Don Mazen, former editor of the La Cañada Valley Sun and unofficial chronicler of city stories, rolled off story after story from his storehouse of memories about former notable members of the La Cañada Flintridge community as he introduced his second book about the history of the city, “Fond, Lasting Remembrances of La Cañada Flintridge” at a meeting of the Kiwanis Club of La Cañada held recently at Descanso Gardens. In a lively presentation about people and places in the city, Mazen talked about what makes the community tick and why it is envied by those in other cities.

In the 231-page, self-published follow-up to his previous “History of La Cañada Flintridge,” published in 2003, Mazen fondly remembers people like the former New Yorker and first mayor of the city George Parrish and others like Chris Valente, the only person ever rejected for the mayoral role by a politically vengeful city council, and Roger Barkley, the man everyone liked who once owned the Barkley restaurants and was a noted radio personality.  The book tells stories about old sports teams, the high school, and political figures that shaped the future of the city.

Contributed by Al RESTIVO