Ann King, a well-known advertising art director and graphic designer, died June 13 at her home in Topanga, after an extended battle with cancer. She was 72. A former resident of Pacific Palisades, King worked for more than 35 years in the advertising, art and design communities in Los Angeles. She spent 15 years as an art director at Foote, Cone & Belding during the 1970s when FCB was the largest ad agency on the West Coast. She won numerous ad industry awards, notably for her work on behalf of United California Bank and the U. S. Forest Service, where she helped make Smokey the Bear one of the best-known advertising icons in America. King also worked on the Carnation account while at Erwin Wasey during the 1960s and was with the ad firms Campbell & Wagman and Kresser/Craig during the 1980s and ’90s. Most recently, she ran her own graphic design studio and was a member of Topanga Canyon Gallery, which exhibited her paintings, some of which were abstractions based on her experiences battling cancer. Born in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1932, Ann was the daughter of Roberta Tremayne and Richard Stiefel, a prominent surgeon. She attended school in Battle Creek until her junior year, when she went to The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York to study art. Her art education continued in New York City at the famed Parsons School of Design. She married David Barker King of Battle Creek in 1954, and their daughter Laura was born in New York in 1958 and their son Trevor in 1962, after the family moved to Pacific Palisades. Laura and Trevor attended Palisades High School as well as Crossroads School. Divorced after 13 years, King continued her art education at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, which led to her entry into the advertising industry at a time when it employed only a handful of women at a professional level. She quickly rose to the top of her field. As an art director, King was known for her exquisite taste as well as her ability to bring concept to design. In recent years, she designed catalogs for some of the most prestigious private schools in Los Angeles, including Harvard-Westlake and John Thomas Dye. In 1990, King purchased land in Topanga Canyon and built a home there that was featured in Architectural Digest in 1995. She is survived by her son, Trevor, of Brooklyn and by her brother, Richard, of Mt. Airy, North Carolina. Her daughter, Laura, died in 1998. King was affiliated with St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Pacific Palisades where she served on the Vestry from 2003-2005. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to St. Matthew’s, attention Ann King Memorial Fund or to the Wellness Community in Santa Monica.
Engagements and Weddings
Skylar Little and Christopher Meinhardt Are Married at the Firestone Vineyard Richard and Paulette Little of Pacific Palisades are pleased to announce the marriage of their daughter, Skylar Martine Little, to Ryan Christopher Meinhardt. The wedding was a sunset ceremony on October 8, 2004, at the Firestone Vineyard in Los Olivos. The bride, 27, is a Palisades native, having attended Palisades Elementary, St. Matthew’s, Marymount High School, and graduated from UCLA. She played three years in the women’s professional soccer league (Washington Freedom), and currently works for Show the Love, a jewelry design company in the Palisades. The bridegroom, 30, was born and reared in Jefferson City, Missouri, and graduated from the University of Kansas. He is director of marketing for G.A. Gertmenian and plans to return to school in the fall for an MBA. The couple honeymooned in Tahiti and now reside in their first home in Westchester with their two dogs. Craven and Silverman Plan July 17 Wedding Kimberly Craven, formerly of Pacific Palisades, and Ryan Silverman are engaged and will be married at the Bel-Air Bay Club on July 17. The bride-to-be is the daughter of Linda McCann and step-daughter of Joseph J. McCann, Jr. She was born in New York City and moved to Pacific Palisades with her parents in 1979. She attended St. Matthew’s and studied at the School of American Ballet in New York City after graduating from Westlake School for Girls in Bel-Air. She was presented in the National Charity League’s Debutante Ball in 1985. After the School of American Ballet, she joined the Pennsylvania Ballet Company. A dancer, singer and actress, she has performed in four Broadway shows and had leading roles in ‘Swing,’ ‘Mama Mia’ and ‘Movin’ Out’ in Los Angeles. The bridegroom, son of Glenda and Gary Silverman, was born in Grande Prairie, Canada. He attended Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, Alberta, for his theatre arts degree and North American Institute of Technology in Edmonton, where he studied radio broadcasting. An actor and singer, he has performed extensively in Vancouver, had the lead role of Sky in the U.S. tour of ‘Mama Mia’ and played Tony in the European tour of ‘West Side Story.’ He is currently the lead in ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ and will be the understudy for the lead role in ‘Wicked’ in Chicago. The couple will live in New York City after their marriage. Patrick Hasselbach, Christine Strom Plan August Wedding in Colorado Bill and Gale Hasselbach, formerly of Pacific Palisades and now living in Monument, Colorado, announced the engagement of their son, Patrick, to Christine Strom. Daughter of Richard and Kathleen Strom, also of Monument, the bride-to-be received a doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Colorado at Boulder and works at the University Hospital in Denver, Colorado. The bridegroom attended Palisades High and graduated from UC Berkeley. He a computer consultant at Entersolve Solutions in Boulder, Colorado. The couple will be married on August 13 in Breckenridge, Colorado and will reside in Denver. Scott Rognlien and Maia Peters Exchange Vows at Descanso Gardens Scott Rognlien, son of Bruce and Marleen Rognlien of Pacific Palisades, and Maia Peters, daughter of Holly and Jim Peters of Texas, were married on May 29 at Decanso Gardens in La Ca’ada. The bridegroom grew up in the Palisades, attended Canyon Elementary School, Brentwood School, and graduated in June 1993 from Northwestern with a bachelor’s degree in performance studies. In 1997, he studied for a year abroad in London and at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, England. He returned to England after college and completed a graduate program in acting at the Webber Douglas Dramatic Academy in London. He returned to Los Angeles in the fall of 2000 and met Maia soon after that at a mutual friend’s Halloween party. Scott choose to propose to Maia on the Palisades bluffs overlooking the ocean, one of his favorite spots. Maia Peters grew up in Dallas, Texas, and graduated from USC with a bachelor’s degree in theater and acting. Both have been very active in L.A. Theater, while maintaining regular (day) jobs. Together, with some other fellow actors, they have launched a new theater company called The Next Arena.
John Keys Pipes for LAFD
John Keys is exactly the kind of man you’d be proud to know: kind, dependable, giving and interesting. For 30 of his 32 years as a paramedic for Los Angeles County Fire Department, he’s been the sole department bagpiper. For 17 of those years he’s been a stalwart at Station 69. ‘He’s a legend in the fire service,’ says Ted Acquirro, secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles Firemen’s Relief Association. In the late 1970s, Acquirro was on a committee to improve the Fire Department Memorial. In Joseph Wambaugh’s ‘The Onion Field’ there was a description of a bagpiper playing at the services of a slain police officer: ‘The wail. Clear and piercing. Eerily distant at first. I knew it was coming but still I started trembling when I heard it. Back, back, up on the hillside he was. The solo piper. That solitary piper. Playing that ancient plaintive dirge for clansmen killed in battle.’ Ted thought a bagpiper would add an air of dignity and distinction to the memorial and sent out a plea to the membership for one. If he could find a piper, he would be continuing a 150-year U.S. tradition of pipers playing at funerals that had started with Irish immigrants. When the Irish first came to the United States, they encountered massive discrimination. The only jobs they were allowed to hold were dirty or dangerous as firefighters or policeman. Irish firefighter’s funerals always had a bagpiper as was the custom for Irish funerals. It wasn’t long before that tradition was adopted for non-Irish firefighters as well. Keys was the only person to respond to Acquirro’s search for a piper. He has played at every annual Fire Memorial service since. While the names of all the firefighters who have died from the 1800s to the present are read, John stands on a hill behind the site and plays ‘Amazing Grace’ over and over until all the deceased have been recognized. He admits that where he’s standing, he can’t hear the names, and has to be cued when to stop playing. Shortly after the first memorial service, Keys started playing at individual firemen’s funerals. Acquirro notes that for over 20 years, Keys did it on his own.’He never took a penny or accepted any form of payment. If someone gave him something, he would donate it to the Widows and Orphan’s Fund.’ Acquirro explained that in order to play for funerals Keys would take a day off from work or use his vacation time. About 10 years ago, the department realized all Keys had done and started providing his transportation, as well as covering for him at work. Currently, the department is actively looking for another bagpiper to replace Keys, who is scheduled to retire in three years. Keys started playing the bagpipes when he was 14 or 15. Although bagpipes were a family tradition, trumpet was his first instrument. He played trumpet and tuba in high school and went on to major in music at Cal State L.A. After college he served with the U.S. Naval Reserve and was stationed in Germany where he was with the intelligence security group monitoring the Russian missile system. After his stint in the military, he worked on an ambulance for Los Angeles County for a year, before joining the Los Angeles Fire Department as a single-function paramedic. At the time, people trained solely as paramedics or solely as firefighters. The Department has now shifted so that most of their staff are trained as both. For the next few weeks, when he’s on vacation, he’ll be teaching at the Seamus MacNeill’s California Summer School of Piping in Carlsbad. The school is run through the College of Piping based in Glasgow, Scotland. The camp takes all levels of pipers and they have students from as far away as Japan. Whenever Keys plays, he dresses in the appropriate attire. Scottish shoes, called Gillie Brogues, have top-notched openings with extra long shoe laces that wind around the back of the knee socks and tie, allowing loops to hang in front. Garters, called flashers, have small cloth rectangular pieces and are placed on the socks to hold them up. Knee socks can be different colors. Keys likes to wear his green ones for St. Patrick’s Day, and black for funerals. Since kilts lack pockets, bagpipers keep their wallets in a Sporran, a small purse. Key’s first piping teacher sold him his kilt, a WW II Combat tartan from the Cameron Highlanders of Canada, consisting of eight yards of medium wool. When representing the fire department he wears the regulation black dress shirt, black tie, and badge. The hat, called a Glengary Bonnet, is also black with a fire department badge on it. In England, it’s customary to wear a small wreath around the badge on the hat. John said he couldn’t find one, so he improvised by substituting the wreath displayed above a Cadillac door lock. ‘It’s from PEP Boys.’ One Saint Patrick’s Day, he was playing at Brentwood School, dressed to the hilt, when an emergency signal came from the Mandeville Canyon area. Keys explains, ‘I ran a call in my kilt. The firemen didn’t care, the patient didn’t care, the emergency room technicians didn’t care.’ Living in Oceanside with his wife Maureen and his son Johnny, who’s a sophomore in Rancho Crista High School in Vista, Keys also collects old firefighter memorabilia. He owns a 1924 Seagrave Fire Truck as well as several vintage firemen’s helmets, and a collection of firefighter badges that date back to 1886. He plans to donate them all to the Firefighter’s museum in the’Old Fire Station 27′ in Hollywood. The Fire Department bagpiper has gone to funeral services all over Southern California. He usually plays the escort in with the song ‘Going Home.’ If there’s not a graveside service, he’ll play ‘Amazing Grace’ as the coffin is escorted out. If there’s a graveside service, at the Flag Folding ceremony, he’ll play ‘Fleurs of the Forest,’ a haunting Scottish melody. When asked how he deals with the sadness, his eyes mist and he says, ‘If it gets too emotional I can’t stay in there. I can’t do my job.’ He pauses and then adds, ‘I don’t normally sit in the services.’ Four Corona fire department fighters were killed in a plane crash several years ago, and Keys broke his tradition by staying. He said one of the widows spoke, followed by a tape of the deceased’s four-year-old saying good-bye. ‘It affected me for a long time.’
Local College Graduates
LAURA CONLEY, UC San Diego Laura Conley, daughter of Bryan and Mary Conley, received her M.D. degree June 5 at a ceremony at UC San Diego. Her grandparents, Scott and Dorothy Libbey, have lived in Pacific Palisades since 1952. Her sister, Sarah Conley, lives with her husband Roman Beck and one-year-old son in San Diego. Laura attended Corpus Christi School and graduated from St. Matthew’s Parish School, from Marymount High School (1994), and from UCLA in 2000 with a degree in psychology. Laura’s internship begins shortly at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica. Her residency next year, also at UCLA, will be in family medicine. EDWARD GRUBB, Bucknell University Edward M. Grubb, son of Michael and Ruth Grubb, graduated May 22 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and political science from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Edward is a 2001 graduate of Palisades Charter High School. CHARLES MONTZ, Brown University Charles Robert Montz, son of Donna Shoupe of Pacific Palisades, received a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy, magna cum laude, from Brown University on May 29. KENT McINTOSH, University of Oregon Kent McIntosh, son of Jennifer and Jim McIntosh, graduated in June with his Ph.D. in school psychology from the University of Oregon. McIntosh attended Palisades Elementary and Village School, and graduated cum laude from Brentwood School in 1993. As a member of local Troop 223, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout. McIntosh received his undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Duke University in 1997 with a major in English. While at Duke, he became director of Project Wild, an outdoor wilderness program offered to Duke students. Following graduation, McIntosh became an Outward Bound Instructor, leading ‘at risk’ groups of adolescents in wilderness experiences. While in graduate school, he has led kayaking trips on the Columbia, Green and Rogue Rivers, as well as rivers in Maine and Canada, and has paddled Class V rapids. Kent’s thesis topic is ‘Academic, Behavioral and Functional Predictors of Chronic Problem Behavior in Elementary Grades.’ He will be performing postdoctoral research at the University of Oregon in the next academic year. JONNY KOHL, University of Colorado, Boulder Jonny Kohl, son of Sue and Jon Kohl, graduated in June from the University of Colorado at Boulder, with a bachelor’s degree in communications. He is the brother of Courtney, David, Kristin and Gunnar Kohl. Jonny graduated from Loyola High School in 2001, where he played varsity volleyball. Future plans other than surfing are unknown.
Palisades Pacesetters
C.J. Schellenberg, a 6-8 opposite hitter at Loyola High, was named CIF Southern Section Division I Player of the Year last week. Schellenberg, one of eight Palisadians on the team, led the Cubs to their third consecutive CIF title last month. Loyola upset top-seeded Mira Costa in four games in the finals and Schellenberg led the way with 17 kills and 10 digs. Headed for USC in the fall, Schellenberg was also selected boys’ high school Player of the Year by Mizuno/Volleyball Magazine. Brennan Boesch, a sophomore center fielder at Cal, made the 2005 Pac-10 All-Conference team, announced June 1 by Conference Commissioner Tom Hansen. Boesch led the Golden Bears with a .355 batting average (sixth in the Pac-10) and had 21 doubles (fifth in Pac-10), two triples, seven home runs and 33 RBIs. He also had a .567 slugging percentage with 77 hits (sixth in Pac-10) and 123 total bases. David Gadelha, Director of the Palisades Recreation Center, will be presented with an Outsanding Service Award at the Rotary Club’s June 30 meeting at Mort’s Oak Room. ‘David is being recognized for the fantastic job he has done in revitalizing the programs at the park,’ Rotary Vocational Services Director Scott Warner said. The meeting begins at 7:30 a.m.
Coldwell Banker Sponsors Annual Will Rogers Races
With the 28th annual Palisades-Will Rogers 5/10K races right around the corner, pre-registration for the Fourth of July event, along with a Kids’ Fun Run, is now underway at the Palisades Recreation Center. Sponsored for the fifth consecutive year by Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage of Greater Los Angeles, the race will wind through streets of Huntington Palisades and on to the grueling switchbacks of Will Rogers State Park. Proceeds will go to the Pacific Palisades Optimist Club to benefit local youth activities. One of the more popular and most difficult 10K races in California, Will Rogers has consistently attracted over 3,000 participants of all ages, from young children to seniors 80 and over. Past races have included runners from all over the United States and even other countries. ‘Coldwell Banker’s commitment and dedication to the community it serves remains intensely at the heart of our goals and visions,’ said Betty Graham, president and COO of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Greater Los Angeles. ‘We have always believed that Coldwell Banker is only as strong as the community that surrounds us and we are extremely proud to continue this community tradition.’ To obtain pre-registration forms for the 5K, 10K and Kids’ Run, visit either of two local Coldwell Banker locations: Palisades West (15240 Sunset Boulevard) or Palisades East (15101 Sunset Boulevard). The entry fee for the 5/10K is $25 and the fee for the Kids’ Run is $10 for those registering before Monday, June 27. Race-day registration will be conducted at the Pali Rec Center from 6:30 a.m. until 8 a.m. for an additional $10. The 5/10K races will begin at 8:15 sharp while the Kids’ Run will follow at 9:15 a.m. Medals will be awarded to first, second and third place finishers in 28 divisions(14 male and 14 female) in the 5/10K races. The Kid’s Run, for ages 12 and under, is non-competitive and each participant will receive a ribbon and a flag. For more information, please contact Robbie Sedway at 454-1111 or log onto the official race Web site at www.palisades10k.com.
Staying Focused on the Future
‘Senioritis’ is a disease that afflicts many athletes at the high school level, especially those who have already committed to college. Not that Dylan Cohen would know anything about that. While many of his peers have celebrated their waning days at Palisades with parties and field trips, Cohen spends three hours a day in the weight room, preparing himself for next season. He won’t walk the aisle to receive his diploma until tonight, but the Palisades High senior has been focused on his future since the school year began in September. And it is that same focus, hard work and desire to be the best he can be that earned Cohen the Palisadian-Post Cup Award as this year’s outstanding athlete at last Friday night’s senior awards banquet. ‘I figured I was a candidate to win, but there are a lot of good athletes at this school,’ Cohen says. ‘But I’m very proud to be part of the tradition. It’s a good way to end my career.’ It is hard enough to excel in one sport, let alone two, yet Cohen was the starting quarterback, punter and placekicker on the varsity football team and the starting shortstop on the Dolphins’ baseball team. He set two goals for himself prior to the start of the season, both of which he accomplished by year’s end. ‘First, I wanted to make All-City in both sports and secondly I wanted to get accepted to a Division I school,’ Cohen says. ‘I’m glad that everything has worked out the way it did.’ That happened not by chance, but because of Cohen’s commitment to his craft and his teammates, even throughout a frustrating football season during which the Dolphins won only one of 10 games. Still, Cohen never complained and displayed a leadership in the huddle that his fellow players respected and his coaches appreciated. ‘A lot of people have asked me why I’ve played two sports instead of focusing on just one,’ Cohen says. ‘I’m glad I did both and I would do it again if I had the choice. Not a lot of kids can say they were All-City in two sports.’ And though he will focus on baseball at the University of San Diego next spring, Cohen insists playing football has helped his mentality and focus on the baseball diamond as well. ‘You need strong legs for football, so I’ve gotten a lot stronger because of it. And I’m not afraid to get in front of a hard hit ground ball because I’m used to taking big hits from big guys in football. So I’m not afraid of being hurt by a little white ball, no matter how fast it’s coming.’ After three months of tossing spirals and booming kicks on the football field, Cohen switched to firing strikes to first base and blasting home runs over outfield fences. He was one of the most productive players in the City Section this season, batting .603 with 47 hits, 37 RBIs, eight home runs and eight doubles. His slugging percentage was an impressive 1.115 and he struck out only six times in 78 plate appearances. ‘We would not have had the success we did this year without Dylan,’ PaliHi baseball coach Tom Seyler says. ‘He has been the cornerstone of our program for four years and we’re going to miss him.’ Reflecting back on the season, Cohen cites a home run he hit against defending champion Chatsworth in the City Section quarterfinals as his fondest memory. ‘That’s something I’ll remember for a long time. It was just exciting to do that against a team of that stature.’ Cohen lives in Venice but enjoyed his experience at PaliHi. Though he hasn’t decided on a major, his favorite subject is psychology. He credits English teacher Ms. Capelli for teaching him to write well and he also enjoyed John Lissauer’s government class. ‘I’ll miss the diversity of the student body and all the good friendships I’ve made,’ he says. Though heavily recruited by bigger schools, Cohen chose the University of San Diego because Toreros coach Rich Hill told him he will have a great opportunity right from the start to keep doing what he loves best’play baseball. ‘The main reason I picked USD is because I’ll be competing for a spot at second or third base right away,’ Cohen says. ‘That’s what I wanted to hear. All you can ask for is a chance and that’s what I’m being given. That program also places a lot of emphasis on preparing players for the pros, which is eventually where I want to get.’ As much fun and success as he has enjoyed the last four years, Cohen is looking forward to facing the challenges of the future. ‘I’m ready to move on. I’ve been preparing myself for the next step since the beginning of my senior year. My goal for next year is to start as a freshman and I think I can.’ No one at Palisades will be surprised if he does just that.
An Eye For Photography
When he’s not on assignment for the Palisadian-Post, staff photographer Rich Schmitt is busy freelancing for clients like UCLA and Pepperdine or wire services like AFP. The diversity and scope of Schmitt’s work, captured here through his photographs, spreads from national news, to sports, politics and entertainment. ‘What I love about my job is that one day I can be photographing horses up at Will Rogers and the next day I’m covering George Bush,’ Schmitt says. ‘The Post editors have been nothing but supportive and I appreciate them giving me the freedom to tackle other assignments. But my loyalty lies with the Palisadian-Post. I love my job there.’
Marquez Celebrates 50th Year
By WENDY HAMACHER Special to the Palisadian-Post Marquez Charter Elementary School celebrated its 50th birthday on June 5, and in true Palisades fashion hosted a party that attracted students, parents, alumni and neighbors to a day of festivities and nostalgia. ”Around town, it’s no secret that Marquez is a high-achieving school with its innovative teachers and bright students, not to mention loyal community support, but imagine being a student from one of the first graduating classes reliving old memories from the 1950s? ”That was the tale of the day when a small group of students from the Class of ’59 gathered around old school photos of classmates and teachers. Naturally, their memories of childhood at Marquez are fond ones, and to some it was like going back in time. ” ‘It’s amazing how little the school has really changed,’ said Tom Betts, the man responsible for gathering up the old gang, who this spring has also been coordinating the upcoming Class of ’65 reunion at Palisades High. ‘Looking at the overall footprint of this school, it’s the same as it was when it opened.’ ”Betts, along with other Class of ’59 students like Suzanne Thomas, Pam Wilkes and Mark Matthews, exchanged hugs and laughter while looking at some of the old class photos. ”’This teacher right here in this photo, Miss Lillig, seems to be a teacher all of us remember,’ Betts said. ‘She was one of those who was definitely in command of the classroom. We may have been a bunch of cut-ups, but nobody fooled around in her class.’ ”’She was remarkable,’ said Suzanne Thomas. ‘She was a very strong teacher.’ ” Mark Matthews recalled the first time he ever heard a student, who happened to be one of his best friends at the time, talk back to a teacher (certainly not Miss Lillig). ”’My old friend Greg Braunger, he’s now deceased but during recess he told the art teacher to ‘go to hell.’ I tell ya I’ll never forget that.’ ”Other ’59 classmates who showed up for a reunion photograph included Marion Imhoff Foster, Kathy Thomas Perez, Suzanne Thomas, Emmet Acterman, Stuart Borden, Dave Bennett, John Lawton, Lyle Harper and Andrew Bokelman. ”They were second graders when Marquez opened in 1955, some of them transferring from Palisades Elementary as new school boundaries split the community in half. Houses were popping up all over town, especially in the Marquez Knolls area, and the post-World War II baby boom was hitting the schools. ” The alumni said they felt fortunate to have attended a school that brought parents, teachers and students together as a family. ”’It was the opportunities we were afforded and it was a magnet even when it opened up,’ Betts said. ‘The teachers were the cream of the crop.’ ”Marion Heller taught at Marquez for 37 years and recalls being welcomed with open arms when she started in 1965. ‘It was so wonderful, just wonderful’the best move I ever made,’ she said. She still keeps track of many of her students and is pleased when they come back to the Palisades to raise their families. ”’To see the kids grow up and then to see their kids, you know, it’s just the neatest thing.’
Post’s Donohue Wins Farberow Award
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Roberta Donohue, longtime publisher of the Palisadian-Post, former Chamber of Commerce president and town booster has been named the Mort Farberow Businessperson of the Year, in honor of the late deli owner and godfather of the Palisades. ”Embedded in the town since her childhood, Donohue exemplifies the three C’s that underlie the Farberow award: Community, Chamber and Children. ”It is not surprising that Roberta developed her love for the town through community service and support. Her father, Rocco Ross, owned the local Mobil station and lent his time, money and leadership to community activities. ”Suspending her business school studies in order to care for her ailing mother, Roberta found her first part-time job as a typesetter at the Palisadian-Post in 1972, and stayed to make a career. ”’How right they were when they told me that once newspaper ink gets into your blood, it never leaves you,’ Roberta said in an interview. ”While her professional life was developing, Roberta took on more duties at the newspaper, mastering not only the printing business, but also the administrative side, and eventually was promoted to publisher in 1987. ”Along the way, she married Richard Donohue, and the couple became parents in 1990. Roberta, patterning after her own father, has always managed to integrate family with work, and her daughter Jennifer, now 15, found love and companionship at the Post. From the nursing days right up to the present, Jennifer has been a welcome member of the newspaper family. Now completing her freshman year at Palisades High School, Jennifer played JV volleyball and played violin with the school orchestra. ”Indeed, Roberta’s activities with both the Chamber of Commerce and other nonprofit organizations have focused primarily on promoting family and community. She has co-chaired the Chamber’s Village Fair, Santa’s visit and the Auto Show. And she has worked prodigiously with Las Doradas, serving as a patron for the organization that supports a preschool and child center in Venice ”’My focus has always been to make sure that the Chamber events be family oriented, that kids were encouraged to participate,’ Donohue said. ‘I remember that when my dad was involved in the Optimist Club; we kids loved the carnivals and fireworks sponsored by the club at the Recreation Center. ”In her term as Chamber president in 2000, Roberta expanded the notion of the Village Fair (formerly Moonlight Madness) to include young kids, and for the past 20 years has been a loyal elf assisting Santa on his annual visit to Swarthmore. ”’Mort and I both loved the Holiday Ho! Ho! Ho! We believed in the spirit of Santa because it brought such a fun time for children.’ ”Friendly, open and encouraging to young people, Roberta is a frequent speaker at career days at local public schools, and an accommodating host to young people who want to learn about the newspaper business. ”Roberta first worked with Mort in 1987 when she became Post publisher. ‘He reminded me a lot of my dad, who had passed away,’ she said. ‘They both believed in the values of hard work and giving young people a chance. My dad came to America at 15 and he understood how hard it was to get started in this country.’ ”The last time Roberta had a long conversation with Mort was in the summer of 2002. ‘He and Bobbie (his wife) and I were at a board planning meeting. After the meeting, we sat around and talked about the old times and the values that we shared.’ ”Donohue will be honored next Thursday, June 23 at the annual Chamber of Commerce Installation Dinner at the Riviera Country Club.
