11 14 journal plus web

BILL HUNTINGTON | RICK MAYFIELD | LON ALLAN | KATIE HARRIS | SYLVIA DODD

Journal NOVEMBER 2014

MAGAZINE OF THE CENTRAL COAST

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CONTENTS

Journal PLUS MAGAZINE OF THE CENTRAL COAST

The People, Community, and Business of Our Beautiful Central Coast ADDRESS

654 Osos Street San Luis Obispo California 93401

14

LON ALLAN

PHONE 805.546.0609 E-MAIL slojournal@fix.net WEBSITE www.slojournal.com

EDITOR & PUBLISHER Steve Owens ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Erin Mott GRAPHIC DESIGNER Dora Mountain COPY EDITOR Susan Stewart PHOTOGRAPHER Tom Meinhold DISTRIBUTION Keith Malcomson, Kyle Owens

16

34

KATIE HARRIS

SYLVIA DODD

ADVERTISING Jan Owens CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Susan Stewart, Natasha Dalton, Joseph Carotenuti, Dr. Julian Crocker, Sarah Hedger, Maggie Cox, Will Jones, Deborah Cash, Heather Young, Ray Cauwet, Ruth Starr, Michael Cervin, Rebecca Leduc, Gail Pruitt, Kathy Smith and Pat Mullen.

Mail subscriptions are available at $20 per year. Back issues are $2 each. Inquires concerning advertising or other information made by writing to Steve Owens, JOURNAL PLUS MAGAZINE, 654 Osos Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. You can call us at 546-0609, our fax line is 546-8827, and our e-mail is slojournal@fix.net. View the entire magazine on our website at www.slojournal.com JOURNAL PLUS MAGAZINE is a free monthly distributed to over 600 locations throughout the Central Coast and is also available online at slojournal.com Editorial submissions are welcome but are published at the discretion of the publisher. Submissions will be returned if accompanied by a stamped self addressed envelope. No material published in the magazine can be reproduced without written permission.

Opinions expressed in the byline articles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the JOURNAL PLUS MAGAZINE. Cover photo by Tom Meinhold

PEOPLE 8 10 12 14 16

TOM DAVIES BILL HUNTINGTON RICK MAYFIELD LON ALLAN KATIE HARRIS

HOME & OUTDOOR 18 20 22 24 26

UNDERGROUND GARDENS FISHING THERAPY LABYRINTHS IN SLO COUNTY

COMMUNITY

28 30 32 34 36 42

OUR SCHOOLS—Dr. Julian Crocker VETERANS CALL TO THE COLORS HISTORY: Mission San Miguel SYLVIA DODD: Sheriff ’s Advisory Council PALM STREET SLO Councilwoman Smith COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

BUSINESS

37 DOWNTOWN SLO What’s Happening 41 A MESSAGE FROM PG&E 46 EYE ON BUSINESS

FOOD / AT THE MARKET SLO ART SCENE—Paso Studios on the Park

N O V E M B E R

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COMING UP AT THE

PERFORMING ARTS CENTER MET LIVE IN HD: CARMEN November 01 | 9:55 a.m.

Christopher Cohan Center Presented by Cal Poly Arts & Opera San Luis Obispo

ORPHEUS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Novemnber 01 | 8:00 p.m.

DOROTHY RIESS November 16 | 3:00 p.m.

Christopher Cohan Center Presented by Cal Poly Arts

Christopher Cohan Center

GLOBE THEATRE - KING LEAR

Presented by Cal Poly Arts

November 18 | 7:30 p.m.

Christopher Cohan Center

SING-A-LONG SOUND OF MUSIC November 02 | 3:00 p.m.

Christopher Cohan Center Presented by Cal Poly Arts

CHICAGO November 04 & 05 | 7:30 p.m.

Christopher Cohan Center Presented by Cal Poly Arts

CLASSICS IN THE COHAN II: FLUTE FANTASIA November 08 | 8:00 p.m.

Christopher Cohan Center Presented by SLO Symphony

AN EVENING WITH ART GARFUNKEL November 09 | 8:00 p.m.

Presented by Cal Poly Arts

WARREN MILLER SKI FILM: NO TURNING BACK November 19 | 7:00 p.m.

Christopher Cohan Center Presented by PAC Outreach Services

MET LIVE IN HD: IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA November 22 | 9:55 a.m.

Christopher Cohan Center Presented by Cal Poly Arts & Opera San Luis Obispo

ARAB MUSIC ENSEMBLE FALL CONCERT November 22 | 8:00 p.m.

Christopher Cohan Center Presented by Cal Poly Music Department

Christopher Cohan Center

BANDFEST 2014!

Presented by SBL Entertainment

November 23 | 3:00 p.m.

BETTY’S SUMMER VACATION November 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22 | 8:00 p.m.

Christopher Cohan Center Presented by Cal Poly Music Department

Alex & Faye Spanos Theatre Presented by Cal Poly Theatre and Dance Department

WWW.PACSLO.ORG | 805-756-4TIX (4849)

From the publisher

O

ur cover this month features Dr. Tom Davies and his 30th anniversary leading the Cuesta Master Chorale. We featured Dr. Davies and the Chorale group on our cover ten years ago when celebrating their 20th and thought it was a good time to do it again. You’ll enjoy Susan Stewart’s story inside.

Deborah Cash writes a heartwarming profile on newspaperman, Lon Allan. Allan is one of the Central Coast’s icon’s in our industry. For many years he worked at the Atascadero News and after he retired couldn’t stay away from the business and has been writing a weekly column in the Tribune to this day.

We move on to four other profiles including: The Sheriff’s Advisory Council’s leader, Sylvia Dodd, Pacheco School Principal, Rick Mayfield, child advocate, Katie Harris and Bill Huntington’s life story.

Veteran’s Day is this month and Gail Pruitt updates us on some of the activities scheduled at the Veterans Memorial Museum and around the Central Coast.

Finally, the Art Scene has never been busier with stories inside on happenings in North County as well as San Luis.

Plenty of good reading again this month.

Steve Owens

A proud tradition of serving our community for over 30 years

SAN LUIS OBISPO – 2 Homes on one lot!!

So close to Poly. This property is a gem.

Both units are 2 bedrooms and 1 bath.

The rear unit does have a 2 car garage and a fenced yard. Front unit was recently updated with flooring and paint and back unit has been updated throughout. Great buy at $729,000 #3248

AVILA BEACH – Outstanding leased

Shows Like a Model

investment opportunity in Avila Beach.

Rare opportunity to own a commercial condo with great exposure. Only one block from the beach and directly across from public parking. Tenant has signed new lease effective 8/1/2014. This location is just steps to the beach, hotels, golfing and wine tasting. $550,000 #3242

PASO ROBLES – This impeccably cared for home

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Very nice home, updated kitchen, appliances, flooring, three bedrooms, 2 baths on main level with 4th bedroom and 3rd bath on upper level.

Numerous flowers and plants highlight a very large private rear yard. Close to schools, shopping, golf course, and Laguna Lake. $599,999 #3220

boasts numerous upgraded amenities such as granite counters throughout, alder cabinets, black appliances, beautiful crown molding, and dual air conditioners. The extra-large master suite has space for sitting area, a walk in closet, and great views. The 3 car garage has a storage room with a separate entry, heat, and A/C (could be additional office). Enjoy the sweeping views of west Paso from the gazebo with fire ring. The yard has a patio and pathway with a large pergola, and even the dogs have a separate landscaped yard of their own. $539,900 #3246

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Three bedroom 1

bath home with detached garage located on 1/4 acre office zoned commercial lot.

Prime commercial location with high visibility. A one of a kind opportunity $499,900 #3188

One of the Most Desired Locations in SLO CAMBRIA – Vacant 3 lot parcel, zoned residential. Approximately 5,249 square feet. Purchase for future building potential. $60,000 #3241

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Buena Vista Estates, this home has stunning views and only a short distance over the Jennifer Bridge to downtown SLO. Close to schools and hospitals. Many upgrades to this beautifully done home. New furnace, new water heater, stove top, travertine floors, and dual pane windows throughout. New interior paint. Wood floors and easy living floorplan. Upstairs with the master suite boasts an abundance of natural light with access to two private patios to enjoy the mild climate this location is known for. Den/library and 2 bedrooms downstairs, with easy access to backyard. Home appears almost brand new so don’t miss this. $785,000 #3249

PASO ROBLES – Wonderful 4 bedroom 3 bath home featuring new paint and carpet throughout, large open living area overlooking the kitchen and backyard and sits on a nice corner lot! $449,000 #3247

For more information on these and other Real Estate Group of SLO listings call us at

805.541.2888

962 Mill Street • San Luis Obispo, California 93401 • www.RealEstateGroup.com

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PEOPLE

the cuesta master chorale and

Dr. Tom Davies

moving audiences for three decades

By Susan Stewart

C

onsidered his masterpiece, The Creation by Joseph Haydn is an oratorio written between 1796 and 1798 depicting the creation of the world as described in the biblical book of Genesis and in Paradise Lost. Scored for soprano, tenor, and bass soloists as well as full chorus and symphonic orchestra, it was the first major masterwork conducted by Dr. Tom Davies when he was still a graduate student. This month, Davies will once again conduct this highly emotional piece in two spectacular venues, bringing his 30th anniversary year as the Cuesta Chorale’s conductor / director to a fitting close.

“Some members of our current chorale have been singing with us since the very first concert,” said Davies. “That’s really the true meaning of this group: friendship among people who love to sing, and who love to sing great music.”

Founded in 1984, The Cuesta Master Chorale distinguished itself from other local choirs by concentrating on the performance of major works that involve an orchestra. “These are works with some length to them,” Davies explains. “Works by one composer that take up an entire evening.”

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Dr. Tom and Susan Davies during a practice session with the Cuesta Master Chorale

The Chorale began with Vivaldi’s “Gloria,” and soon the 40-voice choir had expanded to 80 and was invited to perform in Spain with Moscow’s Radio and Television Orchestra. It has also performed with the best of its peers at the American Choral Directors Association Western Division Convention.

Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, Tom Davies attended Bowling Green University where he earned a degree in music. He completed his doctorate at the University of Southern California where he met and married Susan Azaret, a pianist, singer, and teacher. The couple moved to San Luis Obispo when Davies accepted a position at Cal Poly, where he has been Director of Choral Activities and Vocal Studies since 1983. In 2011, Davies received The Distinguished Teacher Award, a university-wide honor.

Their sons, Peter and Andrew (now 19 and 15 respectively), could not escape their parents’ musical genes. Peter is in his second year at Cuesta and loves to sing. He is a member of the Cuesta College choir and has sung in two of Opera SLO’s productions. Andrew is a sophomore at Arroyo Grande High, a member of the marching band and a cellist with the SLO Youth Symphony. “And we all sing in our church choir,” Susan added.

Over the years, Davies has served as the Director of the Master Class in Choral / Orchestral Conducting at the world famous Oregon Bach Festival (2008-2011), and at the Bach Festival in Taipei, Taiwan (2009, 2011). He and Susan have also spent three summers at the Idyllwild Summer Arts High School Choral Festival (where Tom was a choral assistant and Susan served as pianist / accompanist). And when the SLO Symphony turned 50, his Cuesta Master Chorale lent its voice to the performance of Beethoven’s Ninth.

Lyn Baker has been singing with the Chorale for 18 years. “I always want to perform at my highest level, knowing this is his [Tom’s] unvoiced expectation,” she said. “I think that is how he elicits outstanding performances from singers at all levels; children, college students, professional musicians and vintage amateurs such as me.”

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More recently, the Chorale participated in a fundraising effort when SLO Symphony performed the music of the rock group Queen; and $15,000 was raised to fight polio.

“It’s so descriptive,” said Susan, “that everyone can enjoy it; even those who are not hardened classical music lovers.” Susan will sing alto in the chamber-sized, 45-voice component of the Chorale.

In thirty years, the only significant change in the Chorale (aside from the ebb and flow of great voices) is that now it’s part of the Cuesta College Community Services program. In addition, the Cuesta Master Chorale formed a board of directors. Davies says he wants to attract younger members and looks ahead to a time when the group will be self-sustaining—a hint that he might one day retire.

In an article written a decade ago to celebrate his 20th anniversary with the chorale, Davies said, “Our job is to move people.” You are invited to join him as he enters his fourth decade with this versatile group of talented singers … and be moved!

But not just yet. Today, as Davies prepares for the upcoming concerts (see sidebar for details and ticket information), he is as enthusiastic as ever. “Haydn’s The Creation is a favorite of mine … it colors each of the seven days in the creation story,” he said.

Haydn’s The Creation will be performed twice: Saturday, November 22nd at 7:30 pm at the Cuesta College Performing Arts Center Sunday, November 23rd at 2:30 pm at Mission San Miguel For tickets, visit www.cpactickets.cuesta.edu or at the door.

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PEOPLE

BILL HUNTINGTON

THE LIFE THAT BILL AND EDNA BUILT

By Natasha Dalton

I

t was not easy to be a teenager during the Depression. But for Bill Huntington it was especially hard. Ten years in an orphanage—where he was sent by the Child Protection Services, which deemed his mother negligent—were the loneliest years of his life. “We had oatmeal mush for breakfast, lunch and dinner, baked or fried. It was the cheapest thing then,” Mr. Huntington explains. The meal was served in a bowl meant for 4 kids, and after 3 others took their portions, all that was left for Bill was skim.

Love and affection were also in short supply: the caregivers simply didn’t have time to talk to their charges. “It was a sad part of my life: I had no childhood,” Mr. Huntington says. “We had a play yard, but nothing to play with, just dirt. The law said you had to go to school, but it didn’t say you have to learn anything. In our Catholic school we learned a lot of catechism, but we didn’t learn our ABCs or numbers.”

In the times of economic troubles kids grow up quickly, and for those on welfare adulthood began at 14. After his 14th birthday, Bill Huntington was sent home, but his mother wasn’t thrilled.

“She was a party girl,” Mr. Huntington says of his mother, whose 5 kids had 5 different fathers, and who by then was married to a man despised by her children. But in the early 1930s, there were lots of 14-year-olds on the road looking for work. “I was too young to get a job,” Mr. Huntington says. So, he returned home—right around the time, when his stepfather decided to move the family to Chicago.

The move was so abrupt; there was no time to pack. During the long journey, the tensions in the car grew so high, they caused Bill to jump out of the car and hitch-hike the rest of the way to Illinois. “I just didn’t care for my stepfather,” Mr. Huntington explains. Once on his own, he “never had two nickels to rub against each other,” and had to rely on hobo camps for food. “I’d eat anything I could find,” he says, “and I had to wrap newspapers around my body to stay warm.”

805 Aerovista #103, San Luis Obispo

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And then there were gangs. Once, when gangsters tried to steal his only possession—the clothes that he was wearing—he

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Bill and Edna

had to jump from a moving train but, miraculously, survived.

Eventually, he did get to Chicago, where the police helped him locate his family. But the reunion was short: young Bill Huntington didn’t trust, and didn’t respect his stepfather.

He hitch-hiked back to California to look up his grandparents, who lived in Eden, California, but the reception in Eden was frosty. “It was like walking into an icebox,” Mr. Huntington says. “My mother was the black sheep in the family for running off with a sailor, my future father.” At 15, he found himself all alone in the world.

That’s when his big bluff began. In order to survive, Mr. Huntington would take any job, at any price. “I never asked what the union rates were,” he says. Every time he got a job, he knew that the money he was getting would be more than what he had yesterday, when he had no job at all.

The three years of schooling he got at the orphanage wasn’t much, but his natural smarts and common sense helped. Mr. Huntington even believes that—when working at the gas station in Texas—he invented the first greaserack. That experience later helped him get a job at Luke’s tractor company in Santa Maria.

Mr. Huntington knew nothing about tractors but he figured things out by watching what the other guy did.

When Luke went bankrupt, Mr. Huntington found himself on the road once again. This time, the trip was shorter than usual: the Model-T that he had broke down in Morro Bay: and that’s where he finally settled down, doing odd jobs and trying to save up.

Of course, many of those who lived through the Depression and WWII have stories of daily hardship. But not everyone was as determined and resilient as Bill was. The reason

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But he’s been happy there, in his spacious, comfortable house, built on a foundation of love and hard work. “The happiest day of my life was when I married Edna,” Mr. Huntington says; “that was the day I found love.” The two have been together for over 70 years, and brought up 3 sons. “Raising kids was the hardest thing for me,” Mr. Huntington says. “I didn’t know what a father was; I had to bluff my way through that, too.”

You cannot live up to 93 without having any medical problems, but the Huntingtons don’t complain. “I’m happy to take care of Edna,” Mr. Huntington says. “I’ve been so lucky to have her around all these years.”

Bill in front of the Morro Bay House today.

for this determination was Edna Carroll. “She taught me what love is,” Bill says. “She was the first person I’ve met who cared about me.”

“I did bluff to Edna,” he says, admitting that he pretended to be older than he actually was. It was a mistake. Proposing, he listed his possessions: “I have a job, a house, a lot all paid for, and a car.” But when he came clean about his age, Edna dumped him for being a liar.

However, Bill Huntington didn’t lie about the big things. For a guy who never knew what a normal family life was like, Edna was his whole world. And he did have a job, and the car. As for the house, things weren’t that simple. When Bill Huntington first found himself in Morro Bay, he slept in a tent—until a family, which was moving out of the area, let him take what could be salvaged from their old house, destroyed by fire. And he did, meticulously pulling it apart first, and then reassembling it again with some new lumber. Then, he moved his little house to a newly-purchased lot.

The only glitch was that the land was expensive for someone making 75 cents an hour, and the house didn’t get to stay put for long. In a few months, the owner warned Mr. Huntington about an imminent foreclosure on his lot. “Ok,” Mr. Huntington said, “come back tomorrow.” By the next day, the house was gone—“I got a tractor and drove it to the middle of the block,” Mr. Huntington explains.

It may sound surprising when people, who had a hard life, look back at it with gratitude and appreciation. But those who feel loved seem to have some extra strength that helps them persevere. During the war, and later, working for the Madonna Construction Company that built highways around California, Bill knew that Edna and his boys needed him.

He still feels that responsibility. “I’ve got to keep her going,” Mr. Huntington says about Edna. “Taking care of someone you love is not a burden; I like doing it.”

Years ago, the Huntingtons joined the movement to preserve the history of Morro Bay. You can see some of their old photographs on www.OldMorroBay.com—a site which collects historical documents about the area and its people. The Huntingtons have been encouraging other old-timers to record their personal stories as well.

In spite of all the struggles in their youth, the Huntingtons insist they had a great life. “We had to do everything the hard way,” Mr. Huntington says, “but I would hate to start today. Nowadays, you cannot bluff your way: you either know, or you don’t know.”

“We live in this nice town, where we can admire our beautiful Rock; we love it here,” Edna adds. And the Huntingtons’ neighbors love them back: they’re a living part of the town’s history, and some of the nicest people you’d ever want to meet.

He had to do this trick a few times, until he finally could pay for a lot. “Mine is the oldest house here,” Mr. Huntington says. He’s been working on it all his life, adding bits and pieces as the family grew. “If you look at the roof, it’s not in one-piece; it’s a patchwork,” he says. “You can still see different parts of the roof put together at different times.”

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PEOPLE

Rick Mayfield

Principal Pacheco ElemeNtary school

By Will Jones

W

hen Rick Mayfield applied for a teaching position at Pacheco Elementary School in 1996, he was teaching at the Windhoek International School in Namibia. He was contacted by Principal Jim Miller and agreed to a 3:00 PM phone interview with a panel of teachers and parents. Rick called at the appointed time, which happened to be 1:00 AM in Africa.

He got the job, and a $300 phone bill! It is one of the many memorable experiences Rick has had throughout his educational career.

“I had an idyllic childhood growing up in Torrance. Very stable, Ozzie and Harriet experience. The excitement was going for tutti frutti ice cream.” Rick graduated from West Torrance High School where he took a surfing physical education class and worked for a fireplace installation business in Hermosa Beach. “We’d meet the wrestling coach at the Manhattan Beach pier and surf every day. What a life.”

Rick moved to San Luis Obispo in 1979 to start a fireplace business of his own. When the business idea “didn’t pan out, I called my parents and asked if that deal for going to school was still good, and they said, sure we’ll help. I went to Cuesta for two years and loved it. I really got into being a student and learning. It’s a great school.”

Rick started studying biology but didn’t like it. “I loved the government, philosophy and history classes. I was accepted at UC Santa Barbara after completing Cuesta.” With time off before starting school, Rick took a six month trip around South America, where he began to learn Spanish. Formal Spanish study followed at UCSB. He graduated with a degree in Political Science in 1985. The sixth of seven children, his parents helped out as best they could, but he worked throughout college.

After graduation, Rick joined the Peace Corps, stationed in Belize. “I loved foreign travel, I wanted to be in a Spanish speaking country, and I really believed in that kind of work. My mother was always active in social causes and social justice and I was inspired by her. At ninetyone, she is still active today.” After the Peace Corps he returned to the central coast to help his parents build a retirement home in Los Osos.

“A friend started talking about teaching jobs in Los Angeles. I went through some interviews and was told my Spanish skills qualified me to teach kindergarten through second grade, and I was offered a job at 9th Street Elementary, also known as the Skid Row School. I went to the school, checked it out and fell in love with it.”

Rick taught at 9th Street for seven years and earned his bilingual education credential while living in an artist’s loft in the old Sante Fe Railroad building at 6th and Maine in downtown LA. “We’d have breakfast at Gorky’s on Friday mornings before school, head over to the flower mart, and stock up on cheap flowers for school and home. It was an amazing experience. We were social workers as well as teachers. Our students’ parents were ironing clothes for a nickel a piece in the Garment District.”

In addition to teaching in Spanish all day, Rick interpreted at a skid row legal clinic on Wednesday nights where he learned all about the labor and housing abuses that took place in the district. “CBS News heard about my work and asked if they could do a special about a day-in-thelife of a skid row student. I had taught all three children in one family

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PEOPLE who lived in a horrific slum of a place. CBS followed one of the students. The landlord thought the family was trying to expose problems in the building, so he evicted them.”

Rick appeared in court, CBS filmed the proceedings, and the judge awarded the family a settlement which allowed them to move into a better apartment. Last year, twenty-four years later, he received calls from the student, Max, and Max’s mother, thanking Rick for his support, and relating how Max was now a successful contractor in Las Vegas. “It was so cool to hear from him. That’s the biggest reward for any teacher, knowing you impacted someone’s life.”

The travel bug struck again in 1993. “I went to a job fair in Carmel where there were schools from all over the world represented. I had six interviews and a phone conversation with Windhoek and taught English as a Second Language there for three years. I traveled all over Africa, experienced tremendous personal growth, even volunteered on a cheetah preserve for the African Organization.”

Back in San Luis Obispo, Pacheco Elementary was starting its two-way immersion program.

Rick applied, the expensive phone interview followed, and he started teaching second grade at Pacheco in 1996. “I wanted to settle down, get a Master’s degree, buy a house, save for the future.

I couldn’t have found a better opportunity.”

For the first five years, Rick helped implement the program at three grade levels. He also earned his Master’s and an administrative credential at Poly. In July of 2001 he was hired as assistant principal at Oakley Elementary School in Santa Maria and two years later started three years as principal at Battles Elementary. He returned to Pacheco as principal in 2006, where his son, Max, now a sophomore at San Luis Obispo High School, was in second grade.

“Two-way immersion is far and away the most successful research based intervention for Eng-

lish Learners. When I got here, less than ten percent of the English Learners were proficient or advanced on the California State Standards test. In the last year of the CSTs we were over forty-five percent.” Pacheco has the largest enrollment of any elementary school in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District and by far the largest number of English Learners.

“We are human and we acquire knowledge of the world through language. You are, in a sense, the language that you speak. To say to a kindergarten student we’re going to teach you in English, when your whole world is Spanish, makes the challenge of learning to read and write a much bigger problem. That’s why English Learners struggle, not because they’re not smart or motivated, or because their culture doesn’t value education.”

By teaching rigorous literacy standards in Spanish and English, students can be productive and successful from the first day of school.

With both English Learners and native English speakers, the goal is for students to be at grade level in both languages by 6th grade. “Pacheco is special because everyone chooses to be here, to teach and learn in a uniquely challenging environment. Teachers get no extra pay or stipend. They’re here because they believe in twoway immersion and what this program can do for kids. We have a devoted and talented staff and we receive great support from the school board and the district administration.”

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represented and incorporated into the learning space. I think that a free bilingual education is an awesome opportunity.”

Pacheco parents George and Amy Kayser, who teach English Learners at Hancock College and Cuesta College, hold high opinions of Rick. “We met Rick while visiting prospective elementary schools and interviewing principals in order to find a good fit for our daughter. He was incredibly knowledgeable, especially about best practices in dual-immersion education. Rick was an excellent communicator; his enthusiasm was infectious. Perhaps his most admirable quality was his ability to connect with Pacheco students. He knew the name of every student he encountered while walking around the campus, and he took the time to have a meaningful interaction with them. We feel blessed as parents to have our child enrolled in a school under his direction.”

According to Rick, “My mission is to make this program powerful for the English Learner students. Those are the kids who struggle later and don’t go on to college, which is not right. It’s bad for them and it taxes the whole system. If we can have a powerful instructional model that helps these kids, then it’s a win-win.” It’s hard to challenge that logic, in English or in Spanish.

I communicated through email with former Pacheco student, Hannah Hewes-Clark, who was in the first Pacheco two-way immersion class to graduate from high school. Hannah went on to Barnard College and is now a social worker in New York City, where she uses her fluent Spanish every day. “The dual-immersion program intricately affected every part of our experience on campus. It flavored every classroom activity and it definitely contributed to the way we were developing our identities. It was really cool to be in a classroom where different cultures were

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PEOPLE

lon w. allan

newspaperman, community volunteer, historian

By Deborah Cash

F

unny, Lon Allan didn’t set out to have a 40-plus year career in journalism as a newspaper reporter, editor and opinion columnist. “I hate chickens,” said the longtime Atascadero resident who retired 10 years ago as the editor of the Atascadero News and now opines weekly in The Tribune’s “About The Colony” on a variety of issues—and isn’t afraid to take positions on occasional touchy or political hot topics.

Hen- and rooster-averse Lon began his college education at Cal Poly in—wait for it, wait for it: Poultry Management. “I plucked ‘em, debeaked ‘em and wrung their necks,” he said of learning the reality of his future job. “I hated every minute of it.” Lon quickly changed majors and began a journey that led him to eventual newspapering.

Lon was born in 1939 in Riverside, CA; his dad operated a gas station in nearby Banning. Premature and weighing only 3.5 pounds, Lon spent his first months cradled in a box with a light bulb that the doctor had advised his parents to build. “They didn’t put us in incubators back then,” he said.

(It did raise the question of whether that began the deep-seated dislike of feathered fowl that start their lives pretty much the same way.) Lon—who grew into a normal sized person—said he spent years feeling self conscious about his “short stature” though he noted that lately, when he looks around, “a lot of people are about my size” and wonders if he had suffered a bit needlessly all this time. Lon’s parents eventually moved to Santa Ana, his father being a “super salesman” with a keen business mind and willing to take risks, and later to Kingsburg in the ’40s. “I’ll never forget the day my dad came roaring up the driveway, there were sirens blaring, he grabbed us all and we headed into town.” It was a celebration of the end of WWII. After that, Lon said life was pretty typical ’50s era and he was active in FFA judging teams that eventually brought him to Cal Poly for events and later, school. “I liked the town,” he said of San Luis Obispo, adding, “I felt naïve, N O V E M B E R

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unschooled and wanted a broader view of the human condition.”

Earning his master’s degree in education, Lon went on to teach high school English, speech, drama and journalism. It was during this time he had an epiphany about his choice: children didn’t rate much higher with him than chickens. “I realized I really didn’t like kids,” Lon said.

“I wasn’t so great as a teacher,” he said. “I felt like I was supposed to be a Mother Confessor, a good disciplinarian; but that didn’t interest me.

I was also worried about boring the kids out of their skulls.”

Lon casually expressed to friends that what he really wanted to do was edit a “little community newspaper.” It was about this time the publish-

Lon spends a lot of his spare time working on scale-model Navy boats.

PEOPLE

Lon and Eileen at Yosemite in 2012

Lon and Eileen along with their friend, Kathy McCarey, at a recent Hot El Camino Real Cruise Night in their 1946 Willys Jeep.

ers of the Atascadero News asked him if he’d like a summer job.

Lon became editor of the paper in 1972 and remained in that post until 2004. “I loved it,” he mused. “I loved reporting on people, things going on in the community including, at that time, the establishment of cityhood for Atascadero.” Lon immersed himself in the movement and became a passionate advocate for the cause through his editorial position. He was elated when the effort paid off and in 1979, the Colony officially became a city. After that, his attention focused on the city’s daily goings-on and he observes that little battles continue to be fought. “Atascaderans fight over everything,” he said.

He recalled one story he covered where a child with AIDS was attending a local public school and there was public criticism over the boy being allowed in the classroom. He also remembers the Hwy 41 fire that had spread all around the outskirts of the city back in the early 1990s. “Helicopters were drawing huge buckets of water out of Atascadero Lake to fight that fire,” he recalled, noting a far different circumstance than he recently recounted in his column about the fate of the now dried-up, man-made pond.

“I think I’m a good basic journalist,” he offered. “At the Atascadero News, I was proud that we were considered ‘The Newspaper That People Read,’ because I felt we were a hometown paper that really covered the town. Our publisher wholly endorsed this and it was my goal to get every kid’s picture in the paper by the time they graduated from high school.”

Lon is also proud of his stint in the Navy after college though he said he chose that branch after reporting to take his draft physical and being told he’d probably be called up in about four weeks. “I joined the Navy to dodge the draft,” he laughed. Lon earned a commission as an Ensign in OCS in Newport, RI. “I loved every minute of it,” he said. His interest included “wandering all over our ship” to examine its detail and learn about the big class attack transport vessel. Today, Lon’s hobbies include building scale model boats by hand; his restored 1946 Willys Jeep is an homage to his days on the USS Cavalier out of San Diego.

Lon met his wife Eileen, former executive director of the North County Women’s Shelter program, and they married 24 years ago. Today, while Lon says Eileen loves to travel, for him, not so much. “I’m a Cancer—and they don’t like to go out of the backyard.” He understands her love of the road though, “Her mom used to load all nine kids in the station wagon and visit Yosemite every year.” Both Lon and Eileen are active in Kiwanis and especially proud of the projects completed over the years including the Bandstand in the Atascadero Lake Park.

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True to his newspapering background, Lon loves a good story—he found one when he became interested in the history of Atascadero. His work with the Historical Society includes board and docent service and the publication of two books, “Atascadero—The vision of one—The work of many,” and “Atascadero’s Historic Business District.” Both are available at the Colony House near City Hall where Lon spends many hours absorbing the fascinating background of how one E.G. Lewis brought his Utopian dream to the Central Coast and, says Lon, while the dream had merit, some of his business practices did not. “If I could interview one person, it would be him,” Lon said of the Colony’s founder. “Lewis wanted people to buy property and grow their own fruits and veggies. It probably looked better on paper than in actual practice where the weather was so hot and water costly; besides those who first came here were not farmers.”

But Lon believes Lewis’ heart was in the right place, “E.G. Lewis was a wonderful, kind, charismatic person with the worst business sense.”

Lon continues to champion the cause of keeping Atascadero downtown attractive and says that in spite of the sometimes challenging political atmosphere, “It’s also equally accurate to say we come together for certain causes such as the recent completion of a brand new library.” Definitely a person of preferences, principle and (non) poultry, Lon Wayne Allan’s a man of his words.

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katie harris

...because no child should be invisible

By Susan Stewart

H

er mother reports that when Katie Harris was just 6 years old, she declared, “I’m going to drive to Africa!” Her mode of transportation may have been a bit off considering the starting point was Los Osos, but the motive and the passion behind that declaration were spot on. You see, Harris developed an interest in missions very young when her Sunday School teacher exposed her to the good works being done by missionaries in third world countries across the globe. She just knew that one day she would be one of them.

Today, Harris lives in La Paz, Bolivia where she is the Associate Director of Development at Kaya, a multi-program community currently housing 30 boys in four residential homes. In addition to the homes, Kaya Center also serves 73 children in a full-day program, providing meals, clothing, educational materials, and emotional support in a safe and stable environment. To call these children “at-risk” badly under-estimates the grim reality that characterizes their lives.

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“Most children served at the Kaya Center spend too much time working, or hanging out in the streets, and not attending school,” says Harris. “They come from very unstable homes and live in extreme poverty, many with a history of abuse and neglect in their families.”

A third component, Warmi Kaya, provides support for mothers and their families so that the cycle of poverty and abuse can be broken.

Warmi offers help obtaining legal documentation; access to immunizations and health checks, job training, parenting workshops, small loans for business or personal needs, and support groups. “At Kaya, we are committed to the Warmi program,” says Harris, “because we know that helping one woman can affect many generations beyond.”

Katie Harris was born in San Luis Obispo and raised in Los Osos with one older brother Michael, and her parents, George and Linda Harris. She describes her childhood as loving and supportive, with a

PEOPLE strong Christian foundation that has led her to a life of serving others. After earning her degree in Political Science from Cal Berkeley, Harris moved to Boston where she took her first professional job. At her neighborhood church, Parkstreet, she became aware of Kaya’s founder, Dr. Chi Huang, and the work being done in Bolivia. Five years later, she flew to La Paz where she spent the first year as a volunteer.

“I got to learn about Kaya in a very handson way,” Harris reports. I helped kids with homework, played ping-pong, soccer, and board games with them, and built relationships.” Soon after that first year, she was offered the position of Associate Director of Development.

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these beautiful girls, but we don’t have the resources to do so at this time.”

In the 16 months she’s lived in Bolivia, Harris says, “It’s been a great honor to live life with the children at Kaya. We’ve celebrated together and we’ve mourned together.” Her work contains both great joys and profound sorrows.

At present, Kaya suffers from the usual limited resources of many third-world helping organizations. So while the residential program for boys is thriving, there is no such safe haven for girls. “We’ve seen so many young girls get married too young, or turn to the streets where prostitution is preferable to the abusive home they come from,” Harris explains. “We have the desire, the experience, and the skills to open a home for

So Katie continues to live and work with the many children who show up at Kaya for help, for support, for food, and for love. She continues to reach out to the world for the financial support Kaya will need to keep going. And on behalf of the children who have run out of hope, she continues to hold hope for them, too.

For more information and profound inspiration, read Kaya founder Chi Huang’s book When Invisible Children Sing, available on Amazon.com or go to www.kayachildren.org.

• Write Katie Harris at kharris@kayachildren.org

“There are no social services, no safety net, and few resources in Bolivia,” Harris said.

“So there’s a strong cycle of poverty and abuse that results in a growing number of street children.”

In Bolivia, poverty looks different from what we see in America. The children Kaya serves often share a one-room house with other family members, many of whom suffer from extreme addictions. There is no running water and no electricity.

“We work to restore a childhood to children who have been forced to grow up far too early,” says Harris. “I hope they can heal from past wounds and move forward with their lives.”

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HOME/OUTDOOR

a whole new world –underground

By Ray Cauwet

T

he intersection of Highway 99 and Shaw Avenue in Fresno, Calif. is a busy place. Yet, just a short distance away and 20 feet beneath the surface is truly another world. It’s called the Forestiere Underground Gardens.

Located at 5021 West Shaw, the gardens are a 20-acre wonderland, consisting of 50 rooms, patios and courtyards filled with fruit trees and vines. These are interconnected with passageways that encircle the living quarters of the builder, Baldassare Forestiere.

It’s hard to believe that these gardens of delight could be the work of one man, Forestiere. Yet, they are. Working alone from 1906 to 1946, he was able to carve out and sculpt this amazing place using only a simple farmer’s tools, namely a pick, a shovel, a wheelbarrow and a scraper pulled by two mules, Molly and Dolly.

He was a genius and definitely a Renaissance man. He was a combination of an artist, an architect, an engineer, a horticulturist and an environmentalist.

Born in Messina, Sicily in 1879, he came to America in 1901 with the dream of building a citrus empire. For two years, he worked digging subways in New York City and Boston. He then went to Orange County to buy his land, but found it too expensive. Someone told him to try Fresno. He did and bought 80 acres around the present site.

Unfortunately, his property was located in an area with the hardest, hard pan and he couldn’t get a tree to grow. As an alternative, he worked several years for farmers using his scraper and mules.

An elaborate entrance beckons visitors to the courtyard.

All the time, he hated the summer heat. He remembered the coolness of the underground cellars in Sicily and decided he would excavate a cellar on this land. Working in his spare time, he started digging— one room, then another. Soon, he had a three-room retreat.

By 1923, he had carved out 10 acres and built rooms, patios, alcoves and courtyards. He also had a simple earthen home that eventually grew to include two bedrooms, a kitchen, a study, a chapel, a parlor with a fireplace, a dining room, a wine cellar and a bath courtyard.

As he was digging, he noticed the hard pan only extended a few feet.

He wondered if he could get a tree to grow below the hard pan. He began to experiment. He built a planter box from the hard pan chunks and filled it with soil he reconditioned. A skylight was cut in the ceiling. He found, with the right amount of sunlight, water and care, his tree would flourish and be protected from frost.

As he added rooms, he planted more trees and grapevines. These included orange, lemon, grapefruit, quince, fig, almond, carob and strawberry trees. Grape varieties were Thompson, Muscat, Grenache, Black Morocco and Zinfandel. He grafted most of the trees to bear three or more varieties. One tree produced seven types of citrus.

When my wife and I visited the gardens, we met Valerie Forestiere.

She is the great niece of Baldassare. She gave us a tour and told us a little about her great uncle.

“He was a remarkable man. He did all of this with no formal training and no plans or blueprints. He only had the visions in his mind.”

The underground gardens have 50 inter-connecting rooms, patios and courtyards filled with fruit-bearing trees and grapevines. The gardens were created solely by Baldassare Forestiere from 1906 to 1946.

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She said Forestiere was a devout Roman Catholic and incorporated many biblical references into his designs. These included the frequent use of the numbers three and seven. The Trinity courtyard was built in a triangle with three planter wings containing three fruit trees and three benches. The chapel and adjoining garden have seven entrances and a grapevine with three branches.

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Forestiere’s bedroom wasn’t particularly spacious, but it served his needs.

The Trinity Courtyard was built with three planter wings containing three fruit trees and three benches.

Forestiere used many biblical references, such as the Holy Trinity, in his designs of the gardens.

“His religious commitment was evident every time he planted a tree.

He would always say a ‘Hail Mary’ prayer,” she said.

Ms. Forestiere stated Baldassare had intended the gardens to become a cool subterranean resort adorned with luscious fruit trees and vines growing underground. His dream ended, however, in 1946 with his death from pneumonia.

Since that time, the Forestiere family has operated the gardens. Family members give tours and are happy to share information about Baldassare.

The gardens are open eight months per year. From April to October, tours are given Wednesdays to Sundays. During March and Novem-

ber, it’s weekends only. Hours are 10 and 11am, noon, 1, 2 and 3pm.

Prices are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, $10 for college age and active duty military, $7 for ages 5-17, and free for 4 and under.

The gardens are quite popular and each year attract 10-15,000 visitors from throughout the world. Information is available by calling 559271-0734 or at www.undergroundgardens.com. Wheelchair access is limited, so it’s best to call.

I invite you to come and see what lessons a 19th century immigrant from Sicily can teach us today. You won’t regret it.

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casting for recovery supporting breast cancer survivors

By Ruth Starr “Fly fishing is a metaphor for how we will live our lives after breast cancer; stay focused and aware of what surrounds us, move slowly with grace, and be fully present in what we are doing.”

A friend called me to tell me about a program that she had taken part in that was so wonderful and completely free. It’s called Casting for Recovery. The program combines counseling, education, medical information, and the basics of an enjoyable new sport, fly fishing!

It is amazing that more than 500 women each day are diagnosed with breast cancer. Many women are surviving, but it does have a life-changing impact. The women have to manage a diagnosis and go on pursuing their lives.

Getting away from the pressures of illness and life, women who experience a Casting for Recovery retreat are often renewed and newly energized. The experience helps women move forward to a healthier life.

And, the wonderful part of this program is that the retreats are offered at no cost to women at any age and stage of breast cancer treatment and recovery! They introduce participants to the beautiful rhythmic motion of fly casting that they believe is an ideal physical therapy

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apply for every one they can serve. They appreciate people spreading the word about this organization and are always looking for volunteers who are critical to the program.

There is also an online volunteer application available on their website.

Casting for Recovery is supported by generous donations from individuals, companies, community organizations, and foundations.

My friend said it was a most beautiful 2 ½ days for her.

“The women who participate also have the opportunity to learn to improve their quality of life, bond with other women in similar circumstance, and find new strength, joy, and confidence for what lies ahead.” for exercising the joints and soft tissues affected by treatment and surgery.

The women who participate also have the opportunity to learn to improve their quality of life, bond with other women in similar circumstance, and find new strength, joy, and confidence for what lies ahead.

Each 2 ½ day retreat hosts 14 women who are guided by trained facilitators. They can also participate in counseling and medical sessions.

Each participant receives a one-on-one instruction in the basics of fly-fishing skills, a therapeutic activity practiced in healing natural settings.

The goals of Casting for Recovery is to give women a respite from familiar places in a different setting. Further to provide a fun experience that helps lessen isolation and to help them network, make new friends, learn a new skill and definitely improved the quality of their lives.

Any woman who has been diagnosed with breast cancer and has a clearance from her physician is eligible to attend a retreat.

Women are selected at random from a pool of applicants in their area. The retreat includes lodging and meals, and again, at no cost.

These retreats take place all over the country.

To apply in your area, you can make a secure online application by visiting www.castingforrecovery.org. You can email infor@castingforrecovery.org or call 1-888-553-3500.

You can also visit the website for a complete list of the retreat dates and sites.

Since 1996, Casting for Recovery has served over 5,600 women. On average three women

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walking in circles: San Luis Obispo County’s LabYrinths

By Michael Cervin

I

t often appears we go through life with no clear linear path; just tighter concentric circles getting us nowhere. Or do we? The Central Coast from Santa Barbara to Monterey have labyrinths aplenty and right here in San Luis Obispo there are three diverse ones which will give you a chance to explore the mysteries of life, and perhaps make your life a little easier.

Though it seems mazes and labyrinths are similar, if not identical, labyrinths have a single path leading from the entrance to the center, whereas mazes have multiple pathways to reach the final outcome.

Labyrinths come in a variety of styles but the archetypal labyrinth design consists of a single pathway that loops back and forth to form seven circuits, bounded by eight walls, surrounding a central goal.

Found throughout Europe, North Africa, the Indian sub-continent and Indonesia, this traditional labyrinth design also occurs in the American Southwest. Labyrinths beckon people of all ages, social status and religious backgrounds. But exactly how is a labyrinth used and what practical gain can you get from one?

Cambria Calm

“We ask that visitors to this sacred space refrain from smoking, driving loud vehicles into the parking area and that all visitors leave their pets at home,” says Michelle Costa, Parrish Administrator for St. Paul’s Episcopal church in Cambria whose labyrinth is one of the county’s best kept secrets. The point of a labyrinth is to shed distractions so you can focus completely on what is before you. Consider an issue, a specific problem and meditate on that as you consciously walk the weaving pattern of the labyrinth. There are no specific instructions on how to use a labyrinth, with the exception that there are no shortcuts, you stay on the path no matter what. “In that way it is a parallel for life,” suggests Dr. Kathy Gruver, a natural health practitioner on the Central Coast and author of the books, “Conquer Your Stress,” and “The Alternative Medicine Cabinet.” She suggests that walking a labyrinth can be a time of contemplation. “It’s a perfect walking meditation where you can quiet your mind, set goals, or ask for guidance,” she notes. Many people choose to think of a particularly challenging issue or ask for inner guidance for a situation that needs clarification as they walk. But just like life, other thoughts crowd the mind and distract us from our purpose. “The path is tricky in that there are moments where it looks like you’re nearing the center but are quickly turned from it and taken in a different direction,” Dr. Gruver says. “And you start to wonder half way through if you messed this up, are you going to get there? And then you find yourself on that final straightaway that takes you to your goal,” she says. “We take our whole selves into the labyrinth—body, mind, personality, experiences, relationships, anxieties and all,” Dr. Gruver says.

In essence therefore the labyrinth is a large prayer printed on the ground. Once in the center many people sit and contemplate, pray, and consider their journey, all of which is done mindfully regardless of the type of situation you are in. “Our labyrinth, which looks out toward the eastern hills of Cambria as well as the horses and cows that are part of our rural neighborhood, is also frequently used by those attending community-based recovery programs such as our Grief Support Group or one of the 12-step programs that meet on our campus,” Costa notes.

Most often the labyrinth is walked alone, but you do not need to. “If we don’t make way for other people and just barge along, then people run into one another,” says Rev. Randall Day of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Santa Ynez who, like St. Paul’s in Cambria has a labyrinth located on church grounds. “Walking the labyrinth with others shapes how to live collaboratively in the world community, local community, and faith community,” he adds. “When the time is right for you, leave the labyrinth the same way you came,” says Dr. Gruver.

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Avila Angelic It’s no surprise that Sycamore Mineral Springs has a labyrinth. Located across the road from the hotel, a compacted dirt path set amongst the sycamore trees, you can hear the traffic from the nearby road. 1215 Avila Beach Dr., Avila.

Baywood Park Bucolic Overlooking the Morro back bay, adjacent to the Back Bay Inn, this sand and stone labyrinth is located on a small bluff. A mature pine tree nearby provides shade and seating and copious views of the water. 1391 2nd St., Los Osos.

Baywood Park Bucolic

“It always seems so much quicker going out.

This meditation can remind us that the path of life is never straight, rarely easy, and we can have doubts along the way; however if we stay on the path and be patient in the comings and goings and weaving nature, we will reach our goal.”

Soothe your mind and walk towards a more peaceful life with these local labyrinths—all free and open to the public during daylight hours.

Cambria Calm St. Paul’s Episcopal, a small church in Cambria, offers a labyrinth which is a replica of Chartres, France, made of brick and decomposed granite. It offers serene views to the low rolling hills, surrounded by benches in a fairly isolated area. 2700 Elton Rd., Cambria.

NOTIFIED HOW WILL I BE

In an EmErgEncy?

■ Knowing the ways you may be notified in an emergency is a key step to being prepared when a disaster strikes. In San Luis Obispo County, officials will utilize different public alert and notification systems based on the type and severity of the emergency. Some of the options available include the Early Warning System sirens, the Emergency Alert System (EAS), and Reverse 911. ■ Should an emergency occur at Diablo Canyon, the siren system and the EAS would be the primary method of public alert and notification. These systems provide rapid and consistent information throughout the Emergency Planning Zone. The Reverse 911

System could be used as a supplement or backup. Although land-line telephones are automatically included in the system, Voice over IP and cellular telephones need to be registered with the Reverse 911 system. These systems can be used for any local emergency.

■ Following notification of an emergency, it is important to stay tuned to local radio and television stations to receive current information about any actions you may need to take.

■ To register for Reverse 911 or for more information on how you can be kept informed of local emergencies, please visit: www.slocounty.ca.gov/oes or call (805) 781-5011.

OUR PUBLIC ALERT AND NOTIFICATION SYSTEMS MAY BE USED FOR ANY LOCAL EMERGENCY

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at the market

Spelt Banana Date Bread

By Sarah Hedger

T

he month of November offers good options for both Fall and Winter fruits and vegetables. Apples are coming into their prime with the likes of kiwi, pomegranates, and persimmons. In the vegetable department, there is great selection, including broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower, as well as Winter squash, pumpkins, and butternut squash.

As tempted as I was to have this month’s recipe be a soup recipe (wait till next month!), it still seems a bit out of place to make soup when warm days are not in the distant past. Thus, this month’s recipe, is a bit of a shoulder month, baking recipe, as it is (I don’t say this lightly), the best banana bread I have made thus far. It is adapted from

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the Tartine 3 cookbook, a famous (for all the right reasons), bakery in the Bay area that is inspiring to say the least. While Spelt Banana Date Loaf doesn’t sound too flash, it is a beautiful, light version, reminding me of a banana bread my mom made growing up.

I recently had someone ask me the difference between baking soda and baking powder and struggled to come up with a simple explanation, thus there was a good chance I didn’t understand it completely. I had a brilliant professor at Cal Poly who said once, if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it. How these tidbits of logic stick with us! So in a moment’s time, when the original question arose, it sent most of the dinner table scrambling for their phones to Google what baking powder and bak-

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ing soda are, and how they work differently (this banana bread recipe has both). Why would you need two raising agents, that appear so similar, in the same recipe? So, here it is. Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, has a high pH, which, when mixed with low acid ingredients, causes a reaction producing carbon dioxide, giving pancakes, and other baked goods, loft (technical term).

Thus, when yogurt, buttermilk, vinegar, lemon juice, or other acid ingredients are used with baking soda, the result is air in the batter, within a quick couple minutes, so if you are making something that requires a longer sitting before cooking, baking soda isn’t enough. Similar to baking soda, baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate as well as an acid, which usually requires heat to make it active, and create carbon monoxide, for the loft. Simple enough? I hope so!

Another good thing to remember is baking soda is usually a lot more potent than baking powder as it has no other ingredients, thus if you run out of baking powder, you can make your own baking powder by adding a pinch of cream of tartar to baking soda, resulting in roughly the same product you buy in the stores called Baking Powder. Hope that helps!

So, I understand better now. Also better than my original answer at the dinner table that night that was something along the lines of, “I think they fire off at different times?”. True on some level, but not the most helpful. Anyhow, this banana bread rocks my world. I have had many (not just me) who claim it to be the best banana bread they have ever had. I have been enjoying spelt flour lately as it brings more

Spelt Banana Date Bread Makes 1 standard loaf 3 extra ripe bananas, mashed + 1 firmer banana, sliced horizontal (for the topping) ½ cup plain, unsweetened (real) yogurt, room temperature 2 T molasses 2 free range eggs, room temperature 1 tsp vanilla paste 1 cup spelt flour Ÿ cup sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda flavor to the table than standard flour, is usually fresher, and can often be eaten by people with wheat intolerances (not Celiacs!). Spelt can usually be used 1:1 as a replacement for straight wheat flour, making it easier to make wheat-free baked goods without reinventing the wheel and going down the gluten free path. Thus, I hope you enjoy this loaf. It is all things good to me, that a banana loaf should be. And, that makes me happy, regardless of the time of day I am lucky enough to sit down and enjoy a slice.

1 tsp cinnamon ½ tsp salt 5 T (80g) unsalted butter 1 cup medjool dates, pitted and finely chopped Small handful of sugar for topping Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and line a loaf pan with baking paper. Place mashed banana, yogurt, molasses, eggs, and vanilla paste in a large bowl. Set aside. In another bowl, place flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Cut butter into small pieces, and massage into the flour mixture until they are thoroughly incorporated and quite small. Mix in the dates, so coated in flour mixture, then add this mixture to wet ingredients and fold in to combine.

Scoop batter into prepared loaf pan and spread to even top. Slice remaining banana in horizontal strips, and place on top of loaf, sprinkling with sugar. Bake for 1 hour or until loaf feels firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes in pan.

Remove from pan and slice to enjoy. This loaf will keep for a few days, wrapped air tight, at room temperature.

Find this recipe and more seasonal inspiration at http://www. seasonalalchemist.com

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HOME/OUTDOOR

slo county art scene studios on the park presents “untitled”

By Sasha Irving

S

tudios on the Park presents “Untitled,” a dynamic exhibition of abstract works by three West Coast artists, Allen Cox, Tom Peck and Braeden Cox. Tom and Allen, both residents of Paso Robles, each have decades-long resumes that reflect their respective work in the visual world of fine art. Braeden, daughter of Allen Cox, is an emerging artist from Portland, Oregon who provides a new generation’s fresh take on modernism.

All three of these artists bring their own unique vision to “Untitled” and yet the final result is very cohesive. Curated by Anne Laddon, “Untitled” blends these separate visions of art-making into a harmonious conversation of contemporary artistic intent and personal expression.

Tom Peck brings his keen eye and aesthetic sensibility, honed over his fifty years of artistic endeavor, to his series of expressionistic portraits. Although abstract and anonymous, the portraits convey a sensitive human emotion and intensity, even a sense of mystery.

These are not only examinations of the likeness of a given individual, but also deeper inquiries into their inner world.

After receiving his BFA from Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, Tom pursued his art as a painter, fine art photographer and advertising creative director in Toronto, New

York City and San Francisco. And several years ago added sculpture to his oeuvre. Tom’s paintings, sculpture, and photography are in many private collections in the U.S. “I have pursued these different art forms with the same philosophy and purpose. I want to acknowledge the best of the past, while bringing something fresh and unique to the medium, something not seen before.

For me, executing art in a way that has already been done, is like eating food that somebody else has already chewed.”

Allen Cox has been painting professionally since 1983 and has shown his work extensively on the West Coast and in numerous other cities across the U.S. He holds an MFA in Painting from the University of Oregon.

His art reflects his training and work as an archaeologist, as well as personal interests in history, mythology, philosophy and science.

Cox’s paintings are often densely textured, with multiple layers of paint built up over time, the result of constant revision and reworking of the composition as it develops. The imagery he produces pulls its inspiration from natural forms and textures, combining weathered surfaces, ancient symbols, elements of landscape and aspects of scientific illustration.

Cox’s paintings are found in numerous public and private collections nationally and internationally. His work has been featured in New American Painting, 100 Artists of the West Coast and design journals such as New England Home, LUXE Magazine and Traditional Home.

Cox says he considers an artist’s main goal is to “harmonize chaos and intoxicate reason.”

This idea proposes a dynamic balance of the interplay between the intuitive subconscious and the rational conscious mind. “Balance is important but asymmetry is more interesting” says Cox, “and my paintings usually reflect that.”

Braeden Cox lives and works in Portland, OR. She holds an BFA in Digital Arts and dual BAs in Fine Art and Digital Arts from the University of Oregon. Her monochrome paintings often focus on a combination of 20th century German Expressionism, gestural abstraction and 19th century German Romanticism. Her work is ethereal and

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Cy Twombly’s Best Friend by Tom Peck

haunting in its contemplative suggestion of ruins and tangled forests.

Ms. Cox’s work grows out of intuitive gestural mark produced by working wet gesso into charcoal on paper, with the addition of walnut ink and dry pigments. For this exhibition she introduces new works in oils on canvas as well. She shows her work regularly in Portland and elsewhere in Oregon. Braeden participated in invitational exhibitions in Los Angeles and the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento earlier this year.

Born in the Pacific Northwest to an artist father and professor mother, Braeden Cox grew up around university campuses, art museums, studios and galleries. As a child she spent four years living in Christchurch, New Zealand, where she had the opportunity to travel throughout Australia/New Zealand and the South Pacific. The appreciation of art and other cultures comes naturally to her. As Braeden says, “My work is an exploration into the emotional and physical responses of life’s journey, of occasionally being an outsider. It’s a search for understanding and an investigation of questions that may have no answers.”

Studios on the Park is proud to present this thoughtfully challenging exhibition of abstraction-based works by Peck, Cox and Cox. The three are all professional exhibiting artists who share roots in formal academic training and the desire to continually push their personal work in new and interesting directions. Speaking for the three artists, Allen Cox states, “We are all excited at the opportunity to show our work at Studios on the Park, an important arts venue for Paso Robles, SLO County and the Central Coast.”

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COMMUNITY

Our Schools bullying at school— what to do about it

By Dr. Julian Crocker, County Superintendent of Schools

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ost of us probably have memories of the “school bully.” We may also assume that bullying is just something to tolerate while growing up. However, we increasingly hear about children who have suffered severe physical injuries or social and emotional damage from being bullied. Recent research indicates that up to 20% of high school students feel that they are victims of bullying, ranging from frequent victims to occasional or infrequent victims. Bullying is not just limited to children, but we also see it happening with adults and on an international basis between nations or even religions.

Most of us know when bullying happens and we know it when we see it. Signe Whitson, in her book, 8 Keys to End Bullying, Strategies for Parents and Teachers (2014) outlines three elements that define bullying. First, bullying involves intentional aggressive behavior toward another person. Second, this behavior is repeated over time. Third, the intent of the bullying behavior is to gain control and power over the victim. Often bullying is used to also gain social acceptance from others at the expense of the victim. Most acts of bullying occur in the presence of others. Girls tend to report verbal and cyber-bullying while boys report more physical bullying.

Here are three actions that adults (teachers and parents) can take to stop bullying.

Recognize Bullying Adults are not helpless to stop bullying and the first thing to do is to recognize bullying when it happens. Not all rude or aggressive behavior is bullying. It is true that most school bullying happens out of the sight of adults in such places as the playground, restroom or bus, but we can still act to intervene when we do see it happening. For teachers, the intervention does not need to be lengthy, but just a brief and clear statement that bullying behavior is not acceptable and there will be consequences for the perpetrator if it continues. This action from adults also lets victims know that they are not alone or defenseless.

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Build Strong Relationships and Social Skills for All Students Classrooms and families are good places to foster and teach positive relationships, the acceptance of differences, encouraging cooperation and open communication. These social-emotional skills have been shown to decrease bullying and are much more powerful and lasting than simply catching the bully in the act. My point here is that it takes an intentional effort by teachers to focus on social and emotional learning for all students, including potential bullies. Schools need to promote this emotional learning as being just as important as the academic learning in schools. If we don’t give priority to these “soft” skills, then some students will not be receptive to our academic expectations because of fear or distraction caused by bullying. As with many skills, the earlier in a student’s school career that we can start building these social skills, the better.

Confront Cyberbullying Cyberbullying (online bullying) is aggressive behavior toward another that happens using technology. Although not directly physical, the messages can be just as cruel and have a serious impact on the victim because it is anonymous and can be spread to many others with the touch of a key. Victims report that they feel especially helpless to confront cyberbullying because the perpetrator is not known.

Whitson believes that adults have made a big mistake in not responding to cyberbullying more directly. School personnel may not have taken action because the behavior (cyberbullying) occurred at home and not at school. Parents sometimes have also not responded to cyberbullying because they feel their own technology skills lack the sophistication of their children’s and don’t even attempt to intervene.

This “hands off” attitude only emboldens the bully to use cyberbullying without concern for adult intervention.

Long before cyberbullying, the courts have consistently ruled in favor of school intervention if behavior that occurs off-campus has a disruptive impact on students in school. I believe that this would also apply to cyberbullying that is initiated from an off-campus location, but that has a negative impact on students at school such as fear or distraction while attending classes. Again, attention to building strong social skills and positive relationships in classrooms can help students confront cyberbullying.

Bullying at school continues to be a problem, but not one without solutions. The most important action that we as adults who work in schools can take is to be active in recognizing and stopping bullying when we see it, including cyberbullying, as well as working to build strong social and emotional skills for our students.

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VETERANS CALL TO THE COLORS

By Gail Pruitt and Sandra McGregor

—The Central Coast Veterans Memorial Museum— Telling the stories of military veterans so that all generations may more fully understand the costs of peace and the realities of war.

The Museum’s special exhibit celebrating National POW/MIA Recognition Day (September 19th) continues at the History Center of San Luis Obispo County until the end of December. It honors those who have been lost defending our country.

This special exhibit was created and funded by the Central Coast Veterans Memorial Museum to honor those Californians who remain unaccounted for from the Korean War to the present.

It includes “A White Table of Remembrance,” (pictured left) a table set for one person with objects symbolic of a POW or MIA‘s absence and a “Fallen Soldier Battlefield Cross.” A battlefield cross combines a rifle, dog tags, boots and helmet and has been used since at least the Civil War to mark the grave of a soldier who dies on the battlefield. In addition, the exhibit room walls are covered with oversized printed panels listing the names of Californians who never returned from war, dating from the Korean War to the present, with the numbers of those remaining missing from World War II. Data for the exhibit was provided by the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (www.dtic.mil/dpmo), at the Department of Defense.

The Museum is honored that the History Center of San Luis Obispo gave us the space to share this exhibit with the community and to participate in Art After Dark. Presenting the exhibit in a location other than the Museum will, we hope, enhance the Museum’s community visibility and be of interest to people who may not be aware of the Museum and its mission.

A POW’s Story Albert L. Findley, Jr., a World War II veteran, is a valued docent at the Central Coast Veterans Memorial Museum. His warm personality, smiling face, and enthusiasm for greeting visitors and his eagerness undertaking any task that needs doing have endeared him to the Museum family.

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In 1942 after high school in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Al Findley enlisted in the Army Air Corps Cadet Program, planning to become a pilot.

After basic training and training in flight school, he was sent for a flight physical which revealed a vision problem that kept him from his goal. Instead he went to radio and gunnery schools and was made a corporal. In early 1944, Al met the other nine members of his B-24 Liberator crew at Hammer Field in Fresno where they took survival training. That July the crew set off for Attlebridge, England, part of the 8th Army Air Force, Squadron 786, 96th Air Wing, 466th Bomb Group. Although the crew’s first combat mission was supposed to be a “milk run” to Karlsruhe, Germany, on the return trip the plane was hit by flak and crash landed, wheels up near Epernay, France. Fortunately, the area had been liberated by the Allies the week before, and the entire crew survived.

When Al got back to England, the 96th had been taken out of combat and ordered to deliver gasoline to Patton’s army near Nancy, France, and to Montgomery’s army near Lille.

They were back in combat early in October, 1944 and flew 25 missions. However, bad luck befell them on the 26th. After bombing their target in Magdeburg, Germany, and heading back over the Ruhr Valley, their plane was hit by flak. It was obvious they could not make it back. The pilot could not hold altitude and ordered Al to throw everything overboard that he could. The engineer reported that all three gunners had been hit. The co-pilot ordered Al, the nose gunner, and the navigator to bail out. The pilot and co-pilot also bailed out, and the plane went down near Essen. Al was knocked unconscious as he hit the ground and was captured by German farmers. He was in and out of consciousness as they took him to the police. The Germans had also picked up all the others except for the pilot, who was on the run for the next two weeks. The next day German soldiers took them by train to Essen. To find shelter from a British bombing, Al and the other crew members were taken into the subway. But there, the soldiers had to protect them from hostile civilians. Later they were taken by train to Oberursel near Frankfurt to an interrogation center. Al was in solitary confinement for eleven days and grilled on such subjects as the effect of the V-2 bombings on the British. The prisoners were fed brown bread, ersatz coffee, and a meat that he hoped was chicken.

While they were packed elbow to elbow in boxcars, the prisoners’ train was strafed by American fighters. The German soldiers opened the door to allow the prisoners to run into the nearby woods. When the pilots realized what was happening, the strafing ceased.

In March, 1944, they arrived at the Nuremberg prison camp which was overcrowded with prisoners of all nationalities. There was no medical staff to treat the dysentery or ravages of bedbugs and fleas. Al and his crew were there for three months (Al’s POW photo left) with very little food but an occasional Red Cross parcel. Later his pilot was brought in with the news that the three gunners and the engineer had been killed.

Then the British began bombing Nuremberg.

When Patton’s army approached in early April, the thousands of prisoners were led away in the rain. While Al was under a train trestle, American planes hit the group and many were lost. To make way for military vehicles, the Germans got them off the road and into a field. Fast thinking prisoners formed the letters

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POW with toilet paper in the field. When an American pilot realized what was happening, he waggled his plane’s wings to show them he understood. Al says that pilot checked on them every day for about a week. Finally after fourteen days of sleeping in barns, they arrived in Moosberg, a town on the Danube River. On April 29 they were liberated by Patton’s army. Al remembers Patton riding by in a jeep with his chrome helmet and ivory-handled pistols.

After a repatriation period, Al was sent home on leave with his family. He then reported to Miami where all former prisoners were sent.

He turned down a chance to reenlist and get a promotion because he wanted to go to college. Al spent two semesters at Oklahoma State University, but he couldn’t concentrate on his studies. His roommate said he was still flying in his airplane in his sleep. At the time, Al’s problem was called “battle fatigue;” now it is called Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Although time has since healed the nightmares, Al had to leave OSU. In 1946, he went to Oklahoma City and reenlisted for three more years as a buck sergeant in the Air Corps. Al says it was a great relief because he felt he was back where he should be.

From 1947 to 1948, Al served in Okinawa with the 22nd Bomb Group flying in B-29s as part of the army of occupation. They flew to bombing targets over Guam to keep the crews fresh. In 1949, Al was stationed at March Field in California. That year he met and married his wife of 52 years. The newlyweds went to Quezon City in the Philippines, where Al flew in C-47s and served in a joint military advisory group to train the Philippine armed forces. From 1953 to 1957, Al served on special assignment to the Air Attache’s office in Rio de Janeiro. While there, he explored Brazil and met natives who had never

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before seen a white man. And there Al and his wife adopted their son, a 1 1/2-year-old Brazilian boy.

Over the next few years, Al was stationed at McClellan AFB near Sacramento flying Constellations, went to Helsinki on special assignment, and made Master Sergeant. He also served for three years in Athens, Greece, working communications for the 22nd Bomb Group, 19th Bomb Squadron, 1230 Communication Squadron of the Strategic Air Command. Back in the United States, Al was stationed at Offutt Field in Omaha at SAC headquarters, flying in “Looking Glass,” the B-52 airborne command post.

Al was assigned to RAF Croughton in England at a communications station in 1967. It was there he retired as a Chief Master Sergeant in 1973. Two years before his retirement, Al and his wife bought an old pub and turned it into a successful antique shop; they had a wonderful time as they traveled Britain searching for antiques. After leaving England in 1979, the Findleys continued to do antique shows in both England and the United States. Al and a partner still have a booth at an antique mall in Cayucos, and he still enjoys antique hunting.

Since moving to the Central Coast in 2012, Al has made many friends. He has served as a docent at the CCVMM since 2012 and loves it. He and a group of other WWII veterans meet every Friday morning in Morro Bay. In May, Al and other veterans traveled to Washington, D.C., on an Honor Flight which takes heroes to national monuments there to honor their service and sacrifices.

We can all take a lesson from Al’s advice from his life experiences: “Be yourself. Don’t try to be anyone else. Live your own life.”

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history

mission san miguel

By Joe Carotenuti

M

ention the word “Mission” and an image of San Luis Obispo de Tolosa presents itself to most local residents. Yet, to the north is another Mission—San Miguel de Arcangel—a younger, more historically authentic structure with an even more illustrious name. While St. Louis was a mortal; St. Michael is eternal. The Prince of the Angels along with the archangels Rafael and Gabriel are three of the 21 mission names.

Although its namesake is immortal, our “sister” mission has had an incredible mortal journey of survival and renewal.

Even the most casual of California history buffs will recognize the name of Padre Junipero Serra as the founder of the first nine missions, but who established the next nine? Buried in the remnants of the past, Padre Fermin de Lasuen (1736-1803) founded Missions Santa Barbara, San Luis Rey, La Purisima, Santa Cruz, Soledad, San Jose, San Juan Bautista, and San Fernando. The last three were founded in the same year along with San Miguel!

While Serra’s goal was to have a settlement a day’s journey apart (30-35 miles), it was his successor who nearly completed the “ladder” of missions.

Here’s the story.

At 49, Lasuen became padre-presidente of the missions after the death of Serra in 1884. Arriving in Alta in 1773, he had already served many arduous years mostly in San Diego.

By 1791, Lasuen had established four missions. When granted permission to establish more by the military authorities, he seized the opportunity with enthusiasm.

From San Jose to San Fernando between June and September of 1797, he rapidly performed the

founding rituals for four more outposts, assigning padres and leaving supplies.

Previously, Padre Buenaventura Sijar foraged in the central coast looking for potential settlement sites and wrote to his superior regarding Parage de las Pozas called by the natives Vahca, a promising mesa site of flat land, a water supply with “affable” natives who wanted a nearby mission. Thus, on July 25, 1797, Lasuen blessed the site, performed the ancient rites and the 16th mission was born.

From prayers, dreams and difficult days, mission developments have a similar saga of determination and relentless courage to relate. An ominous beginning for San Miguel, a founding friar, Antonio de la Concepcion Horra, was quickly removed as he had reportedly gone insane. A few pioneer friars—who knew little about farming—needed abundant supplies of food for the resident neophyte (newly baptized) families. Also, construction was an ongoing venture as more of those baptized were taught to form adobe bricks and raise the walls for a great church as well as small adobe homes and shops. Fire was a constant threat and much of San Miguel was destroyed in 1806 and subsequently rebuilt and expanded.

Missions helped each other even when there was little to spare. For St. Michael’s, the mission to the south gave an initial gift of 100 cattle, 25 heifers, 3 bulls, 12 yoke of oxen, and provisions for a few years. Undoubtedly, seeds and possibly tree saplings were included to nurture crops and an orchard.

Franciscans maintained a variety of records chronicling baptisms, marriages, deaths, etc. as well as agricultural production and animal counts. From these, the ebb and flow of mission life can be reconstructed as neophytes increased eventually averaging from 1500 to 1700. Food harvests had to keep pace with the increased residents, with wheat and corn harvests fluctuating from a few hundred to four thousand bushels a year. Cattle, sheep, pigs, horses and mules were the main livestock with herds reaching peek growth in the mid-1820s to over 24,000. Nonetheless, success was not forever.

With the civil war in Mexico at the dawn of the nineteenth century, there was little support from New Spain. Missions now were expected to furnish food for the civilian population and military.

The end of conflict heralded debilitating changes in the north.

Independence from Spain by Mexico in 1821 was a death knell. Granting huge tracts of land originally reserved for the native populations to Californios, missions lost populations and productivity. Drained of both spiritual and secular resources, the first communities made a rapid descent into various stages of inactivity—and some even into

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Even though the prospect of moving m future, you owe it to yourself to learn h carefree living in your own home for man

You Don’t Have to Move

oblivion. When in 1841 the last Franciscan, Padre Ramon Abella (1764-1842), moved to the Mission San Luis (and lies buried at the foot of the sanctuary), San Miguel ceased operations and started a sharp decline toward oblivion.

On July 4, 1846, Governor Pio Pico illegally sold the mission property to Petronillo Rios and William Reed. It was the last spiritual outpost sold as three days later the American flag was raised above the Customs House in Monterey, effectively ending Mexican governance in the future 31st State. Reed lived on the mission grounds, a fatal mistake.

In a gruesome episode expertly researched

by Wally Ohles in The Lands of Mission San Miguel, Reed and the nine members of his household including children were robbed and brutally murdered in one of the most appalling crimes in California’s history. A posse was quickly formed by alcalde John Price in San Luis Obispo and within a month, the culprits had been captured and executed.

There is always more to savor of this stunning reminder of the central coast’s heritage as it struggled to survive. Most recently, it once again faced extinction as the years of earthquakes (and the continuous vibrations from the nearby trains since the mid-1880s) required an extensive and expensive restoration far beyond the means of the small parish.

The result is an extraordinary opportunity to experience one of the most “authentic” of the mission chain with its impressive artifacts and artwork including the spectacular Esteban Munras murals from the early 1820s.

A splendid excursion into the past is further enhanced by a visit to the nearby restored Rios-Caledonia Adobe.

For those interested in further pursuing informed mission histories, an excellent resource are the various compilations by Zephyrin Engelhardt, OFM. CONTACT: jacarotenuti@gmail.com

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SYLVIA DODD

AND THE SLO COUNTY SHERIFF’S ADVISORY FOUNDATION

By Heather Young

S

ylvia Dodd, chairwoman of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff ’s Advisory Foundation, moved to the Central Coast in 1990. Living here was a goal of hers, so after living in the United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, where she was on special assignment for the Small Business Assignment for hurricane disaster duty, she turned down permanent SBA assignments in New York, Texas and the Virgin Islands to move to the Central Coast. She said that it was spending time here for vacations, as well as driving through the area and doing research, that led her to want to live on the Central Coast.

That determination brought her here, and got her a job as vice president of Santa Lucia Bank. Fifteen years later in 2005, she went to work for Heritage Oaks Bank, retiring in 2011. Not only did she work for the banks, but she also got involved in the community as a member of the Pismo Beach and Arroyo Grande/ Grover chambers of commerce, director emeritus of the YMCA, director of the local chapter of International Footprinter, director of the Cal Poly Athletic Board, board member of the Sharon Leigh Ovarian Cancer Foundation and member of the Sheriff ’s Advisory Foundation.

“What I saw [in the Virgin Islands] was the effects of emergency preparedness with food, water and safety,” Dodd said. “Even though you don’t expect it, it’s great to know your sheriff’s office is prepared, as well as CalFIRE and all the other law enforcement agencies.”

Dodd joined the foundation 15 years ago as a community volunteer and joined the board five years ago. Last year, she was elected as the board’s first female chair.

“If you don’t volunteer in your community, you don’t take care of it,” Dodd said about why she joined the group. “Working on the positive side with the children, because they are our next generation; they are going to take over.”

A few things Dodd said the foundation focuses on is emergency preparedness, enhancing the involvement in the community by supporting all law enforcement agencies in the county, raising funds to support safety and training for law enforcement, educating the public on Crime Stoppers and GREAT Program—where children up to 14 years get an educational week with an officer.

“I could go on and on [with what we do],” Dodd said.

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Some examples of what the foundation does with supporting safety and training is donating $30,000 to help complete the first Coroner’s office in SLO, where the staff can do research. The nonprofit also purchased canines for the Arroyo Grande and Morro Bay police departments.

The group’s biggest free event of the year is its Sheriff’s Family Day that is typically held in September in the field next to Madonna Inn in SLO. She said the event is a gathering of all law enforcement in the county, where they can share what they do with the community.

Some agencies have helicopters, SWAT has its truck out there and sets out demonstration bombs, and others have information about their agencies.

“At Family Day [someone] asked me why I do it,” Dodd said. “I said, ‘Look at the children.’”

She added that seeing the children’s smiles and how comfortable they were around law enforcement makes it worth it. She said that it’s important for children to be comfortable around law enforcement officers, especially since children do make life-saving 911 calls and seek out help for a parent or care-giver.

The foundation’s mission: The San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Advisory Activities League is a nonprofit program for SLO County Youth.

The SAL relies on members of law enforcement and the community to volunteer time in order to provide quality educational and recreational activities at no cost to the families we serve.

We seek to improve community life, build partnerships between law enforcement, youth and community, and to develop the physical, mental and social capabilities of SLO Youth.

“It’s not very dynamic, but it does a lot,” Dodd said. The organization is all volunteer run. It has 25 board members and close to 200 members, who all pay a yearly membership fee.

“The volunteering is on their own—[the members are] starting to step up because they are seeing the impact we are having on the community and the positive effect it’s having,” Dodd said.

Since becoming a nonprofit—previously it was classified as a corporation even though all the money went back into the community—the foundation has started getting corporate sponsors: PG&E, Madonna Inn, Dignity Health French Hospital Medical Center, MindBody, Founders Community Bank, CoVelop, San Luis Ambulance, Stalwork Inc. and the family of Christopher Meadows.

COMMUNITY

“[The money] goes into our community projects and supporting sheriff’s officers, for needed equipment and training to protect the community,” Dodd said.

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NOVEMBER CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 43

The next activity Dodd wants the public to know about is the Sheriff ’s Department’s annual bike giveaway. The department collects bikes of all conditions from the community and then those bikes go to the county’s Honor Farm for the inmates to restore and ready to be given to community children in December. The foundation also uses funds to purchase supplies for the restoration efforts. “[The bikes] can be in any kind of shape,” Dodd said.

The bikes are given away for free on Dec. 10 as bikes are available. There is no income requirement. Dodd said that the application simply asks for the child’s name, age, height and bike size, as well as the parents’ names, address and phone numbers. Once a bike is available, the parents are contacted. She said she has signed up friends and acquaintances with children and grandchildren who needed bikes.

To volunteer or to become a member of the SLO County Sheriff’s Advisory Foundation, go to www.safslo.org or call Dodd at 709-6591.

STATEPOINT CROSSWORD THEME: MOVIE QUOTES ACROSS 1. Newton or Stern 6. *”Here’s looking at ___” 9. Face-to-face exam 13. Bake, as in eggs 14. Even, to a poet 15. “Madama Butterfly,” e.g.

16. *”Show me the _____!”

17. Sculptor Hans/Jean ___ 18. “Nobody _____!”

19. Penalize 21. For peeping 23. It can be red or black 24. Lab culture 25. In the past 28. Emeralds and rubies 30. *”Elementary, my dear ______” 35. Ringo Starr’s instrument 37. ___ Verde National Park 39. “Dancing with the Stars” number 40. Supposed giant Himalayan

© StatePoint Media

41. Subculture language 43. *”You sit on a throne of ____” 44. Peer-conscious group 46. Apartheid opponent Desmond ____ 47. Formerly 48. *”Yo, ______!”

50. To represent in drawing or painting 52. *”Are you the ___master? ...I am the gatekeeper” 53. “About ____ Night” 55. *”Sheep be true! ___-ram-ewe!”

57. *”___ ____ handle the truth!”

61. Toy weapon 64. Unwelcome computer message 65. Reef dweller 67. Match play?

69. Spent 70. E in BCE 71. Plural of lepton 72. Cobbler’s concern 73. Wine quality 74. Piglike

DOWN 1. Any doctrine 2. “____ till you drop” 3. Hokkaido native 4. Gladiators’ battlefield 5. *”There’s no ______ in baseball” 6. Uh-huh 7. “___ the land of the free ...”

8. Remove pegs 9. Moonfish 10. First female Attorney General 11. Seed coat 12. Add booze 15. #15 Across, pl.

20. Flower holders 22. Swerve 24. Battery’s partner?

25. Temples’ innermost sanctuaries 26. *”_____, for lack of a better word, is good” 27. Kind of space 29. Patty ____ 31. Tall one is a lie 32. To be wiped off a face?

33. Corpulent 34. Foul 36. Small British car 38. Opposed to 42. Louisiana dish 45. As opposed to hourly pay 49. Grandmother in Great Britain 51. *”I love the smell of ______ in the morning” 54. Knight’s mount 56. Acquiesce 57. Evergreens 58. Three-ply snack 59. Eurasian mountain range 60. Apple leftover 61. *”____ it, Sam” 62. Mail agency 63. Haves and have-____ 66. Make #64 Across 68. Aye’s opposite

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palm street perspective Stepping down

By SLO City Councilwoman, Kathy Smith

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’ve chosen to step down from my seat on the SLO City Council . . . by not placing my name on the ballot for re-election. For those of you who often agree with my point of view on city matters, I strongly suggest you vote for Mike Clark.

Mike best reflects my commitment to focus community resources and philosophy on the needs of permanent residents who actually live within SLO City Limits. He is not beholden to developers and has an independent spirit . . . a perspective sorely needed on the SLO Council.

I was blessed in 1994 to be appointed to the SLO City Council, then elected in 1996. I moved in 1998 when recruited to head the Literacy Initiative in Columbus, OH . . . but couldn’t stay away. I missed the quaint lifestyle/spirit and the varied points of view encouraged.

Mind you, I cut my public servant teeth in the JFK era: “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” I really believe that. I love knocking on doors, reaching out and listening to constituent concerns and hearing the views of the average citizen. It warms my heart to know they care. Such motivates my desire to serve and hopefully theirs to vote and stay involved.

I mention this history to allow for contrast. In the ‘90s, 60% of the homes in SLO were owner-occupied. I remember the joy of La Fiesta (honoring the Spanish influence), the Mardi Gras “creative” parade as a community celebration (before we were overrun by tourists), First Night Downtown on New Year’s Eve. Cultures change. Today, I experience a “rah-rah” focus on events and commercial resources for tourists/students instead of valuing substance and joy for residents. Now, only 37% of homes are owneroccupied and voter registration is dropping. In contrast to the ‘90s

“marching to a different drummer” as an elected public servant is considered disruptive in today’s “consensus” mindset.

“What I can do for my country” is represent the people who elected me to office and ask tough questions and question the answers . . . even query the “evidence.” As a professional in top management of significant hospital organizations for 23 years, I was respected by “the media” as I advised CEOs to “tell it like it is,” and in language that is easily understood, not bureaucratic doubletalk.

I encourage residents to attend City Council meetings, delve deeply into staff reports, question the validity of numbers. When asking a Controller to explain what annual report financials indicated, he responded “what do you want them to say?” Never doubt that individuals have professional interests and desired outcomes that are being manipulated by relentless pressure, gently applied . . . not the “will of the people.”

As I exit Council, I want to thank individuals who facilitated my opportunity to “make a difference” in our City. I begin with the 5,390 individuals who voted me into office in 2010: campaign leaders: Wilda Rosene, Brian & Ashala Lawler, Kim Conti, Richard Kransdorf; endorsers: Ken Schwartz, Allen Settle, John Ewan, John Ashbaugh, Adam Hill, Sierra Club, Democratic Committee, SLO Tribune; some 150+ financial supporters; and, yes, SLO Journal for allowing us a forum.

While saddened by the current tourist/student-driven bandwagon dominating elected SLO City officials, I have listened intently to people who live in what is heralded as “the happiest city” trying to bolster “citizen empowerment” that made it so. I’ll always have hope that leadership will latch on to the importance of the permanent resident’s quality of life as a revered value.

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Downtown

Around

The Magazine of Downtown San Luis Obispo

Inside:

November 2014

W hat ’s U p Downtown B usiness Spo tlights

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supporting a Cal Poly student-led program this fall he coming of November certainly marks many to increase voter registration in the community to changes with shorter days, cooler weather, help advocate for young or first time voters to get the smell of fireplaces burning in the evening, a educated on the matters that affect the community little bit of frost on the local trails and couples they live in. The student body intends to have bundled up at the Market. It also marks some students take an educated and responsible look at critical changes for our local folks with several their right to vote as well as the policy that makes critical ballot measures and a competitive race for SLO such a special place. seats on the City Council. This is the way of so many countless Novembers for us that sometimes hat right to vote is a freedom and a right we forget about how lucky we are to publicly get Dominic Tartaglia, that all Americans have and if it weren’t for Executive Director together with an idea, discuss it, craft it into a the generations of dedicated servicemen and proposal, put it on the ballot and vote on it as a servicewomen, we may not have that right. We community. Ironically, we have our elections in the same recognize this and consider Veterans Day not only a day month each year as Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. With to stop and reflect appreciatively on our veterans but also the sequence of events of Election Day on November 4th, as a time to celebrate the victories and freedoms they have Veterans Day on November 11th and Thanksgiving on afforded our country November 27th, it is safe to say that we all have a lot to be through their sacrifice. In thankful for this fall. honor of those who have worn a uniform for our he San Luis Obispo Downtown Association has deepcountry we are hosting rooted traditions in this community not too different our annual Veterans from the aforementioned annual traditions across America.

Celebration at Farmers’ While we do not hold any special recognition of Election Market on November 6th Day you can bet your bottom dollar we are expecting from 6-9 PM. Each year each of our residents and business owners to get to their our Market becomes a polling place and express their right to vote with special tribute to the veterans consideration of maintaining our amazing town. We will be

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On the Cover: Cal Poly ROTC Honor Guard leading the procession at last year's Annual Veterans Day Celebration at Thursday Night Promotions Farmers' Market in Downtown SLO. Photo by Mukta Naran.

Founders Community Bank presents

Santa’s House

OPENING DAY Friday, November 28 th at 10 AM Come visit Santa and enjoy snacks, entertainment and more!

For more details about Opening Day and Santa’s House hours Call 541 - 0286 or visit www.DowntownSLO.com

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with the Grizzly Youth Academy color guard, singing of the National Anthem, a veteran’s presentation, a procession through Farmers’ Market and numerous related booths and decoration. The tradition has grown each year and we hope that as it grows it shows our deep appreciation to past and present soldiers. The public is encouraged to come down and join in the celebration and show your support, too. ollowing the Veterans Celebration Downtown many businesses will be changing up their window displays with the seasonal decorations of Thanksgiving and winter with the knowledge that just around the corner in December we will be having our annual Holiday Window Decorating Contest. In the period of just a few weeks the windows will transform from pumpkins and autumn leaves to ornaments and snow to entice curious shoppers and maybe even win the first place honor in the process. On December 1st our crew of judges will officially critique the windows and award points to various attributes but their judging doesn’t start there. As soon as those decorations go up our judges are taking notes and keeping track of what each business has in mind for the holiday spirit. f you are feeling anxious about your holiday spirit this November rest assured that the Downtown Association is here to help you out. Our Promotions Committee is hard at work to bring you this year’s parade theme, A Hula Holiday. While many towns across the country are planning their holidays around ice skating and winter

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parkas our office has our minds on surfing and grass skirts, a true testament to the California sunshine. Let the other states have their true winter indoors, we’ll take our holiday activities to the backyard. peaking of holiday activities, Santa’s House and the Downtown Holiday Carousel will land in Mission Plaza this month. The SLOcal tradition of visiting Santa’s House at the Mission Plaza goes back for decades and somewhere in the archives there is a photograph or two of yours truly visiting Santa for the first time.

The opening day for the house comes on Black Friday and offers the best alternative to waiting in line at big box stores. Why wait in line to fight off the hordes of people crowding all around you when you can come Downtown and shop in our locally owned shops with friendly staff that is eager to help you find the perfect gifts this season. If the shopping gets too intense Santa is ready for you and the kids to come take a load off and sit on his lap. With the best Santa’s House in the county, it’s easy to steer clear of the chaos of the mall and

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Continued from previous page make a beeline for Downtown. astly, with all of the events going on this month I want to say that I am thankful for all of the support from you.

The San Luis Obispo Downtown Association is dedicated

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to serving all of our community and as business owners, residents, members of Council, City employees, guests and students you deserve to have the very best Downtown in the country. When you come to our events or send us comments on our Facebook page we feel the love and it feels just as great as a big old bear hug from Downtown Brown at Farmers’ Market.

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new guests here at Wineman Jason Luke, Owner GrillHaus.”

851 Higuera Street ineman (805) 305-2953 GrillHaus specializes www.facebook.com/winemangrillhaus in bratwurst, ou can now find a bit of German fare in Downtown San burgers, and Luis Obispo. When you dine at the newest restaurant, traditional Wineman GrillHaus, you’ll be greeted by a friendly wait German dishes staff dressed in traditional German attire and a menu with a California featuring a blend of German-American dishes. GrillHaus twist. There are opened its doors in the historic Wineman Hotel in early also ten draft beer selections split between German and September. Owner and Cal Poly graduate, Jason Luke American craft. The bottled selection is an eclectic mix of says, “We chose the Downtown San Luis location because amazing local and international choices. The wine offering of the highly dynamic and energetic population present includes a select list of local favorites chosen to pair in the neighborhood. The area is comprised of families, perfectly with the GrillHaus menu. students and professionals that desire delicious food, an ineman GrillHaus is now open for lunch & dinner energetic fun atmosphere, and above all excellent customer and has both indoor and outdoor seating overlooking service. We are very much looking forward to serving our Higuera Street in beautiful Downtown San Luis Obispo.

Wineman GrillHaus

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with genuine concern for their Carol Furtado, Financial Advisor needs and wants Sherry Graziano, Branch Office Administrator while providing personal, face1042 Palm Street, Suite 100 to-face service (805) 593-0103 locally. Furtado carol.furtado@EdwardJones.com adds, “I help my clients navigate dward Jones is a partnership with 12,000 financial advisors each with their own branch office in large cities the investment and small towns throughout the United States and Canada. world and make Financial Advisor Carol Furtado recently opened a branch adjustments as Carol Furtado and Sherry Graziano in Downtown San Luis Obispo located at 1042 Palm Street, needed while Suite 100. She chose SLO to open her branch because she keeping them informed of new opportunities as they arise.” loves the energy. She says, “Everyone is so upbeat and positive. There is an entrepreneurial spirit that appeals to urtado welcomes all investors. There are no minimum me. You have to be bold and innovative to make it in SLO dollar requirements. She believes, “Everyone deserves and I like that atmosphere. The Downtown Association has an opportunity to sit-down, face-to-face with a financial done an amazing job attracting and keeping a vibrant mix advisor to have a conversation about his or her retirement of all types of businesses in Downtown San Luis Obispo. goals.”

I know that our Edwards Jones branch will be a valuable urtado and Branch Office Administrator Sherry Graziano resource for our neighbors.” look forward to meeting their new neighbors in illions of investors have found Edward Jones to be a Downtown San Luis Obispo. The branch is open Mondayvaluable resource in providing appropriate guidance Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM and by appointment after hours for working toward their long-term financial goals and and weekends. You can call them at (805) 593-0103 or objectives. Edward Jones built its business by treating clients contact Carol directly at carol.furtado@edwardjones.com.

Edward Jones

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For more information on Downtown Association events, programs and activities, or to sign up for our weekly Deliver-E newsletter, visit www.DowntownSLO.com

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BUSINESS UPDATE

PG&E CREWS ARE WORKING TO MEET CuSTOMER’S ELECTRIC NEEDS

By Pat Mullen, Local Division Director for PG&E

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G&E crews have been busy in San Luis Obispo County. You may have seen our blue trucks or our men and women in hard hats. You may be wondering what we’re doing in your neighborhood. PG&E’s local division leadership teams are continuing to make a real difference in providing our customers safe, reliable and affordable energy with a strong focus on excellent service. As the Local Division Leader for PG&E, I’d like to share some answers to questions that might be on your mind.

The simple answer is that PG&E is investing billions of dollars to enhance the safety, reliability and affordability of our electric service across our service area, which stretches from the Oregon border to Santa Ynez Valley.

To do that, we’re upgrading electric facilities, replacing electric wires, installing new technologies, and putting highly skilled employees on the ground to find and fix problems and strengthen the existing system.

In fact, from 2011–2013, PG&E invested more than $279 million in our electric infrastructure throughout San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara counties to improve electric reliability for our customers. In 2014, we are continuing this aggressive investment with an additional $69 million.

This funding is fueling key projects, such as replacing substation equipment to increase reliability for our customers, installing Smart Grid and automated equipment to reduce the frequency and duration of outages, increasing the capacity of our equipment to meet growing electricity demand, and investing in and upgrading existing infrastructure.

The result of all this work across PG&E’s system, and here locally, is paying off for our customers. I’m pleased to say that in 2013, PG&E customers experienced the lowest number of power outages, and the shortest duration outages, in company history.

This is a big accomplishment, but our work is not over. PG&E employees living and working in your community will continue to improve our system with the goal of delivering to you even cleaner, safer and more reliable energy.

On behalf of PG&E, we thank you for your help keeping the community safe. As always, if you see a downed power line, leave the area immediately and then call 9-1-1 or PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. Never, ever touch a downed power line or go near one. For more tips on electric safety, visit http://www.pge.com/en/safety/electricsafety/index.page. To learn more about our work in your community, visit www.pgeseeourprogress.com.

“The result of all this work across PG&E’s system, and here locally, is paying off for our customers.”

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canzona women’s ensemble fall concert

Canzona Women’s Ensemble presents their fall concert, A Tapestry of Song, on November 9th, at 4PM in the Cuesta College Performing Arts Center. This concert features music with an international flair, highlighting the group’s upcoming tour to Vancouver, Canada for the Tapestry International Choral Festival. The first half includes songs from Australia, Slovenia, Latvia, Italy, Canada, Argentina and Norway. The second half is American music, with everything from traditional folk music and sea shanties to a contemporary setting of Emily Dickinson’s poetry. The Concert Choir from Central Coast Children’s Choir will be featured guests. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door and $10 for students. They are available online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/858255 or visit www. canzonawomen.com for more information.

Blues Baseball names new head coach

SLO Blues Baseball General Manager Adam Stowe has announced that effective immediately, local resident and business owner, Jamie Clark, will assume the roll of Head Coach of the Blues. Clark will be relinquishing his role as a Director on the board of the San Luis Obispo Blues non-profit foundation, a position he has held for the past 4 years, to take over as the SLO Blues skipper—filling the void created by the departure of Coach Chal Fanning, who left in early September to assume the role of Pitching Coach for Austin Peay State University. “We are extremely thankful to have had Coach Fanning for all these years. He will be greatly missed,” commented Stowe.

Turkey Trot for the Food Bank

There are two Turkey Trots scheduled on Thanksgiving Day this year.

The first is the annual 2-mile or 10K run beginning at Tank Farm and Broad Street, SLO at 8am. The second trot is the 3rd Annual South County at the Beach Turkey Trot that takes place at the Pismo Beach Pier at 8:30am. All proceeds from participants and sponsors go to the SLO County Food Bank Coalition. There is no registration fee to participate, however, “trotters” may donate $10 and two cans of food in SLO and $1 and one can of food in Pismo.

katcho recognizes slo botanical garden’s 25th

Assemblymember Katcho Achadjian presented a Certificate “in appreciation of twenty-five years of dedicated service to the community” and a generous donation to the SLO Botanical Garden recently. Accepting the award were Madeline Moore, president, Eva Vigil, founder, and Debbie Hoover, operations director. The Botanical Garden celebrated its accomplishments over the first twenty-five years at a celebratory luncheon and set forth its goals going forward. Two projects were highlighted, the landscaping of the Visitor Center and the Firesafe Demonstration Landscape, to be completed in 2015.

central coast economic forecast looks to 2015

The Central Coast Economic Forecast (CCEF) annual event is set for Friday, Nov. 7 at the Alex Madonna Expo Center in SLO. Analysts Chris Thornberg and Jordan Levine of Beacon Economics will once again present year-in-review information along with 2015 projections for local, state and national economies. This year’s program includes Washington, DC based columnist and economic blogger Megan McArdle. McArdle, the Bloomberg View author of “The Up Side of Down” will discuss how failure drives success. The annual forecast event begins with continental breakfast at 7:30 a.m. followed by forecast presentations from 8:3011:30 a.m. Bob Wacker will serve as master of ceremonies. Cost is $120 before 10/31 and $135 after. Reservations can be made online at slochamber.org, or by fax to (805) 543-1255.

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women’s shelter receives janssen grant

The Women’s Shelter Program of SLO County (WSP) was presented with a check for $3,000 from the Janssen Youth & Youth Sports Fund.

This funding will support an innovative “Sports Enrollment Project” that will provide access to organized fitness programs to low income, traumatized child and adolescent victims of domestic violence and abuse. This resource will seek to foster the innate resiliency of these children while encouraging pro-social, healthy behavior. Celebrating its 35th year of existence this year, the Women’s Shelter Program of San Luis Obispo County has been providing services to the local community since 1979. For more information visit www.wspslo.org.

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season, taking place on January 25, 2015, as well. The WinterMezzo Series brings together exceptional artists from across the country under the direction of the Festival’s music director, Scott Yoo. Mr. Yoo will perform as violinist in these programs alongside featured guest artists pianist John Novacek, cellist Bion Tsang, violinist Serena McKinney, violist Ben Ullery, flutist Alice Dade and cellist Michelle Djokic. Festival Mozaic’s 2015 Summer Music Festival —the Festival’s 45th Anniversary Season—will be held from July 16-26, 2015. About Festival Mozaic: Festival Mozaic (founded in 1971 as the Mozart Festival) is a celebration of five centuries of music that takes place year-round in varied venues across SLO County.

For more information, please visit www.FestivalMozaic.com.

growing together grant to big brothers/sisters

The Growing Together Endowment Fund housed at the Community Foundation, awarded a grant of $3,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters to ameliorate and counteract the effects of anti-gay bullying and oppression by matching six possible LGBTQIA youth with supportive adult mentors. In the photo, Elie Axelroth from the Growing Together Advisory Council and Janice Fong Wolf from the Community Foundation present a check to Anna BoydBucy and Madge Morningstar, both from Big Brothers Big Sisters of SLO County.

Help our veterans

festival mozaic’s wintermezzo series

Tickets are on sale now for Festival Mozaic’s WinterMezzo Series. This popular summer music festival’s chamber music series will take place November 14-16, 2014, and February 20-22, 2015 at various locations around scenic SLO County. A new benefit concert has been added to the

VA clinic in San Luis is asking for volunteers to serve our Veterans as shuttle drivers. To help pay tribute and express your appreciation for their service, learn about volunteering at your local VA clinic. For more information contact your local VA volunteer representative Mr. Larry Foster at 805-354-6004 or send an email to Lawrence.Foster@va.gov.

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martin luther king jr. scholarship program honors emeritus directors

Last month the Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Scholarship Committee held a special dinner in Avila Beach honoring seven past committee members for their dedicated work with the program. The dinner was hosted by MLK’s President, Mary Matakovich. The seven new Emeritus Directors include: Dennis Ahearn (posthumous), Glen Dollohan (posthumous), Pat Crawford, Rusty Duval, Jesse Norris (posthumous), Nellie Regalado, and Martha Steward. Pictured above accepting the honor are Delia Norris, Sandy Ahearn and Martha Stewart. The program has given out more than 300 scholarships since 1963. The funds generated come from individual donations and a chicken dinner held at the SLO Elk’s Club on Super Bowl Sunday.

already provided by the existing nurse navigator. The HCRC will also offer bilingual educational tools about breast cancer, and increase the number of free mammography clinics, provided at no charge to local low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women. In addition, the grant will help provide transportation services to patients in remote parts of SLO County.

Artisan’s faire coming to pismo beach

It’s the perfect time of year to get outdoors, visit Pismo Beach, and do some holiday shopping as the Woman’s Club of Arroyo Grande holds their 7th annual Artisan’s Faire. This year’s event takes place Saturday, November 8, 2014 at the Pismo Beach Veteran’s Memorial Hall, 780 Bello Street, from 10am–5pm. Over 25 artisans are participating offering an amazing variety of items—from jewelry, clothing, fine art, cards, crocheted items, plants, wood and so much more. Also available at the Artisan’s Café find homemade sandwiches, soups, salads and desserts to support your energy while shopping. For more information go to www.womansclubofarroyogrande.org.

avon grant to dignity health

French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) which along with Arroyo Grande Community Hospital (AGCH) and Marian Regional Medical Center (MRMC), are Dignity Health Central Coast hospitals, is pleased to be the recipient of a grant in the amount of $100,000 from the proceeds of the 12th annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. With the support of the Avon Foundation, the Hearst Cancer Resource Center (HCRC) at FHMC will be able to enhance the many services it offers to the community.

Specifically, the grant will support the addition of a bilingual lay patient navigator who will provide outreach and guidance to Hispanic-Latina women in the community. This will complement the comprehensive care

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performance athletics gymnasts win top awards

Gymnasts from Performance Athletics Gymnastics won top awards at the Raisin Fest Meet, held recently in Visalia, California. 47 gymnasts from around the state participated in the level 3 competition, and 44 in the level 4/5 competition. The event was hosted by the Central California Gymnastics Institute of Visalia. Among the honors for Performance Athletics gymnasts is 1st place Team Award for the level 3 girls. Several individuals on the team earned the highest scores of the meet!

THE BULLETIN BOARD navy airman sean gillson building new ship

A 2001 graduate of San Luis High School is serving in the U.S. Navy as part of a handselected crew charged with bringing the Navy’s newest and most advanced amphibious assault ship into service. Airman Sean Gillson is serving aboard the amphibious assault ship America, currently home-ported in San Diego. When construction and sea trials are complete and the Navy officially accepts the ship from the builder, the ship will be placed into commission and will become USS America. Gillson and the rest of the 900-person crew are slowly bringing the ship to life, overseeing construction, testing new equipment, training on new systems and executing trials at sea. The crew will eventually grow to more than 1,200 Sailors and nearly 1,900 embarked Marines when the ship is at sea. When complete, USS America will be 844 feet long and 106 feet wide and will weigh nearly 45,000 tons.

kim brown sims named chief nursing officer

Kim Brown Sims has been named Chief Nursing Officer at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center. Sims, who brings more than 25 years of management experience, will be responsible for the more than 300 registered nurses at Sierra Vista as well as the overall clinical quality of the largest hospital in San Luis Obispo County, a 164-bed tertiary care facility. Sims comes to Sierra Vista having last served as Assistant Administrator, Women’s & Children’s Services at Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento. Prior to that she spent four years at Kaiser Permanente in the Sacramento area most recently as Director,

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Administrative Services at Kaiser Permanente in Roseville. She also worked for Adventist Health for three years and spent time in private industry working at a San Francisco-based software start-up.

kjwl radio adds morning news with dick mason

K-JEWEL Radio recently added Morning News to their lineup anchored

by Award Winning broadcaster Dick Mason. A favorite for years, K-Jewel plays Adult Standards from Frank Sinatra and Barbara Streisand to current artists like Michael Buble, Norah Jones, and Harry Connick Jr. as well as the San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Lakers.

K-Jewel has now brought on Dick Mason to anchor a news department.

K-Jewel will have a news hour weekday mornings from 7 am to 8 am, and will have news updates twice per hour until 12 noon. Mason has been on the air on the central coast for over thirty-five years, with US98, KVEC, KZOZ, and KPRL to name a few. He will cover local news stories, local high school and collegiate sports, give traffic and weather updates, as well as offer features for Medical, Financial, and Agriculture. K-Jewel is heard throughout SLO county on both 1400 AM and 106.5 FM.

31st Annual slo Poetry festival

The 31st Annual SLO Poetry Festival will be held at several venues throughout the county. The Festival begins on Sunday, November 2, at 3pm in the Steynberg Gallery, 1531 Monterey St. SLO. It moves on to the Atascadero Library on Friday, November 7 at 7pm. Also on Friday and Saturday, November 14 and 15, at 7pm at the SLO Museum of Art, 1010 Broad St., SLO. Finally on Sunday, November 16, at 7pm at Linnaea’s Cafe, 1110 Garden St., SLO. Tickets are $8 General and $6 student/sr. (on 11/7 & 11/16 donations only). For complete listing and more information: see www. languageofthesoul.org and on facebook at The Annual SLO Museum of Art.

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COMMUNITY

eye on business TURNING FAILURE INTO SUCCESS

By Maggie Cox, Barnett Cox & Associates

A

nyone in business has likely participated in a team building exercise. Maybe it was at a planning retreat, or an industry conference, or a simple staff meeting. The focus is generally the same: people are broken into teams and tasked with solving problems ranging from choosing the supplies needed to survive a crash on the moon to getting a group of people over a high wall without a ladder or a rope.

There’s a famous exercise that challenges teams to use uncooked spaghetti, a length of tape, a piece of string and marshmallows in a competition to build the tallest freestanding structure. Peter Skillman, who is now an executive at Nokia, was in charge of user experience with Palm some years ago, and he used the spaghetti challenge as the center of an experiment to better understand behavior.

He gathered a group of 150 people that included engineers, MBA’s, students and young people. He broke the group into teams of three or four people of similar background or training and asked them to build/create spaghetti buildings.

The results were very illuminating. Business executives performed the worst (Skillman

said they spent more time discussing who was in charge than getting down to business). The engineers, armed with specialized education and knowledge, performed far better. But, the highest performers of all—no kidding—were the young people, as in very young—kindergarteners. Why? According to Skillman, the kids were not afraid to fail.

They just jumped in and started working on the problem. Trying and failing. Experimenting. Sticking spaghetti in marshmallows and ultimately creating careening, tall structures that looked crazy but stood.

I am borrowing this tale from “The Upside of Down: Why Failing Well is the Key to Success” by Megan McArdle. McArdle is a Washington, DC based journalist who is a columnist at Bloomberg View and appears regularly on MSNBC, Fox News, and NPR. She has been a correspondent for the Atlantic and the Economist and started one of the first business and economics blogs, Asymmetric Information. Her book on the importance of failure was released earlier this year. It’s a fun, illuminating and encouraging read. And we have the opportunity to hear more about her premise when Megan McArdle speaks at the Central Coast Eco-

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nomic Forecast event here in SLO on Friday, November 7 (pictured above).

How can you not look forward to a speaker who has spent time with big and small business leaders, entrepreneurs and others, and who has found that we can “blunder our way to the top”? One of McArdle’s interview subjects talks about finding success as a result of “luck, having our backs to the wall, running out of money and finally listening to the market;” another says his company almost died and then figured out in crisis what it really did for a living. McArdle’s point of view is that failing well is the key to success; that’s it’s truly in the dark times that we learn and move ourselves ahead.

She talks about major setbacks, accidents, mistakes, failures and disasters, and studies and identifies why some people bounce back and move on to hit home runs. She offers tips on recognizing mistakes early to channel setbacks into future success. We’ve all heard the adage that we learn more from failure than success, but we also know that failure hurts, and in some cases, cripples. It’s easy to get stuck or sidelined by fear. I’m excited to hear from a researcher, author and business expert who has real world examples of, well, the Upside of Down.

The Central Coast Economic Forecast is slated for Friday morning, November 7 at the Alex Madonna Expo Center. Beacon Economics’ analysts Chris Thornberg and Jordan Levine round out the speaker dais. The fast paced annual event regularly attracts more than 400 business and organization leaders.

More information at www.centralcoasteconomicforecast.com; tickets through www. slochamber.rog.

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