Herald 121114 FNL Lorez.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo Herald Publications - El Segundo, Torrance, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 103, No. 50 - December 11, 2014 Two Local Food Pantries Inside Supported with Donations This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals ....................14 Classifieds ...........................4 Crossword/Sudoku ............4 Food ......................................7 Legals ........................... 12,13 Letters ..................................3 Police Reports. ...................3 At a recent check presentation, Chevron El Segundo Firefighters donated $4,000 to two local food pantries. Members from CASE and the Hawthorne Presidents Council were present to receive the donations of $2,000. Pictured (L-R) are Julie Stolnack, Hector Rupitt, Kevin Tovar, Jason Rosander, Alex Monteiro, Robert Garris, Joe Diaz, Father Smith, Stephen Jolley, Polly Price, June Williams, and Cheryl Landreth. Photo courtesy of Chevron. Politically Speaking. ..........5 Real Estate. ...................9-11 El Segundo School Board Selects Sports ............................. 6,16 Jeanie Nishime as New President By Duane Plank sign Challenge, and for the second year in are second to none. These students are truly The only regularly scheduled meeting this a row, advanced to the National Champion- gifted and talented,” and then also gave month for the El Segundo Unified School ships after winning the Independent State praise to Eno and Reed for their work with District school board featured the selection of Challenge. Dubbed the E-Lemon-Ators, the the students. the new board President, and the recognition High School students created an Unmanned Next-up on the presentation agenda was of District students and faculty members who Aerial System to monitor pest infestation in Moore’s entry plan, buoyed by recently com- were recently recognized for receiving the crops. Their efforts and subsequent business piled District-wide data. She spoke of the Mentor’s award at the Real World Design plan were rewarded with the prestigious importance of the plan by looking through Weekend Challenge. Mentor’s Award, placing them in the top 1 “then lens of our mission statement.” Moore Jeanie Nishime was selected by the board as % of engineering students in the country. said that the synergy between the District Forecast the new President, and will-serve a one-year Moore then took to the presentation podium, administrators, employees, and students is term. Jim Garza was selected as Vice-president, noting the top-flight success of the students, one of the facets that makes the El Segundo with Bill Watkins rounding out the choices, commenting that “our engineering students See School Board, page 14 with the veteran administrator holding down the Clerk position for the next year. Friday Prior to the selection of the new offi- Tree Musketeers Still Growing Rain cers, outgoing president Laura Gabel was recognized by her fellow board members and 61˚/50˚ those in attendance. Superintendent Melissa After All These Years Moore talked of a state-of-transition in the By Brian Simon its enthusiastic young leaders. The current District over the past year, with a new Su- The concept that time flies truly hits six-member Youth Management Team meets perintendent being selected after the previous home when one realizes that the group of weekly to oversee all program activity from Saturday Superintendent, Geoff Yantz, moved on to a El Segundo eight-year-olds who founded inception to completion. new position last spring, and noted the work Tree Musketeers back in 1987 are now in “The leadership ladder at Tree Mus- Sunny that Gabel had put-in during the past year. their mid-thirties. The then-third graders had keteers begins with LEAD [Leadership, 61˚/48˚ Said Gabel: “This year Board has really just planted a sycamore that they named Education and Action Development] gelled, and become a family. I appreciate “Marcie The Marvelous Tree” and came up courses,” said Lina McDermott of Manhat- each and every one of you. And I want to with the seed of an idea that would eventu- tan Beach, one of the Youth Management say thank you to our District staff. I could ally lead to the formation of the world’s Team members. Tree Musketeers President Sunday not have made it through this year without first youth-led environmental organization. and Youth Manager Samantha Cano of you. You have made it seamless.” Yet while those original 13 eventually South Gate added, “You read of- Partly The students who were feted by the Board in- moved on to careers and families, Tree ten about Tree Musketeers’ young cluded Mason Buzzel, Noah Fleishman, Pawel Musketeers continues to thrive in its quest executives going off to prestigious Cloudy Gertych, Benjamin Landers, Nick Mazuk, to ensure a healthy future for the planet universities because this level of leadership 63˚/51˚ Andrew Miyaguchi, Nick Porras, and Greta with a new generation of youths taking the and community service is the stuff great Studier. Also recognized were faculty advisor helm. While supported by a small profes- college portfolios are made of.” General Steve Eno and faculty mentor David Reed. sional staff of adults, the Tree Musketeers LEAD classes, which take place during the The students, under the tutelage of Eno still remains firmly under the control of See Tree Musketeers, page 2 and Reed, competed in the Real World De- Page 2 December 11, 2014 EL SEGUNDO HERALD Bob Todd 1936-2014 Tree Musketeers from front page summer, educate the youngsters in personal, In the home base of El Segundo, upcoming Real Estate Icon Built Re/Max people, management and public speaking activities include new plantings on January skills. Youth Tree Planting Supervisor LEAD 24 and February 28 on Memory Row—the Into South Bay Powerhouse classes are also on the calendar for January area of West Imperial Avenue between Main By Brian Simon a giant of a man at six-foot-three and about and February. and Hillcrest streets. The trees serve as living Bob Todd, the man who brought Re/Max 240 pounds with a personality equally as big The South Bay is the focal point of the organi- tributes to people or events. The annual Arbor Beach Cities Realty to the South Bay 32 according to friends, family and associates. “He zation’s Hometown Program—with the idea that Day event, which draws hundreds of volunteers years ago and turned it into the worldwide was a powerful and magnetic presence with a local kids can implement urban forestry, youth into the community to plant trees along the organization’s largest branch of agents and of- great sense of humor,” said Jim Marak, broker leadership and public education projects that can south side of Imperial Highway and care for fices, passed away on Monday after a lengthy for Re/Max’s El Segundo office. “And he had serve as models for other communities not just in the Trees to the Sea in the median, will take illness at the age of 77. He died peacefully in a handshake that felt like a catcher’s mitt.” the area but across the country and ultimately place on March 7. Looking after the Trees the hospital surrounded by family members. Todd was responsible for launching the careers internationally. Central to this effort is the Part- to the Sea remains a high priority not just Born in Hemet, California in 1936 and the of Marak as well as longtime El Segundo- ners for the Planet 3x3 campaign that aims to for the organization, but for local residents. son of a housewife and laborer during the based realtor Bill Ruane—one of the most engage three million young people worldwide “El Segundoans care deeply about the Trees Works Progress Administration, Todd went successful agents in the entire country. “I was in fighting global warming by planting three to the Sea and many call or drop in at Tree into the Coast Guard after high school and the first person he ever hired who didn’t have million trees. “We are about one-third of the Musketeers [the headquarters are on Richmond became an electrician, ultimately landing a any prior real estate experience,” said Ruane, way there,” reported Youth Manager Talia Ge- Street just north of Grand Avenue] to voice position with Rockwell Aerospace Corporation who started with Re/Max nearly a quarter-century rard from Manhattan Beach, adding that nearly their concerns at the trees’ decline,” said Youth in El Segundo. During this stint, he also earned ago. “He was willing to give me a chance and I one million trees have been planted so far in Manager Utsa Parikh of El Segundo, who his real estate license and worked weekends guess he saw something in me. He was always 25 states in America as well as 15 countries lamented that donations to the cause are few selling properties primarily in the El Segundo there to give me support no matter how busy over five continents. Among the projects is the and far between. “As a result, we’ve had to and Manhattan Beach communities. it got for him with so many offices. I hope I ambitious planting of 4,000 trees in Zimbabwe scale back maintenance activities to focus on Todd eventually married and had four was able to make him proud. He taught me by the end of this month. See Tree Musketeers, page 12 daughters—Kelli, Keri, Britton and Melissa. that real estate isn’t just a nine-to-five job—that He made real estate his full-time career after it’s a lifestyle seven days a week that requires assuming the managerial position at what continual interaction with diverse people.” was then known as Spring Realty in Redondo In addition to mentoring the careers of Beach. Todd converted the company to a Re/ countless agents over the years, Todd also Max franchise in 1982, establishing the ter- made his mark on the world in less publicized ritorial areas of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa fashion.