An open air stairway leads to Room 56 at Hobart Elementary, one in a row of matched doors extending down a outdoor corridor, all marked with a sign ‘Fire Extinguisher Inside’ in red letters. But behind this door a fire bursts with the flashing energy of 30 fifth graders inspired and supported by their teacher Rafe Esquith, who over a 20-year career has recast the way we educate children. The author of ‘There Are No Shortcuts,’ he will share his philosophy and introduce several of his students on Tuesday, May 25, 7:30 p.m. at Village Books. The walls, decorated with university banners from Harvard, Stanford, UCSD and Santa Monica College, speak of goals and triumphs of graduates, who were once in this fifth-grade classroom. The blackboard is crowned with a banner announcing a bold, brave philosophy: ‘There Are No Shortcuts,’ quite a challenge in this era when rigor and stick-to-itiveness have become orphaned words. On this afternoon, a small rock band is rehearsing ‘Hamlet.’ The vocalists quietly sing ‘Paint It Black,’ the Rolling Stones’ 1996 song of disillusionment (‘I see a red door and I want it painted black. No colors any more I want them to turn black.’) while 10-year-old ‘Hamlet’ recites his own despair (‘How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world.’) This group of Latino and Asian children are not geniuses, just kids, many from below the poverty line, who are learning to think in a school environment based on responsibility and trust instead of fear. ‘The kids at this school are hungry and angry that they don’t get the same opportunities as other kids,’ says Esquith, who despite being a winner of the Disney National Outstanding Teacher of the Year award and a recipient of constant invitations to teach at more prestigious schools, says his style is perfectly matched to these students. ‘I mine for these unpolished jewels, and I like showing them the way out,’ he says. Hobart is a year-round school with an enrollment of 2,300 students, the majority of whom speak English as their second language. And yet, Esquith’s fifth graders understand and compute mathematics, read Mark Twain and ‘Bury Me at Wounded Knee’ and score in the country’s top 10 percent on standardized tests. Esquith’s technique? No magic, no cash rewards, just a couple of basic tenets. ‘I stick with it, just by being stubborn you get good at stuff,’ says Esquith, 49, who has been at Hobart for 20 years. ‘You stay focused on the task and be the best you can be.’ His students work hard. Many are in the classroom at 6:30 a.m. for math team, stay in at lunch to learn guitar and stay after school, voluntarily. Each year, the Hobart Shakespeareans, as his students are known, perform one of Shakespeare’s plays, which they chose at the beginning of the school year. They have performed for such classical actors and patrons as Sir Ian McKellen and Hal Holbrook. On the day I visited, the students in his class were ‘off track’ but showed up in Esquith’s classroom, some practicing ‘Hamlet’ for an upcoming performance at the Mark Taper Forum, promoting the NEA’s mission to perform Shakespeare in schools throughout the country. Other students were designing their own Mondrian-like paintings; some were working on their own short story, and still others were running laps and climbing stairs to shape up for the upcoming class trip to the Southwest. In reading Esquith’s book ‘There are No Shortcuts,’ you might dismiss this teacher as extraordinary and that’s wonderful, but what about the average person who may not have10 hours a day to dedicate, including Saturdays, or finds Shakespeare daunting? Esquith’s advice is both philosophical and specific. He says that even a teacher who cares about children and learning may find his priorities buried under the exigencies of a large bureaucracy such as LAUSD. ‘The district is so overwhelming that it can crush the human spirit,’ says Esquith, who has had his fair share of tangles with the district and administrators, but learned to pick his battles, and more importantly learned to take short vacations away from the job. ‘Don’t forget who you are. You are talented and you have passions. Don’t ignore the district, but find a passion and do something you passionately love in the classroom, whether you’re a great cook, great gardener. It doesn’t have to be Shakespeare, Shakespeare’s my guy. I have a friend, another teacher, who asked me if he could rewire my classroom, He loves all things electric. That’s his passion.’ (Room 56 is custom-equipped with theatrical track lighting, computer hookups and electronic music outlets.) On the practical side, Esquith advises teachers to manage their classroom from the beginning. ‘If you don’t, nothing will happen.’ But, he adds there are two emotions that can dominate the teacher-student relationship: fear’fear of the teacher, fear of parents, fear of one another’or trust. ‘I give them my trust. I tell them you can screw up on your homework, you can even hit each other, these things are fixable, but break my trust, it’s over.’ Esquith grew up in Los Angeles; his father was a social worker, his mother was the activist in the family. He’s a product of Los Angeles public schools and UCLA but credits his wife Barbara with the good manners, kindness and respect the children show for one another, for him and for visitors. ‘Everything you saw here today was Barbara. She says, the kids don’t have to go to Stanford; what difference does it make if they score 100 percent on a test if they’re not good people?’ Rafe and Barbara raised four adult children, who are launched, albeit not in education. Esquith thought he’d teach math, but happily landed in fifth grade, which he considers, along with first grade, the most important in elementary school. ‘Fifth graders are old enough to do extraordinary things, but because their hormones haven’t kicked in they are really very sweet. The important thing is that this is their first view of the future; they are about to start the toughest years of their life, when American culture bombards them with bad messages constantly. I am trying to give them armor to shield them against what they’re up against.’ According to Esquith the biggest challenge is making sure that his students are not just ordinary, particularly in an educational climate that doesn’t demand very much. ‘Our standards in public schools are incredibly low,’ he says. ‘Successful classrooms are run by teachers who have an unshakable belief that the students can accomplish amazing things and who create the expectation that they will.’
The Light and The Sea
Like a diver at the Great Barrier Reef, amateur photographer Maral Nigolian couldn’t miss when she visited St. Paul de Vence, the irrrestible 16th century village on the French Riviera that has inspired many an artist. ‘Light is everything in photography,’ says Nigolian, who became obsessed with photography in the last two years. ‘I couldn’t take a bad picture that day.’ Nigolian’s own ‘backyard’ provides enough drama and light to fascinate her literally day by day. From her home on Resolano in Paseo Miramar, she observes the sweep of the coast from downtown Los Angeles to Point Dume, which she has photographed from dawn till dusk. She has chronicled the clear chill of fall when the light illuminates every detail from east to west uncluttered by haze. She has seen fog hovering like an unwelcomed guest at the foot of Santa Monica. She’s seen burning sunsets and the Queen’s Necklace, so named for the string of lights that mark the gentle curve of Santa Monica Bay from Point Dume to Palos Verdes. She’s even seen a purple sea’an ephemera that lasts for just a second as the sun dives into the sea. But the only thing she has not captured is snow on the San Gabriel mountains. ‘I just haven’t seen it when the light is right and when I’ve had my zoom. All the different variables have to be just right,’ Nigolian says. For most of her work, Nigolian uses a Pentax S digital, which she bought so she could use her old Pentax lenses. But, for still lifes, she has found that her little Canon Power Shot S 400, which she’s never without, ‘does very well.’ Nigolian and her husband Lon Kirschenmann and 7-year-old daughter Aran live on the hill in a house that Maral first saw in 1987 when she was living in West L. A. and looking to buy. ‘I looked for six months and saw this home with its wonderful view on the first day I looked, but at the time I thought I wanted a penthouse or condo. But with association dues I realized that I was looking in the million dollar range anyway so I went back to buy the first house.’ Nigolian grew up in Pasadena and graduated from USC with a B. S degree in real estate and marketing. She started her business Astor Wood Financial in 1987, which specializes in municipal bond financing. Some of her Los Angeles projects include the Alameda Corridor and current development plans on Bunker Hill. When not fascinated by the magnet of the sea, Nigolian loves to takes pictures of her garden or the drama that unfolds on walks with her daughter on the beach below.
Mara Breech, 76; An Active Citizen
Mara Wood Breech died at her home in Pacific Palisades on April 28, following a short hospital stay. She was 76. ”Born in Manchester, Connecticut, on June 25, 1927, to Leland and Thea (Lynch) Wood, Mara was the youngest of their three children. In 1949, she graduated from Northwestern University and went to work as a flight attendant for United Airlines. She married E. Robert Breech in 1951 and they settled in the Palisades that same year. ”Mara was active in several Los Angeles charities, but her favorite was the John Tracy Clinic (Auxiliary), a foundation for the deaf. In 1994 she established the Mara W. Breech Foundation to promote and encourage innovative and creative methods of teaching. ”She is survived by her brother Frank of Manchester, Connecticut; former husband Bob of Pacific Palisades; two sons, Andy (wife Debbie) of Pacific Palisades and Bill of Newport Beach; stepson Bob of Santa Monica; stepdaughter Marji (Woody) of Sun Valley, Idaho; and grandchildren Sarah, Adam, Patty and James of Pacific Palisades. ”In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the John Tracy Clinic, 806 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007 or to the City of Hope, 1500 East Duarte Rd., Duarte, CA 91010. A small memorial celebration of her life will be held at her home on Saturday, May 22.
Calvary Christian Wins League Volleyball Title
Going undefeated was the last thing on the mind of Karen Renner’s mind when the season began. Head coach of Calvary Christian School’s eighth-grade boys volleyball team, Renner knew her squad had talent, but never envisioned it would come together quick enough to finish 14-0 and win the Junior Delphic League championship’the first Delphic League title won by a Calvary team. ‘This is the most talented middle school team I have ever seen or had the honor to coach,’ Renner said. ‘Even though we didn’t have a squad full of club players, I knew these boys had the talent to learn how to handle the ball with control in order to run plays. We have yet to find a team that can beat us.’ In a nonleague match against Corpus Christi, the top-rated Catholic Youth Organization team, Calvary was provided its toughest test of the season but prevailed in a hotly-contested match. In the playoffs, Calvary swept both Brentwood and St. Paul two games to zero. Though less experienced than most of the teams in its league, Calvary won with the skilled hands of setter Derek Eitel and the attack of outside hitter Paul Peterson. Because its passing was so fundamentally sound, Calvary was able to execute plays that often caught the opposition off guard. The Cougars ran plays that included ‘one sets’ to middle hitters Dustin Rosenberg and John Helmy. They also executed an ‘X’ play with powerful kills from Blake Fol and Dalton Gerlach. The defense was anchored by the blocking, digging and spiking of outside hitter Henry Elder. ‘At the beginning of the season, most of our team didn’t even know you could run plays in volleyball and the boy were very excited about the idea of being able to execute them,’ Renner said. ‘They worked hard and I’m very proud of them.’ Waiting in the wings at Calvary is a group of talented seventh graders eager to move up next year and fight to repeat as league champions.
Palisades Tennis Ousted in Semis
It took until the semifinals of the City Section playoffs, but the Palisades High boys tennis team finally got what it wanted: competition. Problem was, the opponent proved to be more than just a speed bump on the road to the finals. The second-seeded Dolphins (12-3) played nervous throughout a 16 1/2 to 13 loss to third-seeded Granada Hills last Wednesday at Balboa Tennis Center in Encino’a defeat that cost Palisades a shot at redemption against defending champion El Camino Real, which routed Pali in last year’s final. Palisades defeated Granada Hills 15 to 14 1/2 in the semifinals last year and was expected to handle the Highlanders more easily this time. But when the Dolphins’ No. 1 singles player Chris Ko, who had not dropped a set to a City opponent all season, lost 6-1 to Phil Weisburd in the first rotation of singles play, it was clear the Dolphins were in for a tough afternoon. Ko recovered to win his next three sets at love, Pali’s No. 2 player Ben Tom also won three out of four sets while Stephen Surjue and Ariel Oleynik each won two sets. The match was decided in doubles, where Palisades lost seven of nine sets. The Dolphins’ top duo of Taylor Robinson and Darya Bakhtiar lost its first two sets, one of which was decided 8-6 in a tiebreaker, before recovering to win the third, 6-0. Sepehr Safii and Daniel Burge scored Pali’s only other doubles victory by beating Granada Hills’ No. 3 team. Safii and Burge also lost a tiebreaker. During the regular season, the City Section uses a straight-up format in which the Nos. 1, 2 , 3 and 4 singles players and 1, 2 and 3 doubles teams from each school play a two-out-of-three set match against the corresponding players from the opposing team, with a total of seven points available. But the playoffs incorporate round robin scoring in which every player or team plays one set against each of the other school’s players or teams, with singles sets being worth one point and doubles sets one and a half points for a total of 29 1/2 points. While the Highlanders (11-5) were shocking Palisades, top-seeded El Camino Real (16-0) was routing Taft 20 1/2 to 9. The Conquistadores went on to beat Granada Hills 21 1/2 to 8 in the finals for their fifth consecutive City team title, tying Palisades’ record, which the Dolphins set from 1969-73 and equaled from 1995-99.
Pali Baseball Loses Last League Game
Having already clinched the Western League title, the only thing left for the Palisades High baseball team on Tuesday was a piece of history. The only team standing between the Dolphins and an undefeated league record was two-time defending champion Venice. The Gondos (18-12 overall, 10-5 in league) treated the otherwise meaningless game as if it were the playoffs and won, 10-9, to deal the Dolphins their only league loss. Juan Medina scored the decisive run on a suicide squeeze bunt by Matt Case in the bottom of the 10th inning. Case went three for five with four RBIs and Medina hit a home run in the fourth inning for host Venice. Despite the loss, the Dolphins (19-5, 14-1) continue to produce at the plate. First-baseman David Bromberg hit two home runs and All-City short stop Dylan Cohen also homered for Palisades. Bromberg pitched a stellar game against University last Thursday, allowing two runs on two hits with eight strikeouts over four and two-thirds innings in Palisades’ 12-2 rout of the visiting Wildcats. Adam Franks had a three-run double and Kevin Seto had two hits and two RBIs for the Dolphins. Pali wraps up regular season play with a nonleague game today at Franklin. The playoff seeding meeting is next Monday at 5:30 p.m. at Hamilton High and the City playoffs begin next Friday, May 28.
Golf Misses Chance at Regionals
Rules Violation Costs Palisades Second Place at City Section Finals Tournament
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
For the second time in three years, a controversial decision went against the Palisades High boys golf team at the City Section finals. In 2002 it was ruled that Pali’s Steven Chung signed an incorrect scorecard, costing the Dolphins the City championship. Palisades was awarded its 12th Section title three weeks later when Granada Hills was stripped of the championship for using an ineligible player. On Tuesday at Griffith Park’s par 72 Wilson Course, Palisades’ Austin Curtis removed a leaf that had blown into a sand trap near his ball on the 18th hole. Though his infraction was witnessed by spectators, not the official scorer, and Curtis’ scorecard had already been turned in, a committee of coaches ruled to deduct two strokes from his score. That was enough for Venice to tie Palisades’ two-day total of 805 and because the Gondos shot lower cumulative scores on the back nine, they finished in second place ahead of the Dolphins and will join first-place Granada Hills (793) at the Southern California Regional Championships June 3 in Murrieta. “I’m very disappointed,” said Curtis, who eagled the 10th hole. “I thought the rule was that once your scorecard is turned in, your score can’t be changed. If I had known it was illegal to move that leaf, obviously I wouldn’t have done it.” Even with the two-stroke penalty assessed, Curtis finished with an 86–eight strokes better than he shot the previous day on Griffith Park’s shorter Harding Course. Pali sophomore Ben Seelig shot a 73 to equal the final round score of Granada Hills junior Andrew Ok, who won the individual championship with a two-day total of 143. “I felt I had a chance to win City, I felt I was as good as anyone out here,” said Seelig, who shot a disappointing 77 on Monday. “I was aiming for a 67 today, but it was tough on the greens. I had three three-putts on the front side and I couldn’t seem to get any sort of rhythm going.” Seelig finished second overall with a score of 150 and was one of three Dolphins to qualify individually for the SoCal championships. Joining him will be seniors Alex Podell (151) and Brandon Schlig (155). Podell shot two solid rounds but needed to score lower Tuesday to give the Dolphins a chance at the team title. “I shot a 73 yesterday and was hoping to equal that today, but this is course is definitely harder and the wind was more of a factor today,” Podell said. “I had two bad holes and if it weren’t for that I would’ve shot what I wanted.” Podell hit a bad three-wood to double bogey the second hole and hit a sand wedge out of bounds from about 120 yards on the 10th hole that led to a triple bogey. Palisades started the final round 13 strokes behind defending Granada Hills and five strokes behind Venice and the deficit proved too much to overcome. “I had only played Harding once before yesterday, so I feel more comfortable on Wilson because I’m more familiar with it,” said Schlig, who fired a final round 78. “My goal today was to beat Scott Hoch [of Granada Hills] because he was in my group and he was on the team we were chasing. I beat him by two strokes, so I’m happy about that.” Jimmy Nissin improved by three strokes Tuesday to score a 169. Freshman Jason Weintraub shot a 94 on Monday and Ralph Guglielm shot a 91 on Tuesday. Since coach James Paleno revived the program in 1996, Palisades has won three Section titles. The Dolphins’ last individual champion was Ed Turner in 1999.
Surviving D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge
(Editor’s note: On May 29, the new World War II Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C., will be dedicated. American Legion Post 283 will host a corresponding event on that Saturday to honor Westside veterans and to observe the memorial dedication. The festivities will begin at 11 a.m. with a satellite broadcast of the dedication ceremony, followed at noon by a patriotic program and luncheon. Veterans who wish to attend or would like a Certificate of Appreciation should write to the American Legion at 15247 La Cruz Dr., Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 and provide their name, address, phone number, branch and years of service, and whether or not they can attend. The following story is the second of three articles revisiting WWII through the experiences of three Palisades veterans. Next week: Navy war photographer Loran Smith.) By JOSEPH M. KLEIN Special to the Palisadian-Post My memories of June 6, 1944’D-Day’include the problems we had disembarking from the troopship that carried us close to the Normandy beach area called ‘Omaha Red.’ I was the platoon leader. We used cargo nets to climb into the landing craft, and this was almost as scary as being under fire. The sea was rough and it took great timing and skill to reach the craft. Fortunately, many in my platoon were well prepared for this after our training and experience of landings in North Africa and Sicily. I also recall my feelings of responsibility and how I felt that all eyes of my men were on me, obviously hoping for good leadership and an example of how to act. I was 22 years old and a fairly new officer. We landed on the beach as the third wave, but enemy fire was still reaching the beach and we could see many casualties. Although my platoon suffered a few casualties, we reached the beach and continued moving to reach our initial objective, which was a small town up some hills and a few miles inland. Shortly after reaching the beach, an enemy artillery or mortar shell exploded close to me, injuring my radio operator, and I felt an impact in my lower right side. I felt liquid running down my right leg and thought that I was hit in my rear end. My first reaction was this might be a ‘million-dollar wound,’ as we described it in the infantry. Not life-threatening, but serious enough to be evacuated and get out danger. When I reached down to feel where the injury was, the liquid was not blood, as I thought, but water. A shell fragment had struck my canteen, which was on my hip. I had to continue to lead my men forward. The rest of the Normandy battle was tough, fighting in hedgerows that gave cover to the resisting Germans, who fought bravely. As we know, the campaign was successful. o o o Our unit was fighting along the Siegfried Line in Germany in late December 1944, when the Germans counterattacked the Allies in Belgium and Luxembourg. On December 24, our division was ordered to proceed north and west to attack the Germans on their left flank. We were transported on trucks and tanks to a heavily wooded area near a town called Schuttrange in eastern Luxembourg. We had no detailed maps of the area, but were given the objective of contacting the Germans and killing or capturing as many as possible. Our company commander had become quite ill and was evacuated, and I, although a first lieutenant at that time, was appointed acting company commander. I remember it was a clear and sunny morning when we reached our embarking position. The weather had been quite stormy and snowing, hindering our air support and reconnaissance. My lead platoon leader was disoriented owing to lack of detailed maps. I proceeded to contact him at the very front to help out. The area was heavily wooded and the ground was covered with snow. I happened to looked ahead and saw some fresh dirt at the base of a tree up the hill and about 50 yards away. I was just about to warn those with me of the position when I saw a flash and felt an impact, which knocked me down. My abdomen hurt and my leg went numb, but I did not think I was seriously hurt. I hit the ground and started firing into the enemy position. A hand came up and I ceased firing and a German soldier emerged with his hands up. I waved to him to come toward me. When he was about 10 yards away, he lowered a hand toward his pistol and I shot and killed him. My radio operator then called for medics to help me. I also called for my second-in-command and briefed him about our position and objectives and effectively turned over command of our company. When the medics arrived, I was informed that my injuries were serious and they would get me to the aid station as soon as possible. In order to carry me down to the nearest road, about a quarter of a mile away, they used the German’s overcoat as a litter and then placed me on the jeep ambulance litter to carry me to the aid station. They placed the litter on the ground along with several litters carrying wounded. Although I was covered with a GI blanket, the German coat remained outside, covering me from head to below the knees. By that time I was barely conscious, having lost much blood (although I was later told the cold weather helped reduce the bleeding). I heard one medic, pointing to me, say to another, ‘That guy looks pretty bad; we better get him in to the doctors.’ The other replied, ‘To hell with that Kraut bastard, let’s take care of our own guys first.’ I was able to call out and say ‘Look at my dog tags, I’m one of you.’ They then rushed me in. After I was operated on and treated, I woke up the next day, Christmas Day, and had tubes in my arms and abdomen, and I thought ‘Christmas dinner!’ When the surgeon came in to see me, after the exam, he said, ‘Lieutenant, you were badly wounded, but I am sure you will live to be 45.’ I was quite happy with that comment, since I had just turned 23 at that time. I proceeded to spend 18 months in hospitals, receiving various treatments, until I was honorably discharged from the Army as a captain in 1946. I am still rated 60 percent disabled by the Army but have been, thankfully, able to live a productive life. (A note from Managing Editor Bill Bruns: After I met with Joe Klein, 82, and encouraged him to write about his personal memories of D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge, he sent his article with the following message: ‘This is the first time I have done anything like this; I hope it’s what you wanted. As I told you, although I have received combat decorations, I don’t consider myself to be superior to any of the thousands of other combat veterans, and never boast about it. I am also grateful for my military experiences, good and bad, as it certainly helped in life in every respect.’ Joe started his business career as a sales representative for Clary Corporation, a business machines manufacturer, and later was recruited to become president of NBC International in New York City. From 1966 until his retirement in 1990, he served as an executive with Cyprus Mines Corporation and Pluess-Staufer Industries, a multinational mining company. Joe married Betty Northington in 1948 and they have lived in Pacific Palisades since 1966. They have four children.)
Miller Named New Honorary Fire Chief
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
The town’s new Honorary Fire Chief, Wally Miller, has a long record of community service in Pacific Palisades. At the town’s Law Enforcement Day last Sunday, he was sworn in and presented with a plaque by Honorary Mayor Steve Guttenberg. Station 69 chose Miller because of his community leadership. ‘I felt honored,’ says Miller, 77. ‘I didn’t realize I was getting so old that these are the kinds of things people think of me doing.’ He will ride on Station 69’s fire engine at the Fourth of July parade. Previous honorary fire chiefs have been Theresa Stewart, the late Mort Farberow, Arnie Wishnick and Dr. Mike Martini. Miller has been active in numerous organizations and was a founder of PAPA People, Graffiti Busters and PRIDE. He also came up with the idea for the Village Green, which he says came from idle conversation. ‘Bob Abernethy was honorary mayor at the time [1972] and he was interviewing different people to see what he could accomplish for the town,’ Miller recalls. ‘We were in a coffee shop where the Mobil station is now. He asked, ‘What could I do to improve the Palisades?’ Pointing across the street, I said: ‘Why don’t we get rid of that Standard station and build a park there?’ And that’s what we did. Bob Abernethy was the power behind it.’ The owner of Denton Jewelers from 1960 to 1996, Miller helped with fundraising, design and day-to-day watching over the Green as it was being built. Miller, now retired, spent nearly 50 years in the jewelry business, starting with a store in South Gate and then Denton in the Palisades, as well as another Denton in Brentwood which he owned for nine years. He and his wife of 53 years, Bonnie, have lived in the Palisades since 1961. They have three children’Lisa, a veterinarian in Cambria; Jeffrey, a commercial photographer in Seattle; and Michelle Scheiperpeter, a physical therapist in Ventura, plus six grandchildren and one great-grandchild. A native of Grafton, North Dakota, near the Canadian border, Miller moved to Los Angeles after his military service. He was in the Army Ordnance Corps just after World War II. He studied watchmaking and gemology and then opened his jewelry store in South Gate, where he belonged to the Optimist Club, the Chamber and other organizations. ‘When I came to Pacific Palisades, I decided I was going to mind my own business and not get involved because I didn’t have much time,’ says Miller. His decision didn’t last long. ‘I realized I needed to get involved because there was so much that needed to get done.’ Miller was Citizen of the Year in 1980 and Citizen of the Decade in 1990. He is past president of the Chamber of Commerce, PAPA (the parade organizing committee), the Village Green Committee and the Optimist Club. Also, he was chairman of the Design Review Board, the Palisades commercial-area Specific Plan and the Sign Standardization Committee (overhead sign removal and control), and was a member of the Palisades-Brentwood Community Plan committee, the Civic League board, while also serving on the founding committee of the Community Council. Miller is grateful he was able to improve the environment of Palisades. ‘Living in the Palisades has been a learning experience and I don’t regret any of the time I’ve been here,’ he says. ‘I wish I had gotten more involved in L.A. as a whole because they are the people that need the help. People here should be willing to contribute to the overall quality of life in the city of L.A. and a lot of them do.’ His philosophy is ‘If we can’t do it, nobody can; if we don’t do it, who will?’ A good example of that is Graffiti Busters, which he started after attending a Chamber of Commerce meeting in which people were complaining about the graffiti problem. Another part of his volunteer philosophy is having fun. After the Rotary Club and Optimist Club members helped at the Palisades parade for many years, Miller went to the Rose Parade and noticed all the volunteers dressed in white. He founded PAPA People, whose members take this pledge: ‘I promise to help with the parade and have fun doing it and if I can’t have fun doing it I will resign.’ Miller enjoys golf and traveling, and keeps involved in volunteer work as an advisor for PRIDE, the community beautification group. He set up the PRIDE board of directors with six-year term limits. ‘I’m a firm believer in turnover of people doing community service, so they don’t get too self-centered or too important to themselves. There are many people who would like to do community service but they don’t know what to do or how to get started. All they need to be is asked.’
Legion Presents Plan for JROTC at PaliHi
The American Legion Post 283 briefed the Palisades Charter High School Board of Governors Tuesday night on its proposal to institute a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program at the school. The agenda item drew more than 20 audience members who were anxious to weigh in on the controversial issue. Bill Branch, 1st Vice Commander of Post 283, and Lt. Col. Ted McDonald, officer in charge of the JROTC program, described the program’s objectives and the benefits for the school in a presentation that was intended to test the waters on the philosophical question, rather than provide specific details. JROTC was established 88 years ago to ‘instill in students in secondary education institutions the values of citizenship, personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment,’ according to its Mission Statement. A graduate of the program some 60 years ago, Branch said that he credits the JROTC for the self-confidence and professionalism he gained in helping him earn a master’s degree in electrical engineering, followed by a 40-year career in management at McDonnell-Douglas. ‘The Junior ROTC emphasis on motivation, dedication and leadership convinced the Legion that the program is worthy of consideration as an addition to the Charter high school curriculum,’ Branch said. The school would select the Army, Air Force, Marines or Navy to sponsor the program, which in turn would provide the necessary curriculum materials, equipment, uniforms and transportation. The Legion, which has a history of supporting PaliHi in the form of grants to the Booster Club as well as college scholarships, would provide resources for any JROTC unit at the school, including scholarships, award dinners and other extra-curricular activities. The sponsoring corps would provide partial reimbursement to the school for salaries of JROTC instructors. The Legion requested that parents offer input on the decision, and towards that end prepared a questionnaire that asks if they support such a program, which military corps they would prefer to be the sponsor and if they would like to attend an information briefing. Following the presentation, members of the audience spoke in both support and opposition to the proposal. Former Legion Commander Dr. Mike Martini advocated the program, and PaliHi parents Loree Fahy and Jack Sutton outlined their objections and presented the board with a petition signed by 250 members of the community. The petition restated many of the objections that were included in a letter written by Marcy Winograd, a PaliHi English teacher and Palisadians for Peace member and sent to Principal Linda Hosford in March. That letter, signed by 27 teachers, parents and community members, decried the militarization of the student body and called for a full debate on whether the school should allow and provide financial support for a JROTC program. At the conclusion of Tuesday’s meeting, the Board of Governors voted to refer the question to the school’s educational program committee, which is made up of stake holders including teachers, administration, parents and students.
