altadenablog

"Mrs. Altadena" turns 100 at Pasadena Now

Check out the great feature today on Mama Rosa, aka Mrs. Altadena, aka Rosa Johnson, on the Pasadena Now website.  Lynne Eodice's interview looks at Johnson's varied and interesting life -- which will cross the 100 year mark on Aug. 30.  (We're big fans of women who make it to 100).  Read it all!

Times reporter Eric Malnic dies in Altadena home

The LA Times has an obit of Altadenan Eric Malnic, 73, one of those old-school reporters and editors who died Tuesday in his Altadena home.  Malnic was one of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team that covered the 1965 Watts riots for the Times, became an ace rewrite man, and later specialized in aviation and plane crash stories.  His obit is here.

Ruth Geibel celebrates 90 years

 
Altadena resident Ruth Geibel celebrated 90 years on earth with friends and family Saturday at Davies Auditorium in Farnsworth Park.  Reflecting her Mississippi roots, the dinner featured fine Southern style (fried chicken, cornbread, sweet tea, and "Disneyland Mint Julep").  Ruth is pictured with her children (l. to r.) Bebee, Mike, and Martel, Jr.

Naiditch remembers the refugee years

Altadenan Hannah Naiditch, 90, has published a memoir of her time as Jewish refugee from Austria during the war, titled Memoirs of a Hitler Refugee: Activism and Issues Define My Life.  Naiditch is profiled in the San Gabriel Valley newspapers by Sandra T. Molina.

Luther M. Nash appointed to county commission on insurance

Received from Supv. Antonovich's office:

LOS ANGELES COUNTY – Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich has appointed Luther W. Nash to the Los Angeles County Commission on Insurance.

A resident of Altadena, Mr. Nash has over 54 years of experience in the insurance business and is former member of the Advisory Board to the California Department of Insurance.  

The Los Angeles County Commission on Insurance keeps the Board of Supervisors informed of significant developments, court cases, and the status of pending legislation concerning consumer insurance matters, including automobile liability, homeowners' health and earthquake insurance.

On the road with Parkinson's

B. John Hale of Altadena writes a story for the LA Times about the occasional funny side of life with Parkinson's disease.

The secrets of centenarianism

PSN front-pages today Ethel Engstrom of Altadena, who turned 103 on April 11, in an article about the locally long-lived and how the fastest-growing age group is 85-plus.  (An earlier story about Ethel's birthday is here.)

First grade teacher sweeps pro photo awards

From our friends at the Hometown Pasadena blog, a profile of Suzanne McNulty-- she was our oldest daughter's kindergarten teacher back in the day (when we were living in South Pasadena), and teaches at Marengo School there.  She recently swept first, second, AND third places at the Professional Photographer's of California 2009 Expo.

For us, the interesting quote:

There are just too many beautiful places here! It’s all about the light. There’s a walk I take with my dogs ending on Mendocino east of Allen, at twilight. The curve of the palm tree-lined street… the orange-red light hitting the mountains right there, so close — it’s got this quintessential old California craftsman feel that I’d love to figure out how to capture someday.

Since that's in our neck of the woods (and she's right about the light), we thought it was worth mentioning that she's probably a local!  Congrats, Suzanne!

Altadena journalist Ainsworth dies

PSN reports tonight that Diane Ainsworth, a writer and editor who most recently worked for USC, died March 29 in her Altadena home of a brain aneurysm.  She was 56. Ainsworth also did time at JPL, RAND, UCLA, and UC-Berkeley.  The story is here.

Gullon appointed to Superior Court

Gov. Schwarzenegger has made several judicial appointments, and if you crawl down this story far enough, you'll find that he appointed Christian R. Gullón of Altadena to the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Sara Carnahan honored by Altadena Chamber Jan. 23

The Altadena Chamber of Commerce will hold their annual banquet and officer installation Jan. 23 at the Altadena Town & Country Club.  Highlight of the festivities is honoring Altadena's Citizen of the Year, who this year is Sara Carnahan.

Sara has been active in Altadena for years and years.  She was born in Altadena and attended Eliot Jr High and Pasadena High School.  She has served on many community boards; including two terms as President of the Altadena Historical Society, Altadena Meals on Wheels, Altadena Senior Center, ACCAB board, American Association of University Women and much more  She is currently a member of League of Women Voters, Pasadena area.

Reserve your table or seat now by calling the Chamber office at (626)794-3988 or sending a check. Tickets are $75.00.  A table of ten (10) is $700.00.

From British invader to ukelele king: a natural history of Whitcomb

Altadena's inimitable Ian Whitcomb is profiled in this month's Arroyo magazine.  For us, the money quote:

“The best of the old songs are the best of Western music, because they have the basics of music: melody, harmony and rhythm,” Whitcomb says. “Those songs are the culmination of 400 years of Western civilization. And in this age of looping and rapping — really just circular rhythms and changing textures — they’re far more interesting to me.”

Jerome Dean -- come on down!

Courtesy of the Contra Costa Times (couldn't find the link in the Star News) comes word that Altadenan Jerome Dean will have a close encounter with Drew Carey on The Price is Right on Christmas Eve.  Janette Williams explicates:

"We can't tell you whether your newly minted hometown `celebrity' will take home the showcase," the press release coyly revealed, "but nobody leaves THE PRICE IS RIGHT without a great prize ... and a really fun chat with host Drew Carey."

Threat or promise?  We'll find out tomorrow!

Well, maybe you can't be too RICH ....

The fabulous Susan Carrier has a piece in the LA Times about her monumental weight loss, due to health problems, and the conflicts (both internal and external) that one faces.  Eat, Susan, eat!

Haussler receives realtor's award

The Cultural Heritage Committee of the Pasadena-Foothills Association of Realtors recognized local Realtor (and Altadena Heritage guy) Steve Haussler for his contributions to the preservation of Pasadena’s architectural heritage. Haussler was honored with the 2008 Restoration and Preservation Award for his twenty-six year commitment to restore and preserve historically-significant homes and neighborhoods.  Details on his blog.

Former Altadena deputy put to rest

LA Sheriff Sgt. Archibald "Archie" E. Henderson Jr. was buried in Santa Clarita yesterday in a ceremony with about 200 deputies attending.  Henderson worked at the Altadena station from 1977 to 1989. Santa Clarita Signal has the story.

Former Pasadena municipal judge Mitchell dies

PSN's Dan Abendschein writes an obit for Altadena resident Elvira Mitchell, who was a judge in the former Pasadena municipal court until losing election in 1997.  Mitchell, 70, was found in her home Saturday.

The print version of this story (not the online version you'll get here) is much more melancholy: Mitchell spent the years since her election defeat becoming increasingly withdrawn and disconnected from friends.  The print version is a much more human, and sad, story than the just-the-facts story found online.

Add to that this story from the archives of Metropolitan News, and we get a taste of someone with great talents who had some significant problems in her last years. 

"Father of earthquake engineering" dies at 97

George W. Housner, 97, Caltech professor and "father of earthquake engineering," will appropriately be buried in the same cemetery as Charles RIchter, i.e. Mountain View.  His amazing engineering career is detailed in this LA Times obit.

Music hath charms ...

From the Exile, a local blog of Jewish issues, profiles Altadena percussionist Karolyn Berkman.

Reeves first black judge in Stanislaus County

The Razor, in probably his last story before fatherhood (welcome to Society of the Sleep-Free, Dre), has a piece in PWeekly about former Altadenan Dawna Frenchie Reeves, 44, now the first African-American judge in Stanislaus County.  Reeves, a 1982 PHS grad, is a former county prosecutor.

A compleat angler at PWeekly

Bob Johnson of Altadena, an enthusiastic mountain fisherman, is profiled by Christopher Nyerges in this week's Pasadena Weekly. 

"Alan's War": a local soldier's graphic novel

Thanks to Altadenablog reader Tom Kosakowski, we've just found out about Alan's War, a graphic novel by the French artist Emmanuel Guibert.  Guibert has illustrated the memoirs of Alan Cope, a soldier from the Pasadena/Altadena area who served in WWII.  As a comic geek, what we've seen looks pretty good (our major geek credential is that we saved Stan Lee's seat for the debut showing of "Raiders of the Lost Ark").  Check it out!

Ups & downs

Everything has its ups and downs, as Dylan Rokos, 9, discovered at St. Mark's Country Fair this morning.  The St. Mark's Fair was just one of the many fairs and fiestas going on in Altadena today.

Charles Siringo died this day, 80 years ago

Zane Grey isn't Altadena's only cowboy author:  found this at the Texas State Historical Society website about Charles Siringo (1855-1928), who died in Altadena after a career as a cowboy, merchant, detective, and author.  As a Pinkerton agent, Siringo helped track "Billy the Kid," whom he'd previously met in his cowboy days.  It's an interesting life, and it's detailed right here.  He's buried at Inglewood Cemetery.  Here's the wicki entry.

Cowboy actor L.Q. Jones portrayed Det. Siringo in the 1974 made-for-TV movie Mrs. Sundance (with Elizabeth Montgomery playing the Sundance Kid's girlfriend, Etta Place).

Bass-o-matic

That Monica Hubbard is at it again, and she relays some news about President Streets resident Steve Bass:

Hi.

Steve Bass <stevebass@earthlink.net> has had a tech column for many years at PC World magazine.  Sadly, they've terminated his column.  Happily, he has a brand new Web site for folks interested in tech talk.

You can sign up here:  www.techbite.com

Here's what he wrote to his subscribers:

"I'm starting by e-mailing a weekly newsletter, just like the one I
did for PC World. Tech stuff, tricks and tips, freeware tools,
product reviews, and time wasters. If all goes well, in about a week
TechBite will also have a blog.

In the coming weeks, we'll expand the site with other things I think
are cool, components I've always wanted in a site.

Once again, thanks to all of you for your support and loyalty, and
for sticking with me during these tumultuous times."

Altadenans featured in Consumer Reports

From the relentless Monica:  the new issue of Consumer Reports (part of our vast "unread magazines" pile) has an article on health care coverage, and compares Altadenan Susan Braig's coverage under McCain & Obama plans (Susan was recently featured in an LA Times piece here).  The CR photo was by local photog (and town council member) Susan Goldman.

Services set for Rev. A.D. Thomas

Services have been announced for the memorial and funeral of Rev. A.D. Thomas, husband of Dr. Sandra Thomas.  Both services will take place at Metropolitan Baptist Church, 2283 Fair Oaks, Altadena.

Memorial service:  Fri., Oct. 10, 7 PM

Funeral service:  Sat., Oct. 11, 10 AM

There is a scholarship fund being established.  The specifics are not yet known.

Hat tip: Monica Hubbard

UPDATE 10/3:  Our friend C Jake has sent information on the scholarship fund:

A scholarship fund has been established in memory of Rev. A.D. Thomas.  IIf you wish to contribute to it in lieu of flowers it would be most appreciated by Dr. Sandra E. Thomas.
 
Checks may be sent to: 

 
Quality of Life Center, Inc.  
2184 N. Lake Avenue., Bldg. E, 
Altadena, CA 91001.   

Be sure to put in the memo space that the donation is for the A.D. Thomas Scholarship fund.   All donations are tax deductible and will be acknowledged.
 
Thank you all for all of the support you have given Dr. Thomas during this very difficult time.  She is very very appreciative.
 
C Jake

"A white boy with the black press"

Boyd Lewis is an Atlantan turned Altadenan, who's talking about his years as a white reporter who worked for black newspapers in Atlanta for almost 30 years.  He has a handsome new website-in-progress that he's putting together about his experiences in Atlanta, as a inner-city schoolteacher in Los Angeles, and everything before, after, and in-between.  Check it out!

Also check out the Ethel Louise Armstrong Foundation website.  Executive Director Deborah B. Lewis, Boyd's wife, runs this Altadena-based foundation to include people with disabilities in the arts, advocacy, and education.

Hat tip to Monica Hubbard, who just keeps going and going and going ...

Caltech to hold Attardi symposium Aug. 29

Caltech will remember Giuseppe Attardi of Altadena, a pioneering DNA researcher, with a memorial symposium at Beckman Auditorium in Pasadena from 1:30-4:30 PM on Fri, Aug. 29.  Attardi died on April 5 at age 84 in his Altadena home.  Says Caltech Today:

Attardi, the California Institute of Technology's Steele Professor of Molecular Biology, was among the first scientists to delve into the processes through which DNA's information is transferred. He identified all the genes of the DNA in human mitochondria—often called the powerhouses of biological cells. He then developed techniques for investigating genetic diseases, including Alzheimer's, and aging in general, which he discovered is associated with changes in mitochondrial DNA.

Happy birthday, Jonathan Postel

One of the first gurus of the Internet -- heck, he helped create the Internet -- Jon Postel was born this day in Altadena and would be 65 today had he lived. Check out his Wikipedia entry.

"Be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others." - J.P.

Senior internship, working to save lives

In the LA Times today, Ranti Otujinrin of Altadena, a senior at Poly next year, writes about her internship researching breast cancer at City of Hope..

Red, black, white, and Gold

We like people with interesting pasts.  For example: Elliot Gold, now of the Altadena Sheriff's Station Community Advisory Committee, used to hang out with outlaw bikers -- The Chosen Few, as a matter of fact, which started as a black biker club. He writes:

Folks

Some of you know this about me, but most don't.

Before Shirley and I got together, I spent nearly two years riding (actually in my MG-B) with the Chosen Few Motor Cycle Club in the Los Angeles area... followed them with my cameras and back and white (Ilford) film.

It was the most incredible experience... a fully integrated (not just race, but economic integration.... drug dealers and arsonists to PhDs and businessmen).

Had a great time, and learned more about life than from any other experience I've ever had since.

This past year, several of the Few found me and asked if I'd donate some of my pictures to a project they were working on.

Here's how you can view my pictures:

1.    Go to http://www.chosenfewmc.org/
2.    Click on ‘Enter”
3.    On the Left Hand Side, click on “Few History”
4.    About 75% down the page, find “More Chosen Few Historical Pictures  - By Elliot " Camera Man " Gold” (or just search for “Elliot”)
5.    Click on the spark plug on the left hand side
6.    Hit the “play” button
7.    Watch the pictures

I am honored that they put my pictures up... enjoy!

Elliot "Camera Man" Gold

Note: the website is for mature audiences only!

Happy Mothers Day

We're blogging late on Sunday, because we've been celebrating the day with the mother in our house, and but thought this was worth passing on from PSN:  103-year-old Teola Davis of Altadena was honored by her church as "Mother of the Year."  Sounds like the mother of SEVERAL years!

Five Acres recognizes Altadena volunteer

Five Acres, the Altadena-based child and family services agency, has recognized local Doris Braithwaite with a volunteer award.  She was honored as an administrative assistant in Five Acres' development department.  PSN tells the tale (scroll down).