In their ongoing concentrated effort to market the benefits of renewing the charter at Palisades High School, executive director Jack Sutton and board president Jonathan Fielding met with parents last week to outline the charter renewal process and answer questions. While the two men made a strong case for renewal based on the virtues of being a smaller school separate from LAUSD, they were challenged by United Teachers Los Angeles Chapter Representative Alex Shuhgalter, a 17-year faculty member who distrusts the governance structure and stated at the meeting that 80 percent of the faculty want control in running the school. In letters to parents and faculty this month, the governing board focused on Pali’s status as charter school, completely independent from LAUSD. Up until June 2003, Pali was an affiliated charter, which allowed some flexibility in scheduling and curriculum, but no financial discretion. So in introductory remarks to parents last week, Fielding and Sutton outlined the funding advantages the charter has over the district, and listed some of the academic programs that have already been instituted, reflecting the charter’s more individualized approach to education. With over $1 million to invest in the students beyond its day-to-day budget, the school has expanded textbook purchases and student information systems, e.g., DVDs and projectors for each classroom, and has hired faculty for special classes, including remedial core subjects and music. Building the case for the support of the charter renewal, Fielding stressed the importance of full support from all the stakeholders’faculty, parents, administrators and staff. No longer financially dependent on the district, PaliHi is now a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization with a $16 million budget, governed by a board of directors, an executive director and chief business officer. Fielding emphasized the fact the board of directors (comprising representation from faculty, parents, the executive director, principal and one classified member) is advised and directed by seven standing subcommittees, made up of 50 percent teachers. ‘In order to convince the LAUSD board for renewal for the next five years, strong support is needed from all our stakeholders,’ said Fielding, adding that the charter renewal requires 50 percent faculty approval to pass. A draft of the charter renewal will be presented to LAUSD charter office at the end of January. Discouraged that the governing leadership has ‘consistently ignored the teachers and has failed to take their concerns into consideration,’ Shuhgalter organized a referendum on charter renewal in December and sent it to all faculty members on behalf of the UTLA chapter. ‘Three choices appeared on the ballot,’ Shuhgalter said: ‘one, to return to being an affiliated charter, two, to continue as a 501 (c)3 or three, replace the current structure with a faculty-led government. ‘Eighty-eight faculty members (including nonvoting probationary teachers) out of 105 were in favor of a different government form.’ Shuhgalter told the Palisdian-Post that he supports most of the charter principals, but bristles at what he calls ‘the board’s disregard for the authority of the committees and ignoring any partnership with the faculty. ‘We have been talking about a partnership from the beginning,’ Shuhgalter said. ‘It is not clear why the board does not want to recognize this partnership, why they don’t discuss issues with the faculty, but rather brush us off in the same manner as happened under LAUSD jurisdiction.’ One of the faculty’s major concerns from the beginning has been class-size reduction, which, Shuhgalter asserts, the board ignored. ‘The most important advantage in the charter movement is class-size reduction,’ he said. ‘There is nothing more important than the personal attention the teacher gives and receives in the classroom. How can you do this with 42 people in the class?’ Regarding class-size reduction, Sutton responded at the parent’s meeting. ‘In May we talked about class-size reduction and asked our curriculum committee about priorities, and got no answer. So we are going to form a task force to look at class size and discuss options. Should we build a new building? Should we offer online courses for credit? What would each option cost? ‘Class-size reduction is not easy to do as a charter,’ Sutton continued. ‘We need to examine in depth all of the critical issues. If discussions are going to be held, we, the collective ‘We,’ need to be involved. We have to look at a three-to-five year program that will significantly impact the school across the board. We have no extra classroom space, and if we reduce the number of students, we lose money.’ Recognizing the frustration on the part of teachers and parents at the meeting on the inability of the charter to expedite immediate class-size reduction, Sutton was sympathetic, but focused. ‘Is it better to get our charter renewed now or to look at the organizational structure? I think we need to get the charter renewed. You can always come back and address any features in the charter after it’s renewed. There’s an amendment process that requires 75 percent of teachers and two-thirds of the board support.’ In the meantime, Shuhgalter has established a committee of teachers and one classified person to review the faculty-led governing structures of Granda Hills Charter and Helix Charter in San Diego County, which are both governed by a faculty-driven board. The committee is also planning to send a letter to the LAUSD charter office, stating that PalHi’s teachers will not consider any charter renewal drafts without their signatures. ‘The foundation of the governance relationship at Pali is totally wrong,’ Shuhgalter said. ‘It should not be us against them.’
A Sign of the Times: “For Lease”
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
For the first time in over a year there are storefronts available for lease in all five business districts in Pacific Palisades, which should mean an influx of new retailers and professionals in 2005. PALISADES VILLAGE The former Palisades Camera store, located at 1014 Swarthmore, is renting for $4.50 a square foot. Leasing agent Gregg Pawlik of Coldwell Banker told the Palisadian-Post that he has had inquiries to turn the 1,060-sq.-ft. space into, among other things, ‘a nail salon’ and ‘an upscale women’s dress shop.’ The space is owned by Palisades Partners, the largest landowners in the Village. Besides owning all but four storefronts on Swarthmore north of Sunset (Whispers, Fernworks, Paliskate, and Billauer-Sato Chiropractic), as well as the adjacent parking lot, the group representing four family trusts owns property in the 15200 block of Sunset, currently leased to U.S. Bank, The Nest Egg, Palisades Office Products, Self Center Skin Care Salon and Pearl Dragon. Palisades Partners’ large storefront at 1045 Swarthmore, the former site of Emerson-LaMay Cleaners, has been vacant since April 2003 and is available for $4.25 a square foot. Pawlik has had inquiries ranging from ‘a restaurant’ and ‘a furniture store,’ but no decisions have been made as the owners want to ‘ensure that any new businesses are compatible with businesses that already exist on the street.’ Three-to-five-year leases are available on both sites. On the main floor of the Blockbuster business building at 970 Monument, 950 sq. ft. is available for retail or food only. Leasing for $3.95 a square foot, the space is located in what is left of the former Contentment site. Pasha Sushi & Cafe leased 3,500 sq. ft. last September and will open a restaurant later this year that sells only organic meals and organic products, including bread, coffee and seaweed. Across Sunset, in the Washington Mutual building, an office on the second floor (1,150 sq. ft. at $3 a square foot), ‘has just become available,’ said Darren Bell, vice-president of leasing for Topa Management, which owns the building. Bell said Topa also has office space in the Business Block building located at 15300 Sunset (1,510 sq. ft. at $2.50), as well as two small offices at 15415 Sunset, above Jacopo’s Pizza (287 sq. ft. and 350 sq. ft., both leasing for $3). Bell said all Topa leases in the Palisades at this time are ideal for small businesses, such as ‘CPA’s, attorneys, real estate agents, people who don’t need much space.’ The former BOCA Woman site at 15260 Antioch remains empty, following the store’s move to it’s new location at 1022 Swarthmore in November. Owner Michael Mangimelli said he and his wife, Denise, have not yet decided what to do with the Antioch site, where they still have a five-year lease. The couple also owns BOCA Man at the corner of Swarthmore and Antioch. SUNSET AND PCH The large commercial building at 17383 Sunset (corner of PCH), which houses the Spectrum Club, changed hands in September. The new owners are ECI Sunset, LLC. Madison Partners, which manages the building, confirmed that space is available and can be divided to suit most office and retail needs. Spectrum, which has 3,000 members, will occupy 26,000 sq. ft. in the complex when renovations are complete in June. Just a block up Sunset in Sunset Pacifica, a mixed-use building (office/residential) which houses Pro Train, a 1,400-sq.-ft. office space off the main lobby is leasing for $3,800 a month. PALISADES HIGHLANDS A sublease is available immediately on the We Frame It store in the Highlands Plaza just above Sunset. While Greg Eckhardt, who manages the mini-mall at the base of Palisades Drive for PAR Commercial Property, said there have been many inquiries about the 1,240-sq.-ft. space which is leasing for $2.50 a square foot, they have been for ‘conflicting use. We cannot put another nail salon or Mail Boxes-type store in there, nor a third restaurant because we wouldn’t have enough parking.’ Eckhardt said that the framing store will stay open until ‘a new tenant can be found. We are looking for just the right retailer.’ Asked what was ideal, he thought ‘a women’s boutique or accessory shop. Perhaps a shoe store or a hair-cutting place for children, like Yellow Balloon in Santa Monica.’ MARQUEZ VILLAGE The former Marquez Market, which closed at the end of December, is renting for $2.75 a square foot. So far, Pawlik has had inquiries to use the 2,500-sq.-ft. space ‘as a toy store, a personal training center, and for a gourmet market.’ Asked if Trader Joe’s might be interested, Pawlik said, ‘No, it’s too small for them.’ Also available in the Marquez Village is the former D & T Studio (previously known as Dance & Twirl), which vacated the premises at the end of December. Accessed through the alley, below Marquez Avenue, the 2,000-sq.-ft. space is leasing at $1.90 a square foot. Owner Don Haselkorn would like to see ‘another dance studio, a workout center or perhaps art classes would be good in there.’ SANTA MONICA CANYON Two storefronts are available half a block from the beach. One is 145 W. Channel Road, adjacent to Cafe Delfini, which formerly housed LJK Interiors. Across the street is MLK Studio (formerly Brown Architecture) which is also being prepared for lease. Prices were not available.
American Ideals, Not Foreign Policy, Thrive in Middle East
OPINION
By ANN KERR Special to the Palisadian-Post ‘America is betraying the values it taught us!’ This phrase, uttered by one of my Arab friends from the American University of Beirut, echoed my feelings as I traveled around the Middle East visiting five classmates on the 50th anniversary of our meeting as students at AUB. I had visited most of these friends over the years, but this time was different. My government had waged a preemptive war against an Arab country. I felt embarrassed for my country and concern that this war would undermine the work of AUB and other American educational institutions abroad which have been an important east-west bridge for decades. ‘AUB taught us the importance of individual free speech’innocence until proven guilty,’ said my roommate Naziha, a Lebanese Sunni Muslim who had studied in an American missionary-founded secondary school before going to AUB. ‘This is what makes me sad about the U.S. now.’ She was also sad about what was happening in the Islamic world. ‘It is so clear in Islam. You don’t start a war against innocents.’ But the principles she had learned in her American-founded educational institutions had made her believe the U.S. was somehow different. ‘The U.S. cannot be the most powerful and the least just. We have always thought of America as just.’ These feelings were repeated by my Palestinian Protestant friend Widad in Amman, Jordan. ‘We always saw the British as bad and the Americans as good’now Iraq has changed everything.’ I had visited Widad and her parents in Bethlehem for Christmas when we were AUB classmates in 1954. Only six years earlier the first of many Arab-Israeli wars had been fought over the partitioning of Palestine and the establishment of the state of Israel. Behind Widad’s statement lay a longer story. The Arab image of America as a just power went back to the end of World War I, when President Wilson proposed self-determination for the Arab lands that had been part of the Ottoman Empire. Instead, they were carved up by the British and French and controlled as colonies until the end of World War II. Arab disenchantment with America began in 1948 when President Truman supported the partitioning of Palestine and the establishment of the state of Israel on land that the Palestinians considered to be theirs. The festering of this problem over the last half-century has been one of the motivating forces behind the growth of Islamic extremism and terrorist activities. While my five classmates and I have all experienced personal tragedy, and the upheavals in the Middle East and war have ravaged the area, AUB and other American-founded educational institutions have survived and are at this moment strong and growing in number. They are a repository of the good qualities of America that many Arabs still wish to make part of their own society. When I lamented to one of my friends that we would have another term with President Bush, she said enviously, ‘But in another four years you can elect a new president.’ The venerable American University of Beirut and the American University in Cairo, founded in 1866 and 1919 respectively, have been joined by a host of new American universities throughout the Arab world. While of uneven quality and promise, and sometimes more business ventures than academic undertakings, these institutions demonstrate that there is a contagious desire for ‘American’ education. The last stop on my trip was Kuwait, where I am a trustee of their new American University, a private university which opened in September with 500 students. Their mission is to become a strong liberal arts institution in the American tradition of open-mindedness and inquisitive thinking and to create global citizens. Chatting with students in the Starbucks coffee shop on campus, and hearing their enthusiasm for their new school was a reassuring finale to my journey. There is still a residue of respect for American ideals’if not for our foreign policy. (Editor’s note: Palisadian Ann Kerr will speak about her trip to the Middle East on Saturday, January 22, at 2 p.m. in the Palisades Branch Library community room, 861 Alma Real. She’s the author of two books about her life in the Middle East and is coordinator of the Fulbright Visiting Scholars program for Southern California.)
Ray Bradley, 34-Year Resident
Ray Bradley, a resident of Pacific Palisades since 1972, died peacefully in his sleep on January 1, just three days before his 91st birthday. Ray was born at home in Brooklyn, New York, on January 4, 1914. He was educated at the local Catholic elementary school, attended St. James High School and graduated in January 1932, in the midst of the Great Depression. It took him two years to find employment and during this time he learned the art of cooking from his mother and aunt. His first job was at Acme Fast Freight in New York, where he earned $12 per week. He met Emily Farina at Acme and they were married on October 18, 1941. The United States entered World War II two months later, and Ray was soon drafted into the Army. He served locally and in Europe. After he was discharged, the couple was blessed with twin boys, Ray Jr. and Gregory, in late 1946. Ten years later their daughter, Debbie, was born. Ray continued to work in the freight forwarding profession and for much of their careers he and Emily worked for the same company. In the late ’60s, they visited Ray Jr. in San Diego, where he was serving in the Navy. After another visit, they felt that they had had enough of the snow and ice of New York and in 1972 they both transferred to the Los Angeles office. They immediately bought their Tahitian Terrace mobile home and lived there the rest of their lives. After Ray retired, he joined Alcoholics Anonymous on September 13, 1974. At that time there was only one meeting in the Palisades; now there are 20. He was responsible for starting at least five evening meetings. He was a generous and caring member, baking cakes almost every week to celebrate the birthdays of his friends. He also was a truly devoted sponsor and mentor to many fellow AA members. At 90, Ray was the oldest active member in the Palisades, still attending four or five meetings a week at the time of his death. Ray was a fixture at daily mass at Corpus Christi Church. It was his strong faith that enabled him to accept his trials and tribulations. He was also an avid golfer, usually playing three times per week until his failing eyesight prevented him from seeing the ball. He loved to attend Dodger games and often went with Father Rucker, the former pastor at Corpus Christi. In 1999, when Ray’s wife Emily became ill, he cared for her at home with patience and dignity until her death on January 3, 2001. He was extremely devoted to his daughter Debbie and her husband, Greg Schem, and their three children: Jessica, 13, Michael, 11, and Melissa, 8’all of whom attend Corpus Christi School. In the last few years he spent much of his time with them. His help with the children on their homework was invaluable, as he always prided himself on his spelling and arithmetic ability. Other survivors include Ray’s two sons, Greg of New York (wife Mary) and Ray Jr. of Marysville, California; and grandchildren Paul, Elissa, Patrick, Patty and Buzzy. According to 11-year-old Michael Schem, Ray played with Debbie’s family all day New Year’s Eve, played with his AA friends that evening, went to bed, and woke up in heaven with Grandma on New Year’s Day. Funeral services were held at Corpus Christi on January 8. Memorial donations can be made to Corpus Christi Church or school, or Acoholic Anonymous Pacific Palisades.
Neal Dodge, an Avid Golfer
Neil S. Dodge, a longtime Palisadian, died December 31 at the age of 85. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Neil attended UCLA, where he belonged to Sigma Nu fraternity, and graduated from UC Berkeley in 1940. He served as a Lt. First Class in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Neil and his wife Marguerite (‘Peggy’) moved to Pacific Palisades in 1966. After retiring from the direct mail advertising business and investing, he enjoyed playing golf at the Wilshire Country Club, where he was a member for 40 years. Predeceased by his wife of 59 years, he is survived by his son, Casey Dodge of Rolling Hills Estates; his daughter, Dale Dodge Mathews of Silverton, Oregon; grandchildren, Monica Daniel, Casey Dodge, Jr., Matt Mathews and Christian Dodge; and great-granddaughter Kylie Marguerite Mathews. At Neil’s request, no services were held. A reception in his honor will be held at the Wilshire Country Club on Sunday, January 23 from 5 to 7 p.m. after his ashes are put to rest alongside his wife. Memorial donations may be made to the philanthropic service sorority Epsilon Sigma Alpha, Gamma Alpha Chapter, Attn: Susan Hannan, President, 233 S. Center St., Silverton, Oregon 97381.
Lawrence Wagner, Survived by Fiancee
Lawrence Wagner, 83, passed away at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica on December 9. A graduate of Los Angeles High and USC, Wagner enlisted in the U.S. Air Corps and was with the 256th bomb group in Cerignola, Italy, during World War II. ‘He was in sales with Weber Showcase, Merve Simon & Associates, and Hussman Companies. After retiring, he traveled extensively and was active in the Palisades AARP travel group. He will be remembered by his fiancee, Frances Bowen Troll, a 52-year resident of Pacific Palisades; his nephews, Don Wollman and George Wagner; grand-nephew Sam Wollman; nieces Jane Lassner and Linn Davis, and many friends. A memorial service was held December 19 at the Westwood Village Chapel.
Storytellers to Honor Dr. King January 15
Tellers and talkers will honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s memory at the Tales By The Sea performance on Saturday, January 15, 7 p.m. at Malibu United Methodist Church, 30128 Morning View Drive. The program will begin with classical improv by juveniles from Camp Kilpatrick probation camp in Malibu, followed by an African American ensemble telling their stories. Locked Up In Malibu is the name that director/actress Susie Duff gave to the teenage boys in her improvisation class at the probation camp. Duff has been going up to the camp, located in the mountains off Mulholland, once or twice a year for the last five years. Noting that the boys, many of whom have been convicted of murder, receive no therapy in the camp, Duff says ‘there is hardly a youth anywhere who can’t be dramatically helped with behavioral, emotional and social issues by learning improv. These are guys with zero social skills, who first need to learn how to be human beings, let alone actors.’ She is convinced that these classes are essential in helping the boys release and communicate, which is manifest in their performances. The Camp Kilpatrick program is challenging for the kids because it attempts one of the most difficult forms of performance’the unscripted world of improv, an art that even top actors avoid for fear of humiliation. Tales By The Sea was started by Ann Buxie a decade ago. After attending the national storytelling festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee 18 years ago, Buxie fell in love with storytelling. ‘I thought that if the mountain won’t come to Malibu, then we’ll bring a little piece of the mountain to Malibu,’ says Buxie on starting Tales By The Sea. ‘The power of other people’s stories is unaccountable, but vitally important. I believe that until we begin to listen and understand one another, we are never going to have peace. Through stories, you get a window into one’s soul. Stories knit the community together.’ Currently working on a graduate degree in mythology at Pacific Graduate Institute, Buxie believes that Americans are depriving their children of understanding of universal paradigms by not having a grounding in myth. ‘We are offering children empty calories which do not help them to learn the lessons about dealing with the struggles. We do not permit them to go through the struggle.’ Tickets are $10, coffee and dessert are included. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For reservations, contact Ann at 457-2385.
Paly Swims Third at Regionals
Wang Sets Team Record; Edel First Place in Four Events
While the hills and highways were being deluged with rain last weekend, 48 swimmers representing the Palisades-Malibu YMCA were making splashes of their own at the annual YMCA Pacific Regional Championships in the City of Commerce. The weather had no effect on Paly, which placed third overall at the 10-lane Commerce Natatorium, equipped with warm-up lanes and a heated pool that kept the swimmers comfortable. Ten-year-old Catherine Wang was more than warm on Saturday’she was scorching hot as she churned through the water to set a Paly record in the 100 Individual Medley (1:12.21) and coming within a hundreth of a second of the Paly mark in the 100 Freestyle (1:03.50). Wang’s 100 Medley time broke the record of 1:13.05 set by Cara Davidoff in 1996. The two-day event yielded positive results for numerous other Paly swimmers, including 11-year-old Kevin Carswell, who went from a time of 1:47.79 in the Breaststroke to a new best of 1:40.37. Swimming in the same age group for the girls, Sabrina Giglio dropped from 1:44.35 in the 100 Breaststroke to 1:34.64. Josephine Kremer went from 1:44.92 in the 100 Individual Medley to 1:34.53. ‘It’s an exceptionally hard meet to make it into the top 16, because times to make the cut have to be an ‘A’ or better,’ Paly Coach Eric Butler said. Younger swimmers also have an added disadvantage: ‘All of the 10-and-unders are grouped together, so you have six year olds racing against 10 year olds,’ Coach Nick Stankovich said. ‘We measured our success at this meet by how many seconds the kids’ times dropped from earlier meets.’ At the Regionals, first place in a relay counts 40 points towards the overall team total. Paly’s 11-12 girls’ team of Alexandra Edel, Jennifer Tartavull, Shelby Pascoe and Allison Merz took first in both the Medley and Freestyle Relays, missing the Paly record in the Freestyle by one second. Paly’s 13-14 boy’s Freestyle Relay team of Alex Fujinaka, Ben Lewenstein, James deMayo and Nicholas Kaufman swam to second place. They also placed second in the Medley Relay with Fujinaka’s 12-yea-old brother, Danny, swimming the second leg. The girls’ 10-and-under 200 Medley team of Catherine Wang, Olivia Kirkpatrick, Josephine Kremer and Sarah Thorson placed third in one of the meet’s deepest events. Wang, Lila Lewenstein, Courtney Carswell and Thorson then placed fourth in the 200 Freestyle. Scoring 22 points for the Paly team was the boys’ 10-and-under Medley Relay team (Noah Martin, Nicholas Edel, Leland Frankel and Andrew Chang) which finished eighth. Also placing eighth was the girls’ 10-and-under Medley Relay, consisting of Courtney Carswell, Sydney Cheong, Lila Lewenstein and Elizabeth Edel. Due to a lack of older swimmers, Paly had no relays in the 15-and-older group. Not only did Paly score well as a team, but several swimmers enjoyed standout individual performances. Twelve-year-old Alexandra Edel took first place in four events and second in three others to earn Paly a whopping 131 points. She was first in the 50 Freestyle (26.96), 100 Butterfly (1:08.53), 100 Freestyle (59.34) and 200 Individual Medley (2:23.26). She was second in the 200 Freestyle (2:09.86), 100 Backstroke (1:11.63) and 100 Breaststroke (1:15.09). Another 12-year-old, Jennifer Tartavull, swam first in the 200 Breaststroke (2:30.08), third in the 500 Freestyle (6:10.81), fifth in the 100 Breaststroke, 10th in both the 50 Freestyle and 100 Backstroke, 11th in the 200 Freestyle and 200 Individual Medley and 12th in the 100 Freestyle. In the same age category, Alison Merz was sixth in the 200 Individual Medley, eighth in both the 200 Freestyle and 200 Individual Medley, 14th in the 100 Breaststroke and 16th in the 100 Backstroke. Shelby Pascoe placed second in the 500 Freestyle (6:07.50), seventh in the 100 Backstroke, 10th in the 200 Freestyle, 14th in the 100 Freestyle and 15th in the 200 Individual Medley. Leading the 10-and-under girls were Olivia Kirkpatrick, who placed seventh in the 50 Breaststroke, and Wang, who, in addition to her two records, placed second in the 50 Butterfly (32.86) and 50 Breaststroke(37.56), fourth in the 50 Freestyle and sixth in the 50 Backstroke. Paly newcomer Erica Drennan, 15, placed third in the 100 Backstroke (1:08.46), 13th in the 200 Freestyle and 15th in the 100 Butterfly and eighth in the 500 Freestyle (6:04.70). For the boys, Alex Fujinaka took fourth in the 14s in the 200 Freestyle (2:02.49) and fifth in the 50 Freestyle (26.05). He dropped his previous 100 Freestyle time from a 1:00.25 to a AA qualifying time of 56.68, good enough for third place. Fellow 14-year-old Nicholas Kaufman was ninth in the 100 Breaststroke and 13th in the 100 Freestyle. Ben Lewenstein, 13, placed 14th in the 100 Breaststroke. Danny Fujinaka, 12, dropped as many as four seconds from his previous best times to place third in the 200 Freestyle (2:08.34) and 200 Individual Medley (2.27.84), fifth in both the 100 Freestyle (1:00.49) and 100 Breaststroke (1:17.85), in which he placed sixth and ninth, respectively. In the 10-and-under division, Nicholas Edel was 12th in the 50 Breaststroke, 14th in the 50 Freestyle and 15th in the 100 Individual Medley. ‘As we are heading into the last six weeks of hard training, I feel confident that we will be a powerhouse at the annual Y Champs Swim Meet in February without any older swimmers,’ Paly Coach Kameron Kennedy said. ‘I would also like to invite anyone to tryout and be a part of the team.’
O’Hara Authors New Book
Michael O’Hara is perhaps best known for his exploits on the sand, where he pioneered beach volleyball, and for his role on the United States’ first Olympic volleyball team in 1964. He is the only athlete in history to be inducted into all three beach and indoor volleyball Halls of Fame. But now, the 33-year Palisades resident is making a name for himself in another endeavor’as an author. O’Hara recently published his second book, entitled ‘Prostate Cancer And Other Prostate Problems: Prevention Measures; And Cures,’ which provides cutting-edge information on a disease that plagues over a billion men worldwide. ‘It’s not a topic most men want to discuss or think about,’ O’Hara said during a recent autograph-signing session at Village Books. ‘That’s why I wrote the book. I’ve discovered an astonishing lack of progress and vocalization concerning the prevention and care of this dreaded and sensitive disease.’ It’s been over four years since O’Hara was diagnosed with prostate cancer, but he was able to beat the disease with the same grit and determination he used to win back-to-back national championships at UCLA in 1953-54. He published his first book on the subject in 2001, but his latest work provides advice on what is most important: finding the best doctor, equipment, and health care team, to treat prostate problems. It also gives a thorough analysis of treatment options for patients of different ages and their results. ‘When I was informed I had prostate cancer I immediately used my academic and research skills to develop the optimum personal decision concerning treatment,’ O’Hara says. ‘I’ve now written two books describing my controversial research. The first book was extremely well received and for this new one I had seven of the most notable doctors write chapters in their particular areas of expertise, so this one is much better.’ O’Hara, an internationally-known sports/television producer and veteran college business instructor has formed a group of highly motivated businessmen and physicians to join his battle. Recently, he approached the leaders of groups he is actively involved in has been active in, including Rotary International, the International Olympic Committee and the United Nations. These groups represent almost two million members that are predominantly male, with an average age in the 50’s. These demographics match those at greatest risk for Prostate Cancer. Signed copies are available at Village Books (1049 Swarthmore).
Palisades Pacesetters
Elizabeth-Anne Markman, a sophomore on Stanford University’s synchronized swimming team, enjoyed a successful 2004 campaign. She took second place in both elements and team and fourth place in duet at the Collegiate Nationals and earned All-American honors. A three-time selection the Palisadian-Post Athletes of the Year list, Markman placed eighth overall in team at the United States Nationals but pulled out of team trials to have knee and shoulder surgery over the summer. Markman was a member of the 2003 and 2001 U.S. National Team 2 and the 2002 U.S. Junior National Team. Federico Bianchi enjoyed a stellar senior soccer season at Boston University. A midfielder and co-captain, Bianchi started 21 games, scoring six goals and assisting on five others while leading the Terriers to a 10-8-3 overall record. Bianchi finished his collegiate career with 17 goals and 18 assists. He was a a Reebok All-American his senior year at Palisades High, played for California South’s Olympic Development State Team and was also a two-time captain of the Dolphins’ varsity basketball team.
