So much for momentum. Coming off one of its most impressive matches of the season, the Palisades High boys varsity volleyball team simply had no answer for Chatsworth middle blocker Cody Loe Tuesday night in the second round of the City Section playoffs, The 6-8 senior middle blocker, who is headed for Cal State Northridge, pounded 17 kills and added six jump-serve aces as the host Chancellors needed just 54 minutes to post a 25-10, 25-13, 25-19 victory. “We spent most of practice focusing on trying to stop Cody,” Pali outside hitter Beck Johnson said. “We tried to get three guys up to block him every time to take away his options but when we did that they switched their attack to the outside. They also were very strategic with their serving. They mixed it up well.” Fifth-seeded Chatsworth (11-4) trailed only twice in the match, losing the first point in each of the last two games. Joey Sarafian led the 12th-seeded Dolphins (11-4) with five kills but was unable to get into an offensive flow. “I didn’t seem to have as much time to get set as I usually do,” Sarafian said. “We needed to have more energy from the start to build our spirits up but we were playing from behind the whole time. It’s disappointing to lose. I’m sad that the season is over but it’s not the end of the world.” Despite winning four consecutive City titles, Chatsworth (11-4) finished third in the West Valley League and is not as dominant as in years past. However, the Chancellors still possess the swagger of a champion–an air of confidence that once belonged to the Dolphins. “They are a tough team to draw in the second round,” PaliHi’s first-year coach Matt Shubin said. “They have three or four All-City players and as much as we improved individually and as a team, you can only get so much better in two months. Still, I’m proud of our guys and we’re headed in the right direction.” Palisades defeated 21st-seeded Roosevelt, 25-18, 25-16, 25-12, in the first round last Thursday. Sarafian had 11 kills, Will Smith had six and Vertis Hayes added three blocks.
Palisades Pacesetters
Amanda Lisberger, a sophomore at Brentwood School, won two gold medals and one silver in last week’s Olympic League track and field finals at Oaks Christian High in Thousand Oaks. Lisberger won the 800 meters in 2:27 and anchored Brentwood’s silver medalist 4 x 100 meter relay team. However, she saved her best performance for the final event of the day–the girls’ varsity 4 x 400 relay. She received the baton for the final lap trailing Maranatha’s anchor runner by 80 meters. Lisberger closed to within 40 meters on the backstretch and continued gaining around the final turn, finally overtaking the leader a few steps before the finish line to complete her lap in a blazing 58 seconds. Lisberger was named first team All-CIF by the Division V Southern California Soccer Coaches’ Association after tallying 26 goals and nine assists this season. In her two years on varsity, the Eagles’ striker has scored 45 goals and assisted on 16 others in 38 high school games. She made first-team All-League in cross country in the fall and again in track this spring. Alex Ghiannini won the boys’ 12-aund-under division of the sixth annual Manhattan Beach Junior Open last Sunday. A member of the Palisades Tennis Center’s Westside League team, Ghiannini defeated fellow Team Palisades member Franco Rubio in the semifinals, 6-4, 7-6 (9). Two days earlier, both boys participated in the PTC’s Friday Night Live, a rigorous workout for ranked juniors that culminates in a one-hour “LiveBall” tournament. Team Palisades defeated the Santa Monica Acers 8-1 on Sunday to remain undefeated. Alexa Merz, a junior at Harvard-Westlake High, took first place overall in the Women’s Cadet Sabre division at the Pacific Junior Fencing Championships in San Jose. Merz, 17, is nationally ranked in her age group. She also finished 12th out of 130 competitors at the Junior Olympics in Hartford, Connecticut.
Pali Tennis Wants Repeat
Being seeded No. 1 in the City playoffs has hardly bothered the Palisades High boys tennis team. Pre-season favorites to repeat as Section champions, the Dolphins have grown accustomed to the added pressure. In fact, they thrive on it. “We don’t let it get to us,” Palisades’ No. 1 player Ben Tom said. “We are pretty focused on our goal.” Now, Palisades finds itself one match away from its goal after decisive victories over El Camino Real last Wednesday and Taft on Monday. The Dolphins (15-0) play second-seeded Granada Hills (14-1) for the City championship Friday at Balboa Sports Center in Encino. Friday’s match will begin at 1 p.m. The City playoffs utilize a round robin format in which 29 1/2 total points are available. Each singles set is worth one point and each doubles set is worth one and a half points. The first team to reach 15 points wins. In the quarterfinals, Palisades made short work of El Camino Real, winning 22 1/2 to 7. Stephen Surjue and Sepehr Safii, doubles runners-up at the All-City Individuals tournament last year, swept 6-0, 6-1, 6-1. The rematch of last year’s final proved to be no contest as the Dolphins took seven of nine doubles sets and 12 of 16 singles sets. Heading into Monday’s semifinal against fourth-seeded Taft, however, Pali had cause for concern. With Surjue unavailable due to a family emergency and Daniel Burge sidelined with an injury, the Dolphins had to shuffle their doubles lineup. Seth Mandelkern and Michael Light moved to the No. 1 spot, Safii teamed with Mason Hays at No. 2 and junior George Hudak was paired with freshman Jeremy Shore at No. 3. “George and Jeremy hadn’t played together all year and they came up huge for us,” PaliHi head coach Bud Kling said. “They won their first two sets and were up 3-2 against the No. 1 team before losing the last four games.” Palisades won eight of nine doubles sets on its way to a 22 to 7 1/2 win. Playing Chase Pekar No. 1 singles, freshman Chase Pekar took three out of four sets and Tom did the same at No. 2, losing only in a tiebreaker to the Toreadors’ top player, Josh Tchan. “I’m used to playing with different partners, so it doesn’t phase me,” Shore said. “The key is to know each others’ weaknesses and try to hide them from your opponents as best you can. George’s forehand is better than his backhand so I played the ad court. He’s more aggressive at net than I am so he did most of the poaching and our strategy worked.” Mandelkern and Light lost just six games in three sets. Safii and Hays, who played together last year, lost only five games. “Our doubles are pretty strong, no matter who’s playing where,” Safii said. “I think we’ll be fine Friday as long as we remember not to be overconfident. Coach keeps reminding us just to play our tennis.” Ariel Oleynik won two sets at No. 3 singles, including a tiebreak victory over Taft’s No. 3 player Rashid Rahman, who had swept all four of his sets against the Dolphins in last year’s semifinals. Adam Deloje, Pali’s No. 1 player last season, won his last two sets at No. 4 singles, 6-4, 6-1. Kling announced his revamped lineup on the bus on the way to the match. “When we found out Stephen [Surjue] wasn’t playing, we knew there were going to be some changes,” Hudak said. “It’s nothing new. The great thing about our team is that everyone contributes.” Granada Hills was equally impressive in its semifinal, routing third-seeded Eagle Rock, 23 to 6 1/2, to set up a match between the top two seeds. Although he believes the final could be close, Taft coach Tom Wright gives Palisades the edge. “I think Pali is just a little tougher. I see them winning by at least four points,” he said. “We’ve played both teams now and Pali beat us more convincingly.” Taft (13-3) actually beat the Highlanders, 4-3, in the first round of West Valley League play when Granada Hills was missing several players. Back on their home court, the Highlanders won the second meeting, 6-1. Though he acknowledged Palisades as the favorite, Highlanders’ coach Simon Robertshaw said his team is capable of an upset: “If we bring our ‘A’ game, we should be able to take them.”
Battery Powers Pali to Title
Cook’s Four-Hitter and Sunderland’s Tag Clinch Third Straight League Crown
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
It was not the best game he has ever pitched, but Tuesday afternoon’s gutsy four-hitter against Westchester might be the most important outing of Cole Cook’s career so far. Palisades High’s junior right-hander worked out of trouble in the fourth and again in the seventh to post a 3-2 victory that clinched the Dolphins’ third straight Western League championship and a berth in the City Section’s upper division playoffs. “The times I struggled it was because I was a little too hyped up,” said Cook, who struck out 12 batters and walked five. “I was overcompensating a little. I just told myself to settle down and start throwing strikes. If you don’t do that, it’s only going to get worse.” As heroic as Cook’s effort was, it may not have resulted in a win but for his catcher, Tim Sunderland. With runners on first and third and two out in the top of the seventh, the Comets gambled by sending both runners on a double steal but Pali first baseman Mitchell Schwartz alertly threw to Sunderland, who tagged out pinch runner Basilio Martinez at home plate to end the game. “We work on that play in practice just in case so we don’t get caught off guard,” Sunderland said. “My job on that play is to block as much of the plate as I can. When he saw that I had it, the guy tried to jump over my glove but I had it with both hands. I wanted to make sure he didn’t knock it loose.” Palisades (17-10 overall, 12-2 in league) plated a run off of Comets’ ace Flavio Ramos in the bottom of the third inning when Matt Skolnik led off with a double and scored on Andy Megee’s single to left field. Westchester (16-9, 11-3) loaded the bases with one out in the top of the fourth and Darrell Hudson walked to force home the tying run and end Cook’s streak of 21 consecutive scoreless innings. The Comets took the lead on a ball in the dirt but Cook struck out the next two batters to keep Pali in the game. “I knew my teammates would score some runs for me,” said Cook, who improved to 4-0 in league starts. “I have a lot of confidence in them.” It didn’t take long for the Dolphins to regain the lead. With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Johnny Bromberg doubled and Garrett Champion followed with a single that moved pinch runner Eric Verdun to third. After Cook walked to load the bases, Skolnik was hit in the back by the first pitch from Ramos, scoring Verdun. Then Bobby Hicks bunted down the left field line to score Champion with what proved to be the game-winning run. “It was important to win a close game like this heading into the playoffs,” Sunderland said. “We’ve been winning most of our league games by big margins so it feels good to know we can pull one out like this.” Although he did not have the best command of his pitches, Cook kept his emotions in check and threw strikeouts when he needed them most. Westchester’s best hitter, D’Arby Myers, popped to first in the first inning, walked in the fourth and struck out in the sixth. Myers homered off of Cook on April 18 at Westchester but Palisades capitalized on five Comet errors to win 14-3 in six innings. “Cole made a lot of quality pitches in clutch situations,” Pali co-coach Tom Seyler said. “He showed his true character out there. He knew what was at stake.” The victory gave the Dolphins a one-game lead over Westchester heading into today’s Western League finale against University at George Robert Field. Even if Pali loses and Westchester wins its last game, the Dolphins will finish in first place because they won all three head-to-head meetings with the Comets. City seedings will be annnounced Saturday and the playoffs open next Wednesday.
Marieke Douridas, 14; Past Marquez Student
Marieke Laura Douridas, a part-time Pacific Palisades resident and former Marquez Elementary School student, died April 30 at her family home in South Pasadena from a seizure. She was 14. An eighth grader at South Pasadena Middle School, Marieke was a consistent honor roll student and recently performed in the school’s production of “Grease.” A gifted actress, she had been accepted to the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) and won the 2006 Best Actress Award at the 168 Hour Film Festival for her role in the short film “Free of Charge.” Marieke is remembered by the many who loved her for her boundless generosity, her kindness, her quick and dazzling smile and her wonderful sense of humor. She was a talented visual artist who enjoyed listening to music and spending time with family and friends. Marieke adored animals of all sorts and often rescued stray neighborhood cats and dogs with her family. Although she had suffered periodic seizures since she was a small child, Marieke never let her condition stop her from wringing every ounce of joy out of each day she was given and sharing that joy with those around her. Before moving to South Pasadena, Marieke attended Little Red Schoolhouse in Hollywood and before that, Marquez Elementary. Funeral services were held May 6 at St. James Episcopal Church in South Pasadena. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the Marieke Douridas Foundation, 16133 Ventura Blvd., Ste 620, Encino, CA 91436, which will support causes that were close to Marieke’s heart. She is survived by her parents, Mieke Kramer and Jim Tavares of South Pasadena and Chris Douridas and Kendal Brenneman of Pacific Palisades; her brother Luka Douridas; and her grandparents, Marijke and Flip Kramer, Judi and Stuart Schmitz, Robert and Geraldine Tavares and William Douridas. She is also survived by nine aunts and uncles, as well as many additional relatives in Holland, Ohio and Texas.
Dick deVarennes, Advertising Executive
Dick deVarennes, a resident of Pacific Palisades from 1953 to 1994, passed away on April 7 at his home in Solana Beach, California. He was 84. Born Richard Oliver deVarennes on October 20, 1921, he grew up in Evanston, Illinois. He attended Colgate University in New York on a basketball scholarship for two years until he was drafted into the U.S. Air Corps, where he served as a flight instructor in various aircraft, including the B-29 Flying Fortress. After his discharge, he completed college at Colgate University, graduating with a degree in business. He followed his older brother to California and, while visiting his brother, who lived on Evans Road in Rustic Canyon, met his wife Nancy, who was visiting friends next door. They married, moved to the Palisades and had three children together. DeVarennes worked for the Hearst Corporation managing the West Coast advertising division of Good Housekeeping magazine for 40 years. He was an avid tennis player and snow skier and engaged in these activities with his wife, children and friends. Favorite family trips included Yosemite and Mammoth for snow skiing and the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club every summer for wave rafting, tennis and beach barbecues. He coached his son’s youth baseball team at the Palisades Recreation Center, was very active in the PTA organizations at both Paul Revere Junior High and Palisades High, and attended any event his three children were involved in. After retiring, deVarennes moved with his second wife Marti to Solana Beach, where he continued to enjoy playing tennis and traveling. He is survived by his wife Marti; his children, Anne deVarennes and Suzanne Norton of Pacific Palisades, and Jim deVarennes of Malibu; and grandchildren Michael, Patrick and Megan Norton, and Kali, Riley and Griffin deVarennes. Also his stepchildren Alyson Breathed and Berkeley Breathed and step-grandchildren Caity and Maggie Collins, Milo and Sophie Breathed and Chelsey Kubik. Donations can be made in his name to Heal the Bay, by going online to donate@healthebay.org or by calling (800) HEAL BAY, ext. 161.
Diana Jonsson; Passionate Artist, Museum Docent and Benefactor
Diana Gordon Jonsson, a Pacific Palisades resident since 1958, passed away unexpectedly on April 28. She was loved by everyone whose life she touched. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1930, and raised there, Diana graduated from Wellesley College with a degree in political science. She was a passionate artist, and made many friends at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, where she was a docent for more than 30 years. She was a long-time supporter and volunteer at many organizations, including Childrens Hospital, the Westside Charity League and the Garden Rakes garden club. In addition to volunteer work, Diana is remembered for her love of family, friends, reading, walking, tennis, and especially her cats. She and her husband Ken, who were married a week after they graduated from college (Ken from MIT), were also active in the Palisades Presbyterian Church. She shared her husband’s commitment to UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, which was established in 1974. In an interview with the Palisadian-Post in 1997, Ken explained the couple’s gift-giving strategy. “Diana and I decided to stop the hit-or-miss giving and donate a lot of money to one or two things and make more of an impact. We saved all the requests for money that we’d received throughout the year, then sat down to make some decisions. One request that stood out was a letter from the executive director of the California Institute for Cancer Research. On her own, she had written to some folks in the Palisades inviting us to come over to UCLA to see what they were doing in cancer research. “Back then’in the early ’60s’they had one paid employee, and all the money went directly to research. That impressed us, so we decided to support the organization.” In addition to her husband of 53 years, Kenneth, Diana is survived by her children, Mark, Mike, Erik, and Anne; and her eight grandchildren. Memorial services are pending. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, or another charity of one’s choice.
Monday: Day Without Immigrants at Mort’s
Jose, who has worked as a cook at Mort’s Palisades Deli for seven years, was not in his usual spot in the kitchen on Monday morning making mashed potatoes or soup. Neither were Aurelio or Albino or Eloy, the latter having worked as a waiter at the restaurant for 20 years. All four were supporting the “Day Without Immigrants” rally downtown which drew some 600,000 marchers. Owner Bobbie Farberow, who was prepared for her staff’s absence, said she will not penalize any of the 45 workers who did not show up for work. “We asked two weeks ago how many would work on May 1, and only three said they would,” Farberow explained. “Since we knew we couldn’t run the restaurant with just three workers we decided not to open on Monday. I certainly understand why they wanted to participate in the rally and I was happy to see so many American flags.” Manager Esperanza Calderon, who has worked at Mort’s for nearly 20 years and did not attend the rally, said missing a day of work was a difficult decision for many of the deli workers. “While they wanted to be loyal to her [Bobbie], at the same time many of them felt that they had to go to the rally because when they got their legal status there was someone there to help them and now they had to help the others, even though they lost a day’s pay,” Calderon explained. The majority of workers at Mort’s have been employed at the popular eatery for at least a decade. According to Farberow, all of these long-term employees have legal immigrant status, which she and her late husband Mort helped several of them attain, “by referring lawyers, sometimes paying their legal fees. We did whatever we could to move the process along, even sponsoring some of them.” Monday’s rally grew out of an immigration reform bill passed by the House of Representatives last December that called for building a fence along the U.S-Mexico border and toughening laws by making it a felony to be in the U.S. illegally or for employers to hire undocumented workers. Last month, a less draconian proposal was put forth in the Senate that would institute a guest-worker program and eventually provide a path to permanent residency for all illegal immigrants. Albino Fuentes, who has worked at Mort’s for 16 years, marched with his wife, Maria Carrillo, who works part-time in a restaurant and cares for their nine-year-old daughter, Kimberly, who attended school Monday. Fuentes, who emigrated from Oaxaca, Mexico, did not realize how massive the rally was until he saw aerial coverage on the evening news. He said the mood was of good cheer the three hours he and his wife walked. He was particularly moved by the chant: “El gigante no estaba dormiendo. Estaba trabajando!” (“The giant wasn’t sleeping. The giant was working!”), which he felt aptly described what immigrants’both legal and illegal’have been doing in this country since the time they arrived. Taking part in the rally made Fuentes feel like “crying,” he told the Palisadian-Post on Tuesday. Other Palisades restaurants that closed Monday included Cafe Vida, Kay ‘N Dave’s and Mogan’s.
Local Democrats Honor Ellsberg, Kovic
The Pacific Palisades Democratic Club, making its banquet debut after decades of bagle-and-coffee affairs, savored an outpouring of support Sunday night as 234 people paid $125 apiece to celebrate the life of the late Anne Froehlich. Gathering at the Fairmont Hotel in Santa Monica, the audience heard long and engaging speeches by honorees Daniel Ellsberg and Ron Kovic, who each received a Froehlich Award for Political Courage, in honor of Anne’s “lifelong commitment to civil rights and civil liberties.” She was also one of the club’s founders. “Before Anne died last year she shared her rationale with me for her lifetime of work devoted to the Democratic Party,” said club president Joe Halper. “As a Holocaust survivor, It was her conviction that Hitler could not have come to power had the Jews of Europe been more engaged in political life. Her message to the assembled would have been the importance of staying engaged to preserve democracy.”
Swarthmore Unresolved a Year Later
At least half a dozen merchants in the 1000 block of Swarthmore have been in limbo for over a year now regarding their new leases with Palisades Partners, a multifamily trust which owns almost all of the 22 commercial properties in the coveted half-block of prime village real estate. The retailers first learned details about a proposed rent increase last March, which would see most of them paying almost double (from approximately $2.50 a square foot to nearly $5). At the time, several store owners said they simply could not afford the increase and feared they would be forced out of business. Another stumbling block was the length of the leases being proposed. Most of the merchants wanted to go from their month-to-month agreements to longer terms (from three to five years), with options to renew’since they have to bear the full cost of any improvements to their establishments. To date, the Palisadian-Post has been able to confirm that only two of the 15 store merchants involved in protracted negotiations with the landlord have signed agreements. Bob Benton, owner of Bentons The Sport Shop, which has been on Swarthmore for 23 years, signed a long-term lease last summer. Angelo Sambeat, who with his wife Cynthia has been doing business on Swarthmore since 1981, said he signed a five-year lease in the fall. The couple recently refurbished both of their restaurants’Dante’s and Atrio Cucina. In December and January, the landlord stepped up efforts to conclude other lease agreements, giving several merchants ultimatums to either accept the new leases or be replaced by more upscale retailers. However, the pressure appeared to ease this past month, fueling speculation that Palisades Partners is considering selling its commercial interests on both Swarthmore and Sunset. The Palisadian-Post sent a fax on Monday to Robert Stelzl, one of the three trustees, asking him if the properties are available for sale, as well as the status of the lease agreements, but as of our Wednesday deadline we had received no response. Meanwhile, Palisades Beauty Supply and Michele International, both owned by the McCrory-Irwin family, have not yet signed a new lease, even though they recently completed a remodel of their hair salon at their own expense and with the permission of the landlord. Roy Robbins, incoming Chamber of Commerce president, is still waiting to sign a lease for his gift and stationery shop at 1030 Swarthmore. Although he talked with the landlord about the possibility of downsizing his current space, he said he has recently heard “nothing” about this. While Ivy Greene has secured a long-term lease for Rumours, the girls clothing store she opened with Palisadian Ceci Dean last September at 1014 Swarthmore, she is still working on an agreement for her adjacent children’s store at 1020 Swarthmore. Also still without leases are the owners of the Prince’s Table, Village Books, and Terri’s Restaurant. Unknown at this time is the lease status of Palisades Playthings, Mort’s Deli and the adjoining Oak Room. While Palisades Partners took back about 500 sq. ft. adjacent to the Oak Room last October, which was being used by owner Bobbie Farberow as an office, the space is still unoccupied. The only other storefront available on Swarthmore is the former Emerson-LaMay Cleaners at 1045 Swarthmore, which has been vacant since April 2003. A la Tarte at 1037 Swarthmore is not seeking a new lease. Owners Bert and Bonnie Yellen put their popular French restaurant on the market last September. The bistro is still for sale.
