August 2010 Archives
Bethany Lutheran School Principal Dr. Mary Fink made good on a promise to her students on Friday, June 11, by working from the top of the campus - literally. Dr. Fink had promised the students that if their Spring fundraiser garnered $10,000 she would put her desk on the roof for the day. The students rallied and earned in excess of the amount required. Dr. Fink was raised to her roof-top office on a electric lift and conducted business throughout the day from her open air office. Fink was well supplied with electricity, computer access, coffee, snacks and a string-and-can message system by which she received messages and advice from the students throughout the day. Parents picking their students up at the end of the day were greeted with waves and smiles from Dr. Fink from her roof-top post.
Submitted by Kathy Tucker
Admissions Director
Bethany Lutheran School
Admissions Director
Bethany Lutheran School
This is my Grandpuppy, Smidgin. He belongs to my daughter. Whenever he comes to visit he's the life of the party. As any good grandmother would do, I always buy him a new toy or special treat to take home. He's a 4-year-old Poodle mix.Submitted by Marilyn Balmer
On a two-day vacation at my dad's house in Riverside, my first grandson, Leon Lamount Figgins III, and I were in the back yard where I saw an old empty 7-UP soda container. I decided too put him inside for a photo.Submitted by Grandma Marie Taylor
a.k.a. RERE
North Long Beach
Amanda Scott, 22, of Lakewood, in front of Abbey Road Studios made famous by the Beatles. A graduate of Mayfair High and Long Beach City College, she is studying abroad this summer with her Arizona State University class.Submitted by James Scott
The Shirey family was on campus at Wellesley College, near Boston, Mass., just prior to commencement exercises to celebrate the graduation of the youngest Shirey, Elizabeth. Pictured left to right are: Jill, sister, who flew in from London; Greg, brother from Northern Ca.; Marilyn Shirey, mom, holding the Press-Telegram, Elizabeth Shirey, and John Shirey, dad, former assistant manager of Long Beach.Submitted by Charles H. Parks, Long Beach
Annie Garcia, from Westminster, and her niece, Aline Picard from Paris, France.
In April 2010, I went to France for a family wedding. While there I visited the Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandie. It was a beautiful day and was I very tired at the end of the day. We climbed hundreds of stairs.According to the legend from the 10th century the Archangel Micheal appeared to St. Aubert, bishop of Avaranches, in a dream and asked him to build a church dedicated to St. Michael on top of a rock which up to then had been called Mont Tombe. It is the most daring example of medieval architecture.
It was a wonderful trip even if my return was delayed by the eruption of the volcano in Iceland.
Recently, seven girlfriends got together in Lakewood to celebrate their 80th birthdays and over 62 years of friendships. Nellie Young, a Lakewood resident since 1950, hosted the event. Pictured from left to right are; Shirley Wood, Nellie Young, Shirley Chaffers, Anita Stafford, Joyce Willey, Carolyn Marchi and Juanita Johnson. The seven friends met at Fremont High School in Los Angeles and graduated together in 1948. Carolyn and Nellie, have been friends since the 4th grade. The luncheon in July celebrated their significant milestone birthdays which all occurred in 2010. It was also noted that everyone married has been with their husbands for over 60 years. Each of the ladies has strong ties to Long Beach and Lakewood. Shirley Wood and Carolyn worked at CSULB for many years. Nellie has lived in Lakewood for 60 years, while Shirley Wood and her husband lived in Long Beach for 43 years. A great time was had by everyone, and all are looking forward to many more years of friendships, birthdays and get-togethers.
Proud Long Beach resident, Canon La, celebrated his six months birthday by commemorating his first Lakers victory with the Press Telegram.Submitted by Parent Dalis La
Bethany Lutheran School eighth grade students and chaperones recently enjoyed the trip of a lifetime to Washington D.C. There they experienced firsthand the subjects they had been studying in class. The weeklong trip included a tour of Jamestown and Williamsburg, as well as sightseeing in our nation's capital by day and night. Highlights of the trip included a service at the National Cathedral, the Smithsonian Museums and the memorials along the National Mall. The trip is an annual highlight for 8th graders at Bethany Lutheran School.Submitted by Kathy Tucker
Admissions Director
Bethany Lutheran School
Admissions Director
Bethany Lutheran School
GaleLynn (Turner)Peterson recently traveled with her husband, Glen, and son, Greg, to the California coast for a conference and stopped to take a picture of the Memorial Highway Sign for her cousin, Alfred Turner. CHP Officer Turner was shot during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 5 in Los Banos. His End Of Watch was Dec. 16, 1975. The sign is on Interstate 5 between Highways 152 and 165. GaleLynn and Alfred shared the same birthdate.
David and Aida Tapley from Long Beach on vacation in New Zealand. Here they are at the Bay of Island near the town of Paihia.
Lois and Gordon Cohn of Long Beach are at the entrance to Botswana's Chobe National Park in May. Along with five friends and relatives, the couple spent three weeks on the road, enjoying the game reserves, landscapes, and lodges in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Earlier, Lois did a tandem jump from a plane over the Namib Desert.Once I met a man
Who was old and wrinkled,
But those bright blue eyes
Still held a twinkle
He would never tell me
What he did for a living
But I remember one thing
He was always giving
Perhaps he was
An angel in disguise
But he knew what to do
When the kids would arrive
They would stop by
And ask for money
He would hand them some coins
That would send them off running.
That old canvas bag
Never seemed to run dry
No matter how many kids
Would try and re-try.
After a few hours
He would leave his post
And return the next day
To again act as host.
I watched this happen
Week in and week out
But he disappeared one day
Now all they do is pout.
Written by Leonard Schrick, 97
Who was old and wrinkled,
But those bright blue eyes
Still held a twinkle
He would never tell me
What he did for a living
But I remember one thing
He was always giving
Perhaps he was
An angel in disguise
But he knew what to do
When the kids would arrive
They would stop by
And ask for money
He would hand them some coins
That would send them off running.
That old canvas bag
Never seemed to run dry
No matter how many kids
Would try and re-try.
After a few hours
He would leave his post
And return the next day
To again act as host.
I watched this happen
Week in and week out
But he disappeared one day
Now all they do is pout.
Written by Leonard Schrick, 97
Family and friends attend a memorial for Dave Wodynski on the beach in Belmont Shore, July 31.Wodynski, 40, was the manager of the city's newly formed Budget and Performance Management Bureau. He died July 24 of natural causes at his home in the South Bay.
Wodynski oversaw both the Budget Office and the Performance Management Office, and was responsible for the development and implementation of the city's $2.3 billion annual operating budget.
City Councilman Gary DeLong speaks at the memorial for Wodynski,
pictured on the podium. Attendees throw flowers into the ocean
following the memorial.
Chuck Fowler and wife Laurie Angel are seen here at the base of Hoover Dam which was one of many highlights of a three-day, 24 mile kayak camping trip below Lake Mead. There were 28 kayakers on this trip, all from California Kayak Friends (ckf.org). Some other highlights included paddling through Black Canyon, a sauna cave and two hot springs plus warm starry nights and singing around the campfire. We camped at a remote site that was accessable only by boat.
Mia Lipski of Long Beach and her granddaughter Sarah Howard of Lakewood in front of Linlithgow Palace, Scotland on July 26. Sarah is currently studying for her Master's Degree in Edinburgh. She graduated from CSULB last year. Linlithgow Palace was the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots.
No, London Bridge is NOT FALLING DOWN! Mary Lou Tryba and Inge Johnson, both of Long Beach, went to Lake Havasu in Arizona. The original London Bridge is just fine. It was taken down piece by piece and re-assembled as the world's largest jigsaw puzzle.
Army firefighters from the 60th
Ordnance Company, 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 43rd
Sustainment Brigade, stand in front of their two custom fire engines
they use to protect the task force led by 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry
Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division in Iraq.
Pictured are: Spc. Clinton Dollahon, of Grassvalley, CA.; Spc.
Christopher Henderson, of Marshalltown, Iowa; Spc. Joseph Holliway, of
Kansas City, Mo.; Pfc. Chase Snodgrass, of Spencer, Ind.; Spc. David
Perez, of Lawrence, MA.; Spc. Benjamin Haley, of El Paso, Texas.; Spc.
Percy Watkins, of Round Rock, Texas; and Spc. Edgar Acena, of Long
Beach, CA. Not pictured are Staff Sgt. Brandon Harris, of Memphis, TN.,
and Spc. Daniel Fuller, of Flint, MI. U.S. Army firefighters from Fort Carson, Co., are providing for the safety of their fellow soldiers at Contingency Operating Site Garry Owen, in Maysan Province.
The team, from the 60th Ordnance Company, 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 43rd Sustainment Brigade, is attached to the task force led by 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
These 10 soldiers are the first team of Army firefighters ever to protect COS Garry Owen, providing emergency response the adjacent Iraqi army installation and the nearby airstrip.
They live and work in a fire station they built from the ground up with 10,000 square feet of raw lumber, determination and sweat.
"We were the first fire department on post. We actually had to build a decent enough structure to house a common area and communication area," Henderson said.
While there's no pole to slide down or firehouse dog, the station provides comfortable living quarters, a common area, space for their workout equipment and a covered parking area for their two fire engines.
The group unanimously agreed that providing for the safety of their fellow soldiers is their number-one priority.
The soldiers all attended their initial entry training at the Department of Defense Fire Fighting Academy at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Tx, alongside prospective firefighters from all branches of service.
The unit has been deployed since November 2009, first to Contingency Operating Base Adder before moving to COS Garry Owen in February 2010. They are slated to return to Fort Carson in November 2010, where they will continue training and working alongside the Fort Carson Fire Department.
Written by and photos by, Maj. Alan S. Brown
3rd BCT, 4th Inf Div PAO
Basra, Iraq
3rd BCT, 4th Inf Div PAO
Basra, Iraq
Richard Duran of Downey and his daughter Michelle Duran of La Habra visit the Space Needle in Seattle, home of the 1962 World's Fair, while on business. We also got a chance to sip some coffee from the first Starbucks in the U.S. We had a great time.
Butch Munson of Artesia on a trip to Washington, DC for an ESOP Employee Ownership Conference for Lefiell MFG. CO. Santa Fe Springs.
Santa Hernandez of Lakewood and Maria Tavarez of Bellflower in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico celebrating Mother's Day Week with family. From left to right are; Irma Renteria of Guadalajara, Ja, Sylvia Renteria of Guadalajara, Ja, Maria Tavarez of Bellflower, Martha Brambila of Guadalajara, Ja, Santa Hernandez of Lakewood, Ignacia Brambila of Guadalajara Ja, and Patricia Renteria of Guadalajara Ja.
Susan Frye, who works in downtown Long Beach, shares the scenery in Bar Harbor, Maine with granddaughter Caitlynn Le Tourneau.
The Boys and Girls Club at the Long Beach Westside Center recently partnered with The Haitian American Food Bank and volunteered their time and effort to aid the organization in their mission to collect and distribute food resources to distressed communities in both Haiti and the U.S. During the month of March, The "New Generation" Keystone Club," a teen leadership group, gathered clothes from Cabrillo High School and at their club to donate. They were able to personally make the delivery to The Haitian American Food Bank in April. On this day, Long Beach teens and teens from Boys and Girls Club of Santa Monica unloaded a Fed Ex truck of donations, and contributed the donations they had collected.
"I've never been so proud of my students as I have today, said Westside Teen Director Catherine Casady. "They willingly came to help out on their spring break, and for a few hours we were all able to come together, forgetting our own struggles and problems, to help people in greater need."
The Boys and Girls Club is proud to help such a cause, and hopes to continue serving the organization through future projects and donations.
Submitted by Catherine Casady
Teen Coordinator
Freeman E. Fairfield/Westside Center
Teen Coordinator
Freeman E. Fairfield/Westside Center
John and Irene Hryze celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary June 5 at their home of 55 years in Long Beach.
John is a retired hospital administrator, licensed accountant, coordinator consultant and mentor for 55 years.
The couple celebrated with immediate family, their daughter Susanne and her husband Dennis Sears; their son Michael Hryze and his wife Cynthia, sons Timothy Clarke Hryze and Grant Hryze and his son Dillion Hryze. Relatives and friends near and far enjoyed a joyous event with food and drinks, singing songs of our frolicking days and reminiscing our past. It was a fun-filled day with greetings, hugs and kisses.
Thanks to all the wonderful people who attended.
Kindest Personal Regards
John and Irene Hryze
John and Irene Hryze
