March 2015 Journal Plus

JEFF SPEVACK | NORMA MOYE | JIM DAVIS | YOGA & PETER STERIOS | LIBRARY BOOK SALE

JournalPLUS MARCH 2015

MAGA ZINE 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

28

CANZONA CHOIR ON TOUR

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 Jan Owens, Kyle Owens, Jim Parsons, Gary Story

10

30

NORMA MOYE

LOREN ROBERTS

ADVERTISING Steve Owens CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Susan Stewart, Natasha Dalton, Joseph Carotenuti, Dr. James Brescia, Sarah Hedger, Maggie Cox, Will Jones, Deborah Cash, Heather Young, Ruth Starr, Gordon Fuglie, Don Morris, Mike Robinson,Rebecca Juretic, Jamie Reith, Charmaine Coimbra, 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 7 8 10 12 16 18

TEN TO REMEMBER JEFF SPEVACK NORMA MOYE JANE SHEFFER MEG CROCKETT JIM DAVIS

HOME & OUTDOOR 20 22 24 26

THE CLOWNS OF MARCH YOGA BEYOND BORDERS FOOD / AT THE MARKET

COMMUNITY

28 30 31 32 34 36 41 42

CANZONA CHOIR GOES ON TOUR GREATEST ATHLETES OF SLO GET FIT FAST—Mike Robinson HISTORY: A President Arrives, part 2 CUESTA COLLEGE’S BOOK OF THE YEAR PALM STREET OUR SCHOOLS—Dr. James Brescia COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

BUSINESS

37 DOWNTOWN SLO What’s Happening 46 EYE ON BUSINESS

SLO LIBRARY BOOK SALE

M A R C H

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COMING UP AT THE

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

PERFORMING ARTS CENTER LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO March 01 | 7:00 p.m.

Christopher Cohan Center Presented by Cal Poly Arts

THE OTHER SHORE

RAIN: A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES March 16 | 7:30 p.m.

Christopher Cohan Center Presented by Cal Poly Arts

March 5-7 | 8:00 p.m.

RAMSEY LEWIS/JOHN PIZZARELLI

Alex & Faye Spanos Theatre

March 19 | 7:30 p.m.

Presented by Cal Poly Theatre & Dance Department

Christopher Cohan Center Presented by Cal Poly Arts

WINTER CONCERT: ‘ROMANCE AND THE ROMANTICS’

RHYTHMS 2015

March 07 | 8:00 p.m.

March 20 & 21 | 7:00 p.m.

Christopher Cohan Center

Alex & Faye Spanos Theatre

Presented by Cal Poly Music Department

Presented by CORE Dance Company

SYMPHONY WINTER CONCERT: ‘STUDENT SHOWCASE/ORCHESIS’

2CELLOS

March 08 | 3:00 p.m.

March 21 | 8:00 p.m.

Christopher Cohan Center

Christopher Cohan Center

Presented by Cal Poly Music Department

Presented by Cal Poly Arts

SLOIFF - FEAR NO FRUIT (WORLD PREMIERE) March 08 | 7:00 p.m.

CENTRAL COAST CHILDREN'S CHOIR WITH INGA SWEARINGEN

Alex & Faye Spanos Theatre

March 22 | 7:00 p.m.

Presented by SLO International Film Festival

Christopher Cohan Center

NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT

Presented by Central Coast Children's Choir

March 11 | 7:30 p.m.

IN THE MOOD

Christopher Cohan Center

March 25 | 7:00 p.m.

Presented by Cal Poly Arts

Christopher Cohan Center

UNIVERSITY JAZZ BANDS’ JUST JAZZ CONCERT March 13 | 8:00 p.m.

Alex & Faye Spanos Theatre Presented by Cal Poly Music Department

CLASSICS IN THE COHAN IV: BY REQUEST - SUBSCRIBER’S CHOICE! March 14 | 8:00 p.m.

Presented by ArtBeat, Inc

ALTAN March 27 | 8:00 p.m.

Alex & Faye Spanos Theatre Presented by Cal Poly Arts

THE CRUCIBLE

Christopher Cohan Center

March 28| 7:00 p.m.

March 29| 2:00 p.m.

Presented by SLO Symphony

Alex & Faye Spanos Theatre

HAPA

Presented by The Civic Ballet of SLO

March 14 | 8:00 p.m.

Christopher Cohan Center Presented by Cal Poly Arts

SLO SYMPHONY PRESENTS THE FAMILY & CHILDREN’S CONCERT: 'FLY ME TO THE MOON' March 29 | 3:00 p.m.

MET LIVE IN HD: LA DONNA DEL LAGO March 15 | 2:00 p.m.

Christopher Cohan Center Presented by Cal Poly Arts

Christopher Cohan Center Presented by SLO Youth Symphony

From the publisher

I

”m asked quite often if we will run out of potential people to write about who make a difference in this community. My short answer is “not anytime soon.”

This is one of those rare communities that continues to give back. One instance happened again recently when J.T. Hass won PG&E’s prestigious Mielke Community Service Award for the third time. Instead of keeping the money, he gave the $5,000 check to Transitions Mental Health ... for the third time (pictured below, third from right).

Spring into Spring with a smile!

NEW PATIENTS WELCOME!

There are also several stories inside on people making a difference, including: Peter Sterios helping the people in Nicaragua, Jim Davis and his good deeds with Goodwill and the homeless shelter, Jeff Spevack with Rotary and the Bicycle Coalition and Norma Moye’s dedication to Main Street in Paso Robles.

Finally, our cover story on Jane Sheffer will amaze you.

This young woman of 27 has done more to help others than most of us have done in a lifetime.

Enjoy the magazine,

REMEMBER, WE’VE MOVED!

11545 LOS OSOS VALLEY ROAD SUITE A • SAN LUIS OBISPO • PARKING AROUND THE BACK

Steve Owens

CALL US AT 805-541-5800 TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT.

PEOPLE

who will remember

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a memorial without a home

By Lynne Ludwick Higgins

T

he ten young men pictured were killed not long after these photos were taken. They were active, vital San Luis boys who enjoyed sports, played music, and belonged to families who loved them.

Most of the ten were drafted, but some enlisted, to fight in the Vietnam War—a war like no other. Bill Killian, a Santa Maria high school history teacher, wasn’t satisfied to see only the pictures of the ten locals who gave up their lives for our country; he wanted to know who they were.

A Cal Poly grad who lives in San Luis, Bill is a man who loves history, majored in history, teaches history and became acutely interested in the Vietnam War. Surprised to learn there was no memorial to honor these ten young men, he collected information and photographs and talked with people who knew them until he felt he had personally known each of them. He created a memorial to honor these barely grown men who were sent into a war they didn’t choose, who gave up their dreams, and lost their lives. Their stories are written, photographs have been collected, a display case plan has been drawn up, funds are being raised. The passion is there, but until a home is found for it, no one can view and appreciate it. Bill is still searching for a location to house this tribute to these ten young men who were more than just a name on a wall.

I have a personal interest because my uncle, Eddy, was one of the ten; Edward August Schultz became an uncle at three years old when I was born. I was the first in a long line of nieces and nephews who hung from his arms, climbed on his back, counted his freckles and followed him around the farm while he demonstrated the patience of a Buddhist monk. He was my mother’s baby brother, the youngest of six children, born to my grandmother when she was 40. Most family members called him “Daddy’s Tail” because he followed Grandpa around the farm, milking cows, riding the tractor, cutting hay, feeding the chickens. He showed heifers and steer at the fair, rode his horse, bailed hay, attended the Lutheran church, and he always had a smile and a kind word. Although on the track and wrestling teams, he still had time to work at Madonna Inn as a busboy and bale hay in the summers. He was FFA president and earned the State Farmer Award. He was one of the hardest working people I knew and he did it matter-of-factly, like it was important, not like it was a chore. When drafted, he took it the same way. Like it was important. I never once heard him complain. He eased my fears by telling me that more people were killed on freeways than in Vietnam. So when we said good-bye that night before he left, I never dreamed I would never see him again—the boy I looked up to, who helped teach me right from wrong, who saved my life by whipping around, dropping to the ground and yanking me up when I fell down a steep bank. He was always my hero and that is how he died at 21, a hero, so far away from home.

The other nine had families who loved them, too. Jon Young was the son of a widowed mother who learned her only child

was killed on a muddy river bank along the Ba Lai River.

Mike Miner was a well-liked football player at SLO High.

Joe Martin grew up on Pacific Street, loved hunting, fishing and camping at the local lakes. But his life was cut short after a 3-day battle along the Rach Gia River. Larry Baldwin was a 30-year-old father of two little girls. Fred Quiroz is remembered by many as that skinny, friendly guy who always had a smile and played in a band at Surf’s Up and other local hotspots. Roy Davis was on the SLO High track team, he worked on cars and in Vietnam became a helicopter crew chief. Roy died at 21 on his 2nd tour of duty when his helicopter was attacked near Firebase Tango. David Kingsbury grew up in Ventura, but came to SLO as a Cal Poly student and later became an instructor at Cal Poly before losing his life in a helicopter crash in Vietnam, leaving a wife and three children. Dennis Bruce signed up for Vietnam in San Luis while living with his brother in Atascadero. At 21 his life ended when he stepped on a land mine. Richard Vaughn was born in SLO and moved away. He returned during summers to stay with his grandparents, the Snowmans, and he worked at Riley’s one summer. That fall, Richard joined the Marines as a second lieutenant and lost his life in Nam Hoa in 1967.

Bill Killian has come to know these brave young men who were once vibrant lives in the heart of San Luis Obispo.

They faced danger at every turn, and they ultimately lost their lives in a land too far from home. Bill has collected pictures, stories and memories from their loved ones to help us remember who they really were, and not just a high school photo or a name etched into a wall. He hopes we’ll never forget the ultimate sacrifice they made for their country. He has designed a display case to house the memorabilia, is collecting funds to have it built, and he’s in the process of searching for a home for this memorial. If you would like to help support this cause in any way, please contact Bill at wkillian@smjuhsd.org Pictured from Top to Bottom: Eddie Schultz, Dave Kingsbury, Dennis Bruce, Jon Young, Larry Baldwin, Richard Vaughn, Joseph Martin, Alfred Quiroz, Roy Davis, Mike Miner

Reach thousands of potential customers by placing your ad in the Journal Plus.

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PEOPLE

car guy

jeff Spevack

urging people to bicycle more!

By Heather Young

J

eff Spevack is a man who makes a living fixing and maintaining automobiles, and who loves to take to the streets on his bicycle.

“Despite the fact that he makes his living fixing cars, Jeff is a huge advocate for alternative transportation, namely bicycles, and believes San Luis Obispo would be a better place with fewer cars and more bike riders and pedestrians,” said Ron Yukelson, Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center’s Associate Administrator.

Spevack said he does not find it strange that he’s a car guy making a living fixing cars and is also an advocate for alternative transportation and cleaner air. He said that encouraging people to bicycle more and drive less does not mean he will lose business. At his shop, he looks to be as environmentally friendly as he can.

“We throw away less at the shop than we do at home,” Spevack said, adding that one way to keep cars from putting out excess pollutants is to keep them well-maintained. “I think we should do whatever is good for the world. There are plenty of cars out there.”

Not only an avid cyclist, Jeff’s also on the board of the County Bicycle Coalition, where he and the board advocate for safer bicycling though dedicated lanes and better bicycle riders. They also lobby for legislation that puts more money toward bicycle lanes. The coalition’s mission is to “improve the quality of life in San Luis Obispo County through bicycle advocacy, education and inspiration.”

“We do education in the schools,” Spevack explained. “We also teach the adults to ride, to be a safe bicycle rider. If you want to ride your bike but are scared, then taking one of our classes will make you a more confident rider.”

Spevack, who has owned Continental Motor Works in San Luis Obispo since 1981, got into bicycling when he was looking for a way to stay fit. But he needed something that would be easier on his Jeff (right) and Matt Permatiesen. They do a weekly call-in talk show called “Motor Mouths” on KVEC Radio.

If you want to ride your bike but are scared, then taking one of our classes will make you a more confident rider.” body after a hip replacement made it hard to continue jogging or playing sports.

“I’m not really a gym rat; I like being outside. Then I got into the whole culture of it. Just riding my bike makes me a more fit person,” Spevack said, adding that it also makes for cleaner air.

Spevack graduated from Ohio University in the early 1970s with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. Though he’d never heard of our town, he moved to San Luis Obispo in 1974 to be close to his thengirlfriend. Even after they broke up, he stayed on. Later, he married a local girl and had two children: a daughter, Anne, who is getting her master’s degree at the University of California Berkeley and a son, Sam, who is attending Cuesta College. Both of his children graduated from SLO High School.

When he moved to this area, Spevack had never worked on cars before, but because he didn’t have any money, he found himself working on his car.

“I love the cause and effect of having something broken and being able to fix it,” he said. So he completed the auto program at Cuesta and then opened his shop on Laurel Lane in 1981.

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In addition to being a business owner and bicycle coalition member, Spevack serves as a Rotary Club member and volunteers to fix cars for the women’s shelter. He’s also been involved as a big brother for the homeless shelter. And he has a weekly radio show, “Motor Mouths,” on KVEC AM920 every Saturday from 8 to 9 a.m. which he co-hosts with Matt’s Brake and Alignment owner Matt Permatiesen.

“Mostly, I try to put everything into the bicycle coalition now,” Spevack said.

He rides his bicycle recreationally around the county three times a week, putting in about 100 miles a week. He typically rides on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday with different groups.

“It’s a great physical aerobic activity, a very social activity, and a great stress reliever,” Spevack said. “When I get on my bike, I feel like a giddy kid.”

When he’s not riding or working, Spevack can likely be found at the beach with his three dogs. Though he said he’s not much of a bicycle commuter, the bike he rode to work can be found leaning against the front window. He owns three different bicycles that he uses for different activities. For recreational road rides he rides his Specialized Tarmac; for commuting, he rides the more stabilized Trek with fatter tires.

“I invite everyone to join the [San Luis Obispo] Bicycle Club and the bike coalition,” Spevack said. “We’d love to have more volunteers. We need your help.”

For more information on the bike coalition, go to www.slobikelane. org. For more on the bike club, go to www.slobc.org.

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PEOPLE

THE MAIN (STREET) THINGS ... LIFE, FAMILY, COMMUNITY, WORK

NORMA MOYE

BRINGING JOY AND SUCCESS TO THE TOWN SHE LOVES

By Deborah Cash

N

orma Jean Della-Bitta Vanderlip Moye.

Like her name, nothing—except her stature—is small about Norma Moye, a lifelong Paso Robles resident and currently the executive director of the Paso Robles Main Street Association, a position she’s held since 1992. Moye’s got the personality of a firecracker, the energy of a dozen people a fraction her age, the straightforwardness of an arrow and a passion for her community that has manifested in her historic downtown becoming an awardwinning and very successful business district. Add to that she’s a bit zany and is the first to laugh and make light of life. When asked her age, for example, her standard reply is “Like Zsa Zsa Gabor once said, ‘It’s none of your damn business, dahling!’”

Moye’s history is closely integrated into the town where she lives, works and plays. A fourth generation Paso Roblan, Norma was born, raised and has always lived there. Her children and grandchildren are fifth and sixth generation residents. Moye’s mother, Frances Richetti, was born in Paso Robles: the same Dr. Sobey delivered both her mother and her. Moye’s father, Fernando Della-Bitta, was born in Italy. While her parents lived at their downtown business, a grocery store and rooming house on Pine Street known as the Hotel D’Italiano, Moye, an only child, lived with her grandmother Teodora Richetti on a farm (located on Ronconi land on Paso Robles Street) for 12 years, “milking cows and bringing in the hay.” Moye said, “As a child, I was difficult to discipline and my grandmother taught me right from wrong; otherwise, I’d get a bean stick over the head.” From her grandmother, Moye said, she learned to keep moving and today is a self-admitted workaholic with high values. “Some of my family’s teachings rubbed off!” she mused, though Moye does enjoy sharing the anecdote that at her grandmother’s home only Italian was spoken; while Moye spoke English back to

her, it didn’t keep her from saying the occasional “naughty” word in her grandmother’s tongue—“out came the bean stick!”

A true homebody, Moye said her mother once tried to send her away to acting school— unsuccessfully.

“I didn’t want to leave home,” she said. “I locked myself in the closet.” Moye, who had aspirations of being an actress, said she believed anything she wanted to accomplish she could do “right here,” and fortuitously, “A movie company came to town and I was able to play a bit part and then joined local theatre groups where I managed to get several leading roles.”

Moye said when she was young her dream was to have a husband, children and a home where she would be the perfect housewife—cooking and gardening just like in the movies. “Boy, what a rude awakening!” she laughed. “Instead I had two husbands, four children, more than one home, large gardens and jobs with long hard hours.” But Moye said every decision and every job had led her to where she is today and she loves it all.

Norma Moye’s Family

Moye, voted school May Queen in 1951, graduated from Paso Robles High School, married her high school sweetheart and gridiron star Manford Vanderlip—“it’s the old story of the cheerleader and the football player!”—and together they raised four children while Moye worked at Camp Roberts as a typist then later, was employed in a variety of occupations including managing dress shops, buying for and managing four “Redi Western” stores, starting a singing telegram business and then selling real estate. It was about this time, early 1970s, that she married her second husband Bob Moye M A R C H

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for my life,” she says. “I remember the policeman who picked me up and said I was ‘out of it,’ and I kept saying ‘I have things to do, I have to get up!’ And God knows, I’ve been getting up ever since!” Giving thanks is core to Moye who has a long list of things she’s grateful for including “the 250 volunteers that give to Main Street and give their time to our programs.” In true Norma fashion she adds, “I believe that life is a precious gift from God. You can move mountains if you keep a positive attitude.” Without missing a beat, she follows up, “God gave me patience, but can we please hurry up?”

and together, along with business partners, they worked to develop the prestigious residential areas of Paso Robles known as Peterson Ranch and Spanish Camp.

In 1975, Moye purchased and restored an 1890 Queen Anne Victorian home on Vine Street that is now on the National Register of Historic Places and where she still lives today with “my ghost, Mr. Moody.”

Moye said her proudest accomplishment is raising her four children: Vicki Blackburn, Matt Vanderlip, Vince Vanderlip and Patti Baldwin. She is a doting grandmother to Callie, Lindsey and Jonathan and now, great granddaughter Zoe. And though she also said she was sorry her marriages didn’t work out, she doesn’t consider them failures. “I learned to take care of myself and I’m still learning,” she said. “What did I do about it? I never remarried and came to realize I’m better at work than marriage.”

Second only to her children in life achievements, she says, is the result of her work as the Main Street manager/executive director of the Paso Robles Main Street Association including garnering the Governor’s Award for Excellence in 1999 and 2001 and The National Trust Historic Preservation’s Great American Main Street Award in 2004.

Behind those follow other endeavors she lists as sources of pride: co-founding the Paso Robles Historical Society, involvement in Diamond Lil and the Girls of the Barbary Coast and the Vine Street Victorian Christmas Showcase. She’s been a champion

Norma’s baby picture—4th generation Paso Roblan

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how Norma views life: “I haven’t grown old yet; it seems there’s always someone older than me!”

“If I had known I was going to live this long, maybe I would have taken better care of myself!”

“Never lose your dreams but DON’T write your script! Stay involved in your community, it’s your home!”

Norma Way—an alley in Downtown Paso

of preserving heritage properties and has served on many boards and committees for the betterment of the community and particularly, Downtown Paso Robles. Norma was also named “Pioneer Day Queen” of Paso Robles in 2013.

“Be generous with your time and talent and possessions. Take pride and love your community. And remember the world is run by those who show up!”

A serious auto accident when Moye was 25 years old almost killed her. “I’m so grateful

1951 Head Yell Leader, Paso Robles High.

Norma as a Barbary Coast Girl M A R C H

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PEOPLE

jane Sheffer ccc, nps, usfws

By Will Jones I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

—Robert Frost

I

n April, 2010, Jane Sheffer left San Luis Obispo on a twenty-five-hundred mile solo trip around the Southwest on an old bicycle she rebuilt at the Bike Church in Santa Cruz. She rode to San Diego and then turned east toward Arizona, eventually traveling to the Grand Canyon, Zion, and other national parks before crossing Nevada on Highway 50, known as America’s loneliest highway. Jane was only twenty-two, four years into a remarkable post-high school journey few can imagine, let alone experience.

“I remember very clearly the buzz of civilization dropping off when I turned east and started climbing the inland mountains. Suddenly I was entering an unfamiliar, empty environment and I became very aware of how vulnerable I was. I imagined various circumstances in which I might be afraid. I realized I had to push those fears aside, to be aware of the possibilities, but not allow myself to live within those fears, to be prepared and go forward with something very important to me.”

How does a young woman, or anyone, for that matter, develop the confidence and courage to accept such a challenge and overcome the fears that others might succumb to? Not everyone can do it Jane’s way, but her life to this point is a brilliant example of trusting her mind, her heart, and her instincts, to choose the road less travelled. And it doesn’t hurt having a loving, understanding and supportive family by her side.

Jane was born in Long Beach in 1988 and moved with her parents, Mike and Ellen, and her younger brother, Robin, to San Luis Obispo in 1994. “My best understanding is that my dad, a geologist, had worked his way high enough in his company that he wasn’t enjoying going to work every day in a suit and tie instead of being in the field.

He was born and raised here, so he quit his job and we moved to his

house in Prefumo Canyon.” Mike became an antique dealer and Ellen is a paralegal and the recently elected president of the San Luis Coastal Unified School District’s Board of Trustees. Robin, a San Francisco State University graduate, currently manages a Chipotle restaurant in the Bay Area.

“I feel fortunate to have grown up in open spaces, participated in 4-H at the youngest age possible, taken riding lessons and owned my first

Jane with Goliath

Jane working hard on the trails.

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During her sophomore year, Jane began having a difficult time at school. “I struggled in the massive classrooms with hundreds of students. I was feeling disenchanted, lost, questioning why I was there. I was feeling guilty about dedicating myself to something so expensive for which I felt so unsure.”

Jane started exploring other options. She remembered a conversation with someone

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who had participated in the California Conservation Corps. She looked it up and was attracted by its description. “You will work harder than ever before, be in the mountains for six months without ever coming out, and there will be very high expectations. It was a combination of no-nonsense self-discipline and extreme outdoor work that I craved. I was never so sure of anything in my life.”

She applied, was accepted and sent to work in the Shasta Trinity National Forest. Her crew combined all-stars from CCC residen-

PING TSAO MD COSMETIC & PLASTIC SURGERY 2500 Mile Solo Bike Trip

horse, Brooke, by the time I was twelve. I fed her every morning, cleaned out her corral, and then after school we would ride all over the Irish hills. She was a big bay thoroughbred mare, twenty-one when we bought her, but with a lot of go still in her. We followed old roads and animal trails, always looking to the next ridge to see what was on the other side. I developed a strong self-reliance, independence, curiosity and comfort within the natural world.” Sadly, Brooke died just a couple of weeks after Jane left for UC Santa Cruz following graduation from San Luis Obispo High School in 2006.

After a traditional dorm life experience in her freshman year, Jane took a job as a horse trail guide in Yosemite for the summer, a position she found through a job fair at UCSC. “It was my first big adventure,” Jane said. “I rode horses and mules every day and interacted with people from all over the world. I learned to live and work with a crew and found out I functioned very well in that environment.”

Being a guide also meant training the new horses and mules, and Jane enjoyed working with Goliath, the huge horse assigned to her.

“I could barely get my foot in the stirrup.

We had to train the vices out of our horses, and his was running on hills, not good for unsuspecting riders.” Jane smiled when she said, “There’s a piece of me that’s happy he never completely broke that habit.” All-day tours took riders to Half Dome, where they would climb the cables to the top, and then ride back to the stables. On bright moonlit nights the guides would ride to a dry, sandy

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those fourteen people. It’s normal to feel a little empty,’ and that’s exactly how I felt. I knew I had to work, I had to get back to trails.”

Jane standing in front of nesting Red-Footed Boobies

The San Luis Obispo CCC center had a project going on in Big Sur. Jane called, they hired her, and she extended her leave from school and spent the next three months trail building through rough terrain dense with poison oak. “It was great because I was reunited with about half of my back country crew. We worked really hard, but every day we broke for lunch and had the Big Sur coast line below us.”

In January, 2009, her CCC trail work completed, Jane and Jorge, a friend from her crew, took off for an eight month tour of South America. “We flew into Rio Gallegos, Argentina, and worked our way north along the Andes. We were WWOOFers: Worldwide Workers On Organic Farms. I’d been interested in organic agriculture and thought this would be an amazing way to travel. Farms post information about their needs on a website and attract workers from all over the world.

We worked in Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.” The farms provided room and board, significantly reducing her travel expenses.

Jane returned to school but also started applying for professional trail crews with the Forest and Park Services. She was hired by the National Park Service to work in Yellowstone for the next summer.

School continued to be a struggle. “I tried really hard to get amped for it, but I felt so confined, unable to really engage. I had to get through the classes, but I was always looking ahead to what I was going to do afterwards. With trail work you could feel and see the results. School work was so detached from anything real.”

Jane made it through her first two quarters, but then took off on her cycling trip on an old road bike from the seventies that belonged to her dad. “In February 2010 I was hit by a car while riding my bike. I was OK, but my bike suffered major damage. I put a lot of work into it at the Bike Church and began dreaming of a bike trip.” tial centers and those like her who found CCC by other means. “Our crew was incredibly diverse, from former gang members and those who spoke little or no English, to those of us from more privileged backgrounds. We became like family members over those six months, full of pride and admiration for the hard work we accomplished. We struggled, we learned and we got through it. It was amazing.”

Jane worked from April to September, taking a leave of absence the last quarter of her sophomore year. Back at Santa Cruz, she missed her crew. “I felt completely lost. I spoke to someone who had been a back country supervisor and he said, ‘Your heart expanded to include

In addition to the distance covered, Jane had memorable experiences with people all along the journey. “I interacted everywhere I stopped: camp sites, rest stops, grocery stores. People were initially very confused. I wasn’t dressed like a cyclist. I’d be wearing my favorite dress and I didn’t have fancy gear. At first people were almost accusatory in their tone, and then I would witness the transformation when I explained myself. They would walk away with a slightly altered view of the world, maybe as less dangerous than they thought.”

Jane frequently met people in places where there was no cell phone reception. She would ask them to text her parents when they got to a place where there was reception. “My mom would get these texts,

The CCC Back Country Crew

The Team on Johnston Atoll

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Winter Crew studying wolves

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tinued to be classified that way even while all the testing was going on.” The military removed all infrastructure and left for good in 2005.

Johnston is an important breeding ground for seabirds, whose habitats are being destroyed by humans and invaded by predators like rats and snakes. “Since they nest on the ground, the birds are incredibly vulnerable, especially the chicks.” Jane and four other crew members were dropped off by boat in December 2013 with all the supplies they would need for six months to live and continue to eradicate a species of large invasive ants that disabled chicks by blinding them with formic acid, the seventh crew to do that work.

‘Met you’re daughter, she’s doing great, really impressed by her!’ Of everything I did, that trip made my parents the most nervous, so they were happy to hear I was safe and doing well.”

In June 2010 Jane started five seasons of trail work in Yosemite. She was on the same crew with the same leader year after year. “We worked eight days on and six days off in the backcountry, repairing a lot of stock and water damage. The work is called ‘turnpiking,’ where you replace muddy sections of trail with log boxes filled with granite.

Lots of work with chainsaws and sledgehammers.” Thanks to a very understanding counseling department at UCSC, Jane continued working on her degree. She spent one winter working on a crew in Big Bend National Park in Texas, but finally graduated in the spring of 2013.

Her educational experience changed radically in the winter quarter of that year. “I took a field work class with two wonderful professors.

We learned scientific observation, questioning and journaling in the Mojave, Big Sur, Mendocino and Mono Lake. The world of science opened to me. I’d been intimidated by science, but the right environment, experience and knowledge changed that for me.”

Ever restless for more experience and adventure, Jane started applying for entry level biological technician positions, mostly low pay field work. She was hired by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to spend six months on Johnston Atoll, an unincorporated US territory in the South Pacific, eight hundred miles southwest of the Hawaiian Islands. Only one square mile, Johnston was used as a military base and a nuclear testing site. “It was originally a wildlife refuge and conThe work crew on Yellowstone Trails

Living almost like castaways, Jane and her teammates, the sole inhabitants of the island, did their work, explored the marine life around the island, like sea turtles, reef sharks, manta rays and countless tropical fish, and cultivated their own vegetable garden. “We each became experts in an aspect of the marine environment. I became crazy about coral.” After completing their work, which included monitoring and recording the welfare of the birds and marine surveys, the team was picked up in May after not seeing another person for six months.

Two family crises occurred while Jane was on Johnston. Her grandmother, with whom she was very close, passed away, and her mother, Ellen, was diagnosed with throat cancer. “That was the biggest struggle, being completely removed from a world where my family was experiencing a much more somber reality. We were told when we took the job that we wouldn’t be able to leave unless it was a personal life or death situation. There were times when I really wanted to leave, but it wasn’t an option.”

Fortunately, Ellen is now cancer free and continues her paralegal work and important work on the school board. In fact, she missed only one school board meeting during her treatment, which is a clear indication of where Jane got some of her toughness.

Following the 2014 trail season, Jane spent a month doing scientific observation of a Yellowstone wolf back and will return for another month of observation in March, related to the impact of the reintroduction of wolves in 1995. “Wolves are hugely visible in Yellowstone and provide a great opportunity to record data which doesn’t happen in other remote, densely vegetated areas.”

What struck me most about Jane during our conversation was her admiration and love for her family, her loyalty to those she has toiled with in the backcountry, her physical vitality, her passion for the outdoors, and her incredible ability to absorb information about the environments where she has traveled and worked. She is planning to attend graduate school and hopes to continue to do biological field work to help her determine whether she wants to focus on marine or terrestrial biology.

Typical of Jane, she is considering a variety of options in the short run, from “observing Kodiak brown bear and salmon on Kodiak Island in Alaska, to helping with coral restoration projects in Florida.

There’s a lot out there, and I’m hugely excited about the opportunities. I want to become an expert and have an impact in science.” Given the spirit, grit and independence she has exhibited so far, would anyone bet against her making a significant contribution? Watch her swing a ten pound sledge hammer or hack through a poison oak thicket and you’ll have your answer.

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saving birds and other wildlife

meg crockett and shannon Riggs, DVM

By Ruth Starr

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very year there is a Bird Festival in Morro Bay that is very well attended. In 2007, Meg Crockett went to the Bird Festival where there was a program called Meet The Raptors. The people in charge of this program were showing animals that had been rescued when one of them stood up and said, “Is there anyone here that is willing to volunteer with the Pacific Wildlife Care organization?”

When Meg heard that plea, she said yes. Meg, and her husband, Frederick Clegg, had moved to San Luis Obispo from the Bay Area. They had a home here that they had originally purchased for a daughter who was attending Cal Poly. They loved this area, decided to move here and live in the house they had been renting out since the daughter graduated and moved on. Over the years they had pet dogs, but never wild birds or animals.

From volunteering at PWC, Meg was involved when the doors of Pacific Wildlife Care were first opened in the spring of 2007. Until that time, people who volunteered did the healing of the sick birds and animals in their homes. The Morro Bay PWC Rehabilitation Center is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year from 8am to 6pm. Since then, the number of animals evaluated and cared for at the center has increased dramatically. Donations were given to open the center by different organizations.

The first job Meg had at Pacific Wildlife was on the hotline. She was also on the website at that time. Wanting to have more information on what the organization was doing, she got on the Board of Directors and ended up as President. Some of the things Meg learned about PWC was that their mission was to support San Luis Obispo County wildlife through rehabilitation and educational outreach. It is the only organization permitted to rehabilitate wildlife in SLO Co. and it relies on support from its members, donors and local communities.

A Golden Eagle in Rehab that was recently released into the wild.

Meg Crockett in the healing area.

The number of volunteers varies from time to time but there are somewhere around 130. Some work at the center and some still work out of their homes. The people are trained at the center to learn how to work on the wildlife. The senior center rehabers do the training. In 2012 one of the volunteers went to her estate lawyer to be sure her will stated that the money was left for PWC. The estate lawyer had never heard of them and wanted to learn more. He wanted to know what was number one on the wish list. He was told a veterinarian.

Shannon Riggs, a vet, had been advising and coming by the center.

She was offered the position of full time veterinarian and was paid for the first year by the woman volunteer who had died and left her money to PWC. Shannon now comes to the Center five days a week and it is her only job. She has had the position for two years. She went to the Veterinary School at the University of California in Davis, CA, graduating in 2002. Originally she moved to California from Iowa in 1994. Shannon has always had an interest in birds and came to this job with a lot of wildlife exposure. Skin grafting can be done on birds and wildlife that Shannon is skilled at doing when necessary. She also does physical therapy and surgery.

On September 1, 2014—Pacific Wildlife Care released a Great Horned Owl found over a year ago in Arroyo Grande entangled in a barbed wire fence. The bird’s rescuer was able to cut the small section of fence around which the bird’s right wing was wrapped and bring the bird to the clinic.

Medications were added to Owls food, and daily dressings were applied to the open wound created by his struggle with the fence. Two weeks later, Dr. Riggs performed an artificial tissue graft. When this first prod-

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getting lots of babies lately of both mammals and birds. Some of the mammal babies have been orphaned by trapped parents.

There is a special surgery room at PWC that is equipped with an x-ray machine, an autoclave for sterilizing, and an endoscope to look inside the animal that Shannon uses for surgery on the animals. She is especially skilled at Imping. Imping is the process of re-attaching donor feathers preferably of the same species onto a bird’s wings by the use of small splints inserted into the hollow shaft of the bird’s main flight feathers. It restores flight immediately and is also invaluable in preventing broken blood feathers during a clipped bird’s moulting period. Imped feathers will of course also be moulted out and replaced eventually, as though they were the bird’s normal feathers. It is a skilled task that requires the feathers to be attached accurately as regards their angle of insertion and length. The aim is to have the bird’s wing returned to its natural condition.

As President of the Board of Directors Meg Crockett asserts that the Morro Bay rehabilitation facility is committed to the highest standard of care in the field of wildlife rehabilitation. The rehabilitators are highly skilled professionals with many years of training. They oversee the care of the animals with the goal of getting them back in the wild when they are healed. Different organizations do educational programs. The

The main purpose is to get the animals ready to be put back in the wild. Shannon has cockatiels, parakeets, ducks, and geese of her own. When she has spare time, she enjoys hiking and gardening.

Every fall Meg conducts a meeting of the donors for a current tour of PWC explaining to them what the needs are for Dr. Riggs and the equipment she needs. Meg states that the donors paid for all the equipment and the remodeling that was needed. There is a campaign every year to pay the salary of the vet. Last year there were two sets of matching funds from parties who chose to be anonymous.

As Meg continued to get involved she learned that PWC was one of 12 primary care facilities under the Oiled Wildlife Care Network.

The PWC rehabilitation center would become headquarters for wildlife rescue efforts in the event of an oil spill on the Central Coast. The center was designed with the walls and floors constructed to provide proper air flow and drainage should the need arise.

The last bad oil spill was in 1984. Many volunteers came together to take the birds in. After that, the people became interested in taking care of the wild animals. Eighty percent of the animals brought in are birds. Some of the birds that are brought in are ones like pelicans that have gotten trapped by fishing lines or raptors who have flown into barbed wire fences. Also raptors that have lead poisoning.

Most of the time, Meg says, it is from people who shoot for gophers with lead bullets. PWC gets mammals that have gotten mange plus

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animals are always the stars of the shows when they go to schools.

Pacific Wildlife Care (PWC) takes in over 2,200 animals each year from more than 140 different species. Their annual operations budget includes more than $45,000 for food, $11,000 for utilities, $8000 for professional care and medications (partially underwritten by the local veterinarian community), and $6000 for telephone and office expenses. They always welcome any help! They have a website: pacificwildlifecare.org or calls can be made to 805-543-9453 for more information.

RESPOND HOW DO I

In an emergency? says to do so. This could cause traffic and safety problems for children.

Schools may relocate out of an affected area before the general public. Local tv and radio stations will broadcast all actions public schools take.

■ Local officials will also broadcast any reception centers or shelters that are open for those who have been ordered to evacuate, as well as the evacuation routes that should be used. ■ During a large emergency, the county will also activate a phone assistance center to answer urgent questions regarding the emergency and actions you should take. ■ For more information, contact the County Office of Emergency Services at (805) 781-5011, or visit www.slocounty.ca.gov.

■ Knowing how to respond should a disaster strike is an important step to keeping yourself and your family safe.

Do not dial 9-1-1 unless you are in need of immediate lifesaving help. Keep phone lines open for those who need them. ■ First identify if you need to take protective actions. Tune to a local radio or television station and listen for emergency information that will be broadcast on the Emergency Alert System (EAS). Emergency officials will use the EAS to direct protective actions such as evacuations or sheltering in place. It is important to only take action if it is directed. Evacuating when it is not ordered may put you or others in harm’s way. ■ If you have children in school, do not pick them up unless the EAS

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

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Jim Davis

Just an ordinary guy who cares

By Ruth Starr

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ust about every day Jim Davis can be found at the Goodwill Outlet store. He has his reasons for going

there so often. Sometimes he picks up parts he uses for handyman projects, but the other reason is that he picks up things he

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donates to the homeless shelters in San Luis Obispo. He donates to both the Prado Day Shelter and the Maxine Lewis Shelter.

He looks for toiletries, knives and forks in packages, socks, rain ponchos, diapers and whatever ever else he thinks may be useful for a homeless person. He is especially aware of clothing that can be used in bad weather.

Jim was retired and slightly bored with not a lot to do at a particular time when he came up with the idea that he could buy things and donate them to needy people. He decided upon the Goodwill Outlet store where he meets interesting people from all walks of life and is able to find the kinds of things he is looking for. After every visit, he leaves with bags of items that he will give to be distributed at the shelters.

A lot of satisfaction is derived from his giving. Judy, his wife, has always been a giver in life. Jim picked up on her life lessons. She was raised in a loving and giving home and taught that as a way of life. As a Girl Scout Eagle, she was given projects of going to old people’s homes. At the homes, she would visit with the residents and assist with putting on programs for them. As an adult, she taught Sunday School.

The Davises have three children, Linda, Susan, and Mike. While they were growing up, Judy stayed home with them and when Mike was in high school, she bought a Hallmark store running that business for

PEOPLE eight years. It was one of the top ten selling stores in Hallmark located in Morgan Hill, CA. Judy decided to retire in 1992 and sold the store.

Kansas City, Mo. is where Jim was born.

He lived there from childhood through Junior College. From there he went to Wichita State University getting his degree in Nautical Engineering. At the time he got his degree, he was supposed to then be designing airplanes. That never happened as he immediately began working in aerospace in Cumberland, Maryland. He worked on research and development of the Polaris submarine missile.

The family then moved to California in 1963. Jim got his masters degree going to night school at San Jose State in business administration. He worked in Sunnyvale for United Technology in the development of the solid rocket boosters that are 10 feet in diameter. These boosters fall off the rockets as they go into space. The big boosters for rockets are still used in the space program. Aerospace was getting shaky in 1965 so he left working in aerospace and went to work for IBM. They were developing the 360 computer systems that were so large they could fill up a room. The computers today are a far cry from that time.

His work on that was for the disc storage devices. Jim worked on a lot of interesting projects such as working for the man who had the patent for the magnetic stripe. It was originally developed for the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. Now the magnetic stripes are used everywhere in a multitude of businesses. There was a spin off of the magnetic stripes that was called a cash issuing system. Those are now called ATMs. Those were originally developed for Lloyds of London, the huge Insurance Company in England. The magnetic stripe has changed so many of the things in peoples lives. Most everything people buy is scanned with the stripes. At the end of his career, he went back to disc storage working on 14” disc, then the 5 1/4” disc,

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and finally the 3 ½” disc that is widely used today for storage. He retired from IBM in 2001 spending the next few years in the Bay Area.

In 2003, they made the decision to move to San Luis Obispo after looking at many towns on the Central Coast. The move was a happy one and they continue to enjoy the area and its many amenities.

Traveling has been a large part of enjoyment for Jim and Judy. They have traveled to more than 50 countries meeting, as they say, nice people everywhere. New Zealand was their favorite country. They have also traveled all 50 states in the USA. Their travel adventures have gone on for forty-three years.

Their little dog, Roxy, stays home with a very special person while they are gone.

To sum up Jim and Judy’s lives, they feel they have been blessed with a good life and feel that giving back is an important part of how they live. Just your every day ordinary guy!

The large/old IBM computer

Sunday, March 15, 2015 3 p.m.

Mission San Luis Obispo Featuring Jerry Boots, trumpet

CRICKET HANDLER & JILL ANDERSON Artistic Directors

Tickets: $20 in advance $25 at the door · $10 students online at: brownpapertickets.com or call 805.542.0506

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the clowns of march

By Charmaine Coimbra

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he wild waves of winter have calmed. The northern elephant seal adults have returned to the Pacific Ocean to feed after a long winter of females birthing 60-80 pound babies; and the massive males fiercely battling for dominance and territory.

It’s March and the rookery clowns own the beach. The clowns, thousands of weaned northern elephant seal pups, leave the safety of bluffside weaner pods that they adopted when their mothers abandoned them four to five weeks after giving each one birth during the winter months. Most are in fine, fat shape. And it is time for these blubbery kids to teach themselves how to swim, dive and hunt.

These 300-pound weaners kalump their roly-poly bodies to the tide pools, test the waters, squeal and cavort in the rocky shoreline of Piedras Blancas near San Simeon. It’s one of the noisiest and most entertaining seasons of the northern elephant seal. It’s also not the best known season. Most visitors want to watch the massive males battle it out while female seals birth their single pups on the beach from about mid-December through mid-February.

Depending on the successful births and survival of the elephant seal pups during the winter months, you can observe perhaps 4,000 of these weaners discover their natural buoyancy. I promise a few good chuckles at their surprised faces when an unexpected wave crashes the party.

Maybe it’s their big and round soulful eyes, or their pink mouths, or even the black whiskers that sprout from their lips and brows like black vinyl, that make these elephant seals-in-training pure entertainment.

Rookery visitors usually gasp when I explain how pregnant females arrive on the beach after a long journey from the north-eastern Pacific Ocean, give birth to their pup, nurse it so that it gains about 10-pounds a day (while the mother loses about 20-pounds M A R C H

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a day), and after this four-week period, she pushes her pup aside and forces its weaning. She does this because she comes back into estrus and will be bred by the two-ton alpha male of her harem.

After about five breeding days she leaves her pup behind and returns to her northern-eastern Pacific foraging waters. Yes, her pup might wail as she dives into the waves, but it has transformed from an adorable, loose-skinned, black furred newborn into a big fat tick-like beast of about 300 pounds. All it has to do is rest in a weaner pod until March arrives. The parent-free weaners take stage center, in what we docents often call a nursery school where they discover swimming fun. Daily, their bodies change into muscular, silver coated beauties.

Piedras Blancas is a perfect environment for these pinnipeds.

From the protective bluffs to the deep ocean canyons and arroyos, elephant seal weaners have an extraordinary training ground before they depart their birthplace sometime near April. Each silver coated weaner leaves on its own instinct. Alone, it explores the sea for food and survival for the next six months or so. About sixty-percent of each year’s class of clowns will survive this maiden voyage before they return to their place of birth to rest on the sand during late summer/early fall.

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Peter Sterios

yoga without borders

By Jamie Reith

P

eter Sterios is not your run of the mill yoga teacher; he’s the kind of yoga teacher who gets calls from the First Lady. He has taught yoga at the White House three times.

Aside from his own local m.BODY studio and the Yoga Centre, where he guest-teaches, respected studios and resorts worldwide—from Iceland to New Zealand—fly him in for workshops and lectures with the hope of soaking up some of the wisdom from his three decades of advanced yoga teaching and training. As an architect, his work has included designing state-of-the-art yoga studios for companies like Yahoo. Just one phase of his storied career saw the founding of the universally successful company, Manduka, known for producing the sleek, plush, Mercedes-Benz of yoga mats.

With a résumé like this, it may come as a surprise that one of Sterios’ most memorable classes was one he taught to absolute novices, on a bare wood deck, using scarcely any spoken words. The students had no idea they were learning from a master, nor did they care. Nevertheless, the class was life changing. It led Sterios to co-create karmaNICA, a nonprofit benefiting those very pupils, the young, fun-loving children of Costa Sur, a poor, remote village on the shores of Lake Nicaragua.

It all started eight years ago. Future karmaNICA Co-Creator Adrianne Ward had invited Sterios to Nicaragua to lead a yoga retreat at Jicaro Island Ecolodge, an upscale resort in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, secretly hoping he might also help her start a nonprofit to improve the lives of the local children.

Sterios vividly remembers his first impressions of the resort: it was exquisitely designed with solar-powered electricity, its own microsewage treatment center and a salt-water swimming pool. The meals consisted of local organic produce, and non-alcoholic, tropical fresh fruit cocktails were handed to him from the moment he got off of the boat. “It was like Fantasy Island, in a way,” Sterios says.

On one of the days of the retreat, Ward and the resort had organized a field trip for the kids from Costa Sur to do yoga with the “gringos.” Three

Peter during one of his classes.

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Peter with some of his Nicaraguan students

boat-loads of children, ages 5-11, attended the class that, without skilled translators, soon broke down to something like a game of Simon Says.

“Some of the kids were really good!” Sterios reminisces with a smile. “One of the girls could put her leg behind her head and do stuff I couldn’t do.

So, then everyone was laughing that she could do it and I couldn’t do it.”

Afterwards, the kids invited the visiting yogis back to their village, and that’s where the fantasy ended. Not only did the houses have dirt floors and open windows that invited in the mosquitoes and dengue fever, but the schoolhouse the kids attended had just one room for all ten grades. Sterios, an architect with a yogi’s capacity for compassion, was hooked. “The conditions were so appalling that everyone’s heart was broken,” he remembers. “These friendly, happy-go-lucky kids were eating off of dirty tin plates, and living in a third-world environment.

We all felt we had to do something.”

And so, karmaNICA (a name that combines the service and altruism branch of yoga, “karma yoga,” with the colloquial term for Nicaraguans, “Nicas”) was born. Every year since then, Sterios and Ward have returned to Nicaragua, dedicating their time, the proceeds from

At home in a hammock.

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and lead to a brighter future for the kids underway. Sterios and Ward are currently of moving m and though the countrythe withprospect which he’s become so deciding on a new site for their schoolhouse, Even enamored. think ititisto inevitable.

When you“Iowe yourself toyou learn h and are also planning to lead the largest yoga future, adopt a yoga lifestyle, beingown in service to othclass Nicaragua has ever seen, with the hope carefree living in your home for man ers is a natural outcome.” of attracting the local, wealthy population to support their cause.

Fellow karma yogis can join Sterios at the “It’s surprising how Nicaragua is a country 2016 karmaNICA retreat, which will include of extremes,” Sterios says. “There’s the überas well as opportunities to help It’s a fact that asyoga wepractice get older, Pristine is fully wealthy and the super-poor.

Andof thelife überwith the schoolhouse construction efforts. become licensed and insu wealthy rarely give some back.” day-to-day tasks Learn more ortoo make a donation to the cause at http://karmanica.org. much to handle on our own.

That All of our worke He hopes that the transforming power of mean you have to move away are carefully scre yoga will help breakdoesn’t down those barriers

You Don’t Have to Move

Feel Safe and

from the comfort of your home. and pass a crimin • Pristine Home Services is aHousekeeping local background chec Personal Care company that helps San Luis Obispo and drug test, giv • Yard Maintenance • Handyman County residents avoid the high cost when someone fr Servingof moving All oftoSan Luis Obispo County a retirement facility. in your home.

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Enjoy Affordable Living personal care. S Home Services Specialist All of our services can be provided

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the retreat and the donations from their website to the improvement of educational and recreational facilities for local children.

Over the years, karmaNICA funds have resulted in school uniforms and a muchneeded water treatment facility, but Sterios’ main focus has always been to help the Costa Sur community build a better schoolhouse.

“That first year, I drew up a design on a napkin,” Sterios recalls. His plans included a second classroom which would tie on to the existing classroom, with a roofed pavilion and play yard. The resort owners knew an engineer in Costa Rica who helped with the building plans. Momentum seemed in their favor. But then, Nicaraguan reality hit: The village was squatting on a wealthy landowner’s parcel and he would not allow development unless he saw some of the profits.

Sterios hoped for a speedy resolution when he received a call from yet another First Lady, Rosario Murillo, the wife of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and the country’s Minister of Education.

Murillo had heard about karmaNICA and wanted to help. But, as it turned out, the land owner was a major campaign backer.

Not even the First Lady had influence over him. karmaNICA had had its first lesson in Nicaraguan politics.

But, four years later, the obstacle has only made them more determined. Their next project, scheduled for July of 2016, is already

She should be cl daily, weekly, or on an as-needed basis. very reasonable From housekeeping You to handyman services and plumbing to preparingyou meals.need There is no task too large or pay for only the services dows!” R. Watso too small for Pristineand Homewe Services.

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at the market

Spring Veg Frittata with Tomatillo Sauce and Cilantro Micro-Greens

By Sarah Hedger

M

arch is a good month on the Central Coast as there are heaps of Winter goodness remaining while the new Spring season produce begins to be on offer. First season asparagus, strawberries, and carrots begin cropping up along with peas, spring onions, artichokes, and arugula (rocket!) to name a few that make it easy to integrate more fresh options into our eating, which is a very good thing! If you are lucky enough to have any of this goodness growing in your backyard, I salute you! It’s not too late to get some little bits going, even if it’s microgreens in the form of spinach, cilantro, arugula ... they’ll be ready to eat in less than a week which is quite rewarding, making salad season ... here!

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This month’s recipe, Spring Veg Frittata with Tomatillo Sauce and Cilantro Microgreens, is a good base recipe as you can use it throughout the year, integrating your favorite seasonal veggies as they are available. The format for the frittata is simple and quick, making it a good option for any meal of the day as it goes together in about 30 minutes, which is inspiring in itself. I’ll often make a larger frittata, then eat it for lunches throughout the week or add a soup and salad to it if I’m in the mood for something more substantial. I find it’s a perfect meal in itself really as the vegetables provide good nourishment and the eggs (and if you’re using cheese as well) provide sustenance with their healthy fats and proteins.

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This frittata also serves as an inspiration because the majority of veggies it uses are all good ones that can be grown in a garden of any size. Tomatillos in themselves are great to either grow or buy as soon as they come into season at the markets. While most people get used to using them from a can, they grow very easily and are a lot of fun to watch grow as the actual fruit is contained in a paper husk, which acts a bit like a veil so the size of the fruit is a bit of a surprise as it develops. Tomatillos always surprise me as they have a lot of inherent lime flavor, hence why they go so well in salsas and Mex-inspired sauces. One group that has become more prevalent to purchase at the markets are micro-greens.

They are pretty amazing as they pack a punch nutritionally, as well as with their flavor. When I first saw them (before tasting them), I honestly didn’t expect them to have much flavor compared to their adult counterparts, but WOW was I wrong! It’s a bit of the opposite—they pack a punch of beautiful flavor! Micros are extremely easy to grow and with certain varieties, such as arugula, spinach, and cilantro, you can be eating them within a week’s time, which is pretty good delivery for seed to stomach

spring veg frittata w/tomatillo sauce and cilantro micro-greens Serves 8 For the Frittata: 2 T olive oil 1 large sweet potato, sliced thinly into 1 inch segments 3 small zucchini or a bunch of asparagus, chopped into 1 inch long segments 1 red bell pepper, charred for a few minutes or roasted, peeled, chopped 9 free range eggs, lightly beaten 1 tsp sea salt Fresh ground pepper (fine) *Optional–a few ounces of chevre or cheddar, grated

timing! Technically, a micro is the plant after it’s initial (usually two or three leaf) cotyledon stage. And, if you miss picking them at this stage, the worse thing that happens is they turn into full size plants that can either be transplanted or used on the spot. Not such a bad thing at all! With that, happy frittata-ing and go get your micros on (or find a nice farmer at the market who will let you buy some of theirs). Happy almost Spring!

For the Tomatillo sauce: 1 T olive oil ½ yellow onion, finely minced 2 garlic cloves, minced Pinch of sea salt 2 cups tomatillos, roasted for 15 mins @400 degrees or canned if fresh are unavailable ½ cup chopped cilantro Juice of a lime Pinch of sugar *Optional–1 jalapeno, roasted or 1 T fresh, minced Cilantro micro-greens (or fresh cilantro sprigs) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place vegetables in roasting dish with olive oil, salt, and pepper, giving a good toss. Place in oven and roast for 15-20 minutes or until soft and beginning to turn golden.

While veggies are baking, make tomatillo sauce by sauteing onion and garlic cloves in oil over medium heat, with a pinch of salt, until translucent. Place in blender (or use an immersion blender) with tomatillos, cilantro, lime juice, sugar, and jalapeno if using.

Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.

Once vegetables are lightly roasted, remove from oven and pour egg mixture over, (including cheese if using any). Bake for 15 minutes or until frittata is firm and slightly puffed. Remove from oven and serve with tomatillo sauce and some fresh cilantro micro-greens.

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

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slo friends of the library book sale thousands upon thousands of books

By Rebecca Juretic

I

f you’ve driven down Monterey Street the first week of March, you may have seen it: a line of people stretching along the sidewalk and continuing around the corner, almost out of sight.

For 36 years, the San Luis Obispo Friends of the Library has put on one of the largest book sales in the area. This year’s event starts Thursday March 5th (6:00 – 9:00 p.m. for members with $10 memberships sold at the door), and continues on Friday March 6th (10:00 – 5:00 p.m.) and Saturday March 7th (9:00 – 2:00 p.m.). It will be 15 hours of a bibliophile’s dream with more than 20,000 books in every genre: fiction, history, gardening, cooking, science, biographies, entertainment, and a plethora of children’s books, all offered up at a dollar per inch.

The cause for the commotion isn’t a new iPhone release or the latest blockbuster film.

The event also offers a chance to stock up on audio and video materials with 4,500 items for sale. CDs and DVDs will be $1. VHS tapes, audio tapes and books on tape are sold for a mere 50 cents.

It is books. Simple, low-tech books. But there are thousands upon thousands of them, hauled out by the bagful, the boxful, sometimes the cartful, by eager readers from around the county.

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The sale is one of those marvelous win-win-win events in our community. Patrons gain books and materials at bargain prices. Materials, possibly destined for the landfill, are given new life. And the SLO Friends of the Library is able provide the library with a much-needed boost for materials and programs.

This has been a significant boost over the past several years. Last year’s sale raised nearly $16,000. Nearly all of this goes straight to the library due to the efforts of many volunteers. It accounts for around half of the SLO Friends of the Library’s annual contribution to the library.

If you or your family have ventured into the San Luis Obispo Library in the past three decades, chances are, you’ve benefitted from the money raised at the annual book sale. It has gone to refresh book collections, buy large-type books, purchase audio-visual materials and equipment, and purchase display materials. Funds have paid for programs, includ-

Utility incentives up to $6,500

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Collectible specially priced books will be here on a range of topics including art and photography, automobiles, travel, history, and more.

One notable tome this year is a deluxe limited edition of The President’s House: A History, by William Seale and published by the White House Historical Association. The two volumes, bound in embossed calf leather, showcases nearly 180 illustrations with “engaging narrative providing fascinating insight into American history,” noted Bill Cochran who heads up the section.

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ing the Adult Winter Reading Program, and library film series. Programs for youth, such as the popular Teddy Bear Tea, draw hundreds of children to the library, inspiring new generations of readers.

The very first book sale in 1979 was made possible due to the energy and persistence of former librarian Marjorie Johnson and her husband Richard. She and a handful of staff members and friends pulled off the inaugural event which drew around a thousand customers and raised $1,700.

These days, the sale is a nearly year-round effort. Since 2007, Friends of the Library event chair Paul Murphy has led a group of volunteers in the monumental task of collecting the donated books from multiple sources throughout the county. He noted that “the Johnsons are the inspiration of the sale.”

A seldom-seen benefit of the book sale is the way it brings together many community groups for one purpose: helping our public library.

Last year saw inmates from a local correctional facility, 20 members

of the Delta Chi fraternity, and other organizations working cooperatively in an atmosphere that Paul Murphy called “festive.”

It takes more than 100 volunteers working more than 1,000 hours to package, transport, sort and categorize books, and to staff the event.

To see an amazing time-lapse version of the setup, visit www.slofol. org and click on “FOL Events.”

Each volunteer plays a part in keeping their local library vibrant and equipped to serve the community. Anyone interested in becoming part of the SLO Friends of the Library Book Sale by becoming a volunteer, or donating materials, please contact Paul Murphy at 544-3033.

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canzona takes flight

not on a magic carpet, but on an enchanted quilt

By Susan Stewart

W

hen the all-women’s choral ensemble, Canzona, performed a piece set to ee cummings’ charming poem, maggie and milly and mollie and may, at St. Timothy’s church in Morro Bay one season, a seagull flew by an open door just as the song was ending, calling out its song. It was the kind of moment audiences will always remember; an uplifting, magical, otherworldly moment when, as the song lyrics say, the music is so sweet, it is impossible to be troubled.

Since its inception six years ago in 2009, Canzona—a 28-voice group of talented, dedicated women singers brought together by the dynamic duo of Cricket Handler and Jill Anderson—has had many such moments. And next month, they will board a plane and take flight to Vancouver, Canada, to participate in the Tapestry International Celebration of Women’s Choirs, hosted by Elektra Women’s Choir.

“We were the only U.S. choir accepted,” said Handler, “and we’ll be joined by another Canadian choir, and Cantus, a Norwegian choir, now well-known for the piece that opens the popular Disney film, Frozen.”

Their acceptance into this prestigious festival is just one of many strides, many changes Canzona has seen over the past six years. Canzona’s “growing up and coming of age” (says Jill Anderson) include the establishment of a board of directors and the nonprofit designation 501(c)3—which enables them to apply for grants. To date, Canzona has won several from the City of SLO and our own Community Foundation, “which gives us prestige and credibility,” Anderson adds. Canzona also now has its own website: www.canzonawomen.org, “which is crucial for an established arts organization,” said Anderson.

Having outgrown its original venue, the 250-seat Methodist Church in SLO, Canzona has recently performed at the 400-seat Cuesta College Performing Arts Center, and will soon be featured at the 500-seat Mission San Luis Obispo. As their audience has grown, so have their collaborations with other instrumental performing groups, including the SLO Symphony, the Symphony of the Vines, and next year, the Palos Verdes Peninsula Symphony.

“The Tapestry Festival will be our first tour,” said Anderson, “something that helps put a mature choral ensemble on the map.”

On March 15 at 3 pm, you can help fund Canzona’s trip to Canada by attending the “Canzona Takes Flight” concert to be held at Mission San Luis Obispo. In honor of the upcoming Tapestry Festival, two of Canzona’s members (Nicki Edwards and Janice Mehring—who happen to be world-class quilters) have created a songbird-themed quilt to be raffled off to one very lucky winner. Visit the quilt at Picking Daisies, a quilter’s paradise of a shop located in the Creamery at 570 Higuera St., Suite 120, or online at www.canzonawomen.org /quilt. You can buy raffle tickets online, at Picking Daisies, or at the concert. And while you don’t have M A R C H

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to be present at the drawing (to be held at the Mission after the March 15th concert), Canzona hopes all ticket buyers will come to hear the music they’ve prepared for the Tapestry Festival.

festival in Vancouver is Edie Hill’s The Bike Let Loose, which Handler discovered at the Chorus America conference in Seattle in 2013. Based in Minneapolis, Hill is delighted that Canzona will be performing her work in Vancouver.

In addition to the charming ee cummings piece, set to music by American composer Joan Szymko, Canzona has chosen an original work by Dr. Meredith Brammeier, a Cal Poly music professor who also sings with the choir. Canzona commissioned this work, titled To the God of Light and Shadow in 2013, and the music is set to a poem by local poet Bonnie Young depicting the California landscape she discovered upon moving here from the mid-west. Anderson described the perfect musical reflection of the words as voices become “angular and accented” for lyrics such as “rain heavy and sharp as pellets of pain” or descending triplets and voices that tumble on top of each other for lines such as “flower-circled skies.”

Another choice for the Tapestry Festival is Anderson’s pick, “Psalm 23” by Franz Schubert. For this piece, Jill will direct the large group (as Canzona joins the other three choirs for a total of 120 voices) in this angelic, four-part arrangement “… with arpeggiated piano accompaniment that almost sounds like strummed harps,” she explained.

“I think it will be truly inspirational to have this many voices singing it together in a large hall—as if the heavenly hosts were meting out comfort and peace to troubled souls!”

“Meredith is really wonderful at wordpainting in her music,” Anderson said.

Handler enjoys discovering composers unfamiliar to her, and meeting them has been one of the great pleasures of being a founder of Canzona, she said. Another choice for the

For Handler and Anderson, Canzona has been a dream-come-true, and then some. When asked what drew them to form an all-women’s ensemble, Handler said, “So much fine music is being composed for treble voices … there is a surprising range of sound. … I love the joyful approach to creating music that we experience in Canzona.”

Said Anderson, “I especially love the sense of sisterhood that comes with being part of this

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group. … As a voice teacher, I love to work towards getting the tone quality from the women that we want and desire.”

Plans for the future include more travel, increased collaborative efforts, more performances of commissioned works, and the cultivation of newer, younger voices. “We’ve featured the Central Coast Children’s Choir, SLO High School Concert Women, and both Cuesta College and Cal Poly women’s ensembles … it’s always a joy to present them to audiences,” said Handler. In fact, two of her former students will be singing with Canzona this spring.

In Vancouver, Canzona will reprise its performance of maggie and millie and mollie and may as the choir’s Piece of Their Choice during the second part of the festival. If there is an open door in the concert hall, perhaps a seagull will fly by once more, singing out its song in response, and adding yet another transcendent moment to Canzona’s memorable list.

Canzona wishes to acknowledge the following sponsors so valuable to its ongoing growth and success: Wacker Wealth Partners, Joan GellertSargen, Picking Daisies and The City of SLO

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750 Price Street, Pismo Beach 773-1922 M A R C H

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the greatest athletes on the central coast

By Dr. Don Morris

Editor’s note: Among San Luis Obispo athletes, coaches, and fans, a debate has raged over who are the greatest athletes in the history of San Luis Obispo County. For years—in coffee shops, bars, gyms, and fitness centers—seething arguments persist.

Now finally, to clear the air, Pismo Beach resident Dr. Don Morris will identify once and for all “The Greatest Athletes in Central Coast History” right here in this column. Reader nominations are welcome and will be used to develop the final list. Some nominations have already been received and will be written up in future columns. Please send nominations to Dr. Morris at dmmorris@calpoly.edu.

LOREN ROBERTS

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rofessional golfer Loren Roberts of San Luis Obispo High School was nominated several times for consideration as the Greatest Athlete in Central California History by many Journal Plus Magazine readers. They included Cliff Morris of Hawaii, Randy Voss of Arroyo Grande, Bill Murphy of San Luis Obispo and many, many more.

Loren Roberts was born in San Luis Obispo California and he competed in golf for San Luis Obispo Senior High School and Cal Poly. During his early years he worked as an assistant pro at San Luis Obispo Golf and Country Club as well as the Morro Bay Golf Course.

Roberts earned his PGA Tour Card at the PGA Tour Qualification Tournament in 1980. He got his first win on the PGA Tour in 1994 at age 38 and it sparked a nine-season run of eight victories. He is known as the “Boss of the Moss” for his putting skills and has been featured in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings.

Roberts’ best finish in a major was a tie for 2nd place at the 1994 U.S. Open. He contended in an 18-hole playoff with Ernie Els, and an additional pair of sudden-death holes gave Els the title.

Roberts played for the United States in the 1995 Ryder Cup and 1994 and 2000 in the Presidents Cup and in 2001 in the UBS Warburg Cup. He was 3-1 at the Ryder Cup, 4-2-1 at the Presidents Cups, and 1-2 at the UBS Warburg Cup. He was a co-assistant captain for the 2006 Ryder Cup. In 2005, Roberts joined the Champions Tour. His first senior win came in his third event. In 2006, Roberts became the first golfer to open a Champions Tour season with three wins and later that season he won his second senior major at the Senior British Open.

In 2009, he won his second Senior British Open title. The Golf Writers Association of America voted him Player of the Year.

He broke a 54-hole tournament record for lowest score in relationship to par (25-under) and most birdies (26) as well as sharing lowest score (191). The marks were set largely due to scoring a career-best 61 in the final round of his 2006 Master Card at the Hualalai PGA Golf Tour Championships.

Roberts was named Professional co-Athlete of the Year by the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1995 and 2007. He was inducted into the Cal Poly-SLO Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998. The Tennessee Golf Foundation inducted him into the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame in 2006. Roberts has written a book named Focus: The Name of the Game. The 128-page book was published by J. Countryman in 1999.

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Get Fit Fast

Fitness Made Simple

By Mike Z. Robinson

Hi Everyone—Happy MARCH! This month I wanted to speak to you about a Facebook post that I recently read by one of the top fitness professionals in the fitness industry named Thomas Plummer. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing “Plummer” for quite a few years now and he’s a great guy who is known worldwide by virtually everyone in the fitness industry and he really knows his “stuff.” In addition to being a top fitness professional, he is also known for being brutally honest which is one of the main reasons why he is so respected across the board in our industry. People may not always agree with his words (and some of them may be controversial) but I can honestly say that I have never heard him say anything that was not truthful to some extent.

For example, check out the following post below that was recently posted to Facebook by Plummer: “Fitness made simple. If you are wearing it, you ate it. If you want to lose it, you have to move it. If you can’t pronounce it, then don’t eat it. If nature grew it then chew it. If man made it, then don’t feed it to your dog. Your goal should always be, ‘one butt, one chair.’

Too many men suffer from terminal Dickie Do, where your belly sticks out further than your dickie do. Hard to use it if you can’t find it. If your butt is still wiggling 3 minutes after you stopped walking, keep walking. If sex is hard work, then you should either be in a porn movie or join a gym. Fat is a choice and if you’re fat you made a bad choice, but if you’re fighting the great fight, then may the universe bless the sweat. Smoking is not glamorous, it is the most disgusting habit on the planet. No skinny, healthy person ever got that way from drinking diet anything. Sweating is sexy and no out of shape person should ever have the power to challenge that. If you are any type of fitness professional, you have

to be in decent shape. Finally, there will come a time where you consciously make an effort to put in the work and live healthy or you simply quit. Choose life and remember that as long as you are still moving they can’t bury you.”

Wow, what a mouth full—right?!

As you could imagine, the feedback to his post was mixed as most applauded it and some were turned off by it. Personally, I was one of the ones who applauded it because I see the meaning behind the post. It’s meant to be motivational, inspirational, and a way to simplify fitness for the average individual.

Fitness isn’t about the superficial topics such as bulging biceps, 6-pack abs, and bikinis ... fitness is about quality of life. The more you move and make reasonably smart decisions, the better off you will be. You want to be able to get up and down a flight of stairs without being out of breath; you want to be able to go to the doctor and not hear that you have high cholesterol or high blood pressure; you want to not have back pains after a long drive or long a flight; you want to do what you have to do to give yourself the best chance at living a long life without medicine and being bed-ridden.

I know that there are temptations everywhere but you get one shot at life. Why not maximize it and treat your body the way that it’s supposed to be treated?

The better you treat your body, the better it will treat you ... and that’s a FACT!!

So don’t waste time, start today and let me know how your progress goes. I’ll look forward to hearing from you. Create a great day!

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history

President McKinley and his Cabinet.

when a president visits Part 2

By Joe Carotenuti

A

s the train whistle announced the imminent arrival of the President and his entourage of 43, May 10, 1901, the ecstatic community was ready to show the easterners that the municipality was worth the stop. Who would have guessed that the Grand Tour, in a gesture to underscore that the states were indeed united, also would become a farewell journey.

The story continues.

Mayor William Shipsey (1900-1902) greeted President McKinley and his party regretting their brief visit would not afford them an opportunity to “feast your eyes on the magnificent beauties of nature and on the homes in and around town.” The community originally planned to give a 21-gun salute followed by a parade to show off its development as a modern city. While so many communities would tout their agricultural superiority, San Luis Obispo wanted a procession so the President could admire residences. Was there a better image of maturity than homes built for families? Yet, expressing the community’s hope for “continued success” in his administration, Shipsey concluded, saluting the continued “prosperity and integrity of this great country of ours.”

“Amid the wildest cheers and utmost enthusiasm,” McKinley rose and thanked the assembly. “If all goes well with his country,” the Chief Executive addressing everyone, “all is likely to go well with him.” Since a fundamental tenent of democracy was the right to vote, “Good citizenship is indispensable to good government.” There were undoubtCity decorations at Sandercock Transfer Company.

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COMMUNITY Unfortunately, the First Lady was suffering from a “felon” (inflammation of a finger). Such a minor occurrence, hardly worth mentioning, became the genesis that changed history.

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Elect McKinley President Button

According to an informative website (www. firstladies.org), Ida McKinley had received a small cut to an index finger that became infected. Indeed, while in California the wound turned into blood poisoning. Her health was deteriorating rapidly as the community celebrated. Within a few days, in San Francisco, fearing the First Lady would not survive, the procession stopped. The Grand Tour was derailed.

President McKinley was a Mason.

edly many in the audience devoted to having women as part of the voting citizenry, still a decade away but receiving a friendly ear from the city’s guest and, especially, his wife.

Lauding the military—especially Admiral Dewey’s entry into the Philippines and the defeat of the Spanish fleet—McKinley emphasized “our chief pride is not in the arts of war, but in the peaceful pursuits of civil life, our victories must be in our arts. In the sciences, in manufactures and in agriculture.”

This from a man who had experienced the nightmare of the Civil War. Surprisingly modern after 100 plus years, McKinley knew a great nation “must trust to the virtue and intelligence of the American people.” As a nation “founded … in conscience,” the duty of the present was to preserve the nation and pass it on to the future “as the beacon light of civilization everywhere.” Brief, conciliatory after the recent military victories, McKinley was clear that democracy depended on an informed electorate and not solely on an armed population. Acknowledging the crowd’s cheers and applause, the president sat down only to rise again for the community’s gifts.

It had been planned to present the gifts to Mrs. McKinley as well. Married in 1871, the young couple (he was 28 and she 24) looked to the future with a family. Tragically, within a few years, both their daughters had died.

Suffering from seizures and depression, Ida McKinley never fully recovered from the life changing events and her husband rarely left her side. If she had made an appearance, the community wanted to present flowers, photos of the area, a painting of Mission San Luis on celluloid, local poems, and a “macate” (a wreath made of hair).

In preparation for the historic (then and now) visit of President William McKinley, businesses hung banners of red, white, and blue celebrating the event. The Sandercock Transfer Company additionally placed a picture of McKinley in the center of the flags with the prophetic legend: “We Will Never Look on His Like Again.” Undoubtedly touting the popular president or the unlikelihood of another visit, within four months, the tribute became an epitaph.

The Grand Tour was slated to end in Buffalo, New York on June 13 with a celebration of President’s Day at the Pan-American Exposition. Instead, responding to his wife’s malady, McKinley rushed back and postponed his appearance until the fall. Would the assassin, Leon Czolgosz, have been ready in early summer rather than in September?

Was the delay caused by a seemingly minor cut developing into blood poisoning evolving into a postponed function have resulted in the same tragic results?

through the central valley and then back toward the coast. Rarely noted, another sitting president, Benjamin Harrison, made the trip in 1891 and even traveled within 100 miles of this community. Since the rails from the south did not connect, he turned around in Santa Barbara after celebrating its first floral festival (long before the more famous one in Pasadena) to begin his journey home.

Contact: jacarotenuti@gmail.com

McKinley’s demise on September 14 roused the community to plan—not a welcome—but a farewell.

------------------------------------------History has a way of blurring the edges of time to condense the past or provide a thumbnail sketch of events. For the central coast, while it was true William McKinley was the first sitting president to visit San Luis Obispo, he was not the first to visit the 31st state. In 1880, Rutherford B. Hays, looking forward to political retirement, traveled west.

The only president elected by a congressional committee, Hayes visited Sacramento, San Francisco, the northwest, and then Los Angeles before heading home. Undoubtedly, if the railroad connected along the coast, he most likely would have taken the more convenient coastal route rather than the longer one

805 Aerovista #103, San Luis Obispo

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COMMUNITY

cuesta college’s 2015 book of the year The Yellow Birds

By Lauren Milbourne

C

uesta College’s popular Book of the Year program is gearing up with a variety of events throughout the coming weeks. This year’s book selection is The Yellow Birds, a novel written by Iraq war veteran and poet Kevin Powers. The novel follows the harrowing story of two young soldiers trying to stay alive. The Yellow Birds has received the 2013 PEN/Hemingway Award for first fiction.

The program events will culminate with an author in conversation event and book signing with Powers on Cuesta College’s San Luis Obispo Campus in March.

The upcoming events include: • A series of book discussions at local city libraries, beginning February 3 at the Atascadero Library. The final book discussion will be held at the Arroyo Grande Library on March 24.

• Community events, including discussions with Vietnam War veteran Jim Galvez, who will share photographs and memories of his war experience, beginning February 20 at the Atascadero Library. Other events include literary readings from veterans on March 13 and a discussion with United States Air Force SMSgt Brian Fleming on March 18.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

• Two interviews on local FM radio station KCBX 90.1 discussing issues related to veterans on February 25 and a look at The Yellow Birds on March 25.

• Both the San Luis Obispo and North County campus libraries will feature book displays including poetry and novels written by veterans, military history, resources on transitioning from combat to home, books on understanding Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and more. Both libraries also carry copies of Powers’ featured novel, The Yellow Birds.

Let our family take care of your family.

JUST LIKE HOME Kevin Powers

• Workshops, including a Healing Trauma Through Art Workshop on March 18 and a Writers Workshop for Veterans on March 21.

Powers’ visit to Cuesta College will take place on Thursday, March 26, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. in the Cultural and Performing Arts Center. General admission tickets are $5 and can be purchased at www.cpactick-

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ets.cuesta.edu or by calling (805) 546-3198.

Veterans and students are free. For veteran tickets, call the Cuesta College Veterans Resource Center at (805) 546-3142; for student tickets and event information, call (805) 546-3190.

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MARCH CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 43

Also taking place on March 26 is a panel discussion featuring Cuesta College veterans titled “Welcome Home: Veterans on Campus PTSD Training and Panel.” The free training will provide faculty, staff and the public with the knowledge needed to respond appropriately to issues related to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in the classroom and community. The panel will take place from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on the San Luis Obispo Campus in room 5401. To register, call (805) 546-3190.

The Book of the Year Program is a project of the Academic Senate of Cuesta College and is organized by the Cuesta College Book of the Year Committee. For more information please visit www.library.cuesta. edu/book/ or follow the Book of the Year program on Facebook and Twitter.

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STATEPOINT CROSSWORD THEME: FAMOUS TRIOS ACROSS 1. “_____ End,” retailer 6. Down Under bird 9. Obscenity 13. Hang around for 14. Bamboozle 15. Worn by some British soldiers on ceremonial occasions 16. Gang 17. Skirt’s edge 18. Gung-ho 19. *_______, Jose and Luciano 21. *Athos, Porthos and ______ 23. Bit of binary code 24. Again 25. Public health approver 28. To give approval in writing 30. African tree 35. Hurts 37. Kind of bean 39. *Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin meeting spot

40. Genealogist’s work 41. Sign of cancer?

43. Unit of pressure named after Torricelli 44. Wife of Abraham 46. Muscle quality 47. ____-fry 48. Type of tax 50. *They officiated LeBron, Wade and Bosh’s games 52. “I ___ with my naked eye” 53. Test choice 55. Denouement 57. *The Good, ___ ___ and the Ugly 60. *Chico, Harpo and _______ 64. Skyward 65. Female forest ruminant 67. Continental divide 68. Recorded 69. “... ___ he drove out of sight” 70. Piquant 71. “Joannie Loves Chachi” actress 72. *___, blue and yellow 73. Earl of _____

DOWN 1. Nordic native 2. Military no-show 3. *Employer of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins 4. *The Bee Gees’ most popular genre 5. Beer garden mugs 6. Reverberated sound 7. *___, Curly and Larry 8. Unnerve 9. One who makes deceitful pretenses 10. *Gaspar, Balthasar and Melchior 11. Luau strings, pl.

12. Craggy peak 15. Marine trade route 20. Of or relating to deism 22. Johnny ___, nickname for a Confederate 24. Twisted Sister: “We’re not gonna take it _______” 25. *_____, Stinky and Stretch 26. English physicist who studied quantum mechanics 27. Make aware 29. Caused by defects in uric acid metabo-

lism 31. Cereals or grains 32. Ink stains 33. A vacation or _ ____ 34. *Robin, Maurice and _____ Gibb 36. Scorch 38. Steak condiment 42. Send to a specialist, e.g.

45. Situation that is ideal for rapid development 49. ___ Gershwin 51. Alarm button 54. Bovine milk dispenser 56. Italian title, pl.

57. Ski lift 58. Arizona Indian 59. Level 60. Turned to the right, like a horse 61. British tax 62. Passionate dislike 63. December stone 64. Downed a sub, e.g.

66. Miner’s bounty

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palm street perspective

mayors challenge to end veteran homelessness

C

ity of San Luis Obispo Mayor Jan Marx has recently accepted the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness. With this announcement, the City of San Luis Obispo joins a growing number of communities across the country making the pledge.

“Our veterans have made sacrifices for our country. Now, it is our duty to step up for those in difficult times and provide them with services and a secure roof over their heads,” said Mayor Jan Marx. “The City of San Luis Obispo is proud to participate in this initiative and we look forward to the continuation of coordinated efforts to put an end to veteran homelessness.”

This challenge was initiated by First Lady Michelle Obama and developed through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with the goal of providing access to permanent housing for all veterans by the end of 2015. Through the Mayors Challenge, mayors and other state and local leaders across the country will marshal Federal, state, local, and non-profit efforts to end veteran homelessness in their communities.

The City has been a longstanding supporter of service provision to those who are experiencing homelessness. The Mayors Challenge

is consistent with City and regional plans that focus on strategies to end homelessness, including: 1) the City’s 2013-15 Financial Plan Major City Goal: Implement Comprehensive Strategies to Address Homelessness; 2) The Countywide 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness; 3) the City’s recently adopted 2015-17 Financial Plan Major City Goal: Housing, which focuses on facilitating workforce, affordable, supportive and transitional housing options; and 4) the City’s recently adopted 2015 Housing Element, which includes numerous policies and programs that support efforts and solutions to meeting the needs of homeless veterans in collaboration with other agencies.

Continued implementation of local and regional plans meet HUD’s principles of a successful Mayors Challenge, help close gaps in the continuum of care for our region’s homeless veterans, and will link and improve the use of resources to further the goal of ending veteran homelessness.

For more information regarding the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness, please visit, www.bit.ly/mayorschallenge. To learn more about available resources for veterans experiencing homelessness, visit https://www.onecpd.info/homelessness-assistance/ resources-for-homeless-veterans.

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Downtown

Around

The Magazine of Downtown San Luis Obispo

Inside:

W hat ’s U p G iants Trophy Tour Mee t O ur Inter n

March 2015

W h a t ’ s

U p

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D o w n t o w n

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are revisiting the concept of what is local and what locals expect from their market.

here is an old saying that goes, “Home is where the heart is.” For me, nothing could be truer than that. I live, play and work Downtown which is indisputably the heart of San Luis Obispo; some would even argue that it is the heart of the county. And in that heart there is one event, every week, that draws our community together: Thursday night Farmers’ Market in SLO.

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have strong agricultural roots that go back five generations in San Luis Obispo and I am proud to say our market will continue to thrive as a place for locals to assemble and enjoy Downtown on a weekly basis. I am also proud to announce that starting this month we Dominic Tartaglia, Executive Director are improving the market based on feedback from the market survey. For starters we have a very Thursday night for the last 32 years our new logo for the market that speaks to the agriculture Downtown has come alive with thousands of people of the market strolling down Higuera Street looking to experience the with the iconic real SLO. Our beloved market started as a grass roots king of barnyards movement to encourage local economy and expand across the world, a nightlife on an otherwise dead night. What locals rooster. affectionately call their own and refer to as Farmers’ is an event that we originally created for the benefit of hy a local residents, guests, and businesses. Last year we rooster?” conducted a survey of residents and guests and found you may ask. the thing participants cared most about was buying Having grown up healthy and sustainable goods that are grown and on a ranch where the rooster starts the day with a call produced right here on the Central Coast. This year we to wake the farmer and all of the other animals,

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On the Cover: Spring is right around the corner, evident by the vibrant cherry blossoms in Mission Plaza. Photo by Mukta Naran

Come see the THREE World Series Trophies!

Downtown Farmers’ Market

Thursday, March 5 from 5-7PM 669 Higuera St, at Davidson’s Furniture

Photo opportunities available and a voluntary contribution of $2 per person is suggested to support the local San Luis Obispo Junior Giants program.

More information: SLO Downtown Association at 541-0286

www.DowntownSLO.com

W h a t ’ s

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I see our rooster as the call to start the weekend.

From our survey we found that for many people, the Thursday Farmers’ Market in Downtown is the beginning of their social engagements for the weekend. We also wanted an image that was a symbol of prosperity, vibrancy and pride. Prosperity for the vendors and the community Farmers' Market mascot that comes down to the Downtown Brown hanging out with a couple friends center of our community to buy and sell goods as our civilization has done for thousands of years. Vibrancy relates to our Downtown’s embrace of diverse cultural opportunities for food, music, entertainment, commerce and social exchanges. Pride relates to a community proud to have one of the top open-air markets in the state if not the country, and farmers and vendors who proudly display goods they have lovingly produced for sale each week. You can expect to see our rooster featured in our ads starting this month.

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eyond the logo change, March is also the first month that our market logistics will be managed in a more streamlined manner. We will be switching to an online application process that will help potential vendors with an expedited application process. Along with the improved application process we are adding a mapping feature that will enable consumers to search for specific produce items or vendors on their computer or smartphone.

This translates to consumers finding the products that Visitors to the Downtown SLO Farmers' Market finding the freshest produce on the they want or need happily Central Coast every Thursday from the market quickly. It also means there is now an option to check availability of seasonal items effortlessly from the Internet if you would rather not go through each booth at the market searching for say, cherries in March.

Continued on next page

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W h a t ’ s

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Continued from previous page n essence, we at the San Luis Obispo Downtown Association are listening, watching and learning new ways to make our market better so that everyone can discover local flavor.

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Some of the tastiest and most entertaining barbequers keep 'em coming back week after week.

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stablished in 1983 when the San Luis Obispo Downtown

D o w n t o w n

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Association closed six blocks of Higuera Street to provide a positive gathering space that also supports local businesses, Thursday Night Promotions (aka the Thursday Night Farmers’ Market) has since developed into a weekly, year-round street fair that includes topshelf entertainment, abundant local produce, family activities, delectable prepared foods, value-added products and a bicycle valet. Thursday Night Promotions takes places every Thursday night from 6 to 9 PM on Higuera Street between Osos and Nipomo Streets in San Luis Obispo, California. For more information, please visit DowntownSLO.com/Farmers-Market/

San Francisco Giants Trophy Tour Coming to Downtown SLO

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he San Luis Obispo Downtown Association and Junior Giants are excited to announce the arrival of the San Francisco Giants THREE World Series Trophies at Farmers’ Market on Thursday, March 5 from 5-7 PM. The 2010, 2012 and 2014 Major League Baseball’s Commissioner’s Trophies, crafted by Tiffany & Co., will be on display to help celebrate the World Series Champions.

to support the local San Luis Obispo Junior Giants program. Visit the Giants Community Fund website to learn more about getting involved or becoming a coach.

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he trophies will be displayed at 669 Higuera Street, in the Davidson’s Furniture he San Francisco Giants won building (between Broad the World Series last season, and Nipomo Streets). For beating the Kansas City Royals more information, contact 3-2 in game seven to earn their the SLO Downtown third championship in the last Association, 541-0286 or Marshall Ochylski with the 2010 & trophies during the last World five seasons! The 2010 and 2012 visit DowntownSLO.com. 2012 Series trophy tour World Series trophies both drew o learn more: Please thousands Downtown for viewing and we are excited to visit sfgiants.com/trophy. You can also follow @ see the energy and excitement this year!

SFGiants on Twitter and tag Tweets and photos with he viewing of the trophies is free to the public but a #SFGTrophy. voluntary contribution of $2 per person is suggested

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Meet Our Intern

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nna Jacobson is in her third year at Cal Poly studying Journalism with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Spanish. She loves to travel and just returned from studying abroad in Costa Rica. She is originally from Haines, Alaska and has lived there her entire life. While living with her family in Alaska she worked on her parents' whale-watching boat as a deckhand. Growing up in Alaska and moving

to the Central Coast of California has made Anna appreciate the outdoors. She loves skiing, surfing, backpacking, and everything in between.

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he enjoys being around people and has a passion for writing. She hopes to learn a lot about Public Relations, marketing, advertising, event-planning, and more while interning at the Downtown Association.

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

COMMUNITY

our schools

research indicates that arts education makes a difference in our schools

By James J. Brescia, Ed.D. County Superintendent of Schools

D

uring the past several decades, numerous articles and research studies have been published that examine the extent and value of the study in and through the arts.

This body of research has been extremely valuable in informing the public and educators as to the positive effects of arts education on student learning, as well as a variety of other factors. This type of research has provided much-needed data for informing future curricular decisions and for enhancing arts education in our State’s schools. It is my hope that this article will provide an impetus for continued discussion about the positive effects of education in and through the fine arts (music, art, dance and theater).

Why is it so important to keep the arts strong in our schools? How does the study of the arts contribute to student achievement and success?

Since the 1980s, and intensifying during the years following the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation in 2001, State educational systems have been working diligently to implement standards-based education to support the abilities of children and youth to live full and successful lives. NCLB included an emphasis on Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science as “core academic subject areas,” and requires public school districts to demonstrate “Adequate Yearly Progress” on standardized tests in these subjects. This focus on “the basics” and standardized test results has, in many respects, weakened, or called into question, the place of fine arts education in the public school curriculum. For example, a 2009 study by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that instruction time in the arts has decreased for many students in the US, particularly for students in schools identified as needing improvement under the provisions of NCLB. Specifically, in the schools needing improvement, more instructional time was spent in the key tested areas of Language Arts and Mathematics, than in all the other subjects combined, with the arts comprising only six percent of the time spent.

In response to the national educational agenda focusing on standards and test scores and about the place of arts education in the curriculum, numerous research studies were conducted. These studies were on both the availability of arts education in schools across the country, and on the relationship between arts education and student academic achievement. Over the past 10 years, studies of arts education in public schools have been released for nearly a dozen states, including Michigan (Arts Alive!, Art Serve, 2001), California (Quality, Equity, Access, CAAE, 2005; The Sound of Silence, Music for All Foundation, 2004), Illinois (Arts at the Core, Illinois Creates Coalition, 2005), Kentucky (Status of Arts Education in Kentucky Public Schools, Collaborative for Teaching and Learning, 2005), New Jersey (Project within our Power, New Jersey Arts Education Census Project, 2006), Washington (Arts for Every Student, AERI, 2006), Texas (Academic Performance, Drop Out Rates and Attendance Rates in Texas Public Schools Correlated to Fine Arts Course Enrollment, TMEA and TCQAE, 2007) and New York (Staying in School, CAE, 2009). Some of these studies have documented gaps and disparities in access to quality arts instruction. For example, the Illinois study (Arts at the Core: Every School, Every Student, Illinois Creates

41

Coalition, 2005) found that Illinois students lacked equal access to arts education, with twenty percent of the state’s principals indicating their schools had no arts program of any kind. In California, The Sound of Silence Report (Music for All Foundation, 2004) documented the “unprecedented decline of music education” in the state’s public schools, showing that the percentage of all California students involved in music education courses declined by half over a five-year period (the 1999-2000 academic school year through 2003-2004).

We must maintain or expand levels of fine arts education in our schools, including in schools with high percentages of poor and minority students. In the face of funding shortfalls and economic stress, schools/districts may be tempted to reduce their investment in anything that appears to be “extra” or unnecessary; but as previously mentioned, the arts play an important role in supporting student learning beyond the boundaries of the fine arts classroom. In line with maintaining or expanding arts education, we must work together to see that all students have equal access to courses in various arts disciplines, regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds. We need to recognize fine arts classes as core aspects of the academic curriculum rather than as merely “add-ons” or “feel-good” electives. Research is clear in indicating that students at all grade levels (including middle school or junior high) should be required to study the fine arts. In order to increase student opportunities, we should assure that funding for arts education in our schools is maintained or expanded. Ongoing maintenance of funding is necessary to continue the positive relationships between arts education and student learning as identified in the research literature.

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kennedy club fitness donates to vets express

Okimoto. Kevin is a founding partner at Trellis Wealth Advisors in San Luis Obispo, a private investment office. He was once drafted by the San Diego Padres to play professional baseball. Kevin is involved in the community, and is founding director and chairman of the board for The Sandlot Group of San Luis Obispo, a local non-profit dedicated to the promotion of sports and overall health for local youth.

ada golf cart first in slo county

Kevin and Barb Kennedy (Kennedy Club Fitness) presented a check for $2,500 from their “Thank a Vet” to support Ride-On Transportation’s Veteran Express Shuttle. Accepting for Ride-On Transportation is Executive Director Mark Shaffer and Veterans Express Founder Greg Shearer. Kennedy Club Fitness also offered free memberships to Veterans for the month of November at their four facilities in SLO County. The Veterans’ Express provides door-to door transportation for veterans from their home in SLO County to the local Veterans’ Clinics. Veterans can catch a free bus to VA Medical Facilities in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles. The service is 80% from donations and fundraising efforts. The SLO Council of Governments is also a proud sponsor of the Veterans Express. Learn more about the Veterans Express at www.vetsexpress.org or www.ride-on.org.

st. patrick’s day celebration dinner

The 19th Annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration dinner of corned beef and cabbage, with all the trimmings and dessert, will be held on 14 March 2015, from 4 - 7 PM in the church hall, 501 Fair Oaks Avenue.

Dinner tickets are $10. A discount of $2 is available to pre-event purchasers. Ticket sales begin February 28/March 1 after Masses and tickets will also be available at the door on March 14th or in the church office during business hours.

french hospital welcomes new board member

French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) is pleased to announce the appointment of a new member of the Community Board. In total, some 48-community members bring a vast background to the table while guiding and supporting community health care on the Community Board and the Foundation Board. The newly elected member of the FHMC Community Board is Kevin

The City of SLO’s Laguna Lake Golf Course has become the first course in the County, and only one of a few in the state, to offer an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant golf cart. The ADA ensures that persons with disabilities have access to the full and equal enjoyment of public accommodations. In compliance with the ADA, Laguna Lake Golf Course purchased a Yamaha SoloRider Adaptive Golf Cart for public use late last year. The golf cart’s unique design allows total access to the golf course, including the ability to golf from the cart using the stand-up seat and the ability to drive directly onto the greens. As a key recreational facility in the City, Laguna Lake Golf Course is accessible to all members of our community. For questions, please contact Todd Bunte, Parks & Recreation, (805) 781-7228.

glenn burdette marks half-century

Glenn Burdette, the leading certified public accounting firm on the Central Coast, is marking 50 years in business in 2015. Since the company first opened its doors in 1965, Glenn Burdette has expanded to employ more than 60 people in San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria and Paso Robles. The CPA firm was founded by Fred Glenn in 1965, in a small office on Marsh Street in San Luis

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Obispo. Over the next decade, Stephen Burdette, David Phillips, and David Bryson joined the firm and the name was changed to Glenn, Burdette, Phillips & Bryson. Phillips, the company’s longest term employee, is still with Glenn Burdette today. In 1985, the company moved its headquarters to 1150 Palm Street, where it still stands. The firm opened a second office in Paso Robles in 1998, followed by a third office in Santa Maria in 2004. The name of the company was streamlined to Glenn Burdette in 2011 to position the brand for the future.

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new officers for widowed persons assoc.

$10,000 grant to 5 cities homeless coalition

Five Cities Homeless Coalition has received a $10,000 grant from the Opportunity Fund at the Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County (CFSLOCO). The grant will be used to assist those most in need in south SLO County who are homeless or facing poverty. Through the Coalition’s Helping Hand Program, the funds will help approximately 70 clients and their families overcome a one-time barrier that will enable them to move toward self-sufficiency, stability in the home, and economic improvement.

In only 15 years, CFSLOCO has distributed more than $24 million in grants to assist nonprofit agencies. For more information on CFSLOCO, call 805-543-2323 or visit www.CFSLOCO.org. For more information, contact 5 Cities Homeless Coalition at 805-5741638 or visit www.5CHC.org.

ccfc awards $3000 to tolosa dental clinic

Partnership for the Children of San Luis Obispo County received a $3,000 grant from Central Coast Funds for Children for children’s dental services provided at Tolosa Children’s Dental Center. The non-profit dental office, now with two locations in Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo, is the only safety-net provider of dental care in the county to specialize in pediatric dentistry for children from lowincome families who either have Medi-Cal dental benefits or are uninsured. It serves over 4,500 unduplicated children each year from the age of infant to age 18.

C rossword S O L U T I O N S

The SLO Chapter of the Widowed Persons Association of California recently installed a new slate of officers for 2015. This non-profit organization is dedicated to helping widowed people overcome their grief and learn to live and laugh again. They’re here to help. For further information, call 489-7298, 481-3571, or write to P.O. Box 414, Pismo Beach, CA 93448. Newly elected officers are (left to right) Treasurer Vivian Campbell, Happy Hour chairman Dick Loomis, 2nd Vice President Adrianne Garey, Supper Club Co-Chairman Jerry Peterson, Incoming President Ginnie Howells, 1st Vice President Elinor Murray, retiring President Carol Cook, Secretary June Henry, State Representative Harry Roden, State Representative Addie Mylan and Parliamentarian Mildreene Kirby.

free senior health care screening

Screening for adults and seniors is available throughout San Luis Obispo County. Free services include: screening for high blood pressure, weight and pulse. Finger prick screening tests for: high cholesterol, anemia and blood sugar. Counseling and referrals as needed. Please call 544-2484 ext. 1 for dates, times and locations.

cal poly symphony’s winter concert

The Cal Poly Symphony’s Winter Concert on Sunday, March 8, will be a collaborative performance celebrating the talents of student soloists and members of the university’s Orchesis Dance Company.

It will take place at 3pm in Harman Hall in the Performing Arts Center. The Student Soloist Showcase will include performances by the five instrumentalists and three vocalists who won the Music Department’s Solo Competition. The last three works will feature dance choreography performed by Orchesis. Tickets to the concert are $12 and $14 for the public and $9 and $12 for senior citizens and students. Tickets are sold at the Cal Poly Ticket Office or order by phone, call SLO-4TIX (756-4849).

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beacon art show 2015

The Beacon Art Show 2015 with a theme of “Gifts of the Spirit” is scheduled March 7 through April 5 at the SLO United Methodist Church.

The artwork, representing the creative spirit and talent of countywide artists, will be juried

by Margaret Korisheli, Fine Arts Division Chair, Cuesta College, Tim Anderson, artist, curator and SLOUMC Pastor Rick Uhls.

Beacon Art Show is open to the public Thursday through Sunday, 11am to 4pm. In addition to the visual arts exhibit, the public is invited to attend these arts events at SLOUMC; Saturday, March 7, 10am—Poetry Writing Workshop led by poet Glenna Luschei; Sunday, March 15, 2pm—Poetry Readings by Glenna Luschei and poetry writing workshop attendees; Saturday, March 21, 7:30pm—Film Evening led by Sarah Linn and Chris Daly; Sunday, March 29, 2pm— Bel Canto Ringers Concert

slo film festival presents citizen kane

The SLO International Film Festival (SLOIFF) and Friends of Hearst Castle announce a first-ever screening in the historic theater in Hearst Castle of Orson Welles’ masterpiece, Citizen Kane. Tickets are $1,000 per person for this joint fundraiser of SLOIFF and Friends of Hearst Castle, which supports conservation of, and education about, Hearst Castle. On Friday, March 13th, as part of the 21st Annual SLOIFF, the film will be screened for only 50 people in William Randolph Hearst’s original private theater in the hilltop estate. This is the first time this controversial film has ever been screened in Hearst Castle itself. The evening will include a VIP tour and a sunset reception overlooking the San Simeon Coastline. Proceeds from this event will also support the 2015 SLOIFF, an annual countywide film festival on California’s beautiful Central Coast. Information is available at http:// slofilmfest.org/festival/visit-slo/

mzr fitness turns five

MZR Fitness was created by World Renowned Personal Trainer, Mike Z. Robinson, and they just celebrated their five year anniversary in San Luis in January. MZR Fitness has become SLO County’s fitness authority in Personal Training, Small Group Training, Fitness Boot Camps, Youth Fitness, and Corporate Fitness.

MZR Fitness’ state-of-the-art facility is located at 75 Higuera St. Suite 210/220, SLO. For more information, call 805-543-9800 or visit www.mzrfitness.com

rsvp volunteer opportunities

Put your life experience to work with RSVP. Join with many other seniors, age 55 and over, who are taking time to help improve the lives of others. RSVP can match your talents and interests with community needs. Call RSVP at 544-8740 for information on any of the opportunities throughout all of SLO County.

new executive director for woods

donations to family care network and woods animal shelter

Laetitia Vineyard & Winery President and Winemaker, Eric Hickey, recently presented donations to local charities, The Family Care Network and Woods Humane Society, from the proceeds of the winery’s 2012 NADIA Quattro red blend wine. “As a sustainable vineyard and winery, we are always looking for ways to contribute to the sustainability of our community,” says Hickey.

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The Woods Humane Society Board of Directors announced that Jill Tucker joined the organization as its new Executive Director on February 16th. Ms. Tucker will bring more than a decade of highlevel animal welfare experience to the nearly 60-year-old nonprofit organization. Lenny Jones, President of the Board of Directors said, “We did a national search and had dozens of highly qualified candidates from all over the country. But in the end it turned out our top candidate and unanimous first choice was right in our own backyard.” Jill comes to Woods Humane Society from Santa Maria where she has been Executive Director of the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society (SMVHS) since 2009.

THE BULLETIN BOARD puma swimmers donate $11,000 to cancer center

We are pleased to share with you that the Hearst Cancer Resource Center (HCRC) at French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) recently received a visit from the PUMA Aquatic Team, which provided a generous $11,000 donation for the center. The swim club raised $11,000 for the HCRC during their seventh annual swim meet at Arroyo Grande High School in October.

Hundreds of swimmers from the Central Coast, Central Valley, and Southern California participated in the event. This brings PUMA’s seventh year total donation to the Hearst Cancer Resource Center to $70,000.

help our local veterans

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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botanical garden spring plant sale

Spring Fundraising Plant Sale at SLO Botanical Garden on Saturday, March 28, 10am1pm. Garden volunteers have worked all year cultivating beautiful mediterraneanclimate plants that are spectacular in your garden and will also save you money on water bills! Chat with our plant experts about your plant questions, enjoy free coffee, and take advantage of special sale prices on store merchandise. All proceeds benefit the Garden’s mission to honor and preserve our connection with nature. More information at slobg.org/sale.

hospice slo volunteer training

Hospice San Luis Obispo (Hospice SLO) will be holding a six week training course for new Hospice Volunteers in March. This training will be held at the New Life Community Church located at 990 James Way in Pismo Beach from 1-5pm, March 6, 13, 20, 27. Hospice Volunteer Training is open to anyone interested in learning more about Hospice concepts in the care and support of those with a terminal or life-threatening illness. This inclusive six-week training covers communication skills, hospice history and philosophy, cultural and spiritual issues, and increasing quality of life throughout the lifespan. By soulfully examining personal experiences and awareness of end of life issues, volunteers are able to become much-needed support for those facing a life-threatening illness, death, and grief. A $30.00 fee covers the cost of the Training Manual for the course. Bilingual individuals are encouraged to participate. The volunteer commitment is 3 to 4 hours per week for up to 6 months. Space is limited for the training. For more information or to sign-up for the course, please contact Tracy Sturgell at (805) 544-2266 or email tracysturgell@hospiceslo.org.

San Luis Obispo’s Best Kept Secret Power Carts Senior Discount (55) • 10 Play C ards • Tournaments Welcome • •

252 Higuera Street San Luis Obispo (805) 541-TIRE

Tee Times on our website: lagunalakegolfcourse.org or call 805-781-7309

11175 Los Osos Valley Road, SLO

A reverse mortgage could help you see the kids. A lot.

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Reverse Mortgage Professionals is an Aegean Financial Company, CA BRE #1478751, NMLS #157935

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COMMUNITY

eye on business perking along with employees

By Maggie Cox, Barnett Cox & Associates

upper division agriculture communications students who were smart, interested, and enthusiastic.

The students had lots of questions and offered great comments and interaction. Then came the coup de gras: after mentioning the value I give to handwritten follow up notes from job applicants, I was delighted a week later to find 24 small envelopes in my U.S. Mailbox.

The notecards were all different and the handwriting individual, but they had something in common: a thank you from class members and proof positive that these students were listening. I suspect instructor Megan Silcott helped by making thank you notes a class assignment, but regardless, they got it done. Hats off to this young woman who is a Brock Center and Agricultural Communication lecturer.

I

n a world where technology is impacting business (and every aspect of life) at a dizzying pace, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed about the new breed of employees and what it may take to connect with them.

I’ll confess to being blown away reading about a company like Zappos and what it does for employees. Basically a call center / fulfillment house, Zappos offers everything from free food, hammocks and no cost pet insurance to biometric (fat and other indicators) testing and of course, predictable items like on site fitness centers and massage chairs. A business owner can read about these perks and feel not just discouraged, but maybe a little disgusted. Seriously, is this what it takes to attract staff?

Given the add-ons and benefits offered by some companies, it might seem we’re creating a generation of haughty, show-me-the-money paycheckchasing future employees. I’m happy to tell you my interactions with local college students suggests otherwise. Three recent speaking engagements have left me impressed by our up-and-comers and excited to see them enter the workforce. These students are engaged, creative thinkers who are passionate about what they do. Not a single person asked me about starting salaries, benefits or hammocks. In fairness, it’s possible I appear to be an unlikely hammock promoter (I am), but still, no one asked.

I spoke at Cuesta College to Lisa Miller’s Public Relations class. Lisa spends time and energy bringing the outside in to her classroom, exposing students to career possibilities and helping each find a path that suits him or her. I talked with them about careers in PR, and they in turn gave me ideas for outreaching to young demographics. We had a great conversation and several students stayed after class to talk about entrepreneurial possibilities. Initiative and drive.

Then I was off to Cal Poly and a speaking invitation I had accepted without much thought … until the day came—a Friday morning, 10:30 a.m. the first week of fall classes. Even I knew the chances of anyone showing up were slim. I was wrong. I spent an hour with a roomful of M A R C H

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And most recently, Dave Cox and I participated in a critique of Cal Poly architecture student projects, an impressive production launched by our friend, local businesswoman, community volunteer, and Cal Poly instructor Stacey White. Teams of community and campus people interacted with students whose assignment was to design a building on a parking lot in Downtown SLO. What an uplifting and thought provoking session it was. We met students who were passionate about design, about downtown, about living and working sustainably and who clearly have an eye on the future. Their work and their presentation skills were impressive, and the good humored, skilled hand of Stacey guiding them to excellence was readily apparent. Bright ideas all around.

So there you have it. Three very different classroom connections all produced the same reaction: optimism. While I remain befuddled by and resistant to the world of crazy perks, I am also reassured that there are employees headed our way for whom hard work, curiosity and ambition are high values. I see it in my own staff and I am happy to see it in the young people waiting in the wings.

And for the record—I’ll happily accept free pet insurance, but I think I’ll pass on biometric testing.

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