Laura Shepard Townsend will talk about ‘The Gypsy’s Song,’ her historical novel about a Rom (gypsy) girl who flees from Romania during World War I to Venice, California, on Thursday, April 28, 7:30 p.m. at Village Books, 1049 Swarthmore. Joining Townsend to celebrate will be Palisadian flamenco guitarist Charles Henry Schwartz and dancer Patricia Purwin. The couple will open with an escobilla d’alegras, a brushing dance, segue into a buleria, and finish with the mother of flamenco forms, the solearis. Because the Rom rarely associate with anyone but their own kind, little is known about these secretive and romantic people. Townsend will give an illustrated presentation on what she has learned about the wisdom of the Rom in the early 20th century, a time when ‘the gypsies’ wandered about the world in their painted and gilded wagons. Townsend will also discuss the writing of ‘The Gypsy’s Song,’ read excerpts and sign books. Since coming to California in 1975 Townsend has produced commercials and later moved over to writing scripts for films and commercials. Over the last eight years, she has been plotting her quartet ‘Destiny’s Consent,’ and writing ‘The Gypsy’s Song,’ which is the first in a series. In Book One she lays the foundation of Angelica Grastende’s journey. Grastende, a Gypsy girl, lives an idyllic childhood within her Rom ‘klan’ in the Europe of 1913. Abruptly, this all changes with the onset of ‘The Great War,’ when the persecution of the Gypsies becomes increasingly more violent, and a great misfortune occurs to the klan with a terrible reprisal. Angelica and her family are forced on an odyssey, which takes them over the Atlantic Ocean and eventually across the America of the 1920s. Born to entertain, all find jobs in a small family circus, and small, daring Angelica becomes a celebrity flying on the trapeze. The Gipsy Kings have kindly donated a copy of their new acoustical CD, ‘Roots,’ which will be raffled off Thursday night. Wine and cheese will be served.
William Brown, 89; Former Co-Owner of Palisadian-Post
William W. (Bill) Brown, a retired U.S. Navy Reserve officer and former co-owner/publisher of the Palisadian-Post and the Chisholm Tribune-Herald (in Minnesota), died March 28 at his home in Lake Forest, California. He was 89. Brown and his twin brother Charles were athletes’regulars on the 1932 undefeated Chisholm High School football team and crowned champions of Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range. Brown was also a forward on the 1933 Chisholm basketball team. At Hibbing Junior College, both were named to the conference all-star team in 1934’Bill at an end position and Charley at center. They attended Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, on full football scholarships until opportunity opened to pursue their degrees in journalism at the University of Minnesota by accepting jobs as boys’ workers and basketball and football coaches at Wells Memorial Settlement House in Minneapolis. After graduating in 1938, Brown and his brother returned home to become news editors of the Chisholm newspaper, taking over as publishers after the sudden death of their father in 1940. With the outbreak of World War II, Brown enlisted in the Navy V-7 program, which led to a commission. He commanded subchasers in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, including action in the critical Iwo Jima operation. At the end of the hostilities, the brothers resumed their publishing duties. The Chisholm Tribune-Herald was awarded first place in the weekly division of the 1947 Better Newspaper Contest of the National Editorial Association for its special edition concurrent with the community’s Soldiers Homecoming Celebration. In 1954, following a second term of duty at Navy Pier in Chicago during the Korean crisis, Brown moved with his family from Waukegan, Illinois, to Pacific Palisades. Charley sold the family newspaper for their mother, and the brothers purchased the fledgling Pacific Palisades Post, then in competition with the pioneer Palisadian. Both newspapers were printed ‘out,’ but when the Browns broke ground for creating the community’s first newspaper and job printing plant, and the Post received authorization to publish legal notices, a representative of the Palisadian came to negotiate a sale. The two newspapers were merged as the Palisadian-Post. During their 28 years in the Palisades, the Browns amassed a total of 169 major state and national awards in almost every newspaper category, including numerous general excellence awards and the last Gold Medal awarded by the California State Fair in 1966. In 1973, the Brown brothers were summoned back to the University of Minnesota by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication Alumni Association, to receive outstanding journalism alumnus awards ‘for achievements exemplifying the highest traditions of the school.’ The Browns retired in 1982 after the sale of their newspaper, real estate and job printing business to the Small Newspaper Group, headquartered in Kankakee, Illinois. Brown and his first wife, Marie, settled in Vandenberg Village near the U.S. Air Force Base. Brown’s remains will be flown to Arlington Cemetery in Washington, D.C., where Marie is entombed. He will receive full military honors on May 10 with a military band, color guard, military pallbearers, bugle ‘Taps’ and 21-gun salute. The ceremony will be attended by his twin brother Charley of Lake Forest; son Paul (wife Annette) of Rancho Mirage, and granddaughters Julia Brown of San Jose and Jeannine Brown of Los Angeles. Brown is also survived by his second wife Marybelle; daughter Charlotte of Pacific Palisades, and son Bill Jr. (wife Mary Jo) of Saddlebrooke, Arizona. Memorials should be addressed to: The Chisholm Community Foundation,104 SW Third Ave., Chisholm, Minnesota 55719.
Muller, Wolfberg and Blumel Honored
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
The Palisadian-Post and the Community Council joined to honor three special volunteers at the 58th Annual Citizen of the Year celebration last Thursday evening at the Riviera Country Club. Lifelong resident and community activist Stuart Muller was saluted as Citizen of the Year for his six-year effort to bring about completion of the historic Clearwater Mural on two walls of the Sav-on building along Swarthmore. The mural, painted by Palisadian Terri Bromberg, was named for Clifford Clearwater, the early owner and publisher of The Palisadian, and his wife Zola. ‘Last year,’ said Post Publisher Roberta Donohue, ‘Stuart also extended his creative energies to solving some of the noise and visual pollution problems at Palisades Gas and Wash. This noise has been a nuisance in that part of our business community for years, but Stuart finally managed to get it reduced below the allowable limit.’ Community Council chairman Norman Kulla presented the Golden Sparkplug Award to Jim Blumel, the owner of Sunset Landscaping, who donated the plants, design and labor for a much-appreciated re-landscaping of Palisades Elementary School early this year. ‘Everyone said it was Jim’s initiative,’ Kulla said, ‘and that he did it with good cheer and a positive attitude,’ while helping to beautify that important stretch of Via de la Paz. Blumel, who has lived in the Palisades for three years with his wife Jill, said earlier: ‘I have two kids at the school and one more who will be attending. I just decided that new landscaping would look nice’for the community, the kids and the school. The architecture is nice, it’s a beautiful school, but the landscaping was old and terrible.’ The evening’s third honoree was George Wolfberg, who received a special Civic Leadership Award for ‘exemplifying the prototype of a community activist, the type of individual it takes to bring lasting contributions to our community to fruition,’ Donohue said. She noted that Wolfberg had been chairman of the Community Council for two years (2002-2004) while also serving as president of the Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association’and remaining active as a premier AYSO soccer referee. This spring, ‘because of his effective leadership abilities,’ Donohue said, he was named chairman of the important Potrero Canyon Citizens Advisory Committee. ‘I’m surprised and humbled; this is a great honor,’ Wolfberg told the audience. He said he had always heard the warning, ‘Never volunteer!’ but it was in his blood. ‘My mother was active in the PTA and she had a mimeograph machine in the alcove at home. I remember all the purple fingers when I was growing up.’ Shortly after moving with his wife Diane to Santa Monica Canyon in 1972, Wolfberg said he went door-to-door in the canyon collecting petition signatures for the voter initiative that created the Coastal Commission, and he became involved in the 20-year No Oil! campaign along the Pacific Palisades coastline. ‘George is the real deal’he practices what he preaches,’ said County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who made his usual personal appearance to present framed commendations to all three honorees. ‘I first got to know him after I was elected to the City Council and I became a member of the finance committee. In that capacity I worked with the the City Administrative Office,’ where Wolfberg worked as a budget analyst. ‘George was an unflappable man of unimpeachable integrity and professionalism. He always thought before he spoke and his analysis was based on careful research.’ ‘I’ve never had an opportunity commend George in this way,’ Yaroslavsky continued. ‘He has indeed been a civic leader, as a city employee who had a life outside City Hall, and as a private citizen.’ Fourteen past Citizens enjoyed the festivities, including Phyllis Genovese (1952), Dottie Larson (1959), Dr. Mike Martini (1967), Bob McMillin (1975), Gloria Stout Nedell (1978), Wally Miller (1979), Joan Graves (1987), Roger Diamond (1988), Randy Young (1991 and 2000), Bobbie Farberow (1995), Hal Maninger (1996), Kurt Toppel (1998), Carol Leacock (1999), and Mitzi Blahd (2001). Genovese, 90, is still working parttime at The Letter Shop, the store she founded in 1947. Larson, who has lived in her home on Alma Real since 1950, said she celebrated her 80th birthday last year by taking her four children and six grandchildren to Vail. McMillan, 87, owned the Medford furniture store on Swarthmore from 1971 to 1987 and now lives in Rancho Bernardo. Representatives from State Senator Sheila Kuehl, Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, and City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski handed out the traditional commendations to all three honorees. (Editor’s note: Stuart Muller’s acceptance speech will appear in next week’s issue.)
Local Writers Make Language Sing
By KAREN WILSON Palisadian-Post Intern Emeritus What’s love got to do with it? That’s what Palisades High School sophomore Taylor Gray wondered when she first sat down with her mentor, Elizabeth Gill Brauer, a local scribe who was about to educate her on the value of channeling emotion into one’s writing. Recovering from a breakup, Gray, 15, felt she was too angry to write about love. Brauer, she says, ‘inspired me to do it,’ and using her favorite medium, poetry, Gray was able to churn out verse after verse. ”It was the literary breakthrough Brauer, 57, envisioned when, two years ago, she signed on to participate in Writegirl, a Los Angeles mentoring program which pairs professional writers with promising teen wordsmiths in need of guidance. ‘After being a television writer for 25 years, I was jaded and cynical, and my wings were clipped creatively,’ says Brauer, whose credits include the seminal teen angst series ‘My So-Called Life.’ Now teaching screenwriting courses at USC’s renowned School of Film and Television, Brauer finds that ‘being a mentor has helped me get back in touch with who I originally was as a writer. I have a true love of words’language clarifies, edifies, and inspires.’ ”As Brauer discovered the joy of fostering young writers, Gray was across town in Inglewood, realizing that her daily journal writing was turning into a full-blown passion for the written word. ‘When you write from your heart, it can help release problems,’ she says. ‘I love it.’ A family friend caught wind of the Writegirl program and knew it would be up Gray’s alley. ”This past January, she and Brauer had their first after-school meeting at Starbucks Coffee in the Palisades, a tradition they have carried on, meeting for an hour of java and prose every Thursday. The two also attend monthly four-hour workshops at Hollywood’s Yucca Community Center, where they explore new styles of writing with other Writegirls from the L.A. area. ‘Before I met Elizabeth, I’d only written poetry,’ Gray says. But at a recent workshop, she branched out and created her own five-page screenplay, the saga of a girl abused by her boyfriend. Through her exposure to fellow members of the program, ‘she now knows that there are other people simpatico with what she loves,’ Brauer adds. ”The weekly Starbucks sessions have been helpful, Gray says, in furthering her development as a writer. ‘I don’t need to edit my work much anymore, because she’s taught me how to avoid being too wordy.’ Agrees Brauer, ‘She’ll write something prosaic, and I’ll show her how a couple of words can make it less so… the trick is not to impose’I have to respect the fact that Taylor wants her language to sound a certain way.’ ”No question Brauer has an easy time making Gray feel at ease; a former Palisadian-Post ‘Mother of the Year’ award recipient, the Hancock Park native majored in English at UCLA before moving to the Alphabet Streets in 1979 and raising two daughters with husband Jon, who works for Merrill Lynch. An active parent during her daughters’ tenure at both Palisades Elementary and Crossroads School, she found it difficult adjusting to an empty nest once her girls left for college. By chance, she stumbled across the fateful Writegirl ad in her monthly Writers’ Guild newsletter. ‘Ours is different from a mother-daughter relationship,’ Brauer says, referring to herself and Taylor. ‘I feel like I’m a confidant for her, someone to learn from’and how better to do so than through an art form?’ Attests Gray, ‘Elizabeth has given me inspiration and confidence in my writing.’ A voracious reader, the loquacious, bubbly Gray estimates that she owns ‘oh man, at least a hundred books,’ and, like a typical teen, favorites include the young adult series ‘Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.’ It’s no surprise that her favorite school subject is English, and she takes pride in her ability to complete in-class writing assignments at top speed. ‘My teacher will tell us to write a poem, and in five minutes, I’ll have a whole page,’ she says. ‘My friends come to me for homework help.’ Published in last year’s Writegirl anthology, Gray is currently awaiting word from Seventeen magazine, which is considering publishing ‘Smile on a Stick,’ her tongue-in-cheek essay about the ills of being the only girl in junior high school without braces, for publication in an upcoming issue. Supporting their daughter through the early phases of her writing career are mom Dana, who owns a small flower shop and works as a receptionist at a venture capital firm, and stepfather Damien, an L.A. County fireman. ”Sharing the same playful sense of humor, Brauer and Gray both delight in writing together. A recent Thursday afternoon exercise called for Gray to write an entire story from the perspective of a cellular telephone. During another, Brauer handed the teen a coffee mug, sunglasses and breath mints, and Gray had 60 seconds to churn out a mini-story about each object. ‘Eventually,’ Brauer smirks, ‘I’ll try and get her to create a sonnet.’ Not that Gray will be running for the hills. ‘I just love to write,’ she says. ‘I don’t know what I’d do without a pen and paper, without my fingers and hands. If I didn’t have any hands, I’d die. Take my feet’but not my hands.’
Roller Hockey Gaining Momentum
Another exciting winter season of the Palisades Recreation Center’s roller hockey league came to an end at last Friday evening, as the Kings outscored the Ducks, 4-2, in an exciting final on a portable rink setup on the outdoor basketball courts. The winter season consisted of 30 players (ages 6-14) divided into four teams (Kings, Ducks, Lightning and Flames). After a 10-game regular season, the top seed met the fourth seed and the second seed met the third seed in the first round of the playoffs. The winners, the Ducks and the Kings, met for the championship, much to the delight of commissioner and head referee Ethan Rill, who hopes to organize a Palisades High ice hockey team in the near future. ‘Spring registration is underway and we already have more kids than we did for the last session,’ Rill said. ‘Just come down to the Rec Center and fill out a form. The season will start on Friday, April 22, and run through the end of June. I’m also going to be conducting clinics and camps in June and August. It’s cool to see this sport gaining popularity in this community.’ Games will be Friday nights at 5 and 6 p.m., while practices will be Mondays from 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 12 to 5 p.m. Several players were honored for their efforts in the winter season. Hunter McCormick of the Lightning was named highest scorer with 45 points, brothers Kirk and Kyle Woo of the Kings were given the sportsmanship award, Michael Casey of the Flames was named league most valuable player and Aiden Gray of the Kings was selected best goalie. For information, call Rill at 818-341-7713 or e-mail him at erill62@hotmail.com.
Gene’s Team Wins Qualifier
Gene Selznick’s 16-and-under girls club volleyball team won its second Junior Olympic Qualifying Tournament last weekend, rallyied from deficits of 20-9 and 24-20 in the first game to defeat Thousand Oaks Point West, 26-24, 25-12, in the championship match of the Southern California Junior Olympics Qualifier in Anaheim. Gene’s Team also won the Northeast Qualifier in Baltimore three weeks ago, beating the top-ranked team in the country in the semifinals and ousting Fusion of Chicago in three games in the finals. By finishing first out of 48 teams nationwide, Gene’s Team became the No. 1 ranked 16s team in the nation. The squad has posted a 49-2 record so far this season, with its only two losses coming against 18-and-under opponents at a tournament in Las Vegas. ‘This is the best team I’ve ever had,’ said Selzick, who started coaching girls club teams in 1986. ‘We won the east and we won the west, so that means we’re the best. We haven’t lost in California yet and we’ve been playing mostly 18s tournaments.’ Gene’s Team consists of four Palisadians: setter/hitter Kelly Irvin, middle blocker Audrey Eichler, defensive specialist Kendall Bird and Palisades High sophomore middle blocker Alex Lunder. Rounding out the squad are Cathy Quilico, a libero from Westlake; outside hitters Alex Ayers (Playa del Rey) and Alex Johnson (Westlake); middle blocker Jessie Yeager (Thousand Oaks); and setter Megan Tryon of Westchester. Finishing third in the 16s division in Anaheim was Sunshine Volleyball Club, coached by Lou Ann Selsky and Carrie Busch. Consisting of Palisadians Ani Mardirossian (an outside hitter from Marymount High), Madison Wojciechowski (a libero from Marymount), Katherine Sebastian (a setter from Harvard-Westlake), Bridget Hearst (an opposite hitter from Notre Dame Academy) and Emily Hamilton (a setter at Lighthouse Christian Academy), Sunshine upset top-seeded Golden Bear of Northern California in pool play before falling to Point West in the semifinals. Both Gene’s Team and Sunshine Volleyball Club qualified for the Junior Olympics, held June 29-July 6 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Cohen Commits to San Diego
When Dylan Cohen steps into the batter’s box, opposing pitchers take notice. They know where to pitch him and what kind of pitches to throw. Getting him out, however, is something few are able to do. Going into Wednesday’s game at Hamilton, Cohen led the City Section with a .628 batting average and ranked second in on base percentage at .667. In 43 at-bats, he had amassed 27 hits, 16 RBIs, two home runs, a whopping .953 slugging percentage and only four strikeouts. Such eye-popping numbers are why college and pro scouts have had the Palisades High senior on their radar ever since he came within two feet of hitting a home run down the left field line at Dodger Stadium as a sophomore in the 2003 City Invitational championship game. And though he received scholarship offers from dozens of schools, Cohen has committed to the University of San Diego, where he hopes to break into the starting lineup as a freshman next spring. ‘One of the reasons I chose them is because they were really interested in me,’ says Cohen, who also considered Loyola Marymount, Fresno State, UC Davis and UCLA, among others. ‘And when I drove down to visit the campus and meet the coaches and players, it just felt like it would be a good fit for me.’ As capable as he is at the plate, Cohen is equally skilled on the diamond’even while playing one of the most demanding positions. He has a rocket arm, cat-like reflexes and a venus fly trap for a glove. Those attributes have earned him All-League and All-City honors at short stop, as well as an invitation to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ junior elite team’an all-star squad consisting of the top high school players in Southern California. ‘I take as much pride in my defense as I do my hitting,’ Cohen says. ‘It’s fun playing where I do because I get to make a lot of plays. I want the ball hit to me.’ Another reason Cohen chose San Diego was the assurance from Toreros head coach Rich Hill that he would compete for a spot at second or third base right away. ‘I definitely wanted to go to a Division I school, which San Diego is, and I wanted to have an opportunity to play as a freshman,’ Cohen says. ‘That doesn’t mean it’s going to happen’but I’ll have a chance to prove myself and that’s all you can ask.’ If anyone is convinced Cohen has the ability to succeed at the next level it is Pali co-coach Kelly Loftus. ‘Absolutely he does. I mean, Dylan’s swinging the stick better than .600 right now and he’s hitting the ball hard eight out of 10 times. I’m talking about line drives no more than 15 feet above the ground. He’s just smoking them. And he can hit to every field, too. He has a chance to make an impact at San Diego his first year and that’s pretty special.’ A gifted athlete, Cohen is also a two-year starting quarterback and All City punter/kicker for the Dolphins’ football team, but admits he’ll stick to baseball in college. ‘San Diego recruited me for baseball so that’s what I’m going there for,’ Cohen says. ‘I’ve enjoyed playing football at Palisades, but right now I’m focused on baseball.’ San Diego has a 22-17-1 record this season and is 8-7 in West Coast Conference games. Despite playing the nation’s 12th toughest schedule, the Toreros won 35 games in 2004, third most in school history, including 15 of their last 17. ‘I’m excited to be part of that program,’ Cohen says. ‘I’m looking forward to it. But this is my senior year and there’s still a lot I want to do here.’ Like playing another game in Dodger Stadium, for instance.
Pali Tennis Keeps on Rolling
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
When the season began, Palisades High tennis coach Bud Kling was worried that losing its top two singles players might hinder his team’s chances of defending its league championship and making a run at its first City Section title since 1999. But halfway through the Western League schedule, the Dolphins find themselves in their customary spot atop the standings and have yet to be seriously challenged. After 7-0 shutouts of both Venice and Fairfax, Palisades ousted host Westchester, 5-2, with Ariel Oleynik winning, 6-1, 6-1, at No. 2 singles. Palisades blanked host Hamilton, 7-0, last Tuesday with Stephen Surjue and Seth Mandelkern winning, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 1 doubles. The Dolphins (9-3, 5-0) then beat University last Thursday at Palisades Recreation Center to wrap the first round of league undefeated. Baseball Tested for the first time since their Western League opener, the Dolphins passed with flying colors. After blowout victories in its previous three games, Palisades needed clutch pitching and steady defense to edge Hamilton, 3-1, Monday at George Robert Field. Filling in for injured starter Tim Sunderland, freshman catcher Garrett Champion coralled a strike from center fielder Turhan Folse, blocked the plate, and tagged out a Hamilton runner to complete a game-ending double play. Senior right-hander David Bromberg (5-1) allowed just two hits in six innings with six strikeouts and hit a towering two-run home run into the second lane of traffic on Sunset Boulevard to break a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning. Short stop Dylan Cohen continued his hot hitting, going two for three and driving in the Dolphins’ first run with a double off the center field fence. Cohen also teamed with second baseman Matt Skolnik to turn two double plays. Skolnik pitched the seventh inning to earn his third save for the Dolphins (9-4, 5-0), who are one third of the way to their goal of an undefeated league season. Last Wednesday, Palisades needed only five innings to mercy visiting Fairfax, 11-1, with Austin Jones scoring the 10th run on a fielder’s choice and Skolnik scoring the winning run on an error. Turhan Folse had five strikeouts in four iunnings and tripled to open the bottom of the fourth inning. Cohen doubled to deep center and scored on a single by David Bromberg in the first inning, then doubled off the center field fence to drive in a run in the second inning. Cohen hit an RBI double again in the third inning and scored on Bromberg’s bloop single to right field. Swimming The Dolphin varsity squads remained undefeated in the Marine League with dominating victories over archrival Venice last Friday night at the Gondos’ indoor pool. Palisades’ boys won, 128-57, with Peter Fishler winning the 200 Freestyle in 1:54.15 and the 100 Freestyle in 51.52. For the girls, freshman Kristen Fujii won the 200 Freestyle in 2:03.18 and the 100 Backstroke in 1:04.87 as the Dolphins posted a 109-70 victory. Softball Palisades lost to Hamilton, 11-10, on Monday to remain winless in Western League play. Palisades led 9-8 with two outs in the sixth inning before Pamela Flores singled with the bases loaded for the host Yankees. Crystal Mitchell went two for four with a double and three for the Dolphins (3-10, 0-4), who also lost to Fairfax last Tuesday and defending league champion Westchester last Thursday.
Dorothy Perry, 76, School Psychologist
Born to Helen and La Rey Minium on October 23, 1928 in Los Angeles, Dorothy Perry died on April 8. She was 76. She was a school psychologist with LAUSD, where she established one of the first peer counseling programs at the elementary level. Most of her life was lived in the Los Angeles area, with the last 48 years in Pacific Palisades. Her greatest living moments were with her husband Bus (deceased), her son Ted (wife Margaret), daughter Dana Marie, grandson Ben, her friends, and at the beach. Her serious dislikes were bigotry, prejudice, cruelty, paperwork and cooked carrots. In addition to her children and grandchildren, she leaves one brother Bobby (wife Judy), sister-in-law Evelyn (brother Rodney deceased), Jay Cox, former brother in-law (sister Marjorie deceased), brother-in-law Bud Perry (wife Nancy), and many nieces and nephews. Donations may be made to: Palisadians for Peace, 934 Las Pulgas, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.
Elizabeth Solar, 83; Devoted Gardener
Elizabeth Ann Solar, a 55-year resident, passed away on April 1. She was 83. ”One of five daughters, Solar was born on a farm in Bismarck, North Dakota, on February 18, 1922. In 1947, she came out to California to be with her sister, but returned home to help on the family farm at harvest time. ”She met her future husband, Joseph, who was also from North Dakota, although the two hadn’t known one another back home. After they married, the couple built their home in 1950, choosing their lot in the Alphabet streets and supervising construction. ”In the early years, Solar would take the trolley to Beverly Hills to help watch people’s children, and later worked for a time at the Palisadian-Post in the late 1960s. ”She attended daily Mass at Corpus Christi Church, but also volunteered at Palisades Elementary. She loved to garden and was unstinting in her daily walk to the bluffs. ”She is survived by her daughter Joan Almieri (husband Raymond) of Orange County and sons Glen (Christina) of Moorpark and Alan (Madaline) of Orange County. ”In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent in her name to the school fund at Corpus Christi Church, corner of Carey and Sunset, or to the Lymphoma Society, 8800 Venice Blvd.
