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Carrying Vivid Memories of Service in Two Wars

Photo by Mirjam Swanson / OUTLOOK Every inch of wall space in a room in Charlie Tucker’s La Cañada Flintridge home is decorated with airplane paraphernalia, a sign of his love for flight.
Photo by Mirjam Swanson / OUTLOOK
Every inch of wall space in a room in Charlie Tucker’s La Cañada Flintridge home is decorated with airplane paraphernalia, a sign of his love for flight.

The World War II and Korean War veteran with the warm Alabama drawl is amazed at how difficult the college admission process has become for young people.
When Charlie Tucker, 94, enrolled at Auburn University in 1941, all he had to do was present a receipt of graduation and a transcript from Woodlawn High School and he was accepted into the institution. Better yet, as soon as he and his buddy left the admissions office, a woman approached and offered them jobs — meals included — at her boarding house.
“Just like that, we were all set,” Tucker said.
It was a different time. By no means was it easier.
As a tail gunner on a B-25 in World War II, Tucker flew 17 missions with the 12th Bombardment Group over Burma. The La Cañada Flintridge resident also flew 55 missions in the Korean War, when he served as a navigator on B-26s targeting North Korean supply routes.
Flying proved to be a fine fit for Tucker, who went on to a career as a sales representative for four airlines — and who, in retirement, has continued to fly all over the world to vacation and explore. Continue reading “Carrying Vivid Memories of Service in Two Wars”

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In Dying, Nicholas Offered Healing Touch

Photo courtesy RCS/Oggi magazine, Italy The seven Italians who received Nicholas’ organs and corneas plus the five Green family members, taken two years after the transplants. By permission of RCS/Oggi magazine, Italy.
Photo courtesy RCS/Oggi magazine, Italy
The seven Italians who received Nicholas’ organs and corneas plus the five Green family members, taken two years after the transplants. By permission of RCS/Oggi magazine, Italy.

Early each morning, when Reg Green hikes in the hills above La Cañada Flintridge, he stops at the bench that bears a small plaque that reads: “Nicholas Green, Organ Donor, 1987-1994.” Continue reading “In Dying, Nicholas Offered Healing Touch”

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LCF Public Library is the Cool Place to Go

Photo by Mirjam Swanson / OUTLOOK Mark Totten, the manager of the La Cañada Flintridge library, said a record crowd of 249 children showed up for a magic show that was part of the summer reading program.
Photo by Mirjam Swanson / OUTLOOK
Mark Totten, the manager of the La Cañada Flintridge library, said a record crowd of 249 children showed up for a magic show that was part of the summer reading program.

When temperatures eclipsed 100 degrees this summer, Mark Totten started to notice new folks settling in to read or work on their laptops at the La Cañada Flintridge library.
The library manager said he’s welcomed the sight, which, to him, signifies another way in which the local branch of the L.A. County Library system is cool. Continue reading “LCF Public Library is the Cool Place to Go”

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LCHS Parents Make a Game Effort to Bolster Football, Lacrosse

Photo courtesy Eric Danielson Tobias Humphrey (4) was a standout on the football team, whose 0-10 record last season isn’t helping attract new players, although team-building events sponsored by the LCHS Spartan Football Foundation could increase interest.
Photo courtesy Eric Danielson
Tobias Humphrey (4) was a standout on the football team, whose 0-10 record last season isn’t helping attract new players, although team-building events sponsored by the LCHS Spartan Football Foundation could increase interest.

A national sports trend has touched down on La Cañada High School’s home turf, where two groups of parents have dedicated themselves to promoting participation in their kids’ sport of choice — one an American tradition whose safety is being questioned, the other an upstart fighting for a foothold in a crowded athletic landscape. Continue reading “LCHS Parents Make a Game Effort to Bolster Football, Lacrosse”

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Target Store’s Staffing Aim: to Hire 100 Workers

Photo by Mirjam Swanson / OUTLOOK Target expects to hire about 100 employees at its new La Cañada Flintridge store, which is expected to open in the fall.
Photo by Mirjam Swanson / OUTLOOK
Target expects to hire about 100 employees at its new La Cañada Flintridge store, which is expected to open in the fall.

Target is stocking up on employees.
Ahead of its scheduled fall opening, Target Corp. is seeking to fill approximately 100 jobs in its La Cañada Flintridge location, according to company spokeswoman Jacqueline DeBuse. Continue reading “Target Store’s Staffing Aim: to Hire 100 Workers”

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VHH’s Bond With USC Just What Doctor Ordered

Photo by Mirjam Swanson / OUTLOOK At a lunch with hospital employees last week, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital CEO Keith Hobbs celebrates the five-year anniversary of Keck Medicine of USC’s acquisition.
Photo by Mirjam Swanson / OUTLOOK
At a lunch with hospital employees last week, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital CEO Keith Hobbs celebrates the five-year anniversary of Keck Medicine of USC’s acquisition.

When Verdugo Hills Hospital added USC to its name five years ago, Keck Medicine of USC made some ambitious promises about its plans for the facility, long considered something of a local treasure. Continue reading “VHH’s Bond With USC Just What Doctor Ordered”

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In a Balancing Act, City Council OKs Budget

Not without some final discussion, the City Council on Tuesday voted 3-1 to adopt the 2018-19 budget and financial plan, with $14,650,375 in expected revenue aligning with anticipated expenditures. Councilman Greg Brown voted against it and Councilman Michael Davitt wasn’t in attendance.
In the budget, 29% of general fund expenditures will go to personnel, while the bulk of departmental expenditures will go to capital projects (22%), public safety (21%) and public works (21%). Continue reading “In a Balancing Act, City Council OKs Budget”

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Barger, City Brainstorm About Sound Walls

Photo by Mirjam Swanson / OUTLOOK L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger (left) and Dave Perry address LCF officials, including City Council members Jonathan Curtis, Leonard Pieroni and Mayor Terry Walker, on Wednesday. They discussed a variety of local issues, including funding options for sound walls.
Photo by Mirjam Swanson / OUTLOOK
L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger (left) and Dave Perry address LCF officials, including City Council members Jonathan Curtis, Leonard Pieroni and Mayor Terry Walker, on Wednesday. They discussed a variety of local issues, including funding options for sound walls.

City officials spent much of their two-hour annual sit-down with L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger on Wednesday discussing a local priority: How to fund the construction of additional sound walls to help block out freeway noise in the city. Continue reading “Barger, City Brainstorm About Sound Walls”

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Teens Give Young Patients Rooms for Recovery

Photo courtesy Once Upon a Room A young patient shows off his superhero skills beside Thomas Gonzalez, a Pasadena resident who serves as Junior Room Crew treasurer, during one of the group’s recent room-decorating events.
Photo courtesy Once Upon a Room
A young patient shows off his superhero skills beside Thomas Gonzalez, a Pasadena resident who serves as Junior Room Crew treasurer, during one of the group’s recent room-decorating events.

Jenny Hull gathered 30 energized teens around her in the lobby of UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital: “The most important thing today is that we have to be super, super quiet, OK? And really wash your hands as you go in and out.”
And with that, the teens in Junior Room Crew — many of them students at area schools, including St. Francis, Westridge, Mayfield Senior and Flintridge Sacred Heart — went to work transforming 24 hospital rooms from impersonal, cold spaces into personalized, colorful rooms incorporating the interests and tastes of the patients inhabiting them. Continue reading “Teens Give Young Patients Rooms for Recovery”