Compiled by STEVE GALLUZZO Once again, Palisadians thrilled us with their courage, amazed us with their skill and inspired us with their stories in 2004. Recounted here are some of the year’s finest athletes and their accomplishments… Cara Davidoff Cara capped off her prep career with a Post Cup Award as outstanding senior athlete at Palisades High, leading the Dolphins to second at the City finals. A three-time City champion in the 50 Freestyle and two-time City champ in the 100 Free, Cara volunteered to compete in different events this season to help the team’s chances. She clocked 1:54.54 in winning the 200 freestyle, then won the 100 butterfly in 58.71, just missing the City record in that event. Geoff Schwartz Our other Post Cup winner excelled at both football and baseball as a senior at Palisades High. He was a starting offensive and defensive lineman on the varsity football squad and the ace pitcher on a baseball squad that won the league title. Geoff played football at Oregon in the fall. Meg Norton No one’s story was as inspiring this year as that of 12-year-old Meg Norton, who recovered from a debilitating kidney ailment to win a national championship with her Sunshine Volleyball Club team. She also ran and finished the Palisades-Will Rogers 5K, was one of the leading scorers on her AYSO soccer team. Tyler Mellos A Highlands native, Tyler had a senior season to remember at Cate School. He co-captained the Rams’ varsity baseball team to the CIF quarterfinals and batted .474 with 37 hits in 78 plate appearances. In addition, he stole 13 bases in 21 games and slugged .705 with 19 runs batted in, 12 doubles and three triples. His achievements earned him a University President’s Merit Scholarship to Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Lee Calvert Showing that age is a question of mind over matter, Lee won every event she entered at both the Canadian Open and United States National Badminton tournaments. Competing in the women’s 75-and-over division, she won the singles and mixed doubles championships in both tournaments. As an encore, she won the 120+ women’s doubles and served as an umpire coordinator at the U.S. Open Championships. D’Andre Bell A senior bound for Georgia Tech, D’Andre has had to sit out the first half of his last year at Palisades High with an injury. But no injury can diminish what he has accomplished so far on the basketball court. He averaged 25 points per game 10.8 rebounds in 2003-04 and was voted first-team All-City. Channing Grigsby Channing did it all as a junior at Brentwood School. She was a standout on the girls’ varsity soccer team and the starting setter on the Eagles’ varsity volleyball team, which reached the CIF semifinals. She also plays club volleyball for Sports Shack. Jake Meyer The Palisades High senior qualified for both the discus and shot put at the state track and field championships. Jake threw the shot 51 feet, 8 inches to finish second at the City finals. He achieved his personal-best of 53-0 at a league meet in October. He won the City in the discus with a distance of 129-5. Colette Rosenberg Practice payed off for this longtime Riviera Country Club member. Colette qualified for the United States Women’s Mid-Amateur Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee’the 10th time she has made the national cut. She has won the Riviera club championship eight times. Dylan Cohen Dylan was selected to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ junior elite team, an all-star squad for the top high school players in Southern California. He was an All-City short stop for the Palisades High varsity baseball team and the starting kicker/punter and quarterback on the varsity football team. He was chosen to Baseball Resource’s All-Southern California team for 2005-06. Hannah Wirth A senior quick hitter on the Brentwood varsity volleyball squad, Hannah was one of the Eagles’ go-to players, averaging double digits in kills and digs. She applied for early decision at Amherst College in Massachusetts, where she hopes to play with fellow Palisadian Kristin Quinn. Curt Toppel An example of how quickly things can change, Curt stood atop the volleyball world last year. He was one of the top college players in the country and had been selected to join the United States National Team to fulfill his dream of playing in the Olympics. He makes this year’s list because of his perseverance. He overcame a career-threatening injury to his foot to play in a professional league in Puerto Rico and made the league’s annual All-Star game. Alexa & Caroline Merz Caroline switched from gymnastics to fencing and took first place among Southern Californians and 32nd place overall in the Youth 14 Women’s Sabre competition at the USA Fencing Championships. Alexa won both the 50 and 100 meter Freestyle events at this year’s National Long Course Championships. She was a CIF Southern Section champion in the 50 Freestyle and competed at the 2004 Senior Spring Nationals in the 50, 100 and 200 Freestyle. Kevin Seto Excelled in both soccer and baseball his senior year at Palisades High. Kevin was co-captain and led the varsity soccer squad in points, then led the varsity baseball team to the Western League championship. He led Pali in batting average (.460), hits (29), runs scored (24) and doubles (6) and was the only Dolphin named to the All-City team. Noelle & Madeline Amos Noelle was 57th in the Division II women’s epee at the USA Fencing Championships while sister Madeline placed first in the Southern California Youth 12 women’s epee and finished sixth overall. Matt Willig A 13-year NFL veteran, Matt helped the Carolina Panthers reach the Super Bowl in January. Now, the 6-8, 315-pound right tackle is trying to help his team secure an NFC wildcard berth. Stephanie Sommer The 5-4 freshman outside hitter paced Lighthouse Christian Academy to its first CIF championship ever. Stephanie led the Saints in both aces and kills, including 10 of each in the finals against Santa Maria Valley Christian. Peter Gilmore In an attempt to qualify for the marathon at the Athens Olympics, Peter clocked a personal-record 2:15.44’almost two full minutes faster than his previous best time. Oh, by the way, he also won the Palisades-Will Rogers 5K for the seventh time’finishing in 14:12, two seconds off of his own course record. Kara Barnard Three days before her 26th birthday, Kara gave herself an early present by winning the Palisades-Will Rogers 10K for the third time’her eighth Will Rogers win overall. She ran the 6.2-mile course in 35:24, the fourth fastest time in race history and bettered her previous-best time by over two minutes. Jon Leicester The ex-Palisades High baseball player and 1997 Post Cup winner established himself as a reliable middle reliever for the Chicago Cubs. Jon made his major league debut June 9 against the St. Louis Cardinals and earned his first win June 13 at Anaheim. Lizzie Kay A sophomore libero on the Johns Hopkins University women’s volleyball team, Lizzie earned Centennial Conference honorable mention after leading her conference in digs with 640 (6.67 per game) and shattering the school single-season record which she set her freshman year. Baxter Humby The ‘One-Armed Bandit’ continued his rise to the top of the kickboxing world with a unanimous victory over Canadian champion Alex Ricci (30-8) to capture the International Muay Thai Council super welterweight championship in September. He currently wears five world title belts. Kristin Quinn A sophomore outside hitter on the women’s volleyball team at Amherst College in Massachusetts, Kristin was named to the New England Women’s Volleyball Association Division III All-New England team. She was sixth in the nation in hitting percentage (.426) and 23rd in the nation in blocks per game. Walker Kehrer Along with doubles partner Michael Lin, Walker claimed his third successive victory in a National Open doubles final, winning the 14s Division at the USA National Open in Newport Beach. In singles, he is one of the top 25 players in the nation. Over the summer, he played five national events in four states, taking two first-place, two second-place and a third-place in singles, doubles and team competition while compiling a 34-9 record. Diana Grubb A senior setter for the Palisades High girls’ varsity volleyball team, she was named to the All-City second team. A three-year starter, Grubb averaged over 30 assists a match her senior season and was the Dolphins’ team captain. She is also a starter on Pali’s women’s soccer team. Tommy Marrone A sophomore at St. Monica High, Tommy stood out in both football and volleyball. He was voted most valuable player of the Mariners’ junior varsity football team, scoring 14 touchdowns as a running back and wide receiver. He also earned first-team All-League honors as the starting setter on the varsity volleyball squad. Hannah Kogan A swimmer for Team Santa Monica, this 10-year-old Palisadian placed fifth in the 50 Freestyle at the Southern California Festival in January. Hannah and her identical twin, Samantha, both participated in the Junior Olympics last summer. Teddy Levitt Has become a master at his craft’or at least a work in progress. His sport is fencing and he attained a rank of No. 6 nationally in the Cadet (under 17) division and No. 31 in the junior division (under 19). He won all of his bouts as captain of the Harvard-Westlake High team, which won the Mission League championship, and placed sixth in his division at the Junior Olympics. Erina Digby Making our list for the fourth straight year, Erina finished her Marlborough High tennis career with a flourish, leading the Mustangs to their third consecutive berth in the CIF semifinals. She also reached the semifinals of the Individuals Tournament and played doubles with Malibu’s Kelly Stewart at the USTA National Championships.
Return to Tennis Brings Life Lessons
By GABRIELLE GOTTLIEB Special to the Palisadian-Post Being the only girl in my family with two brothers, excelling in sports was never a problem. My brothers were quite competitive in tennis. I was a different story. I didn’t like competitiveness as I knew it then. Well, you know how the story goes’children seek independence. My brothers and I lost interest in playing tennis. So tennis took a back seat. Actually the trunk. Now we’re up to speed. Two years ago I moved from Brentwood to the Palisades, bought a condo and had a ball (no pun intended) renovating and decorating it. Running was my sport of choice. I ran and still do run all over the Palisades, from El Medio to the beach, to Chautauqua. One day I decided to take a different route and venture over to the Palisades Recreation Center. Memories of my old tennis days there started creeping back. I began to think more about my parents and brothers. Since we are so busy with our own lives, I kept trying to think of ways to reconnect with my brothers. I thought tennis just might be the way to go. Around that same time a friend told me he had put himself through Harvard Law School teaching tennis. I was so impressed’maybe there was more to tennis than I remembered. I decided right then and there it was time to give it another try. Before I picked up a racket I had a list of conditions for my would-be instructor. First, I determined that they needed to be in the Palisades (I wanted no long commutes). The second condition was observing the instructor beforehand. Third was flexibility: I wanted to go at my own pace, slowly and without being penalized. Fourth was approachability: I wanted an instructor I could ask questions and talk to throughout the lesson. The fifth condition was credentials: he or she had better be good! Last but not least, I wanted an instructor with a sense of humor. Luckily, I landed a home run my first time at bat. The instructor met all my criteria and even had a few unexpected perks. When I observed this particular teacher, I knew something even bigger than tennis was happening on the court. Her name is Yuriko Knoblich. She is ranked No. 4 in the national doubles 50-and-over division and she is rated a 5.0 player by the USTA. Yuriko was self taught and has been teaching since she was 19. Yuriko started teaching because someone told her ‘You look so good, I want to look just like you.’ She teaches private lessons to women from West L.A., Malibu, Brentwood and Palisades (which she calls ‘Pacific Paradise’). Many of her students are local residents, including Barbara Travis, Helen Geller, Lisa Borja, Rikki Gordon, Sissy Vogel, Wendy Landis, Noelle Polacek and former Palisadian Joann Ralph. What I like most about Yuriko is that she uses a psychological approach to teaching that applies not just to tennis but life in general. She emphasizes being an individual and communicating well with your doubles partner. Doubles is her specialty. Being an artist, I work alone a lot, so doubles sounded intriguing. I could be out in the beautiful sun, learning and relating to others all at the same time. ‘In doubles you have to have team work,’ Yuriko says. ‘You have to like your partner. Communication is everything.’ She asks each new student to meet for coffee or lunch off the clock to get to know them, which helps her understand how best to teach that individual. Yuriko cherishes her circle of friends and students like family. I have learned many valuable tennis techniques and great tips on the game of life. Just to mention a few: Don’t hit the ball too hard because you give your power away. That goes for life as well. ‘It almost haunts you. It comes back and bites you,’ Yuriko says. ‘It’s ironic that you blame someone else when you should be blaming yourself.’ Her first rule is to see the ball for what it is. Don’t get fooled by the age, gender or reputation of your opponent, so you can execute your strokes the right way. In the beginning, I wanted to play well to impress her. ‘Your not supposed to impress me,’ she said. ‘I’m supposed to impress you.’ Then I didn’t feel pressured. The encouragement I received was perfect. Yuriko evaluated my game and said, ‘You can get the shots and return the serves. We need to work on your serve to get you to know you can do it, enjoy the process and be patient with yourself.’ I was also hitting in an open stance. Yuriko said, ‘You want to see too much. You don’t need to see unnecessary things. You want to see the right thing. You need to focus, look the part and your partner or opponent won’t see any insecurities. They only see what you perceive to see. Even though you’re scared you may want to challenge them.’ Yuriko lets her students hold the grip any way that works. ‘If you want a top spin, you may have to change it. If you want to see a life change you need to change your grip.’ Since I’m a runner, I was overrunning the ball. Yuriko encouraged me to save my energy. For example, ‘the slice will never come to you, you have to get there when the ball bounces and even then the ball dies.’ As with life, know how to relate to others. Judging does no good in the game of life or tennis. One last example that stands out is how Yuriko dealt with a situation when I wasn’t playing my best. I decided to take a break. Yuriko filled in and played for me. After awhile I went back in. I knew I might not do well, but I ended up winning. Yuriko was more impressed that I took a risk. For Yuriko, learning was the best part of tennis. She encourages her students to ‘give yourself the gift of enjoyment. Enjoy the process and have fun now. Tennis is so lively, energetic, priceless, and youthful.’ And I have learned to trust her advice. So over the holidays I’ll be playing doubles at the Palisades Park with my father, older brother, and his young son. All in all, I’m looking forward to three generations having fun and learning a life lesson. I have a lot to be grateful.
Golden Couples of the Palisades
JOHN & JANE FAHEY – 1954
(Editor’s note: (Editor’s note: Since launching our Golden Couples series in March 2002, we have featured 70 Pacific Palisades couples who have been married more than 50 years. Eligible couples who haven’t yet contacted the Palisadian-Post are encouraged to send an e-mail to Bill Bruns (editor@palipost.com) providing the date of their marriage and a phone contact. One of our reporters will call to gather information for a short profile, and a favorite photograph. Currently, George and Wilma Tauxe, married in Glendale on August 29, 1936, have the town’s longest marriage. They are closely followed by Robert and Betty Lou Frick, married March 30, 1937.) When John Fahey was an intern at New York’s Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in 1952 and Jane Bishop was a supervisory nurse on the night shift, it was inevitable that they would meet at the midnight coffee breaks in the cafeteria. Also, a fellow intern knew that both had lived previously in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and prompted John to see if they had mutual friends and interests. Jane was a beautiful, very intelligent and talented young woman with accomplishments as artist and chef, extensive knowledge and experience in camping, backpacking and wildlife, and interests in theatre and music of many kinds (John introduced her to jazz). Together they made quite a dance pair! Cleveland was not a factor, although when they were 9 years old they had lived only two blocks apart on the same street. After John moved to Washington, D.C., to resume biomedical research at the newly opened Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), his colleagues in New York warned him that he had better act or lose Jane to one of the doctors now courting her there. John did, and they were married in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York on June 12, 1954. Following a honeymoon in Jamaica and Haiti, they settled into an ancient Georgetown apartment. That was a big change from the large bachelor house in Georgetown, which John had lived with six other fellows’State Department, CIA, congressional staff lawyers and journalists, definitely not scientific or medical careerists. However, in the next two years, Jane met and became friends with the wives of the fellows, who had graduated by marriage earlier from the ‘N Street’ house. In due course the Faheys moved to suburban Chevy Chase, Maryland. Marguerite was born in 1955, James in 1956, and Catharine in 1959. In September 1959 they exchanged houses with a family in Highgate, London, and John had a year’s sabbatical at the National Institute for Medical Research in Mill Hill, England. The family explored much of England and Scotland and visited friends in Stockholm, Copenhagen and Paris. In 1971, although they were reluctant to leave the Washington, D.C., area, John took a position as chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the UCLA School of Medicine, where he continues as a faculty member. The move to California was eased by finding a home in the Huntington Palisades with the help of longtime residents Bill and Jane Huntington. The Faheys have remodeled and remained at the same address near Corpus Christi Church. Jane had her first symptoms of MS in 1970 and has found the Palisades climate and people to be very congenial. In recent years, many residents see her waving greetings from her wheelchair en route to the village and Sunset West, or to the Palisades Barber Shop for John’s haircuts, to the bank, market, restaurants or Harrington’s Camera for the prints that fill their many photo albums. Jane attends the Palisades Woman’s Club meetings and participates in a Santa Monica singing group. She remembers the words to most Christmas carols and all the songs from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s that she and John danced to. John currently travels to India several times yearly to work with the faculty at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and other leading medical institutions. Each year, he brings half a dozen academic physicians from medical schools and research institutes in developing countries to work with him at UCLA, and learn from him about immunology and AIDS research. Jane meets and remains in contact with John’s many professional associates. They have traveled together in Kenya and Tanzania, Europe, Ireland, Canada and Alaska, the Panama Canal and Japan since Jane developed MS. Meanwhile, the Faheys enjoy the L.A. Philharmonic and opera, the new Disney Hall, UCLA basketball and occasional Dodger games. They frequent the parks, museums, gardens, good restaurants and interesting destinations in Southern California and the vineyard areas of the Central Coast. Their children organized a 75th birthday with numerous family and friends five years ago. This year’s 50th wedding anniversary in June and 80th birthdays for both in September, were smaller-scale celebrations at home. Children and grandchildren include Marguerite and her daughter, Allison, who live in West Los Angeles; James and his wife Kaoru and their two children, Cassidy and Audrey, who live in Tarrytown, New York; and Catharine, who lives in Boulder, Colorado. When asked about their long and happy marriage, Jane said with a big smile that it was certainly worth it. John said, ‘I knew that there were many unknown changes ahead, but we took them as they came.’ They agreed that imagining how and where they would be in 2004 was quite impossible until they had experienced the past three decades in the Palisades.
Sav-on Plans Facelift in New Year
Sav-on Drugs, which leases 25,000 sq.ft. at 864 Swarthmore from the American Legion, plans a complete renovation of the interior of its store, which offers a full range of services, from prescription drugs to cosmetics. There will be new flooring, shelving and lighting, and the pharmacy will be revamped, said spokesperson Karen Ramos, speaking from Albertsons corporate office in Scottsdale, Arizona. ‘And there will be all new state-of-the-art equipment.’ The food giant, which owns the Sav-on chain, operates 650 stores across the United States, half of them in Southern California. The Palisades store, among the largest in the chain, opened on July 8, 1982 and was last remodeled seven years ago. Ramos said it will remain open while the improvements, which are scheduled to begin in March, are underway. The work is expected to take three to five months.
Palisadian Supports Democracy in Iraq
Since Palisades resident Jim Hake created Spirit of America in the summer of 2003, the Palisadian-Post has been covering the rapid growth of the not-for-profit organization, which helps Americans serving abroad to assist people in need and aids ‘those advancing freedom and peace’ in areas such as Iraq and Afghanistan. ”Most of SoA’s projects have involved fulfilling requests from American personnel for goods that improve the lives of local people, such as water barrels, sandals, clothing, sewing machines, hand tools, sports equipment, and medical and school supplies. The organization has had more than 10,000 supporters contribute to these projects. ”In the Post’s latest article about SoA (‘Hake Brings Spirit of America to Iraq,’ June 24, 2004), we reported on Hake’s first trip to Iraq in May as a guest of the Marines and civilian representative of his organization. Just a month earlier, SoA had gained national attention when The Wall Street Journal ran an editorial page feature on Hake’s campaign to raise $100,000 to help Marines establish Iraqi-owned TV stations in Al Anbar province, west of Baghdad. The article by Dan Henninger generated an enormous donor response, and SoA received $764,408 from over 4,000 donors in five days. ”As a result of the outpouring, Hake decided to increase the scope and scale of his organization’s activities in Iraq, which included working with a network of Iraqis to support their ideas and efforts for democracy. ”One of the projects born out of this new network is ‘Friends of Democracy,’ which supports efforts to ‘(1) increase voter participation in Iraq’s January election; and (2) encourage the Iraqi people to make informed decisions on the candidates.’ ” The Iraq democracy project got its name from the Iraqi bloggers (Internet publishers) Hake met with in October in Amman, Jordan. They are three brothers from Baghdad’Mohammed, Ali and Omar, graduates of Baghdad University who a year ago started an English-language Web site called ‘Iraq the Model’ (www.iraqthemodel.com). ”This blog encourages freedom of expression and provides a view into life in Baghdad as well as a means by which Iraqis can communicate with people throughout the world to discuss issues of democracy, such as next month’s elections. ”Under the ‘Friends of Democracy’ initiative, Spirit of America is supporting efforts like this with direct funding, equipment and technical assistance. For example, the organization provides Internet access, blog hosting, copiers and paper to support a network of pro-democracy student groups and community organizations. ”Other projects include the creation of an Arabic blogging tool, since the blogs are currently only in English, and the production of radio and television public service announcements by the Iraq Ministry of Women’s Affairs to encourage women to vote. SoA has earned about $110,000 for ‘Friends of Democracy’ to date. ”In order to give its supporters a chance to learn more about the Iraq democracy project, SoA has been hosting a series of events featuring the organization’s team as well as the Marines and Iraqis they’ve been working with and supporting. ”One of these events was held Monday night at Loew’s Hotel ballroom in Santa Monica. SoA brought Iraqi bloggers Mohammed and Omar to share their perspectives, along with Lt. Col. Al Burghard, who was one of the first Marines Hake worked with in the summer of 2003 and during his trip to Iraq. ”Dressed in jeans and a red plaid button-down shirt, Mohammed, 35, said that Iraqis are ‘hungry for information’ and that providing them with blogs will ‘let many Iraqis express themselves and tell their stories about what’s going on on the ground.’ ”He added that after only one year of Internet service, Iraq already has 100 blogs in English. Most of the bloggers are students since ‘there’s Internet [service] in each university in Iraq.’ ”Omar, 24, explained that there are ‘islands of freedom over Iraq’ and that the goal of Iraq the Model and ‘Friends of Democracy’ is to ‘bridge the islands.’ ”He said that blogs that ‘incite violence and hatred’ will not be accepted, and will be controlled by ‘conditions or terms of use’ for the sites. Hake added that ‘if you break the law, we’re not going to give you a free blog.’ ”Spirit of America is ‘different from any other humanitarian organization I’ve seen because it does not just supply food and clothing,’ Omar said. ‘It helps people help themselves to build their own lives and own future.’ ”Both dentists, Mohammed and Omar said they do not feel that they have faced opposition in establishing their blog or working with Spirit of America, though Col. Lt. Burghard pointed out that ‘because of their valor, they’re at risk’ since they’re ‘a threat to terrorists.’ ”For Hake, working with Mohammed and Omar has been a ‘confirmation that person-to-person connection is so important.’ ”For more information on Spirit of America projects, visit www.spiritofamerica.net.
Community Service Winners Honored
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
‘I feel like I’m back in Iowa,’ a Palisades resident said last Thursday evening as she ate a potluck dinner at a long oak table in the historic dining hall in Temescal Canyon. The woman was a guest of the Pacific Palisades Community Council, invited to join the council’s annual holiday meal prior to it’s final meeting of the year, and she also enjoyed hearing the council deal with a typical grassroots agenda. First up, council chairman Norm Kulla and member Marguerite Perkins-Mautner presented the group’s annual Community Service Awards to senior activist Carol Hurley and youth sports advocate Bill Bruns (editor of the Palisadian-Post). Kulla praised Hurley’s years of volunteer work in Pacific Palisades, including her leadership in founding the Palisades AARP chapter and her ongoing efforts to bring affordable local transportation and a senior center to the community. Referring to the recently formed task force on transportation and parking issues, Kulla said: ‘If we’re going to finally get something done on these issues, it’s because Carol Hurley is on the committee.’ Accepting her award, Hurley praised other seniors in the Palisades who are working with her on transportation and the quest for a senior center at the park. ‘I try to work behind the scenes, but I really think we can get a lot of things done,’ she said. Perkins-Maunter cited Bruns’ ‘long years of activism devoted to local youth sports programs,’ including coaching AYSO soccer teams, serving as commissioner of the Pacific Palisades Baseball Association, and keeping alive the girls softball program at the Recreation Center while his two children, Alan and Allison, were growing up in the community. He has continued that support in his 11 years as Post editor by encouraging comprehensive local sports coverage and advocating for fundraising campaigns such as the new gym and the Field of Dreams. In his remarks, Bruns noted that he and his wife, Pam, moved to the Palisades in 1972, ‘at a time’coincidentally’when the Community Council was being organized, the Village Green campaign was just underway, and the Temescal Canyon Association was founded. These three organizations have all played a vital role in our town’s success.’ Commendations were presented by Monique Ford on behalf of Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski and Jenny Toder on behalf of Assemblywoman Fran Pavley.
Pepperdine Hosts Raitt Tribute
In John Raitt’s career marked by extraordinary good fortune and theatrical success, one wonders what decisions the Broadway legend made along the way that proved to be pivotal. ”’My first decision was to leave Fullerton Junior College for USC,’ Raitt told the Palisadian-Post. ‘I was standing in line at Fullerton Junior College trying to get to people who were important, and was getting bored. So, right then, I left the line and decided to go to USC.’ That decision was just part one of what turned out to be a two-part change of life course for the young man. ‘After a semester at USC, I decided I didn’t want to be a guy in the fraternity house so I gave up my athletic scholarship and transferred to the University of Redlands,’ where he began what would turn out to be a 60-plus-year career on the stage. ”This Sunday, Pepperdine University Center for the Arts will present a tribute to the Palisadian and much loved Pepperdine benefactor at 2 p.m. at the campus’ Smothers Theatre, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway. ”The concert will feature a special 35-minute acoustic performance by his daughter, the nine-time Grammy Award-winner Bonnie Raitt. Additionally, several former Pepperdine musical theater students who have been inspired or influenced in some way by Raitt will perform a pastiche of some of his great stage numbers under the direction of veteran Broadway performer Jon Engstrom. ”Raitt was born in Santa Ana in 1917. He began his professional career in the chorus of ‘H. M. S. Pinafore’ for the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera in 1940, and has not stopped performing since. ”After a period as an MGM contract player, he auditioned for the plum role of Curly in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1944 tour of ‘Oklahoma!’ and won the part, which helped pay his college bills. ‘When I graduated, I told Redlands that when I could pay them off, I would pay all at once with one check. And then came ‘Oklahoma’ three or four years later.’ ”After performing the lead role in ‘Oklahoma’ in Chicago for 10 months, Raitt went to New York and within a short time was cast as Billy Bigelow in the Broadway-bound ‘Carousel.’ ”For his work in ‘Carousel,’ in which he introduced such songs as ‘If I Loved You’ and ‘Soliloquy,’ Raitt received awards from the New York Drama Critics, Theatre World and Donaldson Awards Committee. When MGM head Louis. B. Mayer came to see the show, he sent an aide backstage to ask where they had discovered the talented young man. To Mayer’s surprise, he was informed that Raitt had been plucked from his own backlot. ”The baritone appeared in three more Broadway musicals’ ‘Magdalena’ (1948) ‘Three Wishes for Jamie’ (1952) and ‘Carnival in Flanders (1953)’before striking gold in ‘The Pajama Game’ (1954). He performed the latter over 1,000 times, and his spirited and sensitive renditions of ‘There Once Was A Man,’ ‘Small Talk’ and ‘Hey There”his duet with a Dictaphone machine’impressed Hollywood enough for him to be cast opposite Doris Day in the 1957 film version. ”His success catapulted him into national company roles in such hits as ‘The Music Man,’ ‘Camelot,’ ‘Man of La Mancha’ and ‘Destry Rides Again.’ Television beckoned for the 1957 production of ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ with Mary Martin, one of Raitt’s many leading ladies who also include Janis Paige, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Constance Towers and Anne Jeffreys. ”John and his first wife had three children, including singer/songwriter Bonnie. He and his second wife, Rosemary had met and fallen in love many years before as students at Redlands, but it life’s currents did not bring them back together for 41 years when they were finally reintroduced by a mutual friend. They were married in 1981 with Pepperdine chancellor Charles Runnels presiding.” ”Perhaps John’s most endearing and enduring trait is his indomitable energy and his generosity in performing for Broadway and for community theater. ”Raitt has returned to Broadway for many encore performances and has been in constant demand for roles in summer stock, musical theatre (including the first production of the California Music Theatre in ‘The Most Happy Fella’ in 1987), and civic light opera. This past year on the 50th anniversary of ‘Pajama Game’ at Pierson Playhouse, he made a surprise appearance. ”He can be heard on dozens of recordings, including original cast recordings of ‘Oklahoma,’ ‘Carousel,’ ‘The Pajama Game’ as well as ‘The Best of John Raitt’ and ‘Broadway Legend.’ He is most known for his memorable love songs, including his favorite ‘You’re My Heart’s Darling’ from ‘Three Wishes for Jamie,’ which he says he sang at his wedding. Actually, the truth is that he sang it for his first marriage but for Rosemary, Bonnie sang it, saying that he hadn’t had too much luck singing it himself. ”In 1992 Raitt received an Ovation Award in Hollywood for his contributions to Los Angeles theater, and a year later was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in New York. In 1998 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle. ”At Pepperdine University’with his wife Rosemary’he co-founded the Center for Arts Guild and the donated Raitt Recital Hall. He has generously given master classes, performed in gala concerts and guest starred in student musicals, including ‘Man of La Mancha’ and ‘Guys and Dolls.’ ”For tickets for the benefit concert ($50), call 506-4522. Proceeds will benefit scholarships for Pepperdine University theater students.
Piaggi and Milner Exchange Vows
Alessia Piaggi, daughter of Ezio and Candida Piaggi and an almost lifelong resident of Pacific Palisades, married Christopher Milner, son of John and Maureen Milner of Leeds, England, at Hilltop Farm Ranch in Carpinteria, California, on September 18. Alessia attended the local Palisades public schools and went on to graduate from UC San Diego. Chris grew up in England and graduated as valedictorian of his college class at City University in London with a degree in actuarial sciences. The couple met in London where Alessia had gone to work as financial controller for the Strategic Alliance Group of the multi-media company Bertelsmann. Chris is currently a managing director at Goldman Sachs, also in London. The wedding had a definite international flavor, with guests coming from Australia, England, Austria, Greece, Croatia and Italy. The couple are planning a delayed around-the-world honeymoon in December, returning to London which they have made their home.
History Lives on Olvera Street
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
For a city bursting at the seams with newcomers, it’s ironic how, in the beginning, it was tough to convince anyone to come live here. The promise of free land, no taxes, and provisions for growing crops finally motivated 44 men and women to migrate from present-day Mexico (then New Spain)’a 1,200-mile journey that took six months’to found a pueblo on soil that today is Los Angeles. ”Under the orders of King Carlos III of Spain, El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles was officially established in 1781 to grow food for the soldiers guarding this far-off territory of Spain. The San Gabriel Mission, established 12 years earlier, was eight miles away. This section of land, now part of downtown Los Angeles near Union Station and Chinatown, extended east towards the L.A. River and was the city center from 1781 to the mid-19th century. ”Today, this oldest section of Los Angeles is the jewel known as El Pueblo Historical Monument, an official state park that boasts 27 historic buildings and five museums clustered around an old Plaza. Olvera Street, the popular, thriving Mexican open market established in 1930, serves as the focal point of the park as well as a living link between present-day L.A. and the city’s Spanish and Mexican roots. ”Given L.A.’s poor record with historic preservation, it’s something of a miracle that the area still exists. It was threatened in the early 1920s when city planners wanted to make way for a larger City Center, and again in the 1950s when it narrowly missed being devoured by the construction of the Hollywood Freeway. Official designation came in 1953.” ”’Most people don’t realize it all began with 44 people,’ says Frank Damon, a longtime Palisadian who is a prominent member of Las Angelitas del Pueblo, the volunteer docent group responsible for conducting tours of the area. ‘And that original group of people was multicultural in the same way the city is today.’ ”Damon, a man on a mission to share and preserve L.A. history, came to the subject relatively late in life. Two years ago, he and some friends made a trek to Olvera Street to practice their Spanish. After taking a tour of the site, he was hooked, signing on to participate in the El Pueblo docent training class, a program he now directs. ”’Growing up in the Valley, downtown seemed like this faraway, mythical place,’ says Damon, 60, who attended UCLA and the University of San Diego, where he took his law degree. A former chief deputy insurance commissioner, he now practices part-time. ‘I go downtown now more than ever.’ He and his wife Linda have lived in the Marquez area since 1975. ”Damon guesses he’s read close to 60 books on Los Angeles history since becoming a docent. ‘I want others to realize what a great city this is, how truly unique it is.’ ”There’s no mistaking Damon’s passion for his subject. His tour, brimming with fun facts and insights, is delivered in a high energy style that incorporates old photographs, maps and other paraphernalia. Commentary swings creatively from conjuring the days of the earliest settlers’ ‘Close your eyes and imagine seeing nothing but beautiful mountains and sunshine”to the colorful period under Pio Pico (1801-1894), the last governor of California under Mexico. In 1869, Pico erected Pico House, the most elegant hotel south of San Francisco and the first three-story masonry building constructed in Los Angeles. Today, the Italianate structure is a major monument anchoring the old Plaza. ”’Pico’s life, spanning most of the 19th century, encompassed California life under three different flags’Spain, Mexico and finally the United States,’ Damon notes. ‘This is probably my favorite period of California history.’ ”Jumping into the 20th century, Damon points to Christine Sterling as one of the great visionaries of preservation. The entire area, especially Olvera Street, had fallen to ruin by the early 1900s, when the professional heart of the city had moved southward as the city’s population grew. Sterling convinced city leaders it was in their best interest to bring the historic section back to life, and forged ahead with the creation of an old-style Mexican marketplace in 1930. She skirted budgetary problems by using prison labor for much of the construction and, according to Damon, jokingly told police ‘to arrest a plumber or electrician’ when the need for more skilled labor came about. ”Olvera Street, celebrating its 75th anniversary next April, teems with visitors to this day and is the site of countless city celebrations and festivals, including the ‘Blessing of the Animals,’ a spring ritual since 1938. Las Posadas, the festival commemorating the journey of Mary and Joseph into Bethlehem, will be depicted each evening beginning tonight through December 24 with singing and a candlelight procession. ”A respite from crowded Olvera Street comes at Avila Adobe, the city’s oldest house, filled with authentic artifacts and restored to appear as it did in the 1840s. The Chinese American Museum, the Firehouse Museum (the city’s first dating from 1884), Sepulveda House, the Mexican Cultural Institute and El Pueblo Art Gallery are among the other major attractions in the park. ”’One can easily spend all day here,’ Damon says, pointing out that Union Station is just across the street and Disney Hall only three blocks away. ‘We wish this area were better publicized,’ Damon adds. ‘It’s not exactly in the top five with Hollywood or Venice Beach.’ ”The majority of those who do come are students, mostly fourth graders studying California history. A core group of 40 active docents leads tours for over 11,000 visitors annually. ”Las Angelitas del Pueblo won the History Channel’s first ever ‘Save Our History Preservation Award’ last year, based on the work Damon and Bob Aguirre, vice president of the docent group, did with a group of seniors at Belmont High School. The students created a 10-minute video, brochure and Web site documenting Pico House. The $10,000 award will go towards another joint effort with Belmont, this time producing a DVD on the emergence of Olvera Street and recording oral histories. ‘Eventually, we’d like to cover the history of the entire Pueblo,’ Damon notes. ”A new docent training session, headed by Damon, takes place on seven Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning February 8 at the Las Angelitas del Pueblo office on the south side of the old Plaza. The class agenda appears online at www.lasangelitas.org. ”One-hour docent-led tours are free and are conducted at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon, Tuesday through Saturday. Contact: (213) 473-5206.
Landau Sets Paly Marks
As all outdoor activities were being cancelled because of wet miserable weather, Palisades-Malibu YMCA swimmers renewed their efforts in the rain and came up with new records, lowered times, and a fourth-place finish at the Westchester Orcas Meet last Monday and Tuesday at Loyola Marymount University’s outdoor pool. Paly coach Kameron Kennedy continues to work on technique and streamlining, resulting in faster times for his swimmers. In the boys’ 8-and-under category, Alexander Landau broke two Paly records. He swam the 50 Breaststroke in 48.17, finishing third overall and breaking the previous Paly record of 48.19 set by Michael Crosby in October 1988. Landau also smashed the previous Paly record in the 50 Butterfly (43.25 set by Brian Johnson in 1997) with a time of 42.36 to take second in the event. He also swam fourth in the 100 Individual Medley. Nicolas Green won three events: the 25 Breaststroke (23.91), the 50 Freestyle (38.33) and the 25 Backstroke (21.89), and finished second in two others, the 25 Butterfly (20.93) and the 25 Freestyle (16.98). Abe Mac got fifth place in the 25 Butterfly. Derek Chang took third in the 25 Breaststroke and fourth in the 50 Freestyle. The girls’ division saw Ellen Silka place third in the 100 Individual Medley and fifth in the 25 Butterfly. Six-year-old Joe Walker won the 25 Breaststroke (38.79), placed fourth in the 25 Backstroke and 50 Freestyle and was fifth in the 25 Freestyle. Paly’s 9- and 10-year-old girls were led by Catherine Wang who took first in six individual events: the 200 Individual Medley (2:39.69), 100 Freestyle (1:05.60), 200 Freestyle (2:23.26), 100 Breaststroke (1:22.15), 100 Backstroke (1:17.17) and 100 Individual Medley (1:14.93). She also finished second in the 50 Butterfly (33.40) and third in the 50 Breaststroke (38.36). Wang then anchored Paly’s 200 Freestyle Relay ‘A’ team (with Olivia Kirkpatrick, Mara Silka and Pamela Soffer) which placed second. Kirkpatrick placed fifth in the 50 and 100 Breaststroke events. Nicholas Edel took second in the 200 Freestyle (2:45.37) and fifth in the 50 Freestyle. The boys’ 200 Freestyle Relay team of Jordan Wilimovsky, Alistair Whatley, Christopher Soffer and Leland Frankel placed fourth. The boys’ 10 & Under 200 Medley Relay of Nicolas Green, Edel, Landau, and Frankel also took fourth. In the 11-12 age group, Alison Merz won the girls’ 100 Individual Medley in 1:12.12 and placed second in the 50 Freestyle (28.91). Jennifer Tartavull was second in the 200 Individual Medley and third in the 500 Freestyle, 100 Individual Medley and 50 Freestyle. Hayley Lemoine, Shelby Pascoe, Ana Silka and Tartavull won the 200 Freestyle Relay. Nick Karody, Jared Brown, Ben Lewenstein and Andre Santa Clara won the 13-14 boys’ 200 Freestyle Relay while Samantha Brill swam second in the 100 Backstroke and Erica Drennan won the 200 Backstroke in 2:33.43 in the girls’ 15-and-over division.
