorio’s (‘the garlic balls!’) among her favorites, and like many a Palisadian, she’s made many business connections via her kids at their Palisades schools (Seven Arrows and Marquez Elementary). Last year, when Robarts moved her business, Ballantines Public Relations, out of two offices she occupied at the Spectrum building on Sunset at PCH, she and her boyfriend decided to relocate from her Highlands address to a Paseo Miramar mansion which serves the dual purpose of home and work. You see, her house serves a key role in drumming up business, and Pacific Palisades is a big part of the branding for Robarts’ PR firm. She also relies on Palisadian Bruce Hulse, the Cornell-educated male supermodel who works with Robarts in a freelance capacity, using his deep fashion-industry connections to expand Ballantines PR’s clientele fold. So when the Palisadian-Post caught up with Robarts on a recent weekday afternoon, the company president was in her living room, seated next to Hulse, impeccably dressed in a dark blue pin-stripe suit, and her casually attired boyfriend, Matt Grant, a fellow Brit who starred in last year’s ‘The Bachelor’ on ABC. Essentially, the attractive English blond Robarts is flanked by a de-facto American James Bond and the British ‘Bachelor’ (some nifty self-marketing right there). Robarts’ business space transcends the typical home office. With her 20-something team”Cara, Erika, Jeremy, Michelle, Virginia”Robarts has turned her lower-level space into something of a war room, with a lengthy client roster taking up a chart on the far wall amid rows of desks. Her accounts are impressive. They include Interiors on high-end trendy Robertson Boulevard, the Palisades-based charity Everychild Foundation, Z-Coil footwear, Africa Safari Camps, and the state of New Mexico’s tourism department. In fact, Ballantines is handling the city of Santa Fe’s 400th anniversary. The firm just tackled Twestival, a February 12 charity event in partnership with the social media network site Twitter that blended music, comics and celebrities to raise money for CharityWater; and Rock Paper Scissors, a February 28 art exhibition at Bergamot Station’s Robert Berman Gallery, which featured the works of Raymond Pittibon, Daniel Johnston and members of avant-garde rockers Sonic Youth with guest DJ Shephard Fairey (President Obama’s official pop artist). Also in Santa Monica, Ballantines is working on the current exhibit of late photographer Dan Eldon’s work at the Pete and Susan Barrett Art Gallery. Robarts’ 18-member staff is also preparing for the reboot of the refurbished Shangri-La Hotel on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. The April re-opening promises to feature a who’s who from the fashion world, overseen by Hulse. Not bad for a PR company that literally fell into Robarts’ lap. ‘I started my business six years ago on my laptop in my bedroom,’ she says, adding that she had to juggle growing her firm and making business trips to New Mexico to handle PR for the Galisteo Inn with breastfeeding and changing diapers. Robarts derived her moniker from the Ballantines Hotel in Palm Springs, owned by her hotel-magnate ex-husband, whom she split from a couple of years ago. She lived in Palm Springs before moving to the Highlands with her former husband in 2003. But Robarts, who turns 40 in April, grew up in Kenya, East Africa. Her parents, she says, ‘were Baha’i pioneers/missionaries to Uganda and then Kenya.’ She moved to Kingston, Canada, to attend Queens College, and then received her MFA in painting at Nice University in the South of France before relocating to London. An avid painter, Robarts found work at a PR firm. When a principal of the firm went on maternity leave, Robarts took over. ‘There was no turning back,’ she says, although, truth be told, she still paints, her large abstracts occupying the high walls of her Ray Schlick-designed home on Paseo Miramar. In fact, that multi-tiered Modernist mansion”with its balcony decks and expansive gallery-space living room”comes equipped with high ceilings and ample windows, which frame a killer view of the Pacific Ocean. The home has become a key weapon in her PR arsenal; the perfect place to hold dinner parties, cocktails and special events conducive to Robarts’ all-important networking. Last year, she hosted a reception for New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. While living in Palm Springs, Robarts worked on PR for (and helped manage) one of her husband’s hotels. Post-divorce, she saw her home business swell. Parent-to-parent networking at her children’s schools (her daughter Daisy, 6, attends Marquez) helped grow Ballantines. ‘I’ve learned so much from the parents on the PR committee at Seven Arrows,’ she says. Today, she manages publicity accounts nationwide, in China and England, the latter with the help of her boyfriend Grant, who a year ago was seen gallivanting with assorted women weekly on network television. ‘I’ve been around a lot of PR people,’ says Hulse (see ‘Model Citizen,’ September 11, 2008, at the PalisadesPost.com archives). ‘Sarah’s a pleasure to be around. She understands literature, art, travel. It’s very fun to be her associate.’ Grant also speaks from personal experience. ‘Everything that is good in my career has come through her introductions,’ he says. ‘She sees all the connections between books, movies.’ Some of those good things include a political-satire cable program he has in the works with columnist Joel Stein, another reality show opportunity, and other talk-show variety projects that the ‘season 12 ‘Bachelor” is pursuing. ‘It’s her ability to network, her vision,’ Grant says. ‘I’ve watched other PR people work and it makes me realize how good Sarah is.’ He adds that her affable socializing approach is not forced, but natural. Moving her business to Paseo Miramar was a savvy move, Grant adds: ‘It was a real revelation to consolidate the office and the abode here. Of course, Sarah loves having her children nearby.’ ‘I wanted to be somewhere where I can work and be with family and be ‘green’,’ Robarts says, enthusiastically. And no amount of marketing can out-hype the attributes of that. Contact: (310) 454-3080; email bpr@ballantinespr.com. Visit www.ballantinespr.com
Photo Exhibit Explores Santa Monica Pier History
In connection with the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation’s year-long celebration of the Pier’s centennial, the Los Angeles League of Photographers (LALOP) will share their vision of the Pier with an exhibition opening Friday, March 20, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., in the historic carousel. Founded in 2002 and modeled after the renowned New York Photo League, the mission of LALOP is to expose the wider public to photography’s essential social, political, and aesthetic values. Palisadian Sara Jane Boyers, who is exhibiting several of her photographs, most recently co-curated two LALOP exhibitions in support of community efforts to restore water recreation to two of Los Angeles downtown parks. Also, on hand will be Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation’s community venue liaison and pier historian, James Harris, signing copies of his new book, ‘Santa Monica: A Century on the Last Great Pleasure Pier.’ The exhibit will continue until April 1 during carousel operating hours.
CMP Showcases Beethoven, Martinu, Ravel
Six renowned chamber artists illuminate the passion of Beethoven, the variations of Martinu, the impressionistic flare of Gaubert, and the neo-classical strains of Ravel at the penultimate concert of Chamber Music Palisades (CMP) on Tuesday, March 17 at 8 p.m., at St. Matthew’s Church, 1031 Bienveneda. The featured artists are soloists Ida Levin, violin; Rob Brophy, viola; Ronald Leonard, who served as principal cellist with Los Angeles Philharmonic for 25 years until his retirement in 2000; Maria Casale, harp; and CMP co-founders and co-artistic directors Delores Stevens on piano and Susan Greenberg on flute. Works by two French contemporaries open the program. ‘Sonatine en Trio for flute, viola and harp,’ a neo-classical gem by Maurice Ravel, showcases the composer’s powerful command of harmonics. ‘Trois aquarelles’ (Three Watercolors) by Gaubert, one of the most prominent musicians and conductors of the era, translates into sound the visual impact of watercolor painting technique in which colors can simultaneously blend and stand independently, subtly revealing the texture of paper beneath them. Also featured is Beethoven’s ‘Trio in D Major’ (‘Ghost’) op. 70, #1, written after he was completely deaf. Hinting at his own internal struggle is the dark second movement that inspired the ‘Ghost’ title. It is sandwiched between movements rich with warm lyrical melodies that give no hint of the composer’s profound hearing loss. The program’s final piece is the ‘Piano Quartet’ Martinu, a prolific chamber music composer who was born in the Bohemian village of Policka and moved to Paris in 1923, becoming a younger contemporary of Ravel and Gaubert. In 1941, he fled the advancing German army for the United States, where, shortly after his arrival, he wrote ‘Piano Quartet,’ which is punctuated by syncopated melodies and tinges of melancholy. For tickets ($25; students with ID are free), call 310-459-2070 or visit www.cmpalisades.org.
Laura Keehner to Marry Michael Rigas in May
Irene and Gary R. Keehner of Rancho Santa Fe announce the engagement of their daughter, Laura Christine Keehner of Washington, D.C., to Michael John Rigas of Washington, D.C., son of Mr. and Mrs. John Rigas of Boston. Keehner, a graduate of the College of William and Mary, recently concluded more than five years of service as a political appointee in President George W. Bush’s administration. During her tenure, she served as press secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, as well as in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, and as a senior advisor at the U. S. Department of Justice. While at William and Mary, she was student body president and a member of the Board of Visitors, and played Division 1 volleyball on an athletic scholarship. Keehner grew up in Pacific Palisades and attended St. Matthew’s School and the Marlborough School before graduating from The Bishop’s School in La Jolla. She and her mother remain active members of the National Charity League. Keehner was presented at the League’s 1997 Debutante Ball. Rigas received his undergraduate degree from Boston University and holds graduate degrees from Boston University and Harvard University. He just completed his tenure with the Bush Administration as the associate administrator for the General Services Administration, where he focused on helping small businesses and veterans contract with the federal government. Previously, he held positions at Mellon Bank and at Brown Brothers Harriman and Co. A May 3 wedding is planned in Washington, D.C., followed by a honeymoon in the Greek Islands.
Valerie Freeman’s Multimedia Work at Branch Library through April
Chamber of Commerce and Pacific Palisades Art Association member Valerie Freeman will be exhibiting a variety of her multimedia artworks from Saturday, March 14 through April 26 at the Palisades Branch Library, 861 Alma Real. The exhibition is open to the public during library hours, with an artist’s reception planned for this Saturday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. On exhibit will be a glimpse of the various series Freeman has created over the past decade. The artist, inspired by nature and life experiences, experiments with various plein-air painting and photography techniques. The exhibit will include several of her Chinese brush paintings of animals that are studies for her pond paintings. Coming from a photo-realistic painting style that she’s used since the age of 14, Freeman has since simplified her approach. Included in the exhibition will be prints of her new series of experimental digital photography, in which she fuses spirituality and nature. A Long Island transplant, Freeman earned her BFA from Pratt Institute and is a recipient of several awards and commissions, including the Municipal Arts Society of NYC and the Ford Foundation. She has also taught art aboard a Crystal Cruise line. Freeman has balanced her career as an artist with private and corporate painting commissions, teaching, decorative painting/murals and faux finishes, and printmaking and marketing her fine art. She recently served as gallery director and curator in the Antelope Valley, and she curated an exhibit of local artist George Kalmar’s work at the Antelope Valley College Art Gallery. She has also created a Pacific Palisades Art Association Web site (which includes a blog, calendar of events, and members’ links): www.paliart.com. Freeman will begin a series of private group art classes for youths and adults. These classes include Chinese Brush Painting, and Catalyst for Spiritual & Emotional Healing. On Thursday, April 16, from 4 to 5 p.m., Freeman will teach a free class at the Library dubbed ‘An Introduction to Chinese Brush Painting.’ For more information, call 310-200-3027; email val@freemanart.com
Gimme Shelter
Staging animal adoptions every Sunday at the Palisades farmers’ market, two gutsy rescue groups go the extra mile to place down-and-out cats and dogs in the right home.
Animal advocacy draws its own particular breed of person: generous souls with fierce and unyielding devotion to their ‘clients.’ Not for the faint of heart, those who toil on the front lines of animal rescue confront almost daily the best and worst of humanity. A puppy tied to a lamppost and used as bait for pit bulls incurred 150 bite wounds before being rescued by a bystander armed with only a broom. ‘This incredibly brave woman called our hotline,’ says Melya Kaplan, founder and director of Voice for the Animals (VFTA). ‘Who knows what other horrors Billy would have endured before being left to die?’ Kaplan’s nonprofit organization took Billy on, along with all of his medical bills. The fully healed pit bull mix is now looking for a new home. VFTA, best known to market-goers in Pacific Palisades for their cat adoptions, has been a constant presence on Sundays for the past six years. Kaplan estimates that between 100 and 150 animals have been adopted each year. Her operation, composed of five staff members and more than 200 volunteers, relies entirely on foster homes as ‘halfway houses’ until animals find a permanent home. ‘We’re begging people to please consider fostering,’ Kaplan says. ‘So many animals are being killed in shelters.’ VFTA’s hotline is inundated with calls from people surrendering their pets because of home foreclosures. Often, the animals are simply left behind. ‘People should know we have a fulltime person devoted to the hotline,’ Kaplan says. ‘I’m so sad to think of all the calls we don’t get.’ According to statistics posted by Los Angeles Animal Services, the euthanasia rate for dogs and cats rose 30 percent in 2008 as compared to 2007, a direct result of the economic downturn. In all, 19,617 dogs and cats were killed in the city last year. Despite the increase, the years 2006 through 2008 saw the three lowest euthanasia rates in the department’s history. The worst year was 1971, when 110,835 dogs and cats were put down. The steady decline in euthanasia coincides with more effective adoption practices, along with increasingly aggressive spay and neuter programs. Last October, Los Angeles enacted one of the nation’s strictest pet sterilization laws, mandating that the city’s pet owners have their cat or dog spayed or neutered by the time the animal is four months old. Though enforcement of the law is a sticking point, anything that might help stem the tide of pet overpopulation is welcome news to Star Paws Rescue, an organization specializing in dog adoptions. At the heart of Star Paws are three attractive women who laugh easily and seem especially bonded to one another. Their breezy manner belies the serious, often heartbreaking nature of their rescue work. Each has spent a small fortune of her own money for the sake of animals. Even more impressive, they all manage to save dogs while juggling busy professional lives. During a recent interview, the three speak shorthand to one another concerning the status of different canines. ‘When we get together, this is what we talk about 90 percent of the time,’ says Sylva Kelegian, an actress who has been known to forage landfills to save puppies and has driven as far as Las Vegas to deliver a dog to its adoptive family. ‘There’s never a day when we’re not involved with animal suffering. It’s second nature for us to be constantly scanning the street for stray dogs.’ In fact, on her way to the interview, Kelegian spotted a loose dog in Mandeville Canyon and tucked him back in the owner’s fenced yard. ‘I’m going to stop and talk to that person on my way home,’ she says. ‘It’s another tragedy waiting to happen.’ She had been roaming Mandeville Canyon on another mission, looking for Elsa. ‘We’ve overseen more than 300 adoptions since 2000,’ says founder Victoria Burrows, a Hollywood casting director. ‘This is the only dog that has ever gone missing.’ Star Paws prides itself in following strict measures to ensure an animal’s well-being. Before going up for adoption, every dog is spayed or neutered, given proper medical treatment and microchipped. ‘Microchipping is so important and such an easy step for pet owners to take,’ Burrows says. Each year, more than 10 million pets are lost. According to the American Humane Association, only about 17 percent of lost dogs and 2 percent of lost cats ever find their owners. Most of the dogs taken in by Star Paws are found in just such a way: animals wandering around without any identification. Other dogs come from owners who need to relinquish their pets. Some are snatched from certain death at the shelter. Star Paws has no facility to keep animals. They, the same as VFTA, rely on a network of foster homes to house the animals. In each case, they supply all the necessary food and equipment. ‘Every day brings a new drama,’ says Linzi Glass, an author who completes the threesome. ‘Our stomachs are constantly in knots.’ As the three women begin their shift at the farmers’ market, good news has turned to bad. The two Labs they’d placed a week earlier haven’t found their forever home after all. ‘The owner wants me to pick them up this afternoon,’ says Sylva, who shrugs her shoulders in disappointment. ‘Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.’ The group’s ultra-liberal policy allows for adoptive families to give dogs back at any time’even 10 years later’no questions asked. After an initial application process, Star Paws requires a home visit before relinquishing animals to new owners. ’The truth is we turn down more than we approve,’ says Burrows. ‘Everyone has good intentions. However, sometimes the concept of having a pet is more alluring than the reality. We’re really looking out for the best interest of both the animal and the human.’ Burrows concedes that some rescue groups can go too far in the screening process. ‘One place requires adoptive families to keep the animal’s name and allow lifetime visits,’ she says to a round of laughter. The average cost to make a dog adoption-ready is $500 (though some cases can go as high as $2,000). The charge to adoptive families is between $250 and $350. ’You definitely don’t get in the rescue business to make money,’ says Melya Kaplan, who estimates that her VFTA foundation also spends roughly $500 per animal. In the end, it’s all about chemistry. ‘You fall in love with an animal the same way you fall in love with a person,’ Kaplan says. ‘It doesn’t matter the color, breed, size or age.’ To reach Voice for the Animals, call (310) 392-5153 or go online to www.vftafoundation.org. To learn more about Star Paws Rescue, call (310) 289-5409 or visit www.STARPAWSRESCUE.com.
Veteran Dentist Bob Nelson Finds a Successor in Tapia
One of Pacific Palisades’ greatest traits is preserving an old-fashioned small-town spirit echoing mid-20th-century America. But change is a fact of life, and it will take place regardless. Alas, change is a necessary agent of growth. One such transition is taking place right now in the medical building on Monument, just north of Sunset. After 47 years of practicing in the same office, Dr. Bob Nelson”beloved local dentist who has personally tended to the teeth of several generations of Palisadians”is easing into semi-retirement. And he has found an unlikely successor to take over his practice in Maria Elena Tapia, DDS. Unlikely on the surface, that is. At first glance, the 32-year-old Tapia appears to be Nelson’s opposite: a young, female, Latin-American who immigrated to the United States relatively recently. But as Dr. Nelson, 75, explains, their core values are identical. ‘I selected her for her background, her professionalism and her ethics, which coincide with my own philosophy,’ Nelson says. Late on a sunlit Friday afternoon at the 984 Monument practice, Tapia shows the Palisadian-Post one of the offices, which possesses Nelson’s favorite dentist chair. ’I really wouldn’t want to replace it. It’s one of the first chairs with hydraulics,’ Tapia says with a charming Spanish lilt in her English. Since officially taking over the practice in January, she clearly enjoys her new place of work. Maria Elena Tapia could attend a party in the clothes she wears to work. She looks fit and attractive, projecting a confidence you would wish a professional to have. That confidence is well earned. Back in Managua, Nicaragua, the city where she grew up, Felix Tapia raised his three daughters to be independent, and middle child Maria may well be the boldest. Her parents made sure that she went to private school in the poor Central-American country. Tapia started dental school at age 16, and she is the only of the Tapia girls to leave Nicaragua. In late 1998, after completing her undergraduate and graduate studies at Unan University in Leon, Tapia relocated to America to further her schooling and career, specifically the leafy suburb of Danville”on the East Bay outside of San Francisco”where she practiced dentistry. But she wasn’t professionally satisfied. ’I decided I wanted to reach a higher level,’ Tapia says. In 2001, she moved to West Los Angeles to pursue her postgraduate dentistry studies at UCLA, where she met her fianc’, Marco. Tapia knows firsthand the needs of a patient, having herself suffered trauma to her two front teeth. In fact, going to UCLA as a patient to get her teeth repaired was her first brush with the college. Once she matriculated at UCLA, she found a mentor in Dr. Mete Fanuscu, then-director of the university’s dentistry program (with whom she still keeps in touch, despite his move to Europe), and in 2003, she graduated from the program with honors. By 2007, Tapia and her fianc’ had relocated to Fort Lauderdale so that Tapia could live closer to her family (two hours by plane, as opposed to 5 hours from L.A.). But after a year in Florida, they returned to L.A., where Tapia has many friends, while her fianc’, whom she will marry in January, lives closer to his native Seattle. The couple currently resides in Santa Monica. ‘I miss my family and the food,’ Tapia says. ‘But you can find almost any type of food here.’ Tapia joined Nelson’s office, which includes longtime staffers Carole Eule and Polly Holman, last November after Nelson considered several candidates. The day they met, Tapia says, she and Nelson talked for three hours. At first, Tapia was a bit intimidated by the fact that Nelson, who hung his Monument St. shingle in 1962, was so entrenched in the community. But Nelson has made her feel comfortable, introducing her to longtime clients. ‘They are very welcoming, very nice people here,’ Tapia says of Nelson’s loyal patients. ‘People have been coming for the last 20, 30 years. Some come from as far as Silver Lake, Las Vegas, Utah, even New York. ‘We share conservative ideas,’ Tapia continues, explaining her professional relationship with Nelson. ‘But it took time for him to realize. I had to prove myself to him.’ Indeed, the first thing Tapia did upon moving to Los Angeles was to seek out a Spanish-language Catholic church. Cut off from relatives, all of whom still live in Nicaragua, Tapia prioritized seeking out ersatz family, as well as the spirituality she experienced while growing up. She has since joined Corpus Christi Church in the Palisades. Her priorities of family and community are something that Nelson (and his wife, Cindy) can relate to, having raised his children here. The Nelsons have a son, Thomas, a daughter, Tracy, and grandchildren Curtis and Jamie. Nelson is also a past-president of the Optimist Club. In addition to working at her Palisades office, Tapia teaches restorative dentistry at the Wilson-Jennings-Bloomfield UCLA Venice Dental Center once a week. ‘It keeps you grounded,’ she says of working with students. For fun, Tapia prefers Pixar animated features and romantic comedies over downbeat fare. She wishes she had more time to explore her Santa Monica environs and go biking or play tennis, and she squeezes sports in when she can. She also loves to read, particularly motivational books. Tapia appreciates Nelson’s presence and values his wisdom and experience. ‘He’s still very active here,’ Tapia says, smiling. ‘He has my energy level! He brings the story of the Palisades to this practice. People know him and love him. He’s a part of the community.’ Meanwhile, Tapia is enjoying discovering the Palisades. She says that when she and her fianc’ are ready to start a family, they plan to move to the Palisades. Some things never change. Appointments at Maria Tapia, DDS: (310) 454-0912.
Nine Teens Compete for Mr. and Miss Palisades
Nine contestants will compete in the 2009 Palisades Teen Contest on Wednesday, March 18, at 7 p.m. in Pierson Playhouse, 941 Temescal Canyon Road. Tickets ($20 adults, $10 students) are now on sale at the Chamber of Commerce office on Antioch. The Mr. and Miss Palisades contest is sponsored by the Chamber, with each winner receiving a $2,000 Cathie Wishnick memorial scholarship, and each runner-up $200. Thea White will once again choreograph the opening number and Sam Lagana and Nicole Howard will be the onstage co-hosts. Reigning Mr. and Miss Palisades, Chris Alexakis and Elena Loper, will give farewell performances, and Mimi Vitale, who was Miss Palisades in 2000, will sing. The female contestants are: ‘ Jackie Brody, Oaks Christian School sophomore, singer, pianist, soccer player and competitive skier. ‘ Samantha Elander, Palisades Charter High School sophomore, soccer player, swimmer and tutor. ‘ Sabrina Giglio, PaliHi sophomore, cellist, swimmer and Girl Scout troop leader. ‘ Courtney Kelly, Harvard-Westlake School sophomore, artist, environmental activist, and representative on City Councilman Bill Rosendahl’s District 11 Youth Council. The male contestants are: ‘ Jacob Correia, Brentwood School sophomore, violinist, runner-up in a previous Mr. Palisades contest, swimmer and water-polo player. ‘ Wyn Delano, PaliHi junior, impersonator, actor, opera singer and tap dancer. ‘ Sam Green, Crossroads High School junior, guitarist, photographer and DJ. ‘ Micah Gordon, Windward School sophomore, jazz pianist and tennis player. ‘ Julian Xavier Whatley, PaliHi senior, swimmer, U.S. history tutor, video-game designer. The judges will be: Gavin MacLeod, honorary mayor; Mona Golabek, concert pianist; Linda Vitale, vocalist; Marcie Gold, television producer; and Paola DeMari, board member of Italy-America Chamber of Commerce West. The event is organized by Carol Smolinisky (chairperson), Candida Piaggi, Ramis Sadrieh, Lauri McNevin, Thea White and Arnie Wishnick.