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Robert Alan Elftman Sr. – 1953-2021 – Obituary

Robert Alan Elftman Sr.

Bob Elftman was born on July 29, 1953 in Pasadena, California. He lived with his parents, George William (Bill) and Elizabeth Elftman, and his brother William Leigh (Bill) in San Marino. He shared memories of many memorable trips with his family. As he grew up, Bob also enjoyed Boy Scouting, camping and working at Summer Camp O’Ongo, in Running Springs, California. Bob graduated from San Marino High School in 1971 and then continued his studies at Pasadena City College. He enjoyed PCC very much, graduating in 1973. After receiving his Associates of Arts degree, he went to USC where he joined the Chi Phi Fraternity. He graduated in 1975 with a BA in history.
Bob and wife, Susan, met while attending USC and they were married in 1979 and moved to La Cañada Flintridge in 1992. Continue reading “Robert Alan Elftman Sr. – 1953-2021 – Obituary”

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PCC Receives 2 Statewide Awards

Erika Endrijonas
PCC Superintendent/President

Information technology administrators at Pasadena City College have been recognized with two awards for their outstanding achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic, a statewide trade group announced recently.
The Chief Information Systems Officers Association of the California Community Colleges and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office named PCC the recipient of the “Technology Focus Team Award” for the college’s system that provides apps to students studying at home.
Continue reading “PCC Receives 2 Statewide Awards”

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STEAM:Coders Seeks Laptops, Chromebooks for Students

Photo courtesy STEAM:Coders
STEAM:Coders is seeking $20,000 in donations to buy laptops and Chromebooks for its students.

STEAM:Coders, a Pasadena-based nonprofit organization that gives underserved students an opportunity to enhance their skills regarding computers, coding and the internet, is in desperate need of laptops and Chromebooks for children in grades K-12.
“These laptops are for children whose families live below the poverty line,” said Raymond Ealy, executive director of STEAM:Coders. “We have hundreds of kids in our program, and 90% of them receive free or reduced-priced meals.”
Ealy is hoping a donor or group of donors might deliver the “magic number” for donations — $20,000 — this holiday season. That total would provide 20 laptops, 20 Chromebooks, internet access and mobile hot spots, which have become even more critical as the students “experience the challenges associated with remote learning,” he said. “A primary need for our students and their families is they can’t even get on the internet when they’re not at school. Internet access and mobile hot spots are a primary need for our families.
Continue reading “STEAM:Coders Seeks Laptops, Chromebooks for Students”

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Remembering Van Halen’s 1975 Performance at GCC

Photo courtesy Mary Garson
Eddie Van Halen, pictured performing at age 20 in Glendale Community College’s quad during a free midday concert for students in the fall of 1975, was regarded as one of the greatest guitarists ever before his death last week at 65. David Lee Roth, Van Halen’s lead singer, has his back to the guitarist.

The death last week of legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen conjured up memories from former Glendale Community College students of the band Van Halen, which had a memorable 1975 performance in the school’s quad before attaining superstardom.
Eddie Van Halen, who died of throat cancer at age 65, was the master guitarist who teamed with his drummer-brother Alex to create Van Halen, one of the era’s most influential and memorable “hair bands.” Lead singer David Lee Roth and bass player Michael Anthony were other members of the band’s 1970s lineup. (Sammy Hagar replaced Roth as lead singer in the 1980s.)
They went on to become one of the biggest rock bands in the world, particularly after the release of their chart-topping album “1984.” The band pumped out hits such as “Panama,” “Jump,” “Jamie’s Cryin’” and “Hot for Teacher.”

Continue reading “Remembering Van Halen’s 1975 Performance at GCC”
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PCC Receives $3 Million Federal Grant

Erika Endrijonas
PCC President

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Pasadena City College a five-year, $3 million grant.
PCC’s project, Putting Career First and Expanding the Network of Care in PCC’s Pathway to Completion for Hispanic Students, has three goals:
1. Academic programs: Develop a multi-faceted approach to career exploration that offers robust internship opportunities contextualized for different careers with content embedded into the curriculum;
2. Institutional management: Build and foster a multi-modal “Network of Care,” a student support model rooted in the fundamental belief that student support and advising is a shared responsibility provided at the individual and group levels; and
Continue reading “PCC Receives $3 Million Federal Grant”

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PCC Is Prize Finalist for Community College Excellence

Erika Endrijonas

For the third time, Pasadena City College is one of 10 finalists for the 2021 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, a recognition of high achievement and performance among community colleges.
The finalists, announced recently by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, were selected from among the nation’s 1,000 community colleges in a process that included qualitative and quantitative data analysis and engaged more than 30 experts in the field.
Continue reading “PCC Is Prize Finalist for Community College Excellence”

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PCC President Endrijonas Speaks at Rotary Club

Erika Endrijonas
Erika Endrijonas

She may be new, but she’s gearing up to usher Pasadena City College into its centennial and beyond.
Erika Endrijonas, the new superintendent and president of PCC, spent much of her introduction to the Rotary Club of San Marino recently outlining her, well, outline for developing the next decade’s institutional master plan and revisiting the facilities master plan, all in preparation of the school’s 100th anniversary in 2024.
“We are focused on our very rich traditions and our history within the community, but it’s also time to think about what we want to be as we enter our second century,” she said. “The story of PCC is basically the story of excellence.” Continue reading “PCC President Endrijonas Speaks at Rotary Club”

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PCF Scholars Find Nonprofits Have Their Back at PCC

Pasadena Unified School District graduates Ramon Cano Cristobal, Mario Nicasio, Hannah Tellez, Kevin Morales, Mahely Cedillo Lambaren, Abigail Vides, Jaylin Jenkins and Alejandra Anaya Dia are attending Pasadena City College this fall as PCF Scholars. The Pasadena Community Foundation will support each student at PCC for up to four years.
Photo courtesy Pasadena Community Foundation
Pasadena Unified School District graduates Ramon Cano Cristobal, Mario Nicasio, Hannah Tellez, Kevin Morales, Mahely Cedillo Lambaren, Abigail Vides, Jaylin Jenkins and Alejandra Anaya Dia are attending Pasadena City College this fall as PCF Scholars. The Pasadena Community Foundation will support each student at PCC for up to four years.

As students across the region head off to college this fall, a contingent of Pasadena Unified School District graduates is proudly donning backpacks to attend an institution right here in town­ — Pasadena City College — in a quest to achieve a quality higher education at a lesser cost. Continue reading “PCF Scholars Find Nonprofits Have Their Back at PCC”

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School Board Considers Increasing Ties to PCC

Javier Carbajal-Ramos
Photo by Zane Hill / OUTLOOK
Javier Carbajal-Ramos, assistant director of educational partnerships and programs at Pasadena City College, gives a presentation on dual enrollment to the San Marino Unified School District Board of Education last week.

San Marino High School students might be a step closer to dual-enrollment opportunities at Pasadena City College, depending on whether the local school board and PCC can procure a memorandum of understanding.
The San Marino Unified School District Board of Education took in a presentation on dual enrollment at its meeting last week, hearing from Javier Carbajal-Ramos, assistant director of educational partnerships and programs at PCC. SMHS has had students enroll concurrently at the college, meaning they take PCC classes on campus with PCC faculty. In dual enrollment, however, students would take PCC-approved coursework in the high school’s classrooms with PCC-approved SMHS teachers.
“These classes are really working with the school, working with the faculty at the sites, working with the administrators to ensure that we have the classes that the community is interested in,” Carbajal-Ramos said. “It doesn’t require your student to have to leave your high school and then enroll in something different; it’s part of their day.” Continue reading “School Board Considers Increasing Ties to PCC”

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Local Agencies Share $50K Grant From Literary Alliance

Members of the Pasadena Literary Alliance’s Open Book Series committee include Julie Daniels (front row, from left), Teresa Payton, Liz White, Shelley Thompson and Carmie Rodriguez. Back: Katie Poole, Kathleen Waller, Peggy Gregerson, Jennifer Bigelow, Sarah Hunter, Emily Vitan and Georgia Jeffries.
Photos courtesy Pasadena Literary Alliance
Members of the Pasadena Literary Alliance’s Open Book Series committee include Julie Daniels (front row, from left), Teresa Payton, Liz White, Shelley Thompson and Carmie Rodriguez. Back: Katie Poole, Kathleen Waller, Peggy Gregerson, Jennifer Bigelow, Sarah Hunter, Emily Vitan and Georgia Jeffries.

Celebrating its mission to support literary programs, the Pasadena Literary Alliance recently announced $50,000 in grants awarded in keeping with its mission of supporting literary programs.
The group awarded one $10,000 grant each to Pasadena City College (for writers in residence and its summer creative writing academy), Pasadena Senior Center (for its Masters Series lifelong learning program), Pasadena Public Library (for its One City, One Story program), PEN America (for its Emerging Voices Fellowship stipend) and WriteGirl (for its high school student writing seminars). Continue reading “Local Agencies Share $50K Grant From Literary Alliance”