Laying the Foundation for a Lifetime of Learning Throughout history, scholars, theologians, and social justice advocates have spoken of the important role that our children play as the future leaders of our society. Frederick Douglass said, “It’s easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” And James Baldwin noted, “We all profit by, […]
My Wide, Weird World of Wonders As faithful readers know by now, I love to go a-wondering. For example: I wonder … why we humans instinctively hunch our shoulders when walking through rain without an umbrella? Do we think our shoulders will somehow keep us dry? I wonder … how many viewers quit watching last […]
Modern Street Patterns are Rooted in Old Trolley Line The Glendale and Montrose Railway operated from 1913 until 1930, finally killed off by the Great Depression. At its height, the electric trolley ran from its terminus at Pennsylvania and Montrose avenues, down through Glendale, all the way to Glassell Park where it met the mighty […]
Questions the Wisdom of Nixing Gun Show So the Glendale Civic Auditorium will have a cash shortfall. Good for them. They asked for it. They kissed over $160,000 per year, by their figures, away. They got rid of that evil gun show that was so dangerous there were never any problems. Nice civil folks having […]
By Mike Lawler Lawrence Tibbett was, in the ’30s through the ’50s, the biggest name in opera, as big a name as Placido Domingo is today, and surprisingly he had roots right here in CV. My mom was a fan of Tibbett when she was a young girl growing up in Wisconsin. Each Saturday […]
In case you’ve been living under a rock since the holidays, this Sunday is the Big Game. As the nation’s mega-TV-watching event of the year approaches, the teams involved are most certainly gearing up to see whose reputations will be crushed in agonizing defeat – and whose will be hoisted high on the pillars of […]
You’re Not From Around Here, Right? As lifelong residents of Southern California, my wife and I have had our share of out-of-town guests who come to visit, see the sights, warm themselves in our year-round sunshine and immerse themselves in the renowned “Southern California experience,” whatever that is. Like most people, I would think, who […]
The Montrose Japanese Gardens The hype surrounding Montrose was pretty brazen in 1913 as lots were first going up for sale, and I’ve outlined several broken promises in my last two columns. Here’s another plan promoted by the developers at the beginning of Montrose: a beautiful Japanese garden was to be built. A Los Angeles […]
The Montrose Country Club Continuing my mini-series on some of the promised (but never delivered) features of Montrose 100 years ago, we’ll take a look at the country club that was to be a feature of the new community. Recreational facilities are a common feature of upscale large developments today. The Oakmont development that spreads […]
Coffee Perqs I remember studying something in a history or social studies class (do they even teach that subject anymore?) back in the day about couples begetting many multiples of children so that their immediate family would have a plentiful source of laborers for its farms, or whatever industry the parents were involved in. It’s […]