Woman’s Club Celebrates Palisadians 90 and Better

By MICHAEL AUSHENKER | Contributing Writer

Cake, balloons and a toast to longevity…Palisades-style!

That was the upbeat vibe when Pacific Palisades Woman’s Club (PPWC) hosted last Saturday’s 26th annual 90th Birthday Celebration.

The celebratory event attracted more than 100 attendees for the most robust gathering yet, according to organizers.

“This event is a celebration of life and recognizing the people who made the Palisades what it is today,” said PPWC President Haldis Toppel, who provided a birthday cake at every table for the “Happy Birthday” song portion of the proceedings.

Attendees, mostly age 90 or over, were treated to a multi-course Italian lunch and frozen yogurt, cake and coffee for dessert.

Beloved restaurateur Madame Sylvia Wu, one of the oldest persons in the room at 101, attended the annual event for her second time.

Beaming among friends at her table, she called this month’s gathering “beautiful,” just moments before winning a Luxe Homecare gift basket.

Potrero Canyon resident Jean Doris Kahn, 91, has lived in Pacific Palisades since 1950.

Kahn said she couldn’t think of a better place to reside.

“I love the friendliness of the people here,” said Kahn, who loves to write poetry and who also dressed as a clown at the Palisades’ annual Independence Day Americana Parade back in 2006.

Former Paul Revere Middle School faculty Edward Grestorf, 95, and Robert Thurm, 87, sat together at the event, reminiscing.

With a smile, Thurm said that when he worked at the school, “Eisenhower was president!”

Originally from Salt Lake City, Huntington resident June Capp, 102, came to the luncheon with her daughter Dixie. Capp has lived in Pacific Palisades for decades.

“I like the people, the weather and all of the goings-on [in town],” she said.

“It has been so rewarding working on this event for the past three years,” said PPWC member and event co-chair Fay Vahdani, president of Luxe Homecare.

The business donated the event’s goody bags, driving certificates and fruit salad. This month’s event represented the fourth 90th Birthday Celebration she has helped organize.

Vahdani, a Highlands resident who also had husband Ben Vahdani and daughter Bita, 14, in tow, added, “I love seeing everyone each year as they get older and it’s a way to show appreciation for my community.”

It took four months for Vahdani and fellow event co-chair Julia Winter to put this event together.

“It’s like planning for my wedding,” Vahdani said.

“Atria Park of Pacific Palisades is delighted to once again be a part of this wonderful event,” said the senior living complex’s Evin Hoover.

“And we are proud to be able to ensure some of our city’s most vibrant seniors are able to thrive in the nineties and beyond,” she continued.

At 103, Paul Wasserman took the crown—a red cardboard one, which he wore proudly—as the oldest person in attendance.

The USC graduate, who also served in the U.S. Army and worked for decades as a pharmacist, hails from a medical family, which includes his son, Dr. Steve Wasserman of San Diego.

Staffers at Atria Park on Sunset Boulevard, where Wasserman lives, shared with the Palisadian-Post what might be the elixir to his longevity: A shot of half and half creamer every night before going to bed.

True, not exactly health food, but hey, at 103, who are we to argue with that?