What surprised me about my one-day visit to Sacramento last week was realizing how far away it is from the Palisades, and I’m not talking about miles. Physically, from what I could see, the state capital is booming. There is major construction going on at the airport, the convention center was packed mid-week, and the bar in the lobby of my hotel was hopping at 2:30 in the afternoon. Traffic downtown was so bad it was easier to walk than to take a cab. While I found that the “suits” were not interested in talking about crime (they don’t have to: the CHP is everywhere), downtown felt as if it was on high alert, brimming in anticipation not of a terrorist attack but of an Arnold sighting at any time. Tourists visiting the capitol building, some from as far away as Japan, wanted to know if the governor was busy working in his office on the main floor. So did I. “Unfortunately, he was not in Sacramento that day, but in L.A. attending the World Affairs Council gathering, where he met with Vice-President Dick Cheney and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. The governor reportedly asked both of them for more federal funds for California, at a time when President Bush is trying to rally support for his own agenda, including more defense funding and his proposed immigrant “guest worker” registration program. Invited to participate in the California Newspaper Publishers Association’s annual Governmental Affairs Day, I had the opportunity to get the latest scoop on Arnold and what is apparently going on from several sources, including recently elected Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, Senate Majority Leader Don Perata, and Los Angeles Times political columnist George Skelton. Issues on their mind were term limits, redistricting, Proposition 56 (which would give legislators more budget power), and the governor’s Economic Recovery Bond (Proposition 57 on the March 2 ballot.) By the end of the day I felt like a capital insider. Not only did I have the early results of a poll indicating that the public is against the governor’s proposed bond initiative (44 percent No, to 35 percent Yes, with 21 percent undecided), I also knew where Arnold stays when he’s in town (the Hyatt across from the capitol), where he works out (the Capitol Gym), where he likes to eat (the Esquire Grill) and what he usually orders there (grilled salmon, $18). In his morning address to the 200 journalists who attended the CNPA event, Nunez (D-Los Angeles), who was elected speaker after only one year in the Legislature and officially takes over that position February 8, said the measure he uses when assessing government cuts is: “Is it fiscally and socially responsible? These are the questions that need to be asked every time.” While he did not explain how he reconciled that philosophy with the proposed 40 percent increase in some university fees, he did say that he found the new governor to be “very practical” and praised Schwarzenegger for wanting to “find a common ground” in a legislature dominated by Democrats. Perata (D-Oakland), who was elected in 1998, said that shortly after Schwarzenegger took office he welcomed him with three gifts: some wine, cigars and the Sopranos cookbook, recognizing Perata’s “Italian” roots. He amused the crowd when he quipped that he was the “powerful” chairman of the appropriations committee “until we went bankrupt!” On a more serious note, he said that as far as he could see the state has been “trying to manage growth” for the last 25 years, “ever since Proposition 13” diminished government coffers. On the question of term limits, Perata said we are now “all being governed by people who are either coming or going and everyone is looking for their next job,” which he did not view as a good thing. However, he did admit that term limits are what provided the opportunity for him to run in his district. What does he think should be done about them? “They should be longer. People like it once they get here [in Sacramento], whether they like to admit it or not.” Currently, an assemblymember can serve a maximum of three consecutive two-year terms, while senators can serve two consecutive four-year terms. The 120 elected officials in the legislature (40 are senators) all serve on working committees where issues are debated and voted on. Sometimes their work is overruled, either by the governor or by public initiatives, which Perata sees as a questionable process. He disdains “politics reduced to bumper stickers” and he does not think that “budget by the ballot box,”referring to the governor’s attempt to go directly to the people on the bond issue, is the best way to govern. Perata also said he is dubious of polls. “I don’t need a poll. I know what my constituents think. They tell me all the time.” On the proposed initiative that would allow budgets to be passed by a 55 percent legislative majority rather than the two-thirds now required (Prop. 56) Perata said he is “charmed by the thought that the public would want to give us more power than we have now” but “I don’t think it’s going to happen.” Senate Republican leader Jim Brulte (R-Rancho Cucamonga), a 12-year veteran of the Legislature, gave an analysis of why he thinks Gray Davis was recalled, saying that it basically came down to leadership, specifically the lack of it. His advice to Schwarzenegger: “Lead and the legislators will follow. And know when to say no, even to your own people.” Asked if he thought Republicans could take over both the Senate and the Assembly in the next decade, Brulte said: “Yes, it is possible.” He also thought redistricting should be taken out of the hands of legislators, which he sees as an inherent conflict of interest. Assembly Republican leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakerfield) gave an interesting account of his first year in office. “What do you think they debate in Sacramento?” he asked. “Abortion? Guns?” He then recounted how he was surprised to find himself participating in protracted discussions on such things as cross-dressers (“Don’t ask!”), parrots (“You don’t want to know”) and the benefits of feng shui (“Don’t ask about that either”), which brought laughs from the audience. In the afternoon discussion on the state of California politics, the Times’ George Skelton, who has covered the Legislature for more than 40 years, was asked what was different in Sacramento since Governor Schwarzenegger took office. “What’s different is that it’s interesting. People are interested in state politics for the first time in many years. Even legislators are asking for autographs.” Skelton said that Schwarzenegger, like Ronald Reagan, can draw crowds wherever he goes. And like Reagan, the new governor knows how to take direction. “When his strategist says, ‘Let’s pay a visit to the local church,’ the governor says ‘At what time?’ Gray Davis would have said ‘What do you want to do that for?’ Davis never wanted to go anywhere.” Skelton thinks that Schwarzenegger’s popularity could be shorted-lived, depending on what happens on March 2. “Selling voters on $15 billion in long-term borrowing to pay for current government spending is going to be an uphill battle, considering that 44 percent are against the bond issue,” Skelton said, referring to the poll released that day to the media by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California. “Is he going to sell the bond issue on Oprah?” asked Skelton. “In town hall-style meetings like he did during the election? On talk radio? What he needs is the support of Democrats.” Skelton said that, so far, he has had less direct access to Schwarzenegger “than to any other governor. I know that whatever he wants to do, he wants to do well, but I don’t know what his real priorities are. Does he have a plan B if the recovery bond fails in March? I don’t know. His entire political credibility is tied to his cuts and his pledge not to increase taxes. Whether he will or not remains to be seen. The problem right now, in this town, is that you can’t get two people to tell you the same thing. It’s difficult even to get figures verified. ” When I asked Skelton what he thought Maria Shriver’s role should be, amid reports that she has been working both behind the scenes in Sacramento while still trying to carve out a new role for herself at NBC, he suggested that of “a good wife. The governor needs her. And she wants to see him succeed.” Skelton noted that while the economy is already better than when Schwarzenegger took office, “the key for him is what happens on March 2.” This week, in fact, the governor himself was quoted in the L.A. Times as saying that if Proposition 57 and 58 both fail to pass, there will be “Armageddon cuts. Cuts in services that we don’t want to make.” Senate Majority Leader Don Perata (D-Oakland), speaking last week at the California Newspaper Publishers Association’s annual Governmental Affairs Day in Sacramento. Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton has covered state politics in Sacramento for over 40 years.
Viewpoint
A Business Owner Recalls Some Old Village Friends
By JOHN F. HARRINGTON Special to the Palisadian-Post Ever since I can remember I’ve been in awe of fiction writers, those people who can create a book out of thin air. It certainly is not that easy. I know several such people, and their work is forged with copious blood, sweat, and tears. Such a person was Frank Gruber, who, with his wife, owned a book store on Antioch near my business on Sunset. She ran the bookstore, and Frank had an office in the back where he turned out many Western novels and screenplays. At that time, a particularly nasty, undisciplined kid lived here, and he took to stopping at the door of the bookstore and teasing Frank’s wife. Frank watched where the boy went after he tired of harassing Mrs. Gruber-he turned left on Swarthmore. When Frank had had enough, he enlisted the aid of his adult son. When next the punk bothered Mrs. Gruber, Frank and his son went out the back door and down the alley. They caught the kid and took him into Frank’s office and explained certain harsh facts of life to him. They may have kept him out of reform school. I never again saw him near the bookstore. One night I was listening to a late-night talk show when Frank and an American Indian were guests. The Indian reviled Frank fiercely, as though Frank alone was responsible for the bad treatment Indians suffered. Next morning I saw Frank as I was going to work, and said to him that I thought the Indian was going to shoot him when they left the studio. Frank laughed boisterously. “That was an act,” he said. “We’re very old friends, and he has been in every movie made from one of my books.” Another old friend was Ah Wing Young, who owned the House of Lee for many years. On his 60th birthday he gave a big party at the restaurant and invited everyone. As we left the party, I asked him if he would do the same thing next year. “No,” he said. “We Chinese celebrate a birthday only every ten years.” I had the pleasure (not to say experience) of playing golf with him the first and only time he played. It was the Optimist Club’s annual tournament at Riviera Country Club. Ah Wing used only a 5-iron for every shot, and scored 164, which must remain the all-time high at Riviera. It made for a long day, but he had a glorious time. The business community has changed drastically over the years I have been here. There was a time when rents were so cheap that someone wanting just to keep busy would open a little store, lose money for several years, quit, and give way to the next person. But that time is long gone. Merchants now are almost always pretty competent. They have to be. The rents are high and the price of commercial buildings, which rarely come on the market, are staggering. But business is good, and factoring that in, rents are not unbearable. A fact helping local business people is that the traffic is so congested everywhere that more people shop here to avoid having to go to Santa Monica or Westwood. We oldtimers who were lucky enough to buy homes here in the early 1950s, as I did for $17,000, have a huge paper profit, but nobody wants to leave. My first sight of California was when my amphibious ship came back after two years of action in the Pacific. I met my future wife, Celeste, when the Navy sent me to learn to be a 90-day wonder at Northwestern University’s Midshipman School in the heart of Chicago, at Chicago and Michigan Avenues, where the old Water Tower still stands. Celeste and I first saw Pacific Palisades in 1948 when we drove here from Chicago on our honeymoon. We knew immediately that it was the best place to live that we had ever seen, and made a pact to come back and settle here one day. The clincher was when our first daughter, Cathy, was born the day after Christmas with 11 inches of snow on the ground. Due to the weather I could not get to the hospital of our choice, and stopped at the first one I saw. Cathy was born on a gurney in the hallway. When things settled down I asked Celeste what I could get for her. “A ginger ale laced with two shots of bourbon,” she said immediately. We hoarded our money, and in 1954, with two children and one on the way, we loaded up our old DeSoto sedan and hit Route 66, and came here to stay. Celeste missed Chicago at first, so I urged her to go home for Christmas when Chicago was snowed in-a dirty trick but it worked. Soon her mom and dad would come out to visit during the winters, and eventually one of her brothers moved to Santa Barbara after visiting us several times. If I sound a bit smug about all this, it was at that time a daring move-and perhaps the smartest thing I’ve ever done. (John Harrington founded his camera store on Sunset in 1958. His daughter Cathy now owns and operates the store, where he still works most Saturdays.)
Editorial
Give the Palisades Dog Park a Chance
When the search for a dedicated dog park in Pacific Palisades began focusing on the infamous Occidental site along PCH, just west of Potrero Canyon, we had mixed reactions. On the down side, we recognized that the two-acre site would pose numerous problems: overlapping jurisdiction between Caltrans and the L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks, the constant din of traffic, and the difficulty of driving down there from the Palisades. But we also knew that this rather forlorn location not only could be transformed into a landscaped dog park with ample room for parking, it was so far removed from any residential neighborhood, how could anybody possibly object? Well, naturally, we were wrong to underestimate how strongly Palisades homeowners will react to any perceived threat to their tranquility, as evidenced by the first letter in this week’s Letters to the Editor column. The author is a resident along Via de la Olas, the street that runs for five blocks along the bluffs directly above the proposed site, and her complaints have been reflected in a flurry of e-mails that surfaced from other residents in that area this past week. The battle began when Linda Renaud’s January 8 story (“Palisadians Dogged in Park Quest”) quoted Norm Kulla, acting chairman of the dog-park search committee, as suggesting that “Ideally, people would be able to access the site on foot from Temescal Canyon, the top of Potrero Canyon and the bluffs at Via de las Olas. There would also be car access from PCH.” This innocent observation drew a predictable response from neighbors, who envisioned swarms of dog owners parking along the Via bluffs and walking down the switchback trail to the dog park. By week’s end they were clamoring not only for preferential parking along Friends, Lombard, Swarthmore, Via de la Paz, Beirut and Mt. Holyoke, but urging one another to do whatever possible to stop the dog park from ever happening. This is a distressing turn of events that should never happen, and it won’t happen if the neighbors who are up in arms will realize that their objections are fueled by misconceptions and a lack of information. ??First of all, if the dog park location can indeed receive approval by whoever actually owns the land (the state or the city), a parking lot will be built adjacent to the park. ??Second, a fence will be built to ensure that dogs don’t chase rabbits or one another out onto PCH. ??Third, accessing the park along the roadway from Temescal Canyon shouldn’t bother anyone except the homeless who now try to live hidden away in the thick brush, and the one-mile hike from the Recreation Center down through Potrero Canyon to PCH will be too daunting for most people, especially those who simply want to let their dog run free every day or two. So that leaves the existing Via de las Olas trail that begins at Lombard and winds down to the highway. Here again, only the hearty dog owner will want to venture that time-consuming option, especially when he or she can simply drive down to the dog park (even though it means bucking PCH traffic). In reality, the Occidental site is the final option for dog-park advocates in this community. After studying and rejecting more than a half-dozen other possible locations, the search committee should be free to negotiate with various city departments and state agencies to work out a plan for this last patch of land-and they shouldn’t have to worry about fighting off the distant neighbors.
Fred Brownell, 89; Traveler, Sportsman
Fred Brownell, a former longtime resident of Pacific Palisades, passed away peacefully at his home in Camarillo on January 7. He was 89. Fred was born Sept. 21, 1914 in West Palm Beach to Fred, Sr. and Elsie Brownell. In 1928 his family moved to Redondo Beach, and it was there he met Mary (Schooley) Brownell, the girl next door, who would become his loving wife of 60 years before preceding Fred in death. A sergeant in the Army Air Corps during World War II, Fred served with the 833rd Squadron in the Asia Pacific Theatre. After the war, he received his B.S. and MBA degrees from USC, and became a lifelong Trojan fan. Fred designed and built his first home in Pacific Palisades, where he and Mary raised their family and lived for 45 years and were members of the United Methodist Church. In 1995 they moved to Camarillo. After a 30-year career at GTE, Fred worked 10 years for McDonnell Douglas. He was a CPA and past president of the Redondo 20-30 Club, the ATOM Club, and the Pacific Investment Association. He was also the first international president of the Business Forms Management Association. He loved to travel, visiting Alaska and Australia among his many destinations. He also liked to fish, swim and surf, played tennis at Redondo Union High and in college, and golfed weekly until he was 88. Fred was noted for having a great sense of humor. He loved life, God, family and friends and will be dearly missed. He is survived by his children: Beverly (husband Donn) McKnight of Puyallup, WA; Steven (Laura) Brownell of Burbank; Sally (David) of Camarillo; Julie (Mike) of Camarillo; his grandchildren John Bartels, Dan Bartels, Ann Austin, Matthew Lafferty, Brian Lafferty, Heather Replinger and Becky Replinger; and his great-grandchildren Steven Bartels, Sarah Bartels and Giana Austin. Fred is also survived by his brothers, Richard Brownell of Redondo Beach, and Gerald (Vivian) Brownell of Palos Verdes as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
John Owen Noll, 82
John Owen Noll, a 14-year resident of Pacific Palisades, died of a stroke at UCLA Medical Center on January 15. He was 82. Born and raised in San Francisco, Noll served in the Navy during World War II. He received his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley, followed by graduate studies at the University of Illinois and the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. His career before1967 included teaching at Washington State University, a private practice and the psychological assessment of volunteers for the Peace Corps. The last 19 years of his career were spent at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, where he was director of the clinical training program in the graduate school. At UND, Noll was an early advocate of patients’ rights and co-taught an interdisciplinary seminar on law and psychology. John was married to fellow psychologist Ester Gould Noll until her death in 1976. He retired in 1986 and came to Southern California, where he could play tennis year round. He met and married longtime Palisadian Elaine Millbank, and the two lived happily and lovingly in the village for 12 years.?? In addition to Elaine, Noll is survived by his children, Cybele Wolf of Felton, California, Tom Noll of Berkeley, and Julie Imgrund (husband Ted) of Osseo, Wisconsin; stepchildren Jill Millbank of Brentwood and Paul Millbank of Santa Barbara; grandchildren Paul, Raphael and Owen Imgrund; and his many friends. He will be missed by all. A memorial gathering will be held on Sunday, January 25 at 3:30 p.m. at the Buerge Chapel followed by a reception at the Aldersgate Retreat Center, both located at 925 Haverford in the Palisades. Memorial donations may be made to the charity of one’s choice.
Ann Leonard, 85; Former Realtor
Ann Schulz Leonard, a former realtor in Pacific Palisades for 17 years, passed away on December 11 in Memorial Hospital, Lawrence, Kansas. She was 85. Born in Rockford, Illinois, to Mr. and Mrs. Harry Schulz, Ann was married for 60 years to Jack Leonard. They resided in the Palisades for 30 years. Ann was designated a member of the Million Dollar Real Estate Roundtable several times during her career. She was also very supportive of the many volunteer programs and fundraisers of the Pacific Palisades Lions Club. Jack Leonard retired as vice president of marketing for Hughes Helicopter. He was also a licensed pilot and trained military pilots after World War II. After her husband passed away in 2000, Ann retired from real estate in 2001 and moved to Kansas in 2002 to be near her son, John E. Leonard III. She is survived by her sister, Sarane Schulz in Canada, and two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren in Kansas. “All of her friends and the community have lost a special person,” said Ann’s Palisades friend, Jeanette Griver. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Pacific Palisades Lions Club, P.O. Box 1568, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272, or a charity of one’s choice.
Theodore Johnsen; Attorney, Teacher, Rare Book Collector
Ted Johnsen, a longtime Palisadian and law professor, died on January 12 after a brave fight against pancreatic cancer. He was 60. Born on March 4, 1943 in Evanston, Illinois, Johnsen grew up in Winnetka, Illinois, Albuquerque and La Jolla before moving to Los Angeles to attend UCLA in 1961. After graduating from UCLA Law School in 1968, he taught for one year at the University of Michigan Law School, then began practicing corporate and securities law with the Los Angeles firm of O’Melveny & Meyers. In 1976, he became one of the founding partners of Johnsen, Manfredi & Thorpe, which later merged with Perkins Coie. In 1992, Johnsen joined the Los Angeles office of Arnold & Porter, from which he retired in 1999. After his retirement, he indulged his love of the law by teaching at USC Law School, as well as by working on several consulting and mediation projects. Johnsen met his wife, Cindy, at UCLA and they were married in 1966. They had two sons, Mike and Andy, and made their home in Pacific Palisades in 1971. Ted had a curious mind and eclectic interests. One of his greatest passions was reading and book collecting, a hobby he pursued from his childhood until his final days. He had an extensive collection of P.G. Wodehouse and a few first editions by Mark Twain. He was also an avid fly fisherman, and although he made many fishing trips throughout his life, his fondest affection was reserved for the Owens River in California’s eastern Sierra. Johnsen is survived by his wife and two sons, his granddaughter Elizabeth, his grandson Eric, and his brother Robert. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 24 at United Methodist Church, 801 Via de la Paz. In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation may be made to PANCAN, 2221 Rosecrans Ave., Suite 131, El Segundo, CA 90245, or to VITAS Hospice Foundation, 16030 Ventura Blvd. Suite 600, Encino, CA 91436.
Sunset Receives a Facelift
Repaving was completed on Sunset this weekend in the business district between Via de la Paz and Drummond, the first time this had been done for 18 years. On Saturday, the top level of asphalt was removed and broken up, to be replaced by fresh asphalt. The L.A. Bureau of Street Services plans to continue the Sunset resurfacing from Drummond to Brooktree in February.
Filmmaker Makes Feature Debut
Palisadian Kenny Golde said his daily conversation changed when he moved from producing to writing and directing. “As a producer, it was ‘How much is it going to cost and when is it due?’As a director it is ‘What do you think this character is feeling right now?’ Now it’s talking about feelings and imagination. It just turns me on.” His first feature film, “The Job,” a graphically violent thriller, was released on DVD January 13. The film also had a one-week theatrical release in December. The film focuses on CJ, a female hired killer, played by Daryl Hannah. She is told by her boss to kill a pregnant woman whose husband is dealing stolen drugs. But she has difficulty doing the deed when she finds out she herself is pregnant. Also in the mix are a former priest, an attempted abortion, childhood flashbacks and a drug deal gone wrong. Golde’s previous directing experience was with his short film, “Food for Thought,” which won awards at the 2001 Worldfest Houston International Film Festival and the 2000 Brooklyn Film Festival. That film, starring David Ogden Stiers, was one of a dozen shorts acquired in 2001 by HBO and was shown on that channel and Cinemax more than 100 times. “The Job” was shot in a little over three weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve 2002, at 22 locations around Los Angeles. Golde, 36, found that the holiday season was a time when crew and equipment were available. The entire crew worked for free, while the cast was paid minimal union salaries. The budget was less than $500,000. He, producer Dan Levin, a friend from Taft High School, and executive producer Larry Gabriel cast the film just after Daryl Hannah finished with “Kill Bill, Vol. 1.” Other cast members then came on board, including Brad Renfro, Dominique Swain, and Alex Rocco (Moe Greene in “The Godfather”). “Sixty people showed up every day for no money,” Golde said. “My job as a director was not just making a movie, but creating an environment where people wanted to come back. There was a bonding among the crew.” The film was made independently by Platform Entertainment and sold to distributor Lions Gate Entertainment, which released the movie on DVD. “They do a calculation process of their expenses. I’m thrilled we made an independent film that sold for distribution. Most independent films are not.” The film, which is rated R, will eventually be shown on pay-per-view and cable. Golde, who grew up in Woodland Hills, initially wanted to be a novelist and has written a science fiction novel “Apollo Main.” After graduating from UC Berkeley, he began his career in the film industry, working for an agency, production companies and then as a producer in film and television. He has also written and directed more than 30 “Intimate Portraits” for Lifetime Television. “I’m lucky. A lot of people out there, between feature films, turn to other types of work,” Golde said. “I get to write and produce these.” He cites model Christie Brinkley and novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford as his favorites whom he has profiled in the hour-long biographical show. Golde has lived in the Palisades for 11 years. His next project is directing “Haunted Hearts,” which he describes as a dramatic comedy, written by Ted Henning.
Cody Michaels: Town’s 50th ‘First Baby’
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Cody Robert Michaels, born at 1:50 a.m. on January 1 at St. John’s Medical Center in Santa Monica, has won the Palisadian-Post’s First Baby of the Year contest. He is the 50th baby to earn the honor. Cody’s mother, Pam Michaels, learned about the contest when she came into the Post’s offices last month to renew her subscription. Business Manager Cheryel Kanan asked when she was due, and reminded her to watch out for the First Baby contest and call the Post when she had her baby. So Pam called in on Friday, the day after giving birth, and Cody was eventually declared the winner. He and his parents will enjoy gifts and services from 60 Palisades merchants. “Little Cody is doing very well,” Pam said. “My pregnancy was great. I really enjoyed it and had no problems.” Cody’s dad, Robert, came up with his first name. “I was reading the baby names book and it just caught my attention,” said Robert. “He seems to have a strong-willed personality. He’s not shy about letting you know how he feels about things. When he gets wrapped in a certain way, he starts swinging his arms in boxing mode.” Cody’s 6-year-old brother, Brandon, a Corpus Christi first grader, is adjusting well to his new little brother and is helping out. “He was very excited and he couldn’t wait,” Pam said. Dad is proud of his older son’s transition to being a big brother: “He’s old enough to understand what it means; he cares for his brother and looks after him. He’s been very sweet to him.” The runners-up are Annie and Kendall Mars, twin daughters of Traci and Brian Mars, born at 6:55 and 6:56 a.m. on January 1 at Cedars-Sinai. Older sister Molly is in the same class as Brandon, at Corpus Christi. “It’s very special for us to have two sets of children the same age,” said Pam. “I was lying in bed that night, and called Traci to say, ‘I had my baby and you’re next.’ Brian answered and said ‘We did, too!'” Born at 7 lbs. 14 oz. and 20-3/4″ long, Cody has lots of brown hair and light eyebrows. His mom expects his hair to become blonde like his older brother’s, as he is his “spitting image.” “He’s thriving,” she said of Cody. “He hasn’t lost weight as newborns usually do; in fact, he gained a little bit of weight a few days after his birth. I just welcome a great eater. He’s quite a little feisty guy. “We didn’t know if he was going to be a 2003 baby or a 2004 baby,” Pam said. “We were hoping it was going to be January 1, the start of a new year. We didn’t even notice it was New Year’s, and before you know it, you’ve given birth. After he was born we realized it was New Year’s, so we celebrated. It was a lot of fun.” Cody was also the year’s first birth at St. John’s and was given a silver spoon that reads “First Baby of 2004” by the hospital staff. His mother recalls it was a busy night at the hospital. “My water broke on the 31st and when we came in at 4 p.m. there was no labor room available. There were three women there before me, and three women after me.” She had to wait about an hour until a room was available. Pam Michaels, who is originally from Durban, South Africa, was happy that her sister and brother-in-law had flown in from South Africa on December 30. “Brandon was thrilled he could spend the night at home with his aunt and uncle.” Robert Michaels, a native of Boston, is the president and CEO of Odesus, Inc., a technology consulting company. They have lived in the Palisades Highlands since 1997. “We’re pleased for the big announcement; it’s something special for Cody to carry through his life,” Robert said.
