At the beat of his own drum

My intent was to always teach children. When you are a dance teacher, your objective is to create dancers. But in recent years, my goal has been more about teaching confidence and instructing them to believe they can do or accomplish anything.

— Tamara Kemp

Students line up for drinks at the end of Tamara’s dance classes. Miss Tammy teaches three levels of dance and believes 2 is the ideal age for kids to start dance lessons. She studied dance at ECC, where she earned an associate’s degree in physical education.

I’ll just dance,’ as if that was enough,” Tamara says with a laugh.”

Her first break as an entertainer came on April 11, 1978, when she performed with a dance company at the wedding of actor Glynn Turman and Aretha Franklin, the queen of soul music.

In 1984, Tamara was selected as a dancer to join Don Cornelius’ “Soul Train,” which was also syndicated in Japan as “The Japan— Soul Train Connection.” She and other company dancers were sent to Tokyo as performers and ambassadors.

She spent five years teaching English and conversational English and dancing in Japanese commercials.

One of the areas where she and other “Soul Train” dancers spent ample time was in Roppongi, a district of Tokyo known for its nightlife, bars and late-night clubs.

“In the late ‘80s, early ‘90s [the Japanese kids] looked like us, dressed like us, had afros and danced like us,” Tamara says. “They were on top of it. It was like another world.”

She adapted quickly to Japanese culture as a product of Gardena, where she had Japanese-American friends.

“I had the edge over the other [Soul Train] dancers,” Tamara says with a laugh. “They didn’t even know how to use chopsticks. I tried to teach them.”

She returned to the states in the early ‘90s, to attend her brother’s wedding, she says.

Tamara herself has never married, but has been with her life partner, Jerry Oliver, for 28 years.

“I never had kids,” she says. “Back then I was dancing and by the time I got back from Japan, well, I don’t know. (My career) took longer to get going than it should have.”

She considers her dance students as her children.

After studying at ECC, Tamara found employment in the aerospace industry, she says.

“I had been working in the aerospace industry (for 10 years), Raytheon and Boeing,” she says. “In those industries, you need a degree to move up. They said I needed more than just an AA degree. So, just when I applied for (entrance at a university), I got laid off.”

Undeterred, she moved on to study business science at the University of Redlands, where she earned her bachelor of arts degree in 2012. She obtained her master’s degree, also from Redlands, in 2014.

Today she divides her work days as a part-time senior project coordinator at American Honda Motor Co. in Torrance and for a non-profit group, Black Women for Wellness, in LA’s Leimert Park.

Working two jobs, plus teaching has been daunting.

“It’s a load,” she says. “I’m evaluating my situation and will make any adjustments in the summer.”

For now the thrill of returning to classroom teaching overshadows any physical exhaustion.

Tamara concludes her Saturday dance class by distributing refrigerated Capri Sun fruit juice to refresh her young dancers.

She then spends time conversing with parents, some who have returned with their child for another season of lessons.

“I can tell when somebody walks into the room if they’ve had dance before,” Tamara says. “Just by the way they enter. It changes your posture, your attitude and you become a different person once you’ve taken dance.”

Top 5 Doughnut Shops near ECC

Story and photo by Gary Kohatsu

Doughnuts and coffee are the staple of many American breakfasts. People get a rush of sugar and caffeine before they rush to work or school. The beauty of satisfying your doughnut fix is that a person will never go hungry. There are reportedly 1,500 independent doughnut shops in Los Angeles and here are five close to El Camino College.

1. WHITE CUP DONUTS

Just because White Cup Donuts, a hole-in-the-wall doughnut shop, is located next to Memorial Hospital of Gardena is no reason to dismiss this local fixture. This independent shop features a wide variety of fresh baked doughnuts, breakfast meal offerings, sandwiches, and hot and cold drinks. White Cup also has a menu item called a “cronut” (a marriage between a croissant and a doughnut). The doughnuts in this shop are light, airy, not greasy and very delicious. Two French crullers cost a modest $2.10.

Address:1149 W. Redondo Beach Blvd., Gardena Phone: 310-327-9277 Hours: Monday-Friday, 4:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday: 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.

2. RAINBOW DONUTS

Rainbow Donuts is a tried-and-true Gardena favorite that has been around for decades and is a popular pick up for the work office, fans have said. There is a wide variety of doughnuts, from maple bars to cake doughnuts, and from Bavarian cream to cinnamon buns. Rainbow also serves breakfast sandwiches, lunch subs, burgers, smoothies, different coffees and cold, bottled drinks. As expected from a 24-hour shop, doughnuts are baked fresh all day. Rainbow’s doughnuts are soft, puffy, sweet and yummy. A chocolate bar and raspberry cost $2.50.

Address:1242 W. Redondo Beach Blvd., Gardena Phone: 310-719-1625 Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week.

3. DONUT MASTER

Donut Master is very close to El Camino College and is tucked into a small storefront in a shopping center next to a Ralphs supermarket. Selection of doughnut types will depend on the time of day, as they close shop at 5 p.m. most days. The doughnuts were tasty and enjoyable overall. Cost for two doughnuts (sprinkled and a raspberry) was $3.10. Donut Master has a breakfast menu and offers many hot and cold drinks. There is an online Donut Master menu, but it's currently being updated.

Address:2207 W. Redondo Beach Blvd., (No. 3626) Gardena Phone: 310-365-0132 Hours: Monday-Saturday, 4 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday from 4 a.m. to 1 p.m.

U.S. Best Donuts serves fresh, fluffy and delicious doughnuts every day. Independent shops are still prominent in many neighborhoods.

4. U.S. BEST DONUTS

A hole-in-the-wall shop that would have gone unnoticed but for a recommendation. U.S. Best has a drive-thru option which is novel. The sampled doughnuts (Bavarian cream and raspberry) were excellent— light, soft, ample fillings and reasonably priced, $3. U.S. Best (unusual name?) is the kind of mom-and-pop business that is becoming extinct. Too bad this is not a 24-hour doughnut shop.

Address:15040 Prairie Ave., Hawthorne Phone: 310-675-1018 Hours: Monday-Friday, 4 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 4 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, 5 a.m. to 2 p.m.

5. YUM YUM DONUTS

Yum Yum Donuts is a 24-hour shop that resides in a previous Winchell’s Donut House on Prairie Avenue near Redondo Beach Blvd., in Torrance. There is a wide variety of doughnut choices on the menu, as well as bagels, muffins and croissants. The coffee and drinks menu is beyond vast (more than a 100 options), plus they serve breakfast and deli sandwiches for those who prefer a meal on the go. A standard glazed doughnut and a glazed twist cost $3.88. The doughnuts were tasty and satisfying. I was treated fine by the server, but noticed that many of the rating dings come from poor service.

Address:17210 Prairie Ave., Torrance. Phone: 310-371-8114 Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week

Assistant Coach Ken Talanoa is entering his 21st season as the defensive line coach at El Camino College. Ken has played professional football for the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins.

Football Coach Transcends the Game

He returned to his roots to give football players opportunities for success

Story and photos by Greg Fontanilla

If you’ve ever read Linda Ellis’ poem "The Dash," you may recognize the poem’s theme of living your life to the fullest. Ellis uses the dash to signify the bridge between life and death.

When someone looks at a tombstone, they often see the birth and death date of that person. In fact, what people don’t pay attention to is the dash in between those dates. However, life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows.

Human beings are guaranteed to be challenged in life, which may not be pleasant. It is about what you do during the dark times in your life, and how you respond to it.

Some people lead themselves down the wrong road. Some of them choose to learn from those dark days and emerge from the shadows with newfound knowledge, experience, and wisdom to inspire others in a positive way. The dash signifies the life of that person, and how they lived it.

Within the El Camino College Warriors football program, there is a man on the coaching staff who focuses on living life to the fullest and inspiring young men in a positive way, and has been doing so for 20 years. This man exemplifies the dash.

At an imposing 6 feet, 5 inches, his physique may be seen as intimidating. However, he is anything but intimidating. Hiding within his 6-foot-5 inch frame is a warm-hearted man with nothing but good intentions, who comes equipped with life experience.

His name is Kenneth Talanoa, or better known as Ken or K.T., who will be heading into his 21st season in the fall as the defensive line coach. An alumnus of El Camino, Ken also played for the Warriors on the defensive line under the legendary coach John Featherstone during the 1991 and ’92 seasons.

In 2014, Ken was inducted into the El Camino College Athletic Hall of Fame. Additionally, he is part of El Camino’s 1990’s AllDecade team that includes Steve Sarkisian, who played quarterback and went on to coach football collegiately, and in the NFL.

At El Segundo High School, Ken was a star defensive end, and signed a letter of intent to play football at University of Hawaii. He later moved back to California, and played for the Warriors. After

his playing days at El Camino, Ken played at Arizona State on a scholarship, and then professionally for nine seasons in the Arena Football League for the San Jose Sabercats, Arizona Rattlers, and New York Dragons. Additionally, he spent three seasons in the NFL for the Denver Broncos and the then-Washington Redskins, now the Washington Commanders. During his professional playing days, in the off-season, he would workout at El Camino to lift weights. In addition, Ken attended El Camino practices to pass on knowledge he obtained at the professional level to the players who were playing for Coach Featherstone at the time. Ken’s coaching career launched at El Camino after coming back to bring knowledge back to his roots. If there is anyone Ken has looked up to over the years and molded his coaching style after, it’s John “Me being a Polynesian, I Featherstone. Featherstone or better known as “Feather,” was Ken’s coach in understand the concept of the early ‘90s, and was well-known for conveying positive lifelong messages planting more trees because that transcended the game of football and instilled self-improvement in his players, I can’t eat all the fruit. We on and off the field. The late Coach Featherstone was not have to grow trees for the the only man in Ken’s life who played a crucial role. His father was also future,” influential in his upbringing. His father, Aiulu Talanoa was a police officer for - Assistant Coach the Inglewood Police Department and a Vietnam War veteran, serving in the Ken Talanoa Army as a paratrooper in 173rd Airborne Brigade. In June 1991, Ken and his family got together for a barbecue at his grandfather’s house to celebrate the signing of his brother’s professional baseball contract. What seemed to be a joyous celebration, ended in tragedy. Aiulu had been sitting on a chair on the porch when he died from a brain aneurysm. Ken’s brother administered CPR when their father was discovered outside the front door, but the attempt was unsuccessful. Aiulu Talanoa was 47-years old. At the time of his father’s passing, Ken was starting out at the University of Hawaii as a studentathlete to play football. Ken’s father provided his son with advice that has been useful for the coach in his life and in his job. “Adapt, improvise, and overcome. Whether it be in sports or

Assistant Coach Ken Talanoa is entering his 21st season as the defensive line coach at El Camino College. Ken has played professional football for the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins.

your children. We’re tough people. You will get through this if you stick to the course and believe in yourself,” Ken said about his father. “We never quit. I don’t know how to spell quit. Talanoa and quit don’t go in the same sentence.”

For Ken, football is more than just learning X’s and O’s. He returned to his roots at El Camino to not only coach the game he loves, but serve as a mentor to, and make a lifelong impact on the young men that come into the football program in order to give back to the community, building a foundation the same way Featherstone molded his team of young men for 31 years.

In the game of football, he also makes sure that his team of young men prepare during the week by making the defense accountable, and staying in shape. In order to ensure success down the road, he preaches the message of his players staying proactive by obtaining an education, taking part in team activities, and be part of the community.

Ken’s love of the game of football has kept him at El Camino, heading into his 21st year, and continues to inspire the studentathletes in the football program.

Since his playing days at El Camino, Ken has been the embodiment of a Warrior both on the football field as a player, and on the sideline as a coach. Of Samoan descent, Ken was born into the Polynesian culture with ancestry and history of fearsome and brave warriors, a cultural value that he continues to uphold on and off the field.

“Me being a Polynesian, I understand the concept of planting more trees because I can’t eat all the fruit. We have to grow trees for the future,” Ken said about developing success for his players

Assistant Coach Ken Talanoa was named to the El Camino College All Decade team in 1990. In 2014, he was inducted into the ECC Athletic Hall of Fame.

and for future generations.

He also understands that windows of opportunity will close if his team of young men do not take advantage of opportunities presented to them. The longtime coach is also aware some of the young men he comes across on a yearly basis don’t take the necessary steps to grow into successful human beings.

“Some players don't want that. Instead, they want instant gratification. Players want it right now but don’t want to go through the process or take the time. If you start something, you have to finish no matter what the outcome is,” Ken says.

Growing up, Ken took after his parents and grandparents, who worked very hard. In his youth, Ken and his brothers also followed in their footsteps, staying physically active, and taking action to achieve a task or goal.

“Everything is technology-based nowadays. A lot of these guys are always on their phones and don’t want to do to the physical activity that are required to get things done. I’ve been at El Camino long enough to know that,” Ken says.

On the other hand, he recognizes players who understand the process of achieving a goal, take the time to go through the process in order to be successful, which is what he preaches on and off the field.

These are some of the tools that he wants his players to learn not only on the field, but off the field, because he believes that “if you are going to quit on the field with your brothers, you are probably going to quit in life when things get hard.”

Gifford Lindheim, who succeeded John Featherstone as head coach of the Warrior football program, has been with the team since 2016. Ken has continued to work as an assistant coach in the Lindheim-era.

“Coach Talanoa is a legend at El Camino. He played here, went on to be successful at the 4 year level and professionally. As long as I can remember, he has been a fixture of the staff and the community. It’s a testament to not only the coach he is, but also the man he is,” Coach Lindheim says of Ken.

He describes Ken as passionate in all areas of life: in coaching, his family, the El Camino football program, and passion for the community, adding that he has been a pillar of success at El Camino, and an embodiment of a Warrior.

“Warriors are prideful, tough, committed, and hard working,” Gifford says, commenting on Talanoa’s impact.

Ken’s life outside of football includes spending quality time at family functions. Among his family members, there is another Talanoa who was a standout athlete for El Camino.

Shiloh Talanoa is Kenneth’s cousin. Shiloh played softball for the Warriors in 1998 and 2000, and was named All-South Coast Conference 2nd Team her freshman year. In 2000, she was selected for All-South Coast Conference 1st Team, and All-State 1st Team. In June, she is being inducted into the ECC Athletic Hall of Fame.

Like Featherstone and his father before him, Ken continues to offer lifelong lessons and advice to his players on and off the football field. "I’m just trying to give back to the players, because that's how I was raised by my family and by coach John Featherstone,” Ken says. “If it wasn’t for him, none of this would be possible. He is the reason I am where I am today.”