May 2009 Alice Corey Gives Up Post as Newsletter Editor After 14 Years and 38 Issues When you picked up this edition of the ble accomplishment,”said Harry Kawa- Alice was seriously injured in a fall sev- Retirees’ Newsletter, you probably had to hara, president of the association. eral months ago, but she hasn’t let that take a second look to confirm that it was The new name for the newsletter is stop her from attending to her duties as an indeed from the PCC Retirees’ Associa- “Staying Connected,” and that is exactly Association Board member. Although she tion. The format has changed and so has what Alice has been about all those years. has given up the newsletter editorship, the editor. She has managed to keep members in- she will still be working on the board and Alice Corey, who has served as the formed about their friends and colleagues helping the new editor learn all nuances newsletter editor for the last 14 years, has by getting people to write articles about of getting members to stay connected. decided to give up her position. Alice, their trips and the activities that are filling For those who like to get their news on- who produced 38 issues of this publica- up their days. Her newsletter articles have line, you will also be able to read the tion, officially passed her editing pen to encouraged retirees to attend the group’s newsletter on the group’s website. In ad- Mikki Bolliger, starting with this issue. excursions scheduled throughout the year dition to the new edition, the older “We owe Alice Corey a huge debt of and to attend mixers that allow friends to newsletters will soon be accessible in the gratitude for her exceptional years of stay in touch. Alice has also kept mem- archives section of the websites. service to the Retirees’ Association. bers informed about the happenings at the If you haven’t checked out the retirees’ Being responsible for putting out 38 is- college, along with a myriad of other website, it can be found at sues of the newsletter is truly an incredi- things. www. pasadena.edu/retirees. This Group Has Patagonia on Its Mind What happens when five teachers, beef, good wine and skillful gauchos Its stunningly verdant setting and al- four of them retired, travel to the far (cowboys). And what could be more most constant, thunderous calving were reaches of South America under the dramatic than the Perito Moreno, one of a challenge to the senses and made for leadership of the only one still working? the most active glaciers on the planet? one of the most beautiful glacial sights They have a well-planned trip one can ever hope to take in. full of fun, adventure and ex- Having spent five days in Ar- otic meals. gentina, we crossed the border Thanks to Jane Hallinger’s into Chile by public bus, much handling of the logistics, the safer and more comfortable than rest of us, including Rose- it might seem, except for the rig- mary Aragon, Pat Savoie, Jan orous customs check. Sutherland and me, Elvio An- Using Puerto Natales as our geloni, took tango lessons in base, we visited Torres del Paine Buenos Aires, rode horses on National Park, a UNESCO Bios- the pampas and marched with phere Reserve, with its Patagon- the Penguins in Patagonia. ian foxes, guanacos and condors, Argentina certainly lived up as well as Bernardo O’Higgins to its promise with its tasty Continued on Page 2 A Message From . Patagonia and Lots More President Harry National Park with its spectacular Ser- Santiago, a truly beautiful yet modern rano and Balmaceda glaciers, the latter city. From here we went to the Cura- Kawahara notable for its receding path which is cavi and Casablanca valleys for wine- Reflecting upon my 28 years of serv- clearly a result of global warming. tasting. We also visited the port cities ice at Pasadena City College, I feel a Moving on to Punta Arenas, situated of Vina del Mar and Valparaiso, the lat- strong sense of loyalty to the institution on the Straits of Magellan, we were able ter founded in 1536 in addition to play- that has been an important part of my to take a boat trip to Magdalena Island, ing an important historical role as a life. PCC al- home of the incredibly amusing, tame stop-over between the Atlantic and Pa- lowed me and hospitable Magellanic penguins— cific in the 19th Century. many oppor- about 130,000 in all, on an island that is Our last two days were spent in San- tunities for considerably smaller than Catalina. tiago itself, where we enjoyed the am- my profes- At Puerto Varas, that other “City of bience of the central market, visited one sional devel- Roses,” we learned about the German of the homes of the celebrated poet, opment and settlement of the town of Frutillar, had Pablo Neruda and attended an Easter Is- personal a lunch that included the best boar meat land-themed dinner show. growth. I one can imagine and scaled one of the Finally, my travel companions will not also made most active volcanoes—Osorno—in the let me end this without admitting to the many won- southern Chilean Andes. We also took fact that, for some reason, I was singled derful friends as we worked together to a trip to Chiloe Island, where we visited out to dance with the tango advance the goals of an exceptional more penguins and saw otters, seals, teacher/choreographer in Buenos Aires community college. It was an honor to red-billed oyster catchers, cormorants and then, again, with all of the Easter Is- be affiliated with Pasadena City Col- and whales. land dancers in Santiago. Believe me, lege. Our final destination on this trip was I am a better gaucho. Those warm ties to PCC motivate me to remain connected to a place that is Sam Maloof Trip Impresses Attendees such a valuable resource to the larger Pasadena community. For me, the PCC Thirty-six members of the PCC Re- woodworker and artisan. Most were Retirees’ Association serves as a helpful tirees’ Association and their spouses surprised at all there was to see on this vehicle to maintain that relationship. spent April 2 touring the historic home, six-acre site nestled in the foothills of Thus, the nameplate for this newsletter, workshop, gardens and art collection of Rancho Cucamonga. “Staying Connected,” is perfect. Sam Maloof, the 93-year-old wood- The docent-led tours took the visi- One concrete way in which we sup- worker and furniture maker, considered tors through the beautiful gardens that port PCC is by raising funds for student one of the finest craftsmen of our time. were “designed to create a water-wise scholarships. Over the years we have Most people who signed up for the landscape that complemented the on- given many scholarships to deserving trip had no idea what treats were in site lemon grove of the compound.” students valued at thousands of dollars. store for them other than they were These newsletters keep us in touch with going to see the work of this master Continued on Page 3 former colleagues, both academic and classified. Many of our retirees are “big time” travelers and the newsletter is a means whereby we share in the experi- ences of our peripatetic friends. We also enjoy taking field trips together to places we may not go on our own, but going with an affable group of col- leagues makes for a “fun event.” Please join us on our next field trip. In short, the PCC Retirees’ Associa- tion enables us to meet new friends, keep up with old friends and enjoy shar- ing humorous stories and anecdotes Visitors got to spend time touring the Maloof home and gardens. about the adventure of growing older. 2 Maloof Trip Continued According to information provided about the Maloof Discovery Garden, the area “includes more than 350 varieties of native and Mediter- ranean climate plants. It is creatively organized into zones designed with different planting combinations of color, texture and form.” The garden is a Certified Wildlife Habitat. Next on the tour was a close-up look at Sam Maloof’s craftsmanship in a visit to his hand- built home and workshop which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The house, which is now a museum, was relocated to the present site after the state decided to build the 210 Freeway right through Sam’s old homestead. Unlike most museums, this one allows visitors to touch the extraordinary wood furnishings. Nobody could resist running their hands over the tables, chairs and counters tops throughout the Staff Members Get Ready To house. Everything was smooth to the touch, even the undersides of the furniture. Door locks and latches were also handmade of wood. A lot of Move into Three New Buildings “wows and ahhs” could be heard throughout the Anyone walking through the V and T rector of facilities services, is putting to- house as people saw some unique items beauti- fully crafted from wood. In addition to Sam’s Buildings on campus can sense the excite- gether a schedule that will allow for an or- work, the home was filled with hundreds of derly and efficient move. ment as faculty and staff members get ready items from his personal art collection. to start packing up to move into their offices The Hill Street side of the campus, which Although visitors could touch as they walked in one of three new buildings.