A 10-week-old Dalmatian will arrive at Fire Station 69 on Saturday after a brief ride from LAX. That same evening he will leave for a month’s training before making the station his home, replacing the late Buddy. The puppy needs a name and Station 69 firefighters are seeking community input. Choose one of the eight names below (or provide your own suggestion on paper) and put your selection through the mail slot by noon Saturday at the fire station, corner of Sunset and Carey. Only one vote per person. Possible names include: Buddy II, Spot, Pali, Sunset (Sunny), Chief, Carey, Skipper, Smokey, Duke and Zorro. The new puppy, which was born on September 27 at the Allen Kennels in Winder, Georgia, will have big paws to fill because Buddy, who died last December, was a goodwill ambassador to the town, and beloved by the community. Allen Kennels specialize in large dogs and breed for character and temperament, which is important for a dog that not only goes to neighborhood birthday and block parties, but also participates in the Fourth of July parade. The newest addition to Station 69 is a gift of the Miller family: Ram, Caroline, Jake, 9, Cole, 7, and Gigi, 4. The station and its firefighters have a special significance for the family, because on November 22, 2004, Gigi was born there after her parents realized they were never make it from their home to the hospital in time for the delivery. Every year, the family celebrates Gigi’s birthday with the firefighters. When the Millers offered to buy a new dog after Buddy died, the firefighters said no. Caroline asked again this past summer, and this time the answer was affirmative. The 36 firefighters, who work on three different shifts, had to vote to take responsibility for the dog’s expenses, including vet bills, food and training. ‘The vote was overwhelming to have a dog,’ said Scott Gill, who has been Station 69’s hook-and-ladder driver for six years. After the Millers located a puppy, the firefighters knew that some sort of training would be needed. ‘We decided that with 36 guys, the best thing for the new puppy was to have one trainer,’ Gill said. Clint Rowe, a Hollywood trainer who has prepared animals for ‘Turner and Hooch,’ ‘Man’s Best Friend,’ ‘Borat,’ and ‘You Don’t Mess With the Zohan,’ will work with the puppy. Rowe is also currently training Wilshire, Fire Station 29’s Dalmatian. ‘He normally doesn’t do this, but he did it for us,’ Gill said. Rowe will teach the dog boundary and house training, as well as a few simple commands. When he returns to the station, two firefighters on each shift will specifically deal with him. Palisadians Ninkey Dalton and Charles Eglee, whose late Dalmatian Bongo used to play with Buddy, will donate $100 towards the new puppy’s care. Addition checks can be made out to Fire Station 69, and on the memo line write ‘puppy fund.’
John ‘Jack’ Hilton; Mortgage President, 56-Year Resident
Longtime resident John Richard (Jack) Hilton passed away November 27 in Pacific Palisades. He was 84. Born November 22, 1924 in Los Angeles, Jack lived in Beverly Hills his first 25 years. A graduate of Beverly Hills High School and USC, he served as a medic in the U.S. Army during World War II, two years of which he spent in Europe. Jack was president of the Beverly Hills Mortgage Company for 30 years. After his marriage to Laura Ann Price in 1949, the couple moved in 1952 to Pacific Palisades, where they bought land on upper Amalfi drive and built a home for less than $50,000. Everyone back in Beverly Hills thought the Hiltons were crazy, living ‘out in the country’ and having to make that long drive on Sunset Boulevard, but as the years went by, many of those same people ended up buying a house in Pacific Palisades. It proved to be a great place for kids to grow up and adults to grow old. And, if there was any celebrity envy, the Hiltons didn’t suffer. David Niven lived two houses away, Jerry Lewis lived down the street near Sunset, and Ronald Reagan would drive by on his way home from the studio. Jack also played paddle tennis at least once a week with his close friend, producer Jerry (‘Happy Days’) Paris, and several Hollywood writers. After Laura passed away in 1984 and his four children moved out (three of whom graduated from Palisades High), Jack met Betty Van Horne from Montecito. They married in 1994 and moved to the Palisades Highlands, while also maintaining a residence in Montecito. Jack was known for his sense of humor and his zest for life. With a long list of good friends, he enjoyed playing tennis at the Riviera Country Club and paddle tennis at The Beach Club. He and some pals, fellow graduates from Beverly Hills High, kept up monthly Friday night dinner and poker, a tradition that has been ongoing for over 60 years. While the stakes were low, the hijinks were robust. The group visited more than 150 fine dining spots over the years. And yes, one of Jack’s favorite dishes was the pasta at Dante’s on Swarthmore. Besides his wife Betty, Jack leaves four children, Hilary Marold (husband Charles) of Corpus Christi, Texas; Richard Hilton of Santa Monica; James Hilton of Hancock Park; and Heather Keller (husband John) of Snowmass, Colorado. Also six grandchildren, two stepdaughters, and a step-grandchild, as well as his sister, Virginia Lord. Funeral services will be private. A wake and celebration of his life will be held at The Beach Club in Santa Monica on Friday, December 19 at 11 a.m. Call (310) 395-3254 for details.
Gustave H. Shubert, 79; Vital Leader and Researcher at Rand
Palisadian Gustave Shubert, founder of the Rand Institute for Civil Justice and a Rand vice president, died of natural causes at a Los Angeles nursing home on Tuesday, November 25. He was 79. ‘Gus was a towering figure in Rand’s’s history, both in its national security work and, to an even greater extent, in the establishment of domestic policy research at Rand,’ said James A. Thomson, president and CEO of Rand. ‘It is due to Gus’ leadership that Rand analyzes issues as diverse as K-12 education, climate change, civil justice, and health care policy while continuing to take on major national security questions.’ Born in Buffalo, New York on January 18, 1929, Shubert received a bachelor’s degree in English and political science from Yale University in 1948 and a master’s degree from New York University in 1955. He was married to Rhea Brickman on March 29, 1952 in New York. After serving as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, including a stint in Korea where he flew rescue missions for wounded soldiers, Shubert joined Rand in 1959 to research national security issues related to aerospace technology. He and his wife moved to Pacific Palisades that same year. Shubert was head of Rand’s economics department for two years and contributed analysis on such subjects as strategic air power, counterinsurgency operations, and NATO force planning. In 1964, he entered government service to lead the U.S.-NATO Defense Planning Teams in Paris. He returned to Rand in 1966 and became a member of the Research Council and coauthored several studies of American policy in Southeast Asia. In 1968, Shubert was elected a Rand vice president and trustee and charged with managing new programs of research in social and economic policy. Until that point, Rand’s main client was the U.S. Air Force, and its research focused almost exclusively on national security. ‘Gus epitomized the best of Rand’a desire to bring the best data, methods and analysis to complex public policy problems, to report the results clearly and coolly without regard to ideology or client preferences, and all the while to have fun,’ said Deborah R. Hensler, former ICJ director and currently a professor of dispute resolution and associate dean for graduate studies at the Stanford Law School. ‘He didn’t suffer fools gladly and was impatient with bureaucratic nonsense but was warm and kind to his colleagues,’ Hensler added. ‘He pressed Rand to hire and promote women and researchers of color, and opened doors for me both within and outside Rand.’ Shubert stepped down as senior vice president at Rand in 1989, and served as a senior fellow and corporate advisor until 2002. ‘From a personal perspective, he taught me a lot about leadership and management, and I’ll be forever grateful to him for that,’ Thomson said. ‘He was very hard-charging intellectually, worked very hard and was very curious about a lot of different topics.’ Shubert is survived by his wife, Rhea; children Wendy Jackson of Pacific Palisades and David Shubert of Rockingham, North Carolina; and granddaughters Mia and Sarah Jackson of Pacific Palisades. Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 20, at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 1031 Bienveneda Ave.
Troop 223 Honors 17 New Eagle Scouts
By TERESA DAVID Special to the Palisadian-Post Seventeen members of Boy Scout Troop 223 received their Eagle Scout award during a ceremony at St. Matthew’s Sprague Center that included a dinner and multimedia show on November 25. To gain Eagle Scout status, a boy must be in a troop at least five years, attend weekly meetings, monthly campouts and education sessions, several summer trips, perform community service, and attain merit badges. Troop 223 community service projects require a minimum of 100 man-hours by the Eagle Scout candidate and his Scout volunteers. Following are the new Eagle Scouts and their projects: 
 Todd Bertorelli and Andrew Notaras helped dig out and create a tiered picnic area next to the St. Matthew’s Parish Center. Ryan Tipton leveled and laid 360 sq. ft. of flagstone on the ground around the picnic area. Charlie Montgomery installed a stone walkway next to Sprague Center, Will Hookstratten worked on a retaining wall at the school, and J.J. Nelson installed a retaining wall above the pool. Wyatt Bertorelli built shelving for a computer area at the Westside Food Bank and Sam Cortese created a landing for storage of food barrels and collected canned goods. Brian Cheung coordinated the painting of agricultural bins at the Downtown Women’s Center on L.A.’s Skid Row. George Economou painted benches at Corpus Christi Church and Kyle Kolligian made and planted two organic vegetable garden boxes at the school. Graham Gallaher completed several major projects for the Veteran’s Administration’s garden and Isaac Margulies built a storage area for the Upward Bound House. Michael Mazzarella designed and constructed four large storage boxes for toys, equipment and other items for the Neighborhood Youth Association in Venice. Mitchell Oei built a portable stage for performance for pre-schoolers attending the St. Joseph’s Center for Early Development and Michael Schem designed and built three planter boxes and bench seats in front of the Palisades YMCA. These 17 projects totaled 2,240 service hours to complete, and on each project an Eagle Scout was assisted by about 20 other Scouts. Troop 223, which has 110 Scouts, is celebrating its 57th year in Pacific Palisades. Scoutmaster Michael Lanning has led for 55 years, and has produced 598 Eagle Scouts, a record number for Boy Scouts of America. Unlike many troops, Lanning encourages his Scouts to have earned their merit badges by the age of 15, not the typical age of 16 or 17. This allows a Scout time to accomplish his Eagle Scout community service project before he is a sophomore in high school when academic or sports demands may deter the young man from his goal. Troop 223 will travel to the Philmont High-Adventure Base in New Mexico and Emerald Bay on Catalina this summer. There will be an open house on Tuesday, December 9 from 7 to 9 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Sprague Center. Call Mike Lanning at (310) 820-1600, Ext. 223.
Opening Statement
Girls Tip Off Palisades Beach Invitational By Beating Notre Dame Academy, 38-33
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Dominique Scott used the element of surprise to rack up huge point totals last season for the Palisades High girls’ varsity basketball team. This winter, the Dolphins’ senior will be drawing quite a crowd in the paint and she got her first taste of what it is like on Monday in Palisades’ season opener against Notre Dame Academy. Double- and triple-teamed for most of the game, Scott was forced to dish off to her teammates instead of powering to the basket. Fortunately, her fellow Dolphins picked up the slack and used a late surge to pull out a 38-33 victory in the first game of the fifth annual Palisades Beach Invitational. “I got a couple of early fouls and that took me out of the game, so when I first came back in I was a little timid,” said Scott, who averaged 14.2 points and 13.5 rebounds and made first-team All-City last season. “We started off a little sluggish but it feels good to win.” Scott played nearly half of the fourth quarter with four fouls but still finished with 10 points, including seven out of eight from the free throw line, to go along with two blocks, five rebounds and eight steals. Being an All-American candidate makes stopping her a priority for opposing teams, but the 6′ 2″ senior center seems not to mind the attention. “I just have to take my time, play my game and not worry about numbers,” Scott said. “If we’re running our offense the points will come.” With the victory, Palisades moved into the winner’s bracket, where it played Bell on Tuesday and won, 38-19. The Dolphins played Marymount on Wednesday (result undetermined at press time). Semifinals are today and the championship game tips off at 6 p.m. on Friday in the Palisades gym. A win is a win but second-year coach Torino Johnson’s team didn’t earn many style points in their opener. “I didn’t like it,” he said. “The only reason we got a win is because we participated in fall leagues. I wouldn’t say we had a skill discrepancy but we definitely had a height discrepancy and we didn’t take advantage of it as much as we should have.” Johnson praised sophomore guard Kseniya Shevchuk for jump-starting the Dolphins’ offense in the third quarter. Shevchuk “Kseniya played great,” Johnson said. “She really gave us a spark with her effort.” The game was tied 32-32 when guard Utopia Kates pulled down an offensive rebound, scored a layup and was fouled. She sank the free throw to give Palisades a three-point lead with 3:08 left and the Regals scored only one point the rest of the way. “We need to pick up our energy,” said Kates, who had a game-high 14 points, seven rebounds and five steals. “They weren’t a good ball-handling team and we should’ve run on them more. We didn’t start playing well until the fourth quarter when we realized we were about to lose.” Katie Bell had five points and four asstists while Hannah Smith and Kanoko Ishahara each added four points. Kates not only led the Dolphins in scoring, she was also called upon to defend Notre Dame Academy’s top scorer in the second half. “She was dropping threes all over the place and I had to put a stop to that,” Kates said. “I saw that they were depending on her to score so I contested every shot.” The Dolphins finished third in the Western League last year and advanced to the semifinals of the Invitational playoffs. However, Kates is looking far beyond just the league title. “Our goal is to win City,” she said. “I want us to be an elite program again. I want teams to fear us.” First things first, however, and the Dolphins’ immediate goal is to win their own tournament for the first time. “We haven’t won it yet so we have to change that,” Kates said. “We can’t be embarrassed in our own house.”
Pali Soccer Squads Lose 1-0
Both of Palisades High’s varsity soccer teams suffered 1-0 road defeats in their season openers on Monday, as the girls lost at Chatsworth and the boys fell to host San Pedro. The boys game, Palisades’ first under new coach Dave Suarez, was a repeat of last year’s season opener, which ended in the same score at Stadium by the Sea. Next, the Dolphins host Santa Monica on Friday at 3 p.m. The girls’ effort against a strong opponent from the West Valley League was a better result than last Tuesday’s intersectional scrimmage at Marymount in which the Dolphins allowed six unanswered goals in the second half and lost 8-2. Two positives came out of that game. First, it wasn’t an official game and doesn’t count as an official loss. Second was the play of senior forward Natasha Burks, who scored both Dolphins goals in the first half. Next up for the Dolphins is their own round robin tournament–the Palisades Holiday Showcase–Friday and Saturday at Stadium by the Sea. The Dolphins open against Cleveland Friday at 6:30 p.m. Boys Basketball Palisades opened the season against Sun Valley Poly on Tuesday and West Adams Prep on Wednesday (results undetermined at press time) in pool play of the Campbell Hall Tournament. The Dolphins finish pool play Friday against Highland at 7:30 p.m., then play Saturday to determine place. The Dolphins play in the Beverly Hills Tournament next week and the San Fernando Valley Invitational December 17-23. Cross Country Junior Carlos Bustamante finished 63rd in the Division I race at last Saturday’s state finals at Woodward Park in Fresno. Bustamante ran the three-mile course in 16:04, three seconds and seven spots behind City champion Brett Schmitt of El Camino Real. Bustamante had run 15:41 in the City finals the week before at Pierce College, finishing sixth in the boys’ varsity race to nab the last state berth. San Pedro’s Pablo Rosales was the first City finisher on Saturday, placing 21st with a clocking of 15:36. Tyler Valdes of Dana Hills won the meet in 15:05, equaling an Orange County course record.
Spikers Bounced by Mira Costa
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Palisades High volleyball coach Chris Forrest admitted he spent several sleepless nights trying to come up with a game plan for last Tuesday’s Southern California Regional playoff match against Manhattan Beach Mira Costa. Still basking in the glow of their second straight City Section title, the Dolphins had only one day to prepare for their toughest opponent of the season. It proved to be not nearly enough, as the Mustangs ended Palisades’ season abruptly, 25-13, 25-12, 25-15. Tuesday’s first-round loss to one of the Southland’s perennial powers also ended the high school careers of seniors Laura Goldsmith, Sam Jaffe, Kelly Yazdi, Kelsey Keil and Chelsea Scharf. “I’m glad we played them, it was a great opportunity,” said Goldsmith, the Dolphins’ captain and kill leader. “We knew they were awesome. Our goal was to win a game. Coach Forrest had some players from the boys team practice with us but they played much faster than we’re used to.” Mira Costa (28-5) had lost in five games to Santa Margarita in the Southern Section Division I-AA finals and, despite being a higher seed, had to go to Palisades (23-6) because of a lower travel priority for the state playoffs. “We knew nothing about Palisades but we’ve learned to give every opponent respect,” said Mustangs’ top hitter Falyn Fonoimoana, a 6′ 3″ junior who has already committed to USC. “This match was important for us to get our confidence back and we did that.” A highlight for Palisades was the gutsy play of junior setter Lauren Gustafson, who was struck in the face by a spike but got a measure of revenge by stuff blocking Fonoimoana twice in Game 3. “She may not remember me when she’s playing on the beach tour or the Olympics but I’ll still be able to say I got her two times,” Gustafson said. “I wasn’t intimidated. It’s a sport and we’re all out here trying to win.” * * * * * Led by Palisadians Drew Hargrave, Sara Bowman, Devyn Tharnstrom and Jocelyn Caster, #2 Brentwood (30-4) beat Campbell Hall in four games last Saturday to reach Tuesday’s Division III Regional final in San Diego against top-seeded Cathedral Catholic (32-4).
Local Kickers in Final Four
Palisadians Ali Riley and Lizzy Danhakl have led their respective soccer teams to the semifinals of the NCAA women’s tournament. Riley, a junior at Stanford, moved from starting forward to starting defense this season and her solid play is a big reason the Cardinal (22-1-1) are in the Final Four in Division I. Riley, who played for the New Zealand national team at the Beijing Olympics, was the Palisadian-Post’s “Female Athlete of the Year” in 2006. Fifth-ranked Stanford plays top-ranked Notre Dame (25-0-0) Friday in Cary, North Carolina. Riley, who is majoring in psychology, has tallied 21 points (six goals and nine assists) in 40 games at Stanford. Meanwhile, sophomore Lizzy Danhakl has sparked Williams College (Massachusetts) to uncharted territory in the Division III playoffs. She is a starting left defender and left midfielder for the top-ranked Ephs (19-0-1), who blanked Ithaca on November 23 to advance to their first Final Four appearance. Williams faces defending champion Wheaton College (21-3-2) Friday in Greensboro, North Carolina. The winner advances to Saturday’s final. Danhakl, an economics and art history major, also runs track and established a new school record in the 800 meters as a freshman at the NCAA Nationals last year. Both Riley and Danhakl played club soccer for the Westside Breakers and made All-Mission League and All-CIF at Harvard-Westlake High.
Points Count in Gobbler Bowl
St. Matthew’s Parish School held its annual Gobbler Bowl during Thanksgiving week. A school tradition for more than 30 years, the tournament consists of 6th-8th-graders playing flag football to earn blue or white points, which go towards a cumulative total in intramural sports. Blue won the 8th-grade boys game 22-8 as Chad Kanoff threw for three scores and Chris Sebastian and Thomas Tortorici each had two touchdowns. Blue also won the 8th-grade girls game, 8-0, as Grace Kuhlenschmidt threw a 20-yard touchdown to Rachel Enzer and added a two-point throw to Erica Ursin-Smith for the only points. In the 7th-grade boys game, Blue won 18-12 on the strength of two touchdowns by Alex Kahn and another by Tyler Newman. White won the 7th-grade girls game, 13-0, with Jo Kremer scoring two touchdowns. In the 6th-grade boys game, White prevailed 14-12. Matt Douglas threw a touchdown pass and ran for the winning two-point conversion. Blue won the 6th-grade girls game, 20-14, with Cassie Jernigan scoring two Blue touchdowns and intercepting a pass.
Palisades Pacesetters
Penn sophomore libero MADISON WOJCIECHOWSKI made the All-Ivy League second-team with 511 digs, breaking her own school record of 457 set last year. Against Cornell on November 1 she had 40 digs, setting a new school record for digs in a match. She is one of eight players in the nation to notch 40 or more digs in a match this season. CAROLINE VINCENT, a third-grader at Calvary Christian School, won the Rancho Cienega Junior Tennis Open last weekend, giving her four wins and one runner-up in her last five events. Vincent won six of seven sets on her way to Sunday’s title. ILLANA OLEYNIK won the girls 12s and CHLOE WRIGHT made the semi-finals. ROSCOE BELLAMY got to the finals of the boys 10s and RJ SANDS made the quarterfinals. PERRI ZARET reached the quarterfinals of the girls 14s and 12-year-olds KYLA KLIER and ELIZABETH PROFIT were semifinalists in the girls 16s. Several Palisadians burned off Thanksgiving calories in the Turkey Trot last Sunday in Topanga State Park. In the 15K, 39-year-old STACY STERN was third overall and first in her age group in 1:22:47.22. CHIARA SANTAGOSTINO, 44, was fifth in her division and 22nd overall in 1:37:28.04. THOMAS WOOD, 43, was 42nd overall and sixth in his division in the 15K in 1:23:09.35 while ROB HANDLER, 55, was 33rd in his division in the 10K in 1:12:00.12.
