Home Blog Page 2477

3 Early Candidates in City Council Race

Amidst all the noise of national election primaries, three citizens have quietly begun the process of running for Council District 11 in March 2005, when two-term Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski will be termed out. This will be the first election in the district since it became a coastal district exclusively, as a result of last year’s redistricting, and candidates are already staking out their territory on the issues. Flora Gil Krisiloff, a Brentwood resident since 1985, is running on her record as a community advocate. “When I moved to Brentwood from Mar Vista 19 years ago, I immediately got involved in preserving the Brentwood Country Mart on the corner of 26th and San Vicente,” Krisiloff told the Palisadian-Post. “Then Marvin Braude appointed me to the San Vicente Design Review Board, where I continue to serve.” In more recent times, Krisiloff co-founded and remains the only chairman of the Brentwood Community Council, which was established six years ago. She has also served as vice president of the West L.A. Planning Commission for two years and is currently the president. While not obligated to step down from her position on the commission, she will do so voluntarily “in order to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest.” “Because the West L. A. Planning Commission encompasses all of Council District 11, I have become familiar with planning issues throughout the entire district, which runs from the 405 freeway to the east, the ocean to the west, Pacific Palisades to the north and Westchester to the south.” Krisiloff has assembled a campaign team that includes Rich Taylor, who ran both of Cindy Miscikowski’s campaigns, Charley Dobbs to raise money and Mary Ellen Padilla as treasurer. She expects to begin her fundraising after March 8, when matching funds become available. Krisiloff, 52, earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from UCLA, where she taught in the nursing school. She also holds an MBA from UCLA. She and her husband, Milton, who is a urologist with a Santa Monica practice, have three sons. Bill Rosendahl, who has 22 years experience in cable television specializing in public affairs programs, most recently on Adelphia, is hoping to build consensus on the City Council. Since 1987, he has produced 3,000 shows on state and local issues. In addition, he has given voice to all candidates, big and small, who have run for local and statewide office and offered a forum to debate state and municipal propositions. “I think of myself as being accessible and open, and believe if we all sit at the table we can come up with solutions,” he said. A Mar Vista resident, Rosendahl plans to use the next six months to raise money and familiarize himself with specific issues. He will hold his first fundraiser on March 8. He has hired a team of consultants including Parke Skelton to run the campaign, Brian and Pat Bradford to raise money and Steve Kauffman to “keep my books straight.” A native of New Jersey, Rosendahl, who is single, has spent his career in and out of politics, working for a number of Democratic candidates, including Bobby Kennedy’s 1968 bid for president, which brought him to Los Angeles for the first time on that fateful evening. Rosendahl, who turns 60 in 2005, thinks of himself as a citizen politician, whose “experience, awareness and maturity” will serve him well. Los Angeles native Sheila Bernard’s foray into politics was prompted by her own personal commitment to affordable housing. A resident of Lincoln Place Apartments since 1988, Bernard, 54, has led the fight to protect and preserve the 800 units of housing in the middle of Venice. She is the single mother of three grown children. “This major activity got me interested in politics as I began to see that the biggest problems in Los Angeles include affordable housing, transportation and, of course water,” Bernard told the Post. A graduate of UCLA, where she studied public service, Bernard has been teaching adults and at-risk youth in the Division of Adult and Career Education of LAUSD since 1981. “During these years I have met several thousand at-risk youth of high school age and helped many of them to prepare for the GED and earn their high school diploma,” she says. “I have concluded that schools need more support and participation from government and from local communities if schools are to play all the roles that are expected of them in the lives of students and their families.” Bernard not only serves as president of the Lincoln Place Tenants Association, but also was co-founder and current president of the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council, which was certified two years ago. She says that she expects to run a “nontraditional” campaign. “The neighborhood council and tenants are my work in the community. The campaign has to accommodate my work in the community, not the other way around.”

Residents Fight PCH Dog Park Site

Although this hiking path from Via de las Olas down to PCH looks inviting, it is steep at the top, and there is overgrown brush on the path. There are many forks along the way, and no signage. Also, near PCH, the trail is lined with trash and the personal items of the homeless people who live in the brush nearby. (See adjoining news story.)	Photo: Laura Witsenhausen
Although this hiking path from Via de las Olas down to PCH looks inviting, it is steep at the top, and there is overgrown brush on the path. There are many forks along the way, and no signage. Also, near PCH, the trail is lined with trash and the personal items of the homeless people who live in the brush nearby. (See adjoining news story.) Photo: Laura Witsenhausen

Residents of the Via de las Olas neighborhood are outraged by the proposed off-leash dog park proposed for the infamous “Oxy site” along Pacific Coast Highway, just west of Potrero Canyon-and directly below the Via bluffs. “While we are not against the idea of a dog park, we are adamantly against the idea of using the Oxy site, which we believe is reckless and irresponsible,” said Thomas and Elisabeth Giovine of BRAD (Bluff Residents Against Danger) in a letter to Norm Kulla, acting chair of PaliDog, the dog park search committee. “We urge you to seek an alternate site that is not so close to a residential neighborhood, such as Temescal Canyon. We have never understood why dogs are not allowed [there] anyway,” the Giovines wrote. “Please understand, before PaliDog expends resources on studies using the Oxy site, we want to be very clear: my wife and I will fight this movement with every fiber of our beings.” Kulla (and the Palisadian-Post) received similar protest letters from other Via bluffs neighbors who fear that a dog park on the flat, 2-acre site (once proposed for oil drilling) would entice droves of dog owners to park along Via de las Olas-between Mt. Holyoke and Friends-and hike 10 minutes or so down an unimproved path to the dog park. PaliDog’s goal is to build a parking lot adjacent to a fenced-in park (accessed from PCH) and discourage people from using the hillside trail. Eventually, the dog park would also be accessible to people hiking a one-mile fire road from the Palisades Recreation Center down through a “landscaped” Potrero Canyon. BRAD letter writers requested a meeting with PaliDog, and Kulla encouraged them to make a presentation to his committee on Monday, February 9 at 6:30 in Mort’s Oak Room. “PaliDog is attempting to proceed on a consensus basis,” Kulla said. “I believe we should make the Oxy site and concerns of the residents of Via de las Olas a principle focus of our next meeting. Monique Ford of Cindy Miscikowski’s office is also involved in this process.” Kulla said his committee has focused on the Oxy site “after studying and rejecting more than a half-dozen other possible locations” in the Palisades. “Land ownership is complex” along PCH at Potrero Canyon, he said, and “Monique has indicated that a land and/or easement swap is pending between Caltrans and the City. We anticipate a fluid and extended process to attain our goal.” In a two page e-mail to Via de las Olas neighborhood friends last week, Tom and Elisabeth Giovine argued that the proposed dog park would “jeopardize the bluff’s stability, invite crime, risk fire danger, risk our children’s safety, slow traffic and endanger the environment.” More specifically, they objected that: Since the Via de las Olas bluff is geologically unstable, the City deemed the street Withdrawn from Public Use “because it is worried about vehicle weight on the bluff. A dog park might cause users (not just from the Palisades) to park on Olas and risk the bluff’s stability.” In addition, there’s concern about “bluff erosion from increased human and canine foot traffic” down to the dog park. A dog park “would increase the likelihood of a fire that would threaten homes in the Palisades bluffs and in the Huntington.” Crime will increase because “the dog park will attract visitors from all over Los Angeles and Ventura counties-not just Palisades residents. The dog park will invite wayward and unseemly people to roam the bluff streets from PCH to the Village and throughout the Huntington.” “Children playing at the Palisades Recreation Center will be at risk from dog park users, who can easily walk directly up the canyon from PCH.” In addition, “unleashed dogs, so dangerously close to a densely populated residential neighborhood, will create serious risk to our children playing in their yards as well as around the bluff.” Environmental dangers will include the prospect that “dog urine and fecal matter will run off into the ocean, into an area that already has dubious water cleanliness,” and “the nightly on-shore winds will disperse remnants of dog feces throughout the bluff streets and the Huntington-posing a threat to human health.” * “We all know that PCH can be very slow, particularly during summer beach days. A dog park [at the foot of Potrero Canyon] will further exacerbate traffic issues as dog park users will be darting in and out of traffic.” In a letter to Councilwoman Miscikowski, Via de las Olas resident Bill Moran said he owned a golden retriever and he would enjoy taking his dog to a dog park-but not at the Oxy site. He argued that “having a dog park adjacent to PCH, where dogs may get loose (inadvertently) and be running around on PCH will be a dangerous situation.” In addition, since “innumerable people” will access the site from Via de las Olas, “the impact on the neighborhood could be enormous. A dog park could draw from a population of 30,000-50,000. Imagine the number of dogs, cars, and non-neighborhood people who will be using this facility.” In summary, Moran charged, building a dog park at the Oxy site “would be a complete disaster” and “ranks right up there with putting in a Minimum Security Prison and telling people to not worry because they’re non-violent people.”

Calvary Dedicates New Playing Field

Jim Wadsworth, who led the effort to build a new athletic field at Calvary Christian School, overlooks the $2.5 million product.
Jim Wadsworth, who led the effort to build a new athletic field at Calvary Christian School, overlooks the $2.5 million product.

Six and a half years ago, Palisadian Jim Wadsworth said he felt called by God to spearhead a movement to install an athletic playing field at Calvary Christian School. Since then, his faith was tested numerous times, yet he never stopped believing. Last Thursday morning his prayers were answered. Calvary Christian held a dedication ceremony to inaugurate its $2.5 million synthetic turf field (located at 701 Palisades Drive at the foot of the Highlands), which will serve not only the parish school but the entire Palisades community. “I’m so excited to reach this milestone,” Wadsworth, who owns a real estate development and asset management firm in Santa Monica, said in a speech before the school’s students and faculty. “This has been a collective effort of so many people and we wouldn’t be here today without their contributions.” After opening remarks by Head of School Teresa Roberson, Wadsworth thanked Community Council member Kurt Toppel, AYSO Region 69 Commissioner Debbie Held, local attorney Marty Trupiano and Amgen construction engineer Dave Callahan, among others, for their contributions to his effort. “Kurt saw the merits of the field early on and staunchly supported us at council meetings, Debbie wrote letters of support and attended hearings downtown, Marty volunteered countless hours reviewing and redrafting legal documents required for city and state approvals, and Dave offered excellent advice throughout the design and construction process.” Wadsworth, a 25-year parishioner at Calvary Church, also thanked land-use attorney Mark Allen, Coastal Commission member Susan McCabe, civil engineers Lloyd Poindexter and Pat Montelana and construction management team members Frank Gamwell (principal), Gavin Miller (vice president), Ed Lloyd (senior project manager), Marc Dublin (business development) and superintendents Peter Gregory and Will Foraker. On hand to celebrate with Wadsworth were his wife Kay, assistant head at Calvary School, and two of their three kids, Jill, 29, and Jordan, 23. Then the school mascot, Casey Cougar, led a cheer and a flock of white doves was released. Letters from U.S. Representative Henry Waxman, Senator Barbara Boxer and City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa were presented in recognition of Wadsworth’s commitment to the project. “There was a point when the field proposal seemed destined to be defeated,” Wadsworth continued. “It was then that two people stepped forward from the city attorney’s office, having the foresight to see the mutual benefits this field would have. These two women, Cecilia Estolano and Cynthia McClain Hill, worked tirelessly with me to arrive at a compromise solution for public usage.” Finally, Wadsworth thanked City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski and her staff, chief deputy Lisa Gritzner, district director Debbie Dyner-Harris, field deputy Monique Ford and former deputy Kristen Montet. Public usage of the new field will consist of 18 Saturdays a year as well as six discretionary days to be determined by Palisades Recreation Center Director Cheryl Gray, who was also present. Mondays through Thursdays, the field will be used for Calvary’s after-school sports programs-flag football and cross country in the fall, soccer in the winter and track in the spring. “There’s such a need for the field and it’s such a beautiful facility, we want others to use it too,” said Marti Willens, Calvary’s middle school director. “It’ll be used every day for recess and P.E. The 7th- and 8th-graders play flag football and soccer in the Delphic League and the 5th- and 6th-graders play in the Coastal Canyon League. We’ll also play intramurals up here at lunch. There are so many great uses for the field.” Miscikowski attended the ceremony along with Jenny Toder (representing Assemblymember Fran Pavley), Viet Tran (representing Mayor James Hahn) and Ben Saltsman (representing Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky). She stepped to the podium after Wadsworth and praised him for his perseverance: “I can’t say enough about this man. In 1972, when I started to work on this canyon and this land, we had a big battle and we ultimately settled on a land-use plan for Santa Ynez Canyon. We agreed that we would carve out an Institutional Site for a church and school (we didn’t know who would own it) and we carved out an open space behind the school. “Then in 1997, Jim came up with his concept. He said ‘I think of playing fields as open space too, and we should make it for the students and children of the Palisades, too.’ He made that promise-and kept it. He had a shared vision for all the children-it really was his vision to push the envelope and build something for the children of the future.” PCM, the management firm that served as general contractor for the project, began work April 12, just over two months after the California Coastal Commission issued the long-sought permit. The project consisted of excavating 10,000 yards of dirt at the north end of the site, building retaining walls along the back against the hillside and installing synthetic turf measuring 90 yards long by 40 yards wide and covering 32,400 square feet. White and yellow lines are marked into the turf, which is called SmartGrass, and the school’s Cougar logo is painted at midfield. “This is truly a celebration day for Jim Wadsworth,” Roberson said. “When he began this process in July 1997, some of our students were not even born yet. Over six years, he sacrificed literally thousands of hours of personal time. Jim knew the children at Calvary and in the Palisades needed more athletic space and we thank him for his commitment.” One of the beneficiaries of the field will be Held and her local AYSO program. “It’s awesome,” she told Wadsworth afterwards. “You had a vision. I’m so glad you hung in there and I know the hoops you had to go through.” Held said AYSO will lease the field for $12 an hour, and its younger age groups will play games there 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays from August to November. The YMCA will also have practices and games there starting in April. “I was elected in July 1997,” Miscikowski said in her speech. “In August I had my first meeting with Jim. He already had a plan in mind. That shows his commitment. He set a goal, engaged other allies like Community Council and AYSO, and the result here is that everybody’s a winner.” Highlands resident and Calvary student Lauren Kohli was as excited as the adults: “I play intramural soccer at lunch. We play two 10-minute halves, seven or eight girls on a team. It’s exciting to be on the new field. It’s real cushioning, it definitely feels like real grass.” The California Coastal Commission approved Wadsworth’s proposal by a 7-1 vote in December 2001 but findings of fact procedures and general backlog delayed the issuing of the permit for 14 months. “I’ve seen it through all the different phases, from the time it was dirt,” said Dallas Price-VanBreda, whose Price Family Foundation earlier donated $250,000 to the new gym campaign at the Palisades Recreation Center. “We were one of the initial donors and it’s very exciting to see the project come to fruition. We got involved financially because five of my grandkids went through the school. If we had given in to the ‘nos,’ this would have never happened so our thanks to Jim for hanging in there. He knew it was the right thing to do.”

Dr. Samuel Kaplan, Pioneer In Congenital Heart Disease

Dr. Samuel Kaplan, a pioneer in congenital heart disease research and emeritus professor of pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, died of cancer on January 21 at UCLA Medical Center. The Palisades Highlands resident was 81. Kaplan graduated from the University of Witswatersrand School of Medicine in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1944 and completed his residency training before continuing his postgraduate training in cardiology at Hammersmith Hospital in London in 1949. He moved to the United States in 1950 to join the cardiology department at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where he began his pioneering studies in congenital heart disease. As chief of the division of pediatric cardiology, he was among the first in the world to establish the specialty and is considered among the founders of this discipline. Under his direction, the hospital became a national and international referral center for infants and children born with heart defects. In addition to his clinical expertise, Kaplan made many experimental contributions to the field; his laboratory studies were instrumental in developing the membrane oxygenator that is still an essential part of the surgical procedure for open-heart surgery on both children and adults. Kaplan directed a superb clinical and laboratory training program in which each cardiology fellow was encouraged, nurtured and mentored to enter a career as an academician. Generations of his trainees are currently leaders of pediatric cardiology and occupy important positions in medical centers throughout the U.S. and other countries. When he retired from his position in Cincinnati in 1987, Kaplan was widely recognized as among the top five most constructive and productive academic cardiology leaders in America. At the invitation of the U.S. State Department, he lectured in several countries to share his expertise in pediatric cardiology. Joining UCLA in 1987, one of Kaplan’s most impressive contributions was his success in strengthening the postdoctoral training program. The respect and gratitude of several dozen fellows attest to his success. At UCLA, he also became the leader of a multi-institutional research program funded by a $9-million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the effects on the heart and lungs of HIV transmitted from mother to infant. This work alone has contributed more than 30 scientific reports, has identified important heart and lung complications associated with HIV, and has identified appropriate treatment and follow-up for these infants and children. Kaplan, revered in both pediatrics and pediatric cardiology, was the recipient of numerous honors and awards throughout his career. He is survived by his wife, Molly; his brother, Solomon; his sister-in-law, Marie; and his nephew and wife, Tony and Louise McKenzie. The David Geffen School of Medicine is planning a memorial service and UCLA’s department of pediatrics will issue notices of memorial services. The family has requested that donations be sent to the UC Regents/UCLA Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Sciences Development, 10945 Le Conte Ave., Suite 3132, Los Angeles, CA 90095.

Timothy Ling, 46; Unocal President and Family Man

Timothy H. Ling, president and chief operating officer of Unocal Corp., died suddenly of apparent natural causes on January 28 after an ice hockey workout in El Segundo. He was 46. “Tim Ling was a brilliant executive with boundless energy and enthusiasm,” said Charles R. Williamson, Unocal’s chairman and chief executive officer. “He lived every moment with gusto. Although his life was tragically short, it was remarkably full. The entire Unocal family is shocked and saddened by Tim’s sudden passing. We will miss him terribly.” Williamson indicated that he would assume Ling’s responsibilities as president and chief operating officer on an interim basis, effective immediately. Ling was also a member of the company’s management committee and had served as a member of Unocal’s board of directors since 2000. Previously, he was executive vice president, North American Operations. He joined Unocal in 1997 as chief financial officer. “Tim invested every ounce of his extraordinary energy in making Unocal successful,” Williamson said. “His leadership and commitment were unwavering. He embraced change and challenge like no one else I have ever worked with.” Williamson noted that, with the help of Ling’s leadership, Unocal has made a lot of difficult changes over the past few years, strengthening its profitability and future growth potential. Ling was instrumental in developing and leading many of Unocal’s key business initiatives. He also helped to assemble a multitalented, highly experienced management team. “Thanks in good part to Tim’s vision and commitment, Unocal is traveling a clear and well- marked path to future success,” Williamson added. “We owe him a legacy of continued achievement and improved performance.” Born in Philadelphia, Ling earned a degree in geology from Cornell University in 1982 and an MBA at Stanford in 1989. Prior to joining Unocal, he was a partner at McKinsey & Company in Los Angeles. He also worked as a research geologist for the United States Geological Survey at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where his focus was on the assessment of deepwater energy and mineral resources. In 1987, Ling married Kimberly De Mello. He was a devoted family man and actively involved in his young children’s lives, including coaching his eldest son’s ice hockey team. He was also an accomplished vocalist and musician who played both the cello and the piano. Ling was a director of the American Petroleum Institute, the Domestic Petroleum Council and Maxis Communications, a cellular telephone provider in Malaysia. He also served on an advisory board for the Department of Energy and was on the management board for the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Meanwhile, he served as an officer and board member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, where he helped raise funds to complete Walt Disney Concert Hall. In addition to his wife, Ling is survived by their three children, Hudson, 7, Tommy, 4, and Peter, 2; his parents, Gilbert and Shirley Ling of Marion, PA; his sister and her husband, Eva and Neil Monahan of Wynnewood, PA, and their children, Stephanie and Casey; and his brother and his wife, Dr. Mark and Jenny Ling of Atlanta, GA, and their children, Sydney and Graham. Funeral arrangements are pending. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to either the Tim Ling Memorial Fund at St. Matthew’s Parish Church in Pacific Palisades or to the Tim Ling Scholarship Fund, in care of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.

Trudy Barker, Former Anita Jean Employee

Trudy Louise Barker, former employee of Anita Jean and Gages Children’s Wear in Pacific Palisades, passed away on January 26. She was 60. Barker was born on November 27, 1943 in Los Angeles to Jim and Anita Jean Barker and graduated from University High School. She worked in the family business until the store closed in February 1985. Preceded in death by her father, she is survived by her mother and her stepfather, Ross Oakley; sisters Ginny Bass, Linda Oakley and Judi Barker; brother Jim Barker, Jr.; many nieces, nephews and loving friends and “furry friends” Snoopy and Big Toe. Funeral services will be held this morning at 10:30 a.m. at Gates, Kingsley & Gates Moeller Murphy Mortuary Chapel, 1925 Arizona in Santa Monica, with burial following at Eternal Valley Memorial Park in Newhall. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Barker’s memory to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Los Angeles Chapter, 2440 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 115, Los Angeles, CA 90064.

Barbara Carr, 49; Former U.S. Bank Manager Here

Barbara Carr, former manager of the Palisades branches of Santa Monica Bank and U.S. Bank, passed away at West Hills Hospital on December 10, following a lengthy illness. She was 49. Born in Toledo, Ohio, Carr moved to Southern California in 1987. Her career included 29 years in banking. She was an active member of the Palisades Lions Club for seven years and participated in community events as a member of the Palisades Chamber of Commerce and in the American Cancer Society. From 1998-2002, she reviewed and made suggestions for Compsych Systems Publications in Pacific Palisades. Carr will be remembered by her many friends as a caring person with a generous heart. She is survived by her brother Jim Carr and family of Maumee, Ohio, and her sister Judy Vienhage and family of Cape Coral, Florida. A memorial service was held in Westlake Village on December 15. Donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or one’s favorite charity.

Vincent F. Cleeves, Sr., 86; A Woodworker and Hiker

Vincent F. Cleeves, a 54-year resident of Pacific Palisades, passed away on Wednesday, January 21 at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica. He was 86. Cleeves was born in La Crescenta on July 4, 1917. As a young boy, he delivered the local newspaper on horseback and as a teenager made a surfboard and learned to surf Southern California beaches. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in mechanical engineering. While working in New York, he met his future wife, Nancy, in 1946. They married shortly thereafter and moved to the Palisades from Santa Monica in 1950. Employed for 35 years at McDonnell Douglas in Ocean Park, Cleeves commuted daily to Long Beach. After retiring, he continued to consult for McDonnell Douglas for three years before settling down to hobbies and his passion of cabinetmaking. An accomplished woodworker, Vince built many beautiful furniture pieces and cabinets for his family. He loved to hike in the Santa Monica Mountains, backpack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with his sons and nephews, and spend time at the beach bodysurfing. Many family vacations were spent skiing at Mammoth Mountain. He also enjoyed travels to Alaska, Hawaii, Europe and the Panama Canal. Cleeves is survived by his wife of 57 years, Nancy; sons Vincent Jr., of Boulder, Colorado, Monty of Redwood City, and Chuck of San Diego; daughter Virginia of Boulder; a sister, Marion of Berkeley; seven grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. A funeral Mass was held at Corpus Christi Church in Pacific Palisades on January 24. Contributions may be made in Cleeves’s name to the charity of one’s choice.

Leslie R. Skidmore, Jr.; WWII Naval Officer

Leslie Randolph Skidmore, Jr., who had raised his family in Pacific Palisades, died peacefully January 15 in Napa, California. He was 85. Born in Portland, Oregon, Skidmore grew up in Salt Lake City, where he attended the University of Utah before transferring to the U. S. Naval Academy, from which he graduated in 1942. Following graduation, he became a gunnery officer aboard the U.S.S. Pensacola. His ship distinguished itself in Pacific Theater battles that included Coral Sea, Midway, Guadacanal, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Tarawa. The ship survived a torpedo attack in 1942 and returned to action through Armistice Day. Skidmore married Joyce Christensen on June 5, 1945. After the war he received a master’s degree in engineering from the Naval Academy in 1947 and a second master’s degree in physics from UCLA a year later. He worked at Pearl Harbor and the family lived in Kailua, Oahu, between 1951 and 1955. He was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1956 with a rank of Lieutenant Commander. He is remembered fondly and with deepest respect by his shipmates with whom he communicated regularly throughout his life. After the Navy, Skidmore spent his career as an electronics engineer at Deco Electronics, then Hughes Aircraft Company in Culver City. He assisted in developing early satellite transmission facilities in Perth, Australia, in the 1960s and managed classified defense programs including missile guidance and aircraft navigation systems ranging from early radar, sonar and laser research to guidance systems for the F-18 fighter jet. The Skidmores lived from 1958 to 1982 in Pacific Palisades, where Joyce was a well-known real estate agent. After Les retired from Hughes in 1981, the couple retired in Monterey, California, where they and their best friends, Martha and Bill Edlun, both built retirement homes. In 1999, Les and Joy moved to Napa. Skidmore will be fondly remembered for his generous spirit, humor and commitment to and love of his family and his country. He was a meticulous and skilled engineer who relaxed by applying the same attention to detail as a chef, gardener and woodworker. He lived his life in furtherance of American ethics-honor and loyalty to country, family and friends. In addition to his wife, Les is survived by his son, Randy of Napa; his daughter, Terri Skidmore Lantz (husband Stephen) of Pacific Palisades; and his grandchildren, Peter Skidmore, Patrick Skidmore Lantz, Geoffrey Skidmore and Katie Lantz. He was interred at Tulocay cemetery in Napa.

Elliott Starts Third Season as Texas Volleyball Coach

Winning seems to follow Palisadian Jerritt Elliott wherever he goes. The Palisades High grad and former USC interim head coach is now beginning his third year as head coach of the University of Texas women’s volleyball team and already he has brought the program back to national prominence. Under Elliott’s leadership, the Longhorns reached the NCAA tournament for the second straight year and finished fourth in the Big 12 Conference. Elliott was selected Pac-10 Coach of the Year in both of his seasons at USC, where he led the Women of Troy to a No. 4 national ranking and a 29-3 record in 2000. Elliott graduated from Cal State Northridge with a Kinesiology degree in 1991. He was appointed head coach of the USA Junior National team for the summer of 2001 but gave up the position to take the Texas job.