September 2009 Archives
Sunday marks the 20th anniversary of Big Swing Band music performances at El Dorado Community Center with Fred Nied, 92, setting the pace. Fred, a retired cruise ship captain, organized the swing band of retired seniors, all professional musicians, and he hasn't missed a beat after 1,650 performances
... Ceci Julian
Long-time Long Beach resident Judith Haywood-Johnson, president of the Ministers' Wives and Ministers' Widows of Inglewood and Vicinity, was honored by the Baptist Ministers' Conference of Los Angeles and Southern California. She received a plaque presented by its president, Bishop L. Daniel Williams which said, ``...for your outstanding community service in making this world a better place to live, work, and play.'' Judith is a nurse who teaches her patients at the Health Care Partners cardiac care unit how to stay healthy after illness. She and her husband, the Rev. D. Lyle Johnson, are proud grandparents of 20 or more grandchildren. Judith serves in many capacities in the church; she is especially honored to be on the Mothers' Board of the New Hope Baptist Church of Long Beach and served on its Pulpit Search Committee.
... Dorothy Marks-Fontenot
In July of this year some classmates from Bixby Elementary school and Stanford Jr. High, got together for a reunion, and we included our sixth grade teacher, the wonderful Mrs. Phyllis Goodwin.
She looked fabulous and is such an encouraging person and an excellent teacher. Many of her former students think of her as their favorite teacher.
It's been 31 years since we left Bixby to start our junior high careers. Mrs. Goodwin prepared us so well for junior high. We love her so much!
Several times during our sixth grade year Mrs. Goodwin took us to see a play (a matinee) at Long Beach Civic Light Opera. She planned and organized everything ... the parents to drive, the tickets and the money for the tickets.
She is such a blessing. She did this all on her own time and she was always available for her students. I remember one time she even came to my house.
I have attached some pictures of Mrs. Goodwin and some of her students (now obviously adults).
Some of these people were from Stanford Jr. High, but we welcome anyone that went to Bixby and was in sixth grade in 1978, or went to Stanford Jr. High and was in seventh grade in 1979.
We had a great time!!!
... Dee-El Ruttman Dawe
In the picture: Steve McLaren with daughter Chloe, Lauren (Tatreau) Rochford, Bill Kribell, Regina Marchioni, Jean (O'Connor) Phillips, Dee-El (Ruttman) Dawe, Greg Chandler, Ron Veith, David Reinking. Judy Gass, Jean Phillips girls, Rachel (Orkin) Gahafer, Mrs. Goodwin, Lance Hunter, Heather Vaillancourt. Others in attendance but not in the picture were: Ruth (Orkin) Graves, Shannon (Hood) Nakamura, David Sorbo, Susie (Voytko) Patterson, Jill (Stacy) Kemock, Irene (Deis) Snyder, Michele Lucas and Nikki (Smith) Newman.
There were apparently no nametags needed for, from left, Kathy (Borza) McDonald, Candy (Cantwell) Abel, Mary (Almy) Johnson, Rick and Rhoda Cassell, Raulynne (Gonzalez) Johnson, Greg Frick and Chris (Gillies) Brannon at their 40th Jordan High School Reunion at the Maya Hotel in Long Beach.
Joyce Levitt of Long Beach, formerly with the World Clown Association, shares a Press-Telegram moment with Staphen, a headliner with the Nikoulin Moscow Circus, the 128-year-old extravaganza, during a recent visit to the Russian capital. We're still trying to decide if this qualifies as a Roving Reader, Cool Pet of the Week, or all of the above.
Ellen Swieck of Long Beach stopped over at the dazzling Boston Museum of Fine Arts during a recent literary tour of Massachusetts. Ellen was standing next to one of a pair of sculptures, called ``Night'' and ``Day'' by Spanish artist Antonio Lopez Garcia. The MFA acquired them last year right after hosting a retrospective of Lopez Garcia's paintings and sculpture and just in time for the reopening of its historic Fenway-side entrance. The sculptures flank the stairs of the Fenway entrance and were unveiled in June 2008. The museum is a gem in a city of gems and you can check it out at www.mfa.org.
Carolyn and Mike Milburn took a side trip while visiting friends in Jackson Hole, Wyo., in August and took a drive over to see Mount Rushmore, the legendary monument near Keystone, S.D. Almost 400 workers were employed in creating the sculptures from October of 1927 to October of 1941. It was extremely dangerous work there were no lives lost. Read about the monument online at www.nps.gov/moru.
The Fuller Family of Lakewood visited the Cape of Good Hope on a recent vacation to South Africa. From left, Jim, Danny, Kathy and Michael.
Kay and Terry Cofield of Long Beach, winners of the Press-Telegram E-Edition Login promotion, took advantage of the Zeppelin ride portion of their prize to capture some stunning views from the Airshipventures Zeppelin flight over Long Beach and the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Kay and Terry showed off their Roving, ah, Flying Reader front page before boarding the airship. Hanging ominously in the background of their skyline view are the clouds of smoke still rolling up from the recent windfires above Los Angeles. Said Kay, "The staff, the preparations, the flight, the briefing/debriefing, all made for a really wonderful total experience.'' They also received a two-night stay on the Queen Mary as part of the prize package.
Vera Enquist was honored at the Long Beach Officers Wives Club in celebration of her 100th birthday. Vera is a retired Army major who has served her country since 1941, when she graduated and came to an Army Hospital in Riverside. She served in Japan, Germany and San Francisco before moving to Lakewood in 1962. The club meets at the Long Beach Yacht Club the first Wednesday of each month.
-- Rhea Black
Viola Norman recently celebrated her 97th birthday. She was a sharecropper, she picked up cans in Long Beach for 30 years, she was known as the bag lady, and she attended First Providence Missionary Baptist Church at 801 Hill St. Long Beach until she became too ill to attend. Her favorite color is pink. She was born July 26,1912. She is of the Johnson clan in Scott, Arkansas, and she is the oldest citizen of the Sixth District in Long Beach.
-- Hattie Bass
We are best friends and cousins enjoying an aloha family vacation at Waimea Canyon, Kauai, also known as The Grand Canyon of the Pacific, in July. We spent 10 days visiting Kauai and Oahu, relaxing on the beach and enjoying the beauty of the Hawaiian Islands. We are, front row, Kalea Trias, Malia Azucenas, Melia Takasagi, Katie Matsuguma, and back row, Danielle Pleta, KC Trias and Chelsay Matsugma. We're all from Cerritos. 
Carol and Robert Larson of Long Beach, with grandsons CJ and Cristian Sanchez, in front of the Imperial War Museum in London on a trip in June.
