September 2016 Journal Plus Magazine

M A RIA NNE BOL LINGER | S T E V E BOA Z / CA L LUM BOLGER | FR A NK GA NDOL FO | T HE L EE FA MILY

Journal PLUS SEPTEMBER 2016

MAGA ZINE OF THE CENTRAL COAST

AJ VERDIN

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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

31

ERIN HANSON’S ART ON DISPLAY

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, Mike Pluneda

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THE LEE FAMILY

BOAZ AND BOLGER

ADVERTISING Steve Owens CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Susan Stewart, Joseph Carotenuti, Dr. James Brescia, Sarah Hedger, Maggie Cox, Will Jones, Deborah Cash, Heather Young, Don Morris, Ruth Starr, Natasha Dalton, Richard Bauman, Vicki Leon, Toni Bouman, Amy Jensen and Carlyn Christianson.

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

Opinions expressed in the byline articles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the JOURNAL PLUS MAGAZINE. COVER PHOTO BY TOM MEINHOLD

PEOPLE 8 10 12 16 18 20

MARIANNE BOLLINGER NICK MURPHY & MARK LEOPOLD THE LEE FAMILY SVETLANA GRISHCHENKO FRANK GONDOLFO AJ VERDIN

HOME & OUTDOOR 22 MISSION SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO 24 FOOD / AT THE MARKET

COMMUNITY 26 28 30 32 34 41 42

STEVE BOAZ AND CALLUM BOLGER JUDY SULLIVAN – A Tribute ART SCENE HISTORY: California 1814 part 4 OUR SCHOOLS – Dr. James Brescia PALM STREET – Councilwoman Christianson COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

BUSINESS

36 EYE ON BUSINESS 37 DOWNTOWN SLO What’s Happening

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From the publisher Make sure your smile shines like the sun!

M

ore than ten years ago we profiled Mary Verdin highlighting her continuing community service on the Central Coast.

This month we move down a generation and profile her son, AJ. We were so impressed with his unique talent that we put him on the cover. Susan Stewart had a great interview with Mary and AJ and you’ll enjoy her story inside.

Dr. Don Morris has been writing about our greatest athletes each month for almost two years and the reader response has been overwhelming. This month he features two generations of the Lee family, while the third generation is wowing us today. We extended it to three pages for your reading pleasure.

NOW WELCOMING NEW PATIENTS AND E VENIN G H OU RS AVAIL AB LE

We also feature coach Steve Boaz and another of his rising stars, Callum Bolger. Bolger is doing great things both on and off the track.

Plenty of good reading again this month.

Enjoy the magazine.

Call us at

805-541-5800 to schedule an appointment Steve Owens 11545 LOS OSOS VALLEY ROAD, SUITE. A, SAN LUIS OBISPO

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PEOPLE

the dog lady

marianne bollinger photographing our furry friends

By Ruth Starr

I

f a picture is worth a thousand words, Marianne Bollinger must have volumes by now. Marianne began as a volunteer for Woods Humane Society, where they were often asked to bring in cameras to photograph the animals. Since Marianne had a fairly decent camera, she offered to take some photos. She was joined by another woman, Chelsea Mills, who researched photography, specifically taking pictures of animals. Eventually the two of them created a studio at Woods that was in a large janitor’s closet. Mimi Ditchie is now the lead photographer at Woods Humane Society.

Woods offered to send Chelsea and Marianne to the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society to take a photography workshop given by Seth Casteel—a famous animal photographer.

Woods received a free camera for Chelsea and Marianne attending the class. It was Marianne’s first formal training in photographing animals. Casteel has two books, Underwater Dogs and Underwater Puppies where he photographed the dogs with a special underwater camera. He also has a regular

photography business. The women received a tremendous education about photographing animals from the workshop: One Picture Saves. Casteel developed the workshop along with the non-profit organization Greater Good. Their focus is to create attractive pictures of the dogs so that they are more easily adopted. Another man, Steve Sloop, who came from the Shelter Art Foundation also held a workshop at Woods. He helped set up the studio with better lighting and tips on how to achieve better photographs.

While Casteel teaches filming in outdoor settings, Steve films indoors with backgrounds and enhancing items to best photograph the dogs.

Marianne also works with Central Coast Pug Rescue taking photos of their dogs. They cover an area from the South Bay to Camarillo. She travels the entire area taking pictures of pugs.

The Central Coast Pug Rescue is a foster home based organization that doesn’t have a shelter.

Besides photography, Marianne works at French Hospital as a unit clerk in ICU. French Hospital began a healing paws therapy program where dogs are brought to the hospital to visit the patients and staff. Two dozen dogs are in that program. They all have to have therapy certification. Denise Fitzgerald is the volunteer coordinator at French Hospital for the therapy dog program. It is very healing to the patients to have a dog at their side.

Recently there was a case where someone passed away in the hospital leaving his dog with no one to take him. Marianne and Denise helped find a home for the poodle mix.

Marianne is also a volunteer at Prado Day Care Center helping the homeless with their dogs. She makes sure they have food, collars, and leashes. Vet students come to the shelter from Cal Poly to help with vaccinations, or any other illness any of the dogs may have, in addition to giving nail trims. The homeless shelters will let dogs in if they have their vaccinations, which is why the vaccinations are necessary.

Homeless people worry a lot about their dogs and many would forego their own meals to be sure the dogs are fed.

Growing up in North Highland, a suburb of Sacramento, Marianne was about 6 years old when

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the “dog catcher” would come around to gather all the strays. She would run out getting all the dogs she could find and bring them home.

She moved to San Luis Obispo about 10 years ago. That was the same time she began to get involved with Woods Humane Society. Besides being a dog mama, she has two grown children, Aaron Gack and Sarah Gack who both live in Grass Valley Marianne was quite excited to talk about Mike Lehane, the Executive director of The Wolfs Reign (wolf rescue group). Mike also works with Lockwood Animal Rescue Center that does wild life rescue. Mike offered huge palettes of dog food to her to give to the people at Prado Day Care. There was no way she could store or handle all the dog food he had. They decided to start a pet food pantry.

She formed a group with Mike, the group from Cal Poly and the people who work with food banks in the area.

The pet food pantry is just in the forming stages, but is gaining ground to help feed animals.

They had a meeting and voted on an official name and mission statement. It will be called Central Coast Partnership for Animal Welfare (Central Coast P.A.W.) Their mission statement is: Providing resources to the companion animals of the underserved on California’s Central Coast. They will keep the food at the new warehouse of the SLO Food Bank. When people come to pick up food for those in need, they can also pick up dog and cat food.

This group is also providing pet food for the SLO Veterans Stand Down. Pet food will be given to any Vet who needs food for their pet.

Thanks to the thoughtful concerns and kind actions of our community animal lovers, and to Marianne, the Central Coast is looking out for our furry friends.

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PEOPLE

nick murphy and mark leopold twin sons of different mothers– local boys make good

By Deborah Cash

P

artners in business and brothers-in-law to boot, local dentists Nick Murphy and Mark Leopold are still enjoying their profession, their friendship and sharing stories of growing up locally including the tale of a chance meeting four decades ago that changed their lives forever.

Nick, born and raised in SLO, was attending Cal Poly in the early 1970s and dropped by a men’s clothing store at Madonna Plaza where a friend worked. Turned out that gentleman was a mutual friend to Mark who happened to be in the store at the same time and the two were introduced. “We struck up a conversation but then left the store,” said Nick. So imagine his surprise a few days later when Mark showed up at the Murphy home to take Nick’s sister Christine on a pre-arranged blind date!

“It was supposed to be a double date with the friend from the clothing store but they ended up not going,” recalled Mark. A romance between Christine and Mark sparked, as did the friendship between Nick and Mark. Both young men were trying to figure out exactly what they wanted to do with their lives and Nick expressed an interest in pursuing a career in dentistry.

“Mark had served as a surgical dental technician in Vietnam and my wife at the time had worked for a SLO dentist and enjoyed the work,” said Nick. The two figured out that “if they hit it hard,” they could obtain their goals in a couple of years and open a dental practice in SLO. Thus was the genesis of Leopold and Murphy, DDS—now Leopold, Murphy and Main, DDS. Nick attended University of California, San Francisco in the fall of 1972 and obtained a doctorate in dentistry there while Mark, first attending Cal Poly with a major in biochemistry transferred to UniNick and Mark in the early days.

versity of the Pacific where he received his doctorate in dental surgery.

Nearing the completion of their medical studies, Nick said the two talked about remodeling an older house in town for their practice.

Mark’s father Warren Leopold was an architect (and designer of the iconic Santa Rosa Medical Building at Santa Rosa Street by the creek) and Nick’s father was a property owner and developer locally. Nick and Mark purchased a Walnut Street property—which is still the location of their practice—from Nick’s brother. After returning to SLO and with help from family, including Warren’s architectural expertise, they labored for a year getting the new office in order.

“It was a little scary at first,” said Mark, noting that most new dentists go straight to work right out of school. “Plus, we had two of us needing to start careers and competing for patients under one shingle.” But the two handled it just like good friends would do and have enjoyed an amicable and successful relationship as their business prospered, and their family ties solidified when Mark married Christine in June, 1977. “We’ve always been able to communicate with each other and we’re a family-oriented bunch,” Nick said.

Mark, born in Carmel, grew up in Big Sur and attended school in a one-room schoolhouse where his mother taught. By high school, the family had relocated to Cambria; shortly after Mark’s graduation from Coast Union High School, he was drafted by the Army to serve in Vietnam. “I joined the Navy instead,” he said, thinking that he might get a different assignment by doing so. “But they attached me to the Marines and off to Da Nang I went.” Though serving as a dental technician, Mark saw combat and was present during the Tet Offensive in 1968. Upon his return, he enrolled at Cuesta and it was during this time he struck up the friendship with Nick.

Mark and siblings Laurel and David enjoyed a rural life for many years and in fact he continues to savor “the country life” on his seven acres in Avila Valley. Mark and Christine raise 150 fruit trees, till the soil and walk/run the property on a regular basis. “I’m definitely into fitness,” he said, “and it helps to be in shape when I lend a hand to my kids when they move or need some landscaping done.” Son Ian—who is also a dentist with the group lives locally with his wife Jackie and their daughter Sadie as do Mark’s daughter Ashley and her husband Justin. Archie the dog rounds out the clan.

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who both work in the family practice; son Nick III, his wife Laura and their sons Lucas and Ethan; Adria’s husband Timothy and their son Sawyer; and Haley’s fiancé Quillan.

Beyond their jobs, family and enjoying the outdoors, both men are dedicated to living a life that includes compassion for others as evidenced by the many hours donated and clinics hosted to help those who may not be able to afford the care they need. “We’ve provided health screenings in schools and health fairs locally,” Mark said, and Nick

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shared he’s provided volunteer dentistry services in Mexico. “We do a lot of freebies because we clearly see the need,” he said.

“We’ve been together a long time,” Nick said, pointing to photos on their wall of the two of them: young, shaggy-haired and bearded.

“When it’s time to move on, we’ll probably miss most of all chatting with patients, many of whom call us their good friends”—just like the two guys themselves who, when it comes to friendship, know the “drill.”

Nick and daughters, Haley and Adria

A SLO homegrown boy, Nick attended Mission High School; he recalls many fond memories of growing up in a small town with his two sisters, Christine and Lynn and one brother, Chuck. “I was athletic and into sports, particularly skiing,” he said. He recollects trucks flying down the Cuesta Grade, losing control and crashing into the creek near the Mission and some hijinks like the time during his senior year in high school that he was smoking cigars and playing poker upstairs in the Mission: “I remember that because it was when President Kennedy died and most people have a vivid memory of where they were that day.”

“My dad, Nick Sr. was a go-getter,” Nick said, noting his father came to SLO on a VA scholarship to Cal Poly and built a number of motels in SLO. Nick’s mom, Leona, is still alive though his dad passed away in 1991. His family includes daughters Adria and Haley

Mark, Ashley, Christine and Ian

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PEOPLE

The greatest athletes on the central coast

By Dr. Don Morris

best players in the North and Midwest. Lee would eventually play in the Cincinnati Reds farm system, for a couple of years, and then served in the Army during WWII.

Editor’s note: The reader response to the question “Who are the Greatest Athletes in the history of the Central Coast?” has been overwhelming. More than 100 nominations have been received from readers from Ventura to Salinas and almost all the high schools and various sports were represented. (Many of the nominations were about central coast men and women athletes who have gone on to compete professionally in sports like Olympic events, football, baseball, track and field, golf, boxing, ultimate fighting, tennis, kick boxing, basketball, rodeo, race-car drivers, etc).

So far the following athletes have been featured: Ed Brown, Stephanie Brown Trafton, Chuck Liddell, Loren Roberts, Steve Patterson, Gene Rambo, Robin Ventura, Jordan Hasay, Chuck Estrada, Mike Larrabee, Ron Capps, Jamie Martin, Rusty Kuntz, Randall Cunningham, Jim Lonborg, Kami Craig, John Rudometkin, Ivan Huff, Chelsea Johnson, Michael Louis Bratz, Frank Minini, Scott McClain, Mel Queen, Napoleon Kaufmann, Katie Hicks, Mark Brunell, Gene Romero, Kenny Heitz, Thornton Starr Lee, Pat Rusco and Rusty Blair. Please send nominations to Dr. Morris at dmmorris@calpoly.edu.

In 1952, Tom was hired by Cal Poly to teach Physical Education, Health Education, and aquatics.

For 37 years, he helped to shape the school’s academic and athletic programs. Lee would coach baseball, basketball, boxing, and football over the 1950s and 1960s. In the boxing world, the Poly program was considered one of the best in the U.S., producing 23 collegiate All-Americans and one National Champion.

the lee family A tradition of athletic excellence can be found in our own backyard.

At the top of the list, the Lee family comes to mind. The legacy began when Tom and Anne Lee came to San Luis Obispo in 1952. Tom was born in Miles City, Montana in 1917. He attended Bismarck High School in North Dakota where he played football and basketball. These were the beginning stages where his athletic prowess began to show.

Lee became a student of each sport, learning as much as he could, from each of them. Tom was intrigued by professional boxing and said “I was so impressed with how the good boxers would protect themselves first with good defensive skills and then go on the offense.”

He became a Golden Tom when he was a boxing coach.

Glove title winner at the 170-pound light heavyweight division for the Western United States.

He would play baseball next to the legendary pitcher Satchel Paige; while playing semi-pro baseball he also played basketball for the semipro Bismarck Phantoms basketball team. This team would barnstorm throughout the Midwest and Canada, playing the best of teams, including the Harlem Globetrotters.

Coach Lee would also play basketball on a traveling “All-American” basketball team, with a brother Frank, which included some of the S E P T E M B E R

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Coach Lee also served as President of the National Collegiate Boxing Association during his tenure. For Tom at Cal Poly. the 1960 Olympics, Lee trained and coached the Japanese and Korean boxing teams.

In the seventies, Lee would become a west coast scout for the Dallas Cowboys and help coach the football program at Cuesta Community College.

For the record, he started the Chris Jesperson School adaptive aquatics program, for physically challenged youths, the Junior Olympic program, and contributed his expertise in the Special Olympics program for our county. Tom and family are also very well known for their swimming instruction, over the past sixty-plus years, in our community. Children and seniors alike have benefited from the Lee swimming lessons over the years. Lee is a member of the Bismarck High School Hall of Fame and Cal Poly’s Hall of Fame. “Tom set a standard of excellence with a very positive approach,” said son Mike. “He was positive, knowledgeable, creative, and had people’s best interest in mind. Above all, he had a great work ethic. Tom Anne with her basketball team. was a terrific role model for so many people.”

Anne Lee was born in Czechoslovakia in 1920 and came to the states

PEOPLE with her family when she was nine years of age. She found her way to the west coast and like Tom, earned a master’s degree from Stanford University in Education.

Anne started her teaching and coaching career when she was hired by San Luis Obispo High School in 1952. Lee would teach Physical Education and Tom when he was named an All American Family Living (Health) for the next 33 years at the school.

provided a positive example for her students to follow.

Michael Lee, the oldest of three boys, was a three-sport athlete at San Luis Obispo High School. Lee quarterbacked the team’s football program to league championships in 1967 and 1968, and guided the Tigers to a CIF-Southern Section AA title in the 1968 season.

In basketball his senior year, his 68 percent shooting accuracy (season), is still a school record.

As a middle infielder, he started for three seasons and was honored as an all-league

Mike knocking one out of the park.

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Anne coached many sports including tennis, basketball, field hockey, gymnastics and synchronized swimming. In the 1950s and ’60s, the women participated in the “Girls Athletic Association (GAA). She pushed the statewide association, to implement important constitutional revisions, in supporting and encouraging females to compete in athletic events.

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Anne taught some of the first “aerobic” type classes ever offered on the Central Coast.

During the school year she would offer every Monday evening her “Body Conditioning” class. This hour and a half class saw Tom spinning the records as Anne would lead the exercises. This popular class was one of the first offered in the ’50s and ’60s.

Like Tom, she was excellent in working with the youth and adults alike. Her expertise carried over in her passion for teaching swimming. During the school year it would be middle of the week lessons in the evening at Nuss Pool. Classes included everything from beginning swimming to lifeguard training and water safety instruction (WSI). In the summer the Lees would teach children swimming in their backyard pool. According to many of her past students, Coach Lee was a compassionate and consciousness facilitator for everyone. She set a high standard and

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performer each year.

The Tiger teams would win three consecutive league championships.

Michael would continue his baseball career at Santa Clara University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business. Mike would also earn a Master’s Degree in Physical Education and credentials in History and Adapted Physical Education from Cal Poly. He signed a professional baseball contract with the San Francisco Giants and played two years in the minor leagues.

Terry played 12 seasons in pro baseball.

When his baseball career came to an end, he became a teacher and coach at Cuesta College for the next eighteen years. Lee would coach in the football and baseball programs before he became the head coach for the school’s first softball program. He coached the softball program for fifteen seasons. Coach Lee would run the popular recreation swimming program during summer and helped to create the Adapted Aquatics program at the school. Lee would then take a teaching/coaching position at San Luis High, in the late ’90s. Mike coached baseball for three years and was the head softball coach for the next fifteen years. Lee would win 500 games in his thirty years of coaching softball. Today Mike is the head of the Physical Education Department and Associate Athletic Director at the school. Mike is a member of the San Luis High School Hall of Fame.

Terry Lee, the middle of the Lee boys, played football and baseball at SLOHS in the early ’70s. Terry would become a prolific baseball player in high school baseball and became the San Francisco’s number one pick in the June draft his senior year. His All-League performances, for three consecutive years, would lead to a professional career. He would play twelve seasons in pro baseball (three AAA seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers) and stops in Mexico (3 years) and Japan (1 year). Terry has since retired and lives locally.

Larry Lee played both football and baseball at San Luis High School following in the footsteps of his two older brothers. He was a first team All League selection in baseball (1978-79), and a 3rd team CIF selection in the ’78 season. Larry would play his college baseball at

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Pepperdine University (1982-83). Lee earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education/Kinesiology from Pepperdine, a Master’s Degree in Physical Education and an Adaptive Physical Education credential from Cal Poly.

Coach Lee played one year of professional baseball (Utica Blue Sox), ending his career in the Seattle Mariners’ organization.

Larry’s coaching career started at Cuesta College. During his tenure at Cuesta from 1987-2002, his teams compiled a record of 460-241-3, which placed him number 15 on the state’s community college baseball coaches’ list for career wins at this time. Larry became the Head Baseball coach at Cal Poly in 2002 and has elevated the Mustang baseball program to a level of play that is highly respected among his peers in NCAA Division 1 Baseball.

Lee finished his 14th season at the helm this past season compiling a 425-336-2 overall record to date.

Larry also enjoyed teaching private swimming lessons. Over the years he would teach not only swimming, but to this day, conducts many baseball camps annually.

Larry is a member of the California Community College Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame and the San Luis Obispo High School Hall of Fame.

Larry at bat for Pepperdine.

Larry, Cal Poly’s head coach today.

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PEOPLE

Svetlana Grishchenko: an art of life

By Natasha Dalton photos by Sasha Dalton “I travel the world and the seven seas, Everybody’s looking for something.” Eurythmics When emotions find the right words to express themselves, interesting revelations follow. Lana Grishchenko recounts one such experience.

“Recently, a stranger asked if I knew my number.” That certainly is an odd question to hear—unless you’re a mathematician—and Svetlana Grishchenko happens to be one. Thinking about numbers is her second nature. The friendly visitor and Svetlana (who is known to many as simply Lana) chatted for a while, and, on his way out, the man said: “You know, you really are number one. And I’m number one, too.

We’re all one.”

For some reason, these words resonated with Lana. “I never thought about it in these terms before, but I might’ve acted at times as if I was just another number,” Mrs. Grishchenko says. “But ‘one’ is where you start; it’s the beginning of everything. I felt this was a message for me: I already have everything I need—to enjoy this moment, this day, this life.”

That Lana Grishchenko isn’t lacking in anything is not just some pep talk. She is a person of many talents: besides being a respected mathematician and an entrepreneur, Lana is good at all sorts of artistic expressions: playing piano, sewing, writing poetry, baking. “I like everything,” she says. “I like to learn things. If I could, I’d just fly around visiting places. That would be fun, right?”

Actually, Lana Grishchenko has done quite a bit of traveling already.

She was born in a village in Central Russia, but by the time she finished high school, her family (in which she is the only child) had moved across the country three times. “My family always looks for ways to improve our life,” Mrs. Grishchenko explains. It was that search for a better life that eventually brought them to California.

Lana’s painting “My Love”

In 1996, when Lana came to Fresno to study English, she already had a university degree, ten years of work experience as an engineer and school administrator, and a small family business in Crimea. In the decade that followed, she acquired two Master’s degrees: from Fresno State University and Cal Poly—and a PhD from UCSB. Going back to school—after a 10-year break, and in a different country—turned out to be “rather easy” for this bright young lady. Had it not been for her English, she could probably use the transcripts from the Crimean Frunze State University towards her Master’s degree at the FSU. But Lana’s English wasn’t great, and she ended up taking a couple of the undergrad classes before enrolling in the Master’s program.

Fortunately, Grishchenko’s education in Russia gave her “certain intuition in how to take a problem and find a solution,” and her solid background in math helped to save the day when English alone couldn’t.

“My advisor’s English was good,” Mrs. Grishchenko explains. “But Dr. Sun was from China, and we figured that—between his accent and my limited language skills, the best way to communicate was through writing math problems on the blackboard.” It worked.

Right from the start Grishchenko was offered tutoring and teaching jobs that eventually grew to become 150% of full employment—and her English improved quickly. “It opened new opportunities,” she says.

Actually, Lana Grishchenko is one of those people who take opportunities coming their way, and create them where none exists.

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PEOPLE Lana and her husband, Charles

It says something about her entrepreneurial skills that just three months after landing in California, Lana already opened a car dealership. She’d go to Los Angeles, buy cars at auctions, put them up for repairs and resell them in Fresno. She also had a cleaning service. “A group of people were willing to help me out, and we did apartment cleaning. Now I know how to do the best cleaning ever,” Mrs. Grishchenko says.

And in the midst of all these activities, she found her true love. As a member of the Home Stay Program that helps foreign students with housing, Chuck Hindman was the first American Lana met—and the one who swept her off her feet. He is 17 years her senior, “but I don’t feel it,” she says. “He is my support system. He understands it, and I can hide behind him. I can be impulsive; I push forward. Chuck creates balance. He says: ‘Why are you rushing things? Let’s see what tomorrow brings.’”

This year, Lana Grishchenko is celebrating her 20th anniversary in the California system of education, and her 15th year at Cal Poly. There was a time when she considered combining her teaching experience and her entrepreneurial skills to open a private school—but then decided against it. “Teaching is an art, and I enjoy it, “she says. “But grading is a job. Students take what they can and what they need from your class, and I don’t like to be the judge of their efforts.”

In that sense, private enterprise seems to fit her perfectly. “I always wanted to do something that brings people together,” Mrs. Grishchenko

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says. “I can’t change the system of education, but if I appreciate European food, there must be others who appreciate it, too—and I can deliver it.” So, last year, Mrs. Grishchenko opened “Enjoy”—a small Euro-Deli in Arroyo Grande. The place became an instant magnet for foodies—but it’s not just food that draws people in: for many, Lana’s personal warmth and energy are just as irresistible.

It’s interesting to watch her interact with people: if Lana is ever tired, stressed, or bored, you’ll never guess it. “I love talking to people,” she says. “Food is good, it’s a path to the heart.” But there’s something else: people are looking for meaningful connections. “I’ve made a lot of friends here, and I love them all,” Mrs. Grishchenko comments.

“When people talk to me, I only see their best side, and I give them all my heart. It doesn’t matter to me what they’re wearing, or what they look like, or whether they’re successful. It happened more than once that, after having a conversation, I felt like helping someone. I can give total stranger the last penny I have—not because they asked, but because I think they really need it. Sometimes, at the end of the day, when I find that I am losing my voice, my husband teases me: ‘How many people have you hugged today?’—Because I do hug people all the time,” Mrs. Grishchenko admits.

Lana and chef, Tolya Vorontsov

as blue; and, finally, you also need peace— there’s no beauty in the world without it.”

As for her life philosophy, it’s quite simple, really. “Every morning, when I wake up, I find myself filled with energy, and I want to share it.” Lana says. “It gives me pleasure to think that it’s in my power to cheer someone up. I’m thinking of laying out the red carpet in front of this place to keep reminding people: “You’re always welcome. We’re glad to see you!”

“I think that many people are just lonely,” she adds. “There’re many who’re hurting. They need someone to talk to. That’s why regular groups that get together in the coffee shops and fast food restaurants are so popular.

Some of those who frequent this place say that being here is like therapy to them; they even call me a therapist!”

“I have so many ideas that sometimes I can’t sleep,” Lana says. On such nights, she fights insomnia with art. The artwork she creates is as cheerful and vibrant as Lana’s personality: “If I don’t happen to have the right kind of paint, I use highlighters or glitter, or a lipstick, or a nail polish,” she says.

Living on the Central Coast is a dreamcome-true for Lana Grishchenko: it’s the place to be, the place that makes her feel good about life. “If tomorrow someone offers me a million dollars, I wouldn’t go anywhere,” she says. “I love it here. It’s so important to find a place which is like a beautiful painting that has everything that matters: freedom, like the enormous blue sky; your family, like the healing sun; relationships with your friends, who are like birds, whom you want to see; faith, like the greenery around us—without it, even the blue sky isn’t

805 Aerovista #103, San Luis Obispo

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frank gandolfo from mafia to nuclear physics

By Heather Young

H

e left his new York City home at the age of 16, after working for mafia leader “Lucky” Luciano. Despite this early and risky road, Frank Gandolfo of Arroyo Grande is 96, a 1920s baby, and has had a long and colorful life.

“At 96, I can tell the stories now,” Gandolfo said. “They’re all dead, so no one can kill me. … I know things about Lucky Luciano that no one knows; he was like a second dad to me.”

Gandolfo, whose dad was Greek and his mother Sicilian, had been Luciano’s personal errand boy, but when Luciano got a tip that he was going to be arrested, he called Gandolfo and told him to leave.

“He called me and tells me ‘you’ve got to leave. Run. Run and hide,’” Gandolfo said. “If he didn’t protect me, I’d be dead. So I put $5 in each shoe and took off.”

He headed south from the only home he’d ever known and worked as a bellboy and other odd jobs through the south. He said he was arrested multiple times for vagrant behavior.

“If you didn’t have money you went to jail,” Gandolfo said about the Depression Area and his multiple arrests.

In 1938, he ended up in Great Falls, Mont., and was sleeping in his car when he said police officers started beating him while he slept.

He ended up in jail, and only got out of the jail sentence because of a large fire that needed bodies to fight it. After fighting the fire, he spent a year working in a Montana oil field until war broke out. He then joined the Army and went off to World War II, where four of his five brothers—John, Joseph, Dominick and Salvatore—also served, though none were in the same place.

“My brothers were all scattered around the world, they couldn’t keep [us] in the same place,” he said.

Arroyo Grande’s Centennial celebration honoring the 90+ year-olds. Frank is in the back.

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Frank and Liisa today.

When he got back from the war he married Peg, an orphan from Michigan. Though he had been reunited with his family in New York, he chose to move to Michigan where his wife was from.

“I hated New York,” Gandolfo said.

They lived there until her doctor suggested a warmer climate would be more beneficial for Peg, who was suffering from health issues.

When tragedy took their infant son, Gandolfo hitch-hiked in his Army uniform to Arizona where he got a job working for the railroad, with men of varying nationalities loading and unloading the rail cars.

Because he was saving money to bring Peg to Arizona, six of his coworkers put him up for two weeks apiece at no cost to him. He stayed with their families and ate their food.

Frank with Rockwell International in 1957.

PEOPLE beating a very small woman … I rush to her aid, mugger runs off and foolishly I chase him,” Gandolfo said. “I return to find her in a heap. She is cut, bruised and bleeding, hugs me and doesn’t want me to go. She said he stole her wallet with money to go to the Philippines to visit.”

Earlier that year, in February 2000, he was waiting for the southbound 7 a.m. train in Grover Beach when he saw a white pickup drive up and get stranded with her back tire over the platform, right in the train’s path.

Imagine the incoming train hitting that tire, spinning it skyward and taking out all the people in the vicinity!

Frank and Peg in 1942

After Peg arrived in Arizona, Gandolfo got a job with the Navy and started going to school at night.

“As calm as I could, I talked [the] woman to start [her] car and steer to the right,” Gandolfo said. “A little girl helped me do

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this, but I never knew her name. … I told her to watch the wheel. Finally, she told me ‘OK, it’s clear.’ Two minutes later the lights came on.”

He has been recognized the past two Fourth of July celebrations in Arroyo Grande on the bandstand for being one of five brothers in War World II at the same time. Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian has also recognized him for his heroism.

Gandolfo met his wife, Liisa, who was born and raised in Finland, on the Amtrak train in 2002. She got on the southbound train in San Luis Obispo and met Gandolfo in Grover Beach.

“He got on the train and my heart just stopped,” Liisa said. “It was love at first sight.”

2815 Loganberry Lane, Avila Beach

$1,125,000

“I flunked in high school,” he said.

He eventually got a college degree by going to school at night, while he worked during the day to support his family. During this time, his second son was born. Gandolfo said his son now lives in Sedona, Ariz., and has been very successful in life.

Gandolfo was then able to get a job with Rockwell International in the chemistry group.

“I became the custodian of all the nuclear fuel of all Rockwell International,” he said.

He worked his way up as a lab technician in the pyro chemical unit for North American Aviation, which was part of Rockwell International, ending his career as an industrial engineer. He retired when his health deteriorated from working with nuclear chemicals. He transferred to the nuclear physics group in 1963, retiring from the field in 1984.

Though he’s had a richly varied history and met many important and famous people in his long life, he said he’s most proud of the people he’s saved. One was a woman who was being mugged in the Arroyo Grande Village when 80-year-old Gandolfo walked by.

Beautiful views from this 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath former model home in Kingfisher Canyon. Situated on a large corner lot, this Del Mar floor plan offers single-level living on the main floor. The entry level consists of the living room, kitchen, master suite and laundry. Lower level features two bedrooms, one full bath and a den. Recently remodeled with hardwood floors throughout the living areas and bedrooms, all new interior paint, custom shades, updated landscaping and high-end appliances. Move right in and enjoy this peaceful setting in the San Luis Bay Estates.

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1330 Southwood Dr #18, San Luis Obispo

$395,000

Quiet end unit in the rarely available Southwood Village. This 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath condo features a spacious kitchen and a private creekside patio. Multiple upgrades since purchased in 2008 including: all new flooring, removal of popcorn ceilings, new range, furnace and water heater. Single-car attached garage with one additional assigned parking spot for added convenience. View the complete virtual tour at www.tourfactory.com/1621533.

“I was 80 years old and I had just lost my wife,” Gandolfo said. “I fought off the mugger and he took off.”

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That was December 2000.

“Walking by the card store in A.G. Village, I heard screaming and I see a tall blond man S E P T E M B E R

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aj verdin

the pied piper of the central coast

By Susan Stewart

W

hile most teenagers are rocking out to songs with titles like “Heathens,” “Stressed Out,” “Unsteady,” and “Sucker for Pain” (on BillBoard’s list of Top 10 rock songs this week), AJ Verdin’s favorite tunes are “Molly Connell,” “The Curlew,” and “Jenny Dang the Weaver”—written for the bagpipes in the first half of the 18th century.

But AJ is not “most teenagers.” This last weekend, he donned his MacKenzie tartan kilt, slung his set of Great Highland bagpipes over his shoulder, and competed with the Monterey Bay Pipe Band—who won 2nd Place among the Grade 4 bands during this year’s annual Monterey Highland Games. AJ explained that there are five grades of bagpipe bands, with 1 being the most highly regarded (there is only one Grade 1 band in California), and 5 being the lowest on the scale.

To have achieved a top position among Grade 4 bands was exactly what AJ was hoping for in this early part of his life as a bagpiper.

“They were very happy with this result,” said AJ’s mother, Mary Verdin. “It was the first competition for three of their pipers. … They’ll be going to the Pleasanton Games next, on Labor Day weekend, one of the oldest and largest Highland Games events in the U.S.” Smart, articulate, and enthusiastic, AJ speaks easily and happily about how he came to pick up this unlikely instrument. He was first drawn to it when he was just 6 years old. “I saw someone playing them on TV and I liked how they sounded, so I wanted to learn how to play them,” said AJ. “I asked my parents to show me some videos on You Tube … I liked the tunes and I wanted to learn some of them.” He started playing the pipes when he was eight.

Born with a naturally good musical ear, AJ is also gifted with a strong work ethic and what his mother calls “stick-to-it-ness,”— qualities that serve him well as he practices two hours each day; takes lessons from local piping teacher, Catherine Pearce; performs

with Central Coast Pipes and Drums led by Pipe Major, Paul Dunn; and teaches himself new tunes (they are not songs, he points out, but tunes, in proper bagpipe parlance). And, he continues, there are many kinds of tunes, including the reel, the march, the slow aire, and the strathspey.

It’s an arduous process, learning to play the bagpipes. What makes the instrument appealing to AJ’s unique make-up (what his mother calls his engineering, problem-solving mind), is its complicated requirement to do many things at once: With its multiple parts, players must blow, breathe, press on the bag with an upper arm, and use both sets of fingers to play the melodies—all at the same time.

The Monterey Bay Pipe Band

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with him as they strolled the green together.

A few weeks later, they re-met at rehearsals as AJ joined the Monterey Bay Pipe Band, which is a competition pipe band.

AJ’s first gig was a talent show at his school, St. Patrick’s, followed by “Christmas in the Village” in Arroyo Grande. Over the past four years, AJ has also played at the Memorial Day Parade in Atascadero, and in the Monterey Bay 4th of July parade, among other events. When quizzed, AJ will tell you that playing the bagpipes is what he does best, what he likes most, and what he does for fun, too. His parents’ reaction?

“I thought it was totally cool,” said Mary. “I love that AJ likes what he likes and then goes all in. He’s learned so much about the music and the history, too. I’m so proud!”

AJ and the Monterey Bay Pipe Bank on Parade

Formal teaching requires that new students begin on the chanter, which is just the reed part of the instrument, minus the bag. Students stay with the chanter for the first six months, and must demonstrate proficiency before they can play a full set of pipes. Plus, the chanter only projects about 3 decibels of sound; a full set of pipes projects up to 90!

A lucky coincidence introduced the Verdins to Michel d’Avenas, Pipe Major of the Monterey Bay Pipe Band. It seems the family (which includes parents Mary and Adam Verdin, AJ and younger brother Alden) was enjoying a sunset at Spanish Bay in Pebble Beach, when out of the mist came the gorgeous sounds of a solo piper. Soon, the form of d’Avenas appeared and AJ struck up a chat AJ and brother, Alden dressed in kilts.

Speaking of history, AJ tells us that contrary to popular belief, the bagpipes were not “born” in Scotland. The history is vague, but most authorities agree they have their origins in ancient Greece and The Middle East, with evidence that dates them to 1000 B.C. They were brought to the British Isles by the Romans somewhere between 43 and 410 A.D. There is no doubt, however, that the Scots perfected the instrument, using them to announce the approach of the enemy in war, by the village town crier, and in marches, salutes, and funerals.

When AJ first took up the bagpipes, his father, Adam Verdin, thought, “Oh boy. The neighbors aren’t going to like this!” Adam’s been proven wrong however, because so far, at least,—even as younger brother Alden takes up the bagpipes, too—the only response from their neighbors has been not complaints, but applause.

AJ practicing the pipes before learning how to fly a plane.

Though the bagpipes were once in danger of “extinction,” they have recently enjoyed a resurgent popularity, especially when given prominent parts in movies like Braveheart, the new TV series Outlander, and popular stage shows like Riverdance. They are also the official instrument of the World Curling Federation.

Though he may not be leading lemmings to sea, AJ is certainly leading the way for others who have uncommon passions. If he sticks with it, and there is every indication he will, perhaps AJ will be the plaintive solo bagpipe voice we hear at landmark events and special occasions across the globe, playing the always-inspiring slow aire tune “Amazing Grace.”

Perhaps the highest compliment has come from Sister Margaret Malone, a nun and teacher at St. Patrick’s, who comes from Ireland. “Oh AJ!” she exclaims (imagine her Irish brogue here), upon hearing him practicing on the school sports fields. “Your playing reminds me of the green hills of home!”

Every summer, the renowned bagpipe school in Glasgow, Scotland, holds a summer bagpipe camp in Carlsbad, California, where AJ hones his craft. One day, he aspires to become a Grade 1 band player and soloist like his idol, Jack Lee, regarded as one of the world’s leading pipers.

In the meantime, AJ excels in school, interested in every subject. And he’s learning to fly. Yep, Adam is teaching AJ to pilot a plane.

He also continues to play piano and has just recently taught himself to play the theme from his favorite TV show, Star Trek Voyager, by watching a You Tube performance and noting the hand positions.

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Road TRIP

miSSION SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO a mISSION REBORN

By Richard Bauman

M

ission San Juan Capistrano is probably the most famous of the twenty-one California missions. After all, Bing Crosby sang “When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano,” in 1940. But Capistrano is unique in other ways: It’s the only mission to be founded twice, and die twice, on the same spot. And years later again be resurrected. Not to mention it has the only remaining building in California in which Fray Junípero Serra celebrated mass.

The “first” Mission Capistrano was established in October 1775, but lasted just eight days. Father Serra had convinced Spanish officials that a mission was needed about mid-way between the mission at San Diego, and the Mission San Gabriel, little more than 100-miles to the north. But when renegade Indians attacked the San Diego Mission, military officials declared an outpost 60-miles north of San Diego a foolhardy risk. Serra argued an attack at Capistrano was improbable, but the military prevailed and Capistrano was closed.

A year later, on November 1, 1776, All Saints Day, the mission was re-born.

Many California missions struggled for years without a decent church, but not Capistrano. Almost immediately, construction of a worthy church building began. Just a year later, in November 1777, Native American converts, soldiers and clergy worshiped for the first time in a small adobe church.

An eye catching sight at the mission today is the crumbled ruins of a colossal building. By 1795 the original adobe church was too small to meet the needs of the growing number of Native American converts to Christianity, and the influx of settlers to the region.

Thus plans were drawn and preparations made for construction of a unique church.

An ornate baroque altar from Barcelona, Spain, believed to be more than 400-years-old.

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Isidor Aguilar, a stonemason, was commissioned to design and build a grand church. He conceived a multi-domed roof and ceiling for the building, rather than the flat roofs common at most other California missions.

It took nine years to build the church. It was a mammoth building for its era, about 150-feet long, and 30-feet wide, with walls towering more than 20-feet high. Christian Native Americans labored every day, except Sundays and holy days, wrestling boulders from nearby riverbeds and dragging or trundling them to the building site. There, workers broke the boulders into smaller pieces, chipped them into shape and fitted them into the walls and domed ceiling.

Stupendous festivities accompanied the solemn dedication of the new church in 1806. Six years later as the earth rocked and heaved during a massive earthquake; the church’s huge timber ceiling beams snapped like dead branches on a tree. As the earth convulsed the roof’s rock domes shattered like glass and rained into the church. Then the church’s walls crumbled. In a matter of seconds the grand church was destroyed, and at least fifty people were buried beneath tons of rubble.

The earthquake not only destroyed the huge church but it also sent the mission into its death throes. Native Americans with lingering pagan beliefs became fearful of the white man’s God. Though some remained at the mission, many more fled to the safety of open county and to their old beliefs.

The Mission’s original bells.

HOME/OUTDOOR ing mass there.

Restoring the mission became his life’s work.

Mission artifacts and antiques were located and displayed in a small museum created there.

The ruins of the church after the earthquake in 1812.

The remains of the east wall.

Bit by bit the mission was excavated and restored by volunteers, and today visitors can see the mission much as it once was. The excavating and restoring process, however, still goes on.

The mission’s museum houses religious vestments, tools, utensils, and weapons from the mission’s earliest days. The original altar cards, statues, paintings, and Stations of the Cross, along with numerous other items are also on display.

No attempt was made to rebuild the domed church. The bells were dug from the rubble and hung in a wall where they still are today. The little adobe church again became the mission’s primary place for worship.

The mission officially died in 1824, when then Governor Echeandia issued a proclamation repudiating Franciscan control over the Native Americans. The governor deeded the mission’s land to leading Native American families. And the mission fell into decay.

Mission Capistrano, however, is alive and thriving today, and its historical significance well recognized. It relies heavily on tourism, not Native American labor, for its survival.

Yet the mission wouldn’t have any life, let alone a new one, had it not been for the foresight and dedicated effort of one priest, Father John O’Sullivan.

O’Sullivan was assigned to the Capistrano area as a parish priest in 1910. His ardent interest in the mission’s history inspired him to resurrect and restore it. He would become known as the mission’s “Great Restorer.”

When he arrived in the area, the mission was in near total ruin. Nevertheless he “re-discovered” the original adobe church, cleared it of debris, and started celebrat-

In the little adobe church is an impressive baroque altar from Barcelona, Spain. It is made of hand-carved wood with gold leaf overlay. It is estimated to be over 400 years old. It wasn’t part of the original church. Father O’Sullivan persuaded Bishop John Cantwell of Los Angeles to donate it to the Mission.

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For all the hoopla of the legend, it wasn’t the mission that attracted the birds. Instead, it was the nearby farms with fields full of grain, and other bird-delectables, that interested the birds. Those fields now are full of houses, condominiums, and commercial buildings. With little to no readily available food, the swallows aren’t nearly so interested in the area.

To help visitors gain appreciation for Southern California living in the 18th and 19th centuries, Mission Capistrano provides a “living history” program. At various times during the year volunteers take visitors back in time. There are docents dressed in attire of the era, with food making, leather working and woodworking demonstrations as well as other crafts from past times.

Stepping into the past at Mission Capistrano probably wouldn’t be possible today if it hadn’t been for Father O’Sullivan and the labor of thousands of volunteers. As a result of decades of work, Mission Capistrano is enjoying a third incarnation, and perhaps its most successful one.

The mission is located at 26801 Ortega Hwy, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675.

For information about events at Mission Capistrano, call: (949) 234-1300

Junipero Serra is recognized as founder of the California missions, but he died before the last of the 21 missions, San Francisco Solano de Sonoma, was completed in 1823.

The little adobe church at Capistrano, now called Serra Chapel, is the only existing structure in which Serra is known to have celebrated Mass. And Sunday Mass is still celebrated there.

Every year on March 19, hordes of people gather at Mission Capistrano, hoping to witness a living legend—the return of the swallows. The mission is known for tales of huge flocks of swallows returning there to nest every year on the feast day of St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus.

There was a time when the story was mostly true. For decades birds did swarm to Capistrano on that day. Large flocks also arrived as much as a week before that special date and week after as well. Of course some swallows do still come to the mission in mid-March, but in much smaller numbers.

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A statue that depicts Fray Junipero Serra and a young Native American.

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at the market

fluffy lovely boysenberry yogurt pancakes

By Sarah Hedger

S

eptember is a great shoulder month during the year as it’s got a little bit of Summer and a little bit of Fall lingering in the air. More varieties of apples become available, as well as residual Summer produce such as tomatoes, berries, and summer squash. If Fall is closer with more chill in the air, that means Autumn fruits and vegetables are that much closer to being enjoyed, which is great news as few things taste better than fresh concord grapes, pomegranates, and persimmons. That said, residual Summer berries can still be found, and there for the picking.

Breakfast is a meal I can, without question, happily eat all day long. Whether it’s Huevos Rancheros for dinner, some form of frittata for brunch, or any-time-of-the-day pancakes, breakfast always tastes like a special treat when enjoyed any other time than breakfast time. This month’s recipe, Fluffy Lovely Boysenberry Yogurt Pancakes, came about from a craving for some light, fluffy pancakes, as well as my ongoing desire to eat more balanced

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meals, being less carbs/sugar, and more whole food, protein and fat sources. While almond flour is a great way to do this, I believe the almond tree monoculture, especially in California, is being used beyond what it is capable of, thus I have been on a bit of a quest to find a more sustainable (nut) ingredient. Thus, coconut flour has been a good one to research and begin incorporating more. It isn’t as straightforward because you can’t simply replace another type of flour in a 1-1 replacement as it requires a bit more liquid to hydrate. Tapioca starch lightens the pancakes as well, and with the addition of eggs, makes for a perfect, lovely pancake, sans (wheat) flour. Yogurt in the batter adds a soft tang, as well as healthy protein and fat. The result is a bit of a restructuring in the macronutrient breakdown for pancakes, which is a good thing. Thus instead of being carbohydrate-heavy, with the feeling of having consumed a brick after a pancake meal with the addition of a sugar high/low, these pancakes burn evenly, offering an even-sustained release of energy as they have more proteins and

healthy fats from the coconut, eggs, and yogurt. I used blackberries in these as Summer berries can still be found in September, and ready for the picking. If you can’t grow it in your backyard, I reckon You-pick anything just tastes that much better. Templeton Valley Farms is a great place to find yourself if you missed a market, or just want to get out and witness what really is in season, and ripe for the picking. Rutiz Farms in Arroyo Grande is another great spot. And, if you miss the berry boat altogether this season, frozen berries work, as well as substituting in another seasonal fruit, such as roast apples or quince. That said, get out and enjoy the sunshine, discovering some of the amazing local farms that are available for the picking! And, enjoy these pancakes at any time of the day!!

fluffy lovely boysenberry yogurt pancakes (gluten-free and grain free/paleo)

Makes enough for 6 large pancakes For the Pancakes ½ cup coconut flour ½ cup tapioca starch ½ tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder pinch of salt 4 eggs, whisked 1 cup good quality, unsweetened yogurt (coconut yogurt would be great as well) ½ tsp vanilla ½ cup water 1 cup fresh or frozen berries, sliced butter or coconut oil to cook pancakes

Your Happy Place.

Whisk dry ingredients in medium bowl. Whisk in eggs, yogurt, and vanilla, mixing well. Let sit for a few minutes as coconut flour will hydrate. Whisk in water until light, pancake consistency. Preheat pan/s until hot with either butter or coconut oil.

Add ½ cup batter for each pancake, letting to sit until golden on bottom (gently peak if needed), adding some berries to raw side of pancake. Flip pancakes and cook for a couple minutes until puffed up. Serve with the best maple syrup you can find, more berries, yogurt, and any combination of good butter or coconut oil. Enjoy!!

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local sports – coach and athlete

steve Boaz and callum bolger a history of running success

By Will Jones

S

ince he became the head coach of the cross country team at San Luis Obispo High School in 1987, Steve Boaz has maintained annual grade level records for the best times run by his athletes on the courses they have run continuously for the last twenty-eight years. Callum Bolger, who just completed his junior year, is at the top of every grade level list on every course. He was 2nd in the Southern Section finals last November and 2nd in the state finals. He is the favorite to win both titles this year.

Steve has also been either the head coach or the distance coach of the track team since 1987. Callum already holds the school record in the mile, the 1600 meters and the 3200 meters. In June he finished 3rd in

the 3200 meter state finals. Is it a coincidence that a veteran coach’s best athlete has emerged at the end of the third decade of his coaching career? Based on my interview with Steve and Callum, the answer is an emphatic “no.”

Coach Boaz grew up in Anaheim and attended Valencia High School in Placentia. “I started running because my older brother was a runner and I was better at it than at other sports. I had a great high school experience. All of the elements of what we do here I experienced at my high school running camp. I had a great coach, Mike Cummings, and in college I migrated in that direction.”

Steve learned a lot from Cummings, but over thirty-two years of coaching since then, “I have warped into something very different,” Steve said. “When I was running in the ’70s it was all about high mileage. Now it’s much more about a combination of quality and quantity. It’s also about progression. What a senior is doing is much different than what a freshman is doing.”

An exercise physiology major, first at UC Irvine and then CSU Fullerton, the “science beneath the running fascinated me,” Steve said.

He decided he wanted to teach and coach. “I earned a mathematics teaching credential and Sunny Hills High School hired me to teach math and coach cross country and track in 1985. I knew absolutely nothing about coaching, but I read a lot of books. Luckily, they didn’t know I didn’t know anything,” he said with a grin.

Steve’s shift from just “coaching runners,” to “developing runners over the long term” started to occur when he came to San Luis Obispo. “I wanted my runners to have a better transition from high school to college than I had. I realized that it takes eight to fifteen years for runners to develop fully.”

James Menon, who graduated from SLOHS in 1991 and went on to an All American career at the University of Wisconsin, was Steve’s first great runner. James finished 9th nationally in cross country in his senior year. “Coaching James had a big impact on my career. He was a kid who would do anything I asked and then some. But I know now that if I were to coach him again I would do a better job. Some of what we did worked well, and he became a great runner, but I didn’t really teach him how to race.”

Starting with James, Steve has coached a long list of athletes who have gone on to, or are currently enjoying, great careers at the highest competitive levels: Roger Ciano, Avery Blackwell, Dann Nunn, Brian Medigovich, Seamus Land and William Ernst, on the boys side; Lauren Jefferson, Kyra Patterson, Kathleen Uteywaal, Jenna Kingma and Christine Hoffman, on the girls side. For all of his athletes he has the same goals: be consistent, stay healthy, improve. “I don’t judge anyone’s ability. I have no idea how fast they can run. I just want them to keep running faster.”

Steve and his wife, Jill, have two boys, Haden, 9, and Hudson, 7. Jill started out as a recreational runner, never having run more than a mile. By the end of her career she had competed in three world championships and the Olympic trials in the marathon. “She’s had a great influence on my coaching. She enjoyed running with friends, kept getting better and better and ended up traveling the world.” As for his boys, “I just want them to be healthy and happy,” Steve said with a wry smile. No pressure, boys!

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Callum is a San Luis Obispo native. He attended Sinsheimer Elementary School and started running at Laguna Middle School. “We ran the school mile at Sinsheimer, and even though I wasn’t very fast, I

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Coach Boaz and Callum Bolger

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outstanding running ability, Callum excels academically, scoring a perfect 800 on his math SAT. Again emphasizing his focus on improving, Callum has a couple of reasonable goals for his senior year. “I’d like to run a sub 8:45 3200 meters and win the Division III state cross country meet.

Calling himself “a quiet, lead-by-example athlete,” Callum feels that if he does what is moral and right then his teammates will follow.

“There’s a lot of respect for the leaders on the team. Coby Kelly, a senior this year, was someone everyone looked up to.” He’s getting a lot of interest from colleges, but ultimately will prioritize academics over athletics when making a decision. For now he’s considering biology as a major after enjoying Mrs. McCartney’s Advanced Placement class at SLOHS.

was super competitive.” He played soccer and made a traveling team, succeeding on his stamina as much as on his skill. “I ran cross country in 8th grade, a good experience to get me into running. I finished in the top ten in the county meet, but I wasn’t a top tier runner.”

Attending Coach Boaz’s Sierras running camp between 8th and 9th grade changed Callum’s focus to running. “Throughout my first season I could feel myself getting faster and stronger. When you start slow and work hard the progression comes faster at the beginning.

At the end I was able to step back and think about where I could take this.”

Callum puts his trust in Coach Boaz. “He’s had so much experience and he’s not overbearing. He’s encouraging, gives me options and lets me choose. I’ll have a different coach in college, but I know I’ll be able to come back and be welcomed by him.” Steve admires Callum and sees him as the culmination of all the runners who preceded him. “He has great ability and intelligence, he’s a student of the sport, and he’s a joy to coach. Other coaches love to watch him. He makes a race. He’s willing to go for it, to have the courage to race his race to the best of his ability.”

If you’re looking for inspiration and value the beauty of great coaching combined with great athletic ability, attend a cross country or track meet this year and watch Callum run. You won’t be disappointed.

Echoing the philosophy of his coach, Callum said “I’m not goal oriented in terms of time or place in a particular race. I think, ‘as long as I’m putting in this effort, how can I get to be the fastest I can be over time.’” After a huge jump between his freshman and sophomore years due to training with Will Ernst, now running for Cal Lutheran, Callum knew that he could keep up with the best. “At the county cross country meet I stayed with Will, a senior and one of the top runners in the state, until the last 800 meters.”

Callum’s parents, Patrick and Julia, who work for Cal Trans, and his brother, Kieran, who attends UC Davis, are big fans and supporters of his running. “They put up with my finicky dietary needs and attend my meets.” Julia recently ran the SLO Half Marathon and Patrick bikes and has competed in triathlons. In addition to his

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COMMUNITY

Tribute

Wise, a resource guide for generously sized people, published by Harper Perennial in 1997.

She built a complex website for the book, one of many she constructed for other people.

Highflying activist leaves a sturdy legacy

Those others included Gordon Lu, Morro Bay restaurant owner and author of a memoir about his intense childhood as a Chinese orphan. “Judy made a handsome website for Double Luck, my book. She got in the habit of stopping by my restaurant, where we’d often talk philosophy,” affirms Lu.

Judy Sullivan

By Vicki León

Judy served as publisher, editor, and mother hen of the magazine, to which she devoted an obscene amount of time. Relishing independent voices and alternative points of view, she flatly refused advertising and later offers to buy her out. Over time, her beautiful creation won a monthly readership nearing 50,000.

Camera shy Sullivan with handiwork.

This woman of modest means did more for our communities than give birth to a dynamic media outlet. The relationships and friendships she forged, the volunteer projects she tackled, took place before SloCoast Journal came on the scene.

I

n late 2008, when coastal resident Judy Sullivan published the first issue of Slo Coast Journal, her website work of art, she introduced it like this: “It is mainly in tribute to Stan Thompson that this journal was conceived. He loved this community and the people in it. One of the things he shared with me was how important it was that we all have a voice. He felt that we should always be reminded of how fortunate we are to live here, because we often take our place for granted. We in small communities have something to hold onto—the ability to know our neighbors and to understand how we all contribute to the lives of each other.

Stan enabled that through his columns.

Hopefully we at the Journal will continue, in our own way, that service to you.”

Like me, Judy had been deeply saddened by Stan’s unexpected death in 2007. Like her, I continued to miss and mourn Stan, who’d been my mate, fellow journalist, and faithful globetrotting companion for ten years.

But Judy did something finer and more meaningful. She picked up the torch that had fallen from Stan’s hand and resurrected his generous community spirit in 21st century fashion. Sullivan created a liberal online journal, rich with wildlife imagery and filled with real news and opinion, from sharp-eyed political reportage to closeups of the movers, shakers, thinkers, and creators in the townships of our north coast area.

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“A warm person—but she could be tough. She was very protective of our wildlife and endangered birds. Once she fought our mayor, who wanted to set off fireworks near the Rock. Her verbal fireworks made him back off!”

Photographer and website whiz Mike Baird also remains an admirer: “In 2000, planning a retirement move from Silicon Valley to Morro Bay, one of the first online resources I found was created and maintained by Judy. She

A Kansan by birth, decades ago Judy had been drawn to California’s exciting computer frontier and to the abundant birdlife of the Pacific coast.

As retired teacher Leslie Thompson, a longtime friend, recalls, “She was an extremely bright woman—Judy even did beta testing for early internet stuff. In Santa Cruz, she became heavily involved with SCPBRG, a predatory bird recovery program for species listed as threatened.”

In the ‘90s, Sullivan also met Vince Cicero, whose environmental science responsibilities with the State Park system currently cover Montana de Oro to Carpoforo Creek. He was delighted to enlist her volunteer support for projects, some centering around Morro Rock.

In her, he also found an activist friend. “She treated me like a brother,” he says. “Judy was great at gathering resources in our community, and then providing resources to those who needed them. Her open-heartedness attracted a wide variety of people to help.”

Stan Thompson and Vicki Leon in 2007

One of those new friends was Sandra Beebe.

“Judy and I became buddies in 1998 after meeting down at the Rock, picking up trash for Morro Bay Beautiful. She and I had a similar world view. We loved to laugh about the insanity called life—two liberal agnostics who discussed politics and people every day. Even after my husband and I left Morro Bay, Judy and I maintained our daily sessions via phone.”

Besides volunteerism, Sullivan also found time to become an author. She wrote Size

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Restored Bronze Sculpture at Museum.

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behind-the-scenes eccentric. “She wore whatever fit and never was a card-carrying member of anything, really,” says Sandra Beebe. “She called herself an old Berkeley hippie. While observing peregrines, she loved to do embroidery or crossword puzzles in the comfy old red car she moved around in.”

Her car became a gathering place where friends hung out, including pals like veterinarian Malcolm Riordan and Stan Thompson, who found her a rich source of story ideas for his newspaper columns.

A hiker enjoying the Judy Sullivan memorial bench.

crafted websites long before they were easy to construct. Today her online journals on the peregrine falcons at Morro Rock are invaluable.” (Note to readers: some are still accessible via the Wayback Machine archive online.)

Sullivan became more involved with the California state parks family after meeting Rouvaishyana, the manager of the Morro Bay Museum of Natural History. He quickly saw her talent and willingness to help.

As time marched on, however, Sullivan became increasingly disabled. After she broke a hip in late 2014, she was no longer ambulatory. Always talented at keeping her problems under wraps, Judy simply told contributors and readers of the online journal that ‘health issues’ forced her to discontinue publication.

With Beebe’s help, she moved into a nursing facility in southern California. Eventually, her diabetes led to dementia and memory loss.

“Two weeks before she died, it was obvious she no longer knew who I was or where Morro Bay was,” a heartbroken Beebe said.

Two days before Christmas, 2015, Judy Sullivan left this earth. In early 2016, a memorial to her 67 years took place amid the pines of Morro Bay State Park.

Perhaps the most notable event Judy helped orchestrate was a museum fundraiser. Vandals had attacked the museum’s huge bronze sculpture of a Native American, breaking off the artwork’s focal point, a wild bird in flight.

To raise funds for its replacement, Judy put together a lavish soiree, first contributing art she’d created, from glass bowls to mosaiccovered pottery to quilts and tapestries. She also persuaded county artists to give artwork to the auction. The donations, from jewelry to huge oil paintings, poured in.

One of the attendees sharing stories was Rosemarie Cunningham of Alberta, Canada, who recounted tales of the great blue heron Judy called Ratz. An avian as eccentric as Sullivan herself, it was famous for following Judy’s car from Windy Cove all the way to Morro Rock. Legend also has it that Ratz the heron once brought Judy a plump gopher as a ‘love offering.’

Recalling that evening, Rouvaishyana attributed its success to Judy: “She was an artist. A perfectionist. And an extraordinary someone who treasured her friends and let them know that she did.”

Today, one of his treasures is a California shirt she invented and made for him, after he wondered aloud why only the Hawaiians had their own shirt.

Although in the limelight that fundraiser night, Judy preferred to operate as a quirky,

It seems especially fitting that a permanent memorial to Sullivan now sits below the dramatic south face of Morro Rock, where she routinely watched her beloved peregrine falcons do their aerial dance.

The bench wears a handsome plaque reading:

“With her extraordinary media and writing skills, she became an outstanding online publicity volunteer,” he says. “She devoted hundreds of hours to the park service.”

Sullivan also hammered away at publicity, ensuring that the museum event got maximum coverage. That night, thousands of dollars were raised to get a new bird cast in bronze, making the museum’s iconic statuary whole again.

Mosaic vase made by Sullivan.

“In memory of Judy Sullivan, a woman of many talents who loved all the wonders of Morro Bay.” As her friends point out, such an honor is only bestowed on those who have made significant contributions to the California Park Service. What a perfect gesture to recognize Judy’s loving ‘pay it forward’ philosophy.

I’m willing to bet that her soaring spirit still wheels and circles above Morro Rock. And maybe Stan’s spirit as well. Safe landing, dear friends!

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COMMUNITY

Art Scene

silk as an art form

By Toni Bouman artist takes years of apprenticeship to learn their craft.

After discovering Shibori I found the perfect way to fully express myself in the design of fiber and silk as an art form for a part time enterprise.

There are numerous methods of Shibori. I specialize in Arashi Shibori, or pole wrapping, and Itajime Shibori which is folding and clamping silk between two pieces of wooden boards.

With these two methods I can literally come up with unlimited numbers of fabric designs for my scarves, pillows, table runners and kimonos.

L

ike many other professionals who have successful careers, I have found while I love my day job I still need an outlet for my creativity. The world of textiles has been my lifelong passion and I’ve worked with fabric since my grandmother taught me to sew at the age of 7. An early stint as a clothing designer taught me a valuable lesson: the world of mass production was not for me.

The design world did provide a natural transition into a deep exploration of different ethnic textile design processes which ultimately brought me to the ancient art of Japanese Shibori. Shibori is the method of manipulating and folding cloth in such a way that part of the fabric becomes resistant to dye, and then, hand painting and dyeing it. It involves repeated layering of dyes and sometimes removal and re-application of dyes. While it can sound simple, in actuality, a true Japanese Shibori

Working with silk is a joy and also a challenge. The artist must learn how to work with different weights of silk. The inherent suppleness of the silk must be taken into consideration when planning a project.

While the artist may have a preliminary idea of a project in mind, once undertaken, the artist must also allow the silk to lead the artist and be willing to let the silk express itself.

You must learn how to control your medium up to a point and then be willing to let the silk take over and see what transpires.

Painting on silk can be similar to painting with watercolors, however instead of painting on the surface of your watercolor paper, the artist is actually painting with fabric dyes which are absorbed into the silk fibers themselves. The combination of silk and dye gives an intensity of color and luminosity that cannot be achieved through any other medium and can be absolutely breathtaking.

After almost 28 years of working on silk, I have found that mixing my own dyes to achieve the specific colors I want will give me a more unique and brilliant result. I begin with powdered dyes and mix them to the desired color intensity. Working with dyes can be difficult because the colors must be mixed much darker than they will actually turn out to be after they dry.

This can be extremely tricky and repeated testing before hand is necessary.

After preparing my pole wrapped or clamped pieces, they are immersed in water for several hours. The water acts as the resist to the dye that will then be applied. Depending on the

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type of dyes used, either a steam bath is used to “set” the color or a method called “batching” is used leaving the silk to set for up to 48 hours.

While painting with silk is similar to working with watercolors, the steaming or setting process is more like working with clay and ceramics when firing in a kiln. Where you’re never quite sure what will come out of the kiln, you’re also never quite sure what your finished piece of silk will look like when you take it out of the steamer or when it’s finished batching. This is what I find so exciting about working in silk. Unwrapping each piece after it’s properly set and seeing what I’ve achieved is always exciting. The colors can change significantly during the steaming process from what I’ve planned, or the pattern I’ve planned can become something completely different than the one I anticipated. Each piece is a learning process for me and a unique original piece of fiber art.

Toni Bouman is the owner of Toni Bouman Silks and an Associate Artist at Studios on the Park (www.StudiosOnThePark.org) in Paso Robles where you can see her hand painted silk shibori items for sale.

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erin Hanson

An Impressionist’s love letter to the diverse california landscape

By Amy Jensen

E

rin Hanson initially set foot on Paso Robles soil near the beginning of her now exploding art career, some 7 or 8 years ago. Shortly thereafter the area’s popular non-profit art gallery (Studios on the Park) invited her to exhibit for one month in the fall of 2012.

These were exciting times, when a driven and talented young impressionist voraciously painted a collection of two-dozen pieces and packed up her new van to drive exactly 3 hours north of Los Angeles into the heart of Paso Robles for her first solo exhibition.

Her first Studios on the Park collection was marked by lined hills and peachy skies. Each subsequent year the annual collection reflected her many adventures and artistic experimentation. The yearly exhibitions provided an opportunity to reflect and see how much Hanson had evolved both in her style and her career.

The years rolled on with collectors salivating over stained glass pathways and abundant sherbet skies in 2015. Each of these past 5 years the support of Studios on the Park has become a staple for collectors and fans to experience an impressionistic landscape painter’s rise, Hanson now standing as one of the most desired artists of her generation.

coasts, jutting mountains and rolling plains peppered with wildflowers. Impressions of California: Solo Exhibit by Erin Hanson will be held at Studios on the Park from September 1st - 25th.

Artist’s Quote: “California appeals to my imagination. Its jutting mountains, sprawling plains, burning deserts, and crystal coasts all co-exist within a stone’s throw of each other. Each morning brings a new shade of light and a new juxtaposition of color, while each region offers its own vibrant light and varied emotion. My home state has been an ever-present source of inspiration for me as an artist and lover of nature. This exhibition is a love letter to my California.”

—Erin Hanson

Each year, a portion of exhibition proceeds have then filtered right back into the various community outreach programs and activities available through Studios on the Park, ushering in a groundswell of up-and-coming artists.

This year’s focus will expand beyond her much beloved Central Coast landscapes. California Impressions will take in all that the great California regions have to offer, including gilded deserts, shimmering

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history

California 1814 Part 4

By Joe Carotenuti

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esponding to their superior’s request to answer a series of questions (preguntas) posed by the authorities in Spain, the 36 Franciscan padres stationed at 18 missions in 1814 provide an intriguing insight into Mission life.

While there are no responses (respuestas) from La Purisima or San Rafael (San Francisco Solano was not founded until 1823), many answers are similar in content and tone as the “spiritual conquest” evolved from the desperate beginnings in 1769.

Translated and edited by the noted scholar Maynard Geiger, O. F. M., How the Padres Saw Them is a rare opportunity to view native and mission life on the eve of their dispersion under Mexican rule.

Several questions were inquiries into the daily life of the neophytes at the missions. In past issues, social organizations (castes), native origins, languages and food have been briefly explored along with any traces of idolatry. A similar focus continues with the padres addressing family life. When the Spanish had arrived on the California shores 45 years previously, the natives were most likely puzzled about the Spaniards’ family life as they saw no women among the pioneers.

The story continues Question 4 asked in part if the men “loved their wives and children.”

An interesting aspect of the padres’ answers discussed the question in relation to the baptized neophytes in their care as well as those who had not received the sacrament. It is unclear if the latter lived nearby or if the padres (many had been stationed in Alta for many years) were familiar with the native settlements around the mission.

Of course, the friars are relying primarily on what they saw as there seems not to be any conversation about the subject between the padres or their community.

Mission San Juan Bautista

with facility.” San Diego presents “sufficient love” between spouses.

When one died, “the survivor weeps much” and was very sorrowful.

However, many responses relate the padres often viewing affection based on usefulness.

San Gabriel was blunt: “when she becomes useless he no longer values her.” “Usefulness” most likely referred to child-bearing and rearing along with the gathering sources of food and cooking. The tenor of this response runs throughout most all the answers.

Nearby Mission San Miguel (there is no indication of a response from San Luis Obispo) compared the native love as the same as that of the Spanish families. San Antonio in a lengthy response was “certain that the men love their wives” and “among themselves they have their disagreements.” Undoubtedly, the most scandalous practice was reported from Soledad: “wife-loaning.” When a woman was unfaithful, San Carlos remembered the “many wars and killings.” Called to help, the padres “sorely tried” to bring peace between couples who were “mutually angry” and had no children. In this, they did not believe they were successful.

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The strongest statement comes from San Juan Bautista: “Husbands greatly esteem their wives. Both become angry and allay their anger

However, the responses note a very different attitude toward children.

From San Luis Rey: “These Indians have a natural love for their children.” Another part of the same question asked: “What sort of education do they give their children and do they urge them on to agriculture and the mechanical arts?” This inquiry was for a population who had seen neither a horse nor cloth some 45 years previous.

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Obviously, the Franciscans had a life of rigor, discipline and deprivation in the mission fields. For them, while this life was primarily a preparation for the next, they had professed a vow of obedience.

More than a religious obligation, the unbaptized were not entitled to enter heaven. Nonetheless, in missionary life, more time was spent in temporal matters than many liked. The vast mission enterprises and attempts at civilization required a commitment to the benefit of others at the expense of personal comforts or spiritual expectations.

Thus, Padres Luis Gil y Taboada (who served here from 1831 to 1833 and is buried at the foot of the Mission sanctuary) and Jose Maria de Zalvidea of San Gabriel declared that children “we might say … are their little idols. As a result the education the children receive amounts to nothing.”

Here the padres make a clear distinction with non-mission natives. Those in a “pagan state” are taught to make and use bows and arrows which “they do to perfection and they employ them with dexterity and acumen.” Preferring to live off the products of the land, education was by example, custom and legend. Little mention is made of females who assisted their mothers. San Francisco provides a hint as to medicines when the padres report the girls gathered seeds “and how to tell one kind of herb from another.”

A major disappointment for the religious, a near unanimous response was the “lack of any inclination toward work or towards the arts.” For San Luis Rey, this was allowing the young “to grow up natural.”

The response echoes the sentiment of 18th century French philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s belief in children learning from “natural consequences.” This included his depositing any of his newborn at the nearest orphanage.

Repeatedly, the padres—Santa Barbara referenced here—emphasized their secular role to keep all occupied by “working in the fields, in carpentering, shoemaking, masonry, weaving, and in other mechanical arts necessary for the mission’s maintenance.” As in spiritual oversight, “vigilance and zeal” was necessary to promote the civilizing of their wards. For the religious, education was an essential part of mission life as both the arts and agriculture were part of a moral life. For the educated friars, secular existence depended upon the ability and willingness of all to cooperate for the subsistence of all.

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though theofprospect of moving m accomplishments both are testimony to Lastly, for a Franciscan friar, this was not Even the durability of spirit. their choice as how to spend their lives. future, you owe it to yourself to learn h In obedience, they committed their lives living in was your home for man Next month: What theown education offered to the innumerable temporal duties while carefree by the Franciscan friars? remembering the more important (to them at least) spiritual dimension of all Contact: jacarotenuti@gmail.com life. There are often hints of frustration as they labored to introduce contemporary It’s who a fact ofrememlife that as we get older, Pristine is fully expectations to those most bered and cherished a life day-to-day bound by the tasks become too some licensed and insu order of the seasons, night and day, feast or much to handle on our own. That All of our worke famine, and love or hate. In many ways, the

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All of our those services can be providedatdaily, weekly, or on an as-needed provide services a price basis. You pay for only the services you need and we provide those services at a price you can“They afford. took the t you can afford. what I wanted.

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Our yard maintenance crews Before you make any decisions that could affect your future happiness and standard of living, take every s “What know how to take care of your favorite the time to read these two FREE reports: about living in rose bushes and keep the grass neatly “What every senior needs to know about living in a retirement facility.” mowed. Our handyman services are “Four critical “Four critical questions to ask a service provider...before you let anyone work in or near your home.” provided by specialists in plumbing, service provid We invite you to call Pristine right now so that we can send you these two FREE reports by mail. electrical work, painting, repairs and anyone work safety rail installation.

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H O U S E K E E P I N G · YA R D M A I N T E N A N C E · H A N D Y M A N S E R V I C E S · P E R S O N A L C A R E S E P T E M B E R

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our schools investing in our schools

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

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

—Benjamin Franklin San Luis Obispo County school districts and school districts throughout the state have a responsibility to provide safe, modern, well-equipped facilities for our students and the public. Unfortunately, the major repairs and capital improvements that are needed for the buildings our children attend daily were delayed for nearly a decade because of the “Great Recession.” In order to facilitate major capital improvement expenditures, local school districts must borrow funds.

School bonds are the method in which local school districts receive capital improvement funds from the public to complete construction, renovations or repairs.

You might ask why a school district cannot simply make improvements to classrooms out of its general operating budget. Similar to the reason most Americans hold a mortgage note, districts do not

have sufficient general fund money to hire teachers, supply classrooms, operate school buses, provide lunches, nurses, psychologists, counselors, teaching assistants, custodians, and complete major capital improvements.

While serving as a local teacher, school administrator and superintendent, I observed the positive effects that capital improvements had on the student learning environment. Projects such as new science labs, playing fields, updating heating systems, new gymnasiums, additional classroom space and renovations of existing facilities to meet current health & safety codes are just a few of the many bond-related benefits. These capital improvements of public infrastructure can have both direct and indirect positive results for local taxpayers. In the short term, local schools can maintain, renovate and expand local government buildings that serve our children and the community. In the long term, property values increase as a result of improved public facilities.

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RESPOND

IN AN EMERGENCY?

• 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 assistance. • First identify if you need to take protective actions by tuning to a local radio or TV station for emergency information. Emergency officials will use the Emergency Alert System (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. • Only pick up children from school if you are directed to do so. • Evacuation routes and shelters will also be broadcast on the EAS. • During a large emergency, the county will activate a phone assistance center to answer 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.

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

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FLOOD

NUCLEAR

FIRE

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It should be noted that issuing bonds is the same as spending public money to improve our school facilities since we must eventually pay the money back that was borrowed against the bonds. Because these are public funds, they must be authorized by the general public, benefit the general public, and ultimately our democracy. Bonds must win approval from the local voters. Once the electorate approves a local bond measure, a school district can sell the bonds on the open market. Local property owners typically pay back the bonds through local property taxes. Voting “yes” on a local school bond measure essentially means voting to invest in local schools by increasing local property taxes. If a school bond measure proposes to raise property taxes $60 per $100,000 of assessed value, the property owner will invest an extra $300 annually in local schools for a home valued at $500,000.

Major Robert Odell Owens, a politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2007 said that “Education, technology, and school construction go together. Modernization, updating education facilities and making a capital investment in education are all included.” His words deserve your thoughtful deliberation as we consider investment in our public infrastructure this year.

STATEPOINT CROSSWORD THEME: FAMOUS ACTRESSES

ACROSS

1. *Grace Kelly was first actress on a U.S. one 6. Brow shape 9. *Audrey Hepburn starred in “My Fair ____” 13. Dugout vessel 14. Ciao in the U.S. 15. Post-employment insurance 16. “Welcome to my humble ____” 17. *Thompson of “Some Kind of Wonderful” 18. Like a neon sign 19. *She portrayed Crawford 21. *Actress with most Oscar nominations 23. Hawaiian wreath 24. Pauper’s permanent state 25. A great distance away 28. River in Bohemia 30. Crazy ____ card game 35. Words from Wordsworth 37. Makes mistakes 39. First sound of the day?

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SEPTEMBER CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 43

© StatePoint Media

40. Lymphatic swelling 41. *Geena or Bette 43. Red carpet purse 44. Turns grape into raisin 46. Mongolian desert 47. Post-deductions amount 48. Singer ____ Bocelli 50. One on drugs 52. “Be quiet!”

53. Shining armor 55. Gloppy stuff 57. *Star of seven Woody Allen movies 60. *Katharine or Audrey 64. “Bring back!” to Fido 65. *Kate Winslet starred opposite him in “Titanic” 67. Suggestive of the supernatural 68. Absurd 69. As opposed to St. or Blvd.

70. Dismantles 71. Facial protrusion 72. *Kathleen Turner star of “____ of the Roses” 73. “Thou ____ not...,” in the Bible

DOWN 1. Common tropical marine fish 2. Not to be mentioned 3. At another time, to Romeo or Juliet 4. Most frequent value, statistics 5. ____ Aloysius Herman 6. Competently 7. Pastrami holder 8. ____ and desist 9. Opera house box 10. Up to the task 11. Between stop and roll 12. Swerve 15. Opening between esophagus and stomach 20. Was sick 22. Golf peg 24. Like a certain Nellie?

25. *She’s also known for workout videos 26. Bedazzle 27. Made over 29. Toot your own horn 31. Mountain valley 32. Dislikes intensely 33. It’s a fact

34. *This Maggie is a Dame 36. Nostradamus, e.g.

38. *Magda, Zsa Zsa and Eva Gabor, e.g.

42. Military blockade 45. Be full of anger 49. In the past 51. Stanley and Helen on “Three’s Company” 54. Jon Voight to Brad Pitt 56. African sorcery 57. Bingo-like game 58. Greek H’s 59. High school breakout 60. Field worker 61. Celestial bear 62. Cambodian money 63. Empty ____ 64. Shark part 66. *Mendez or Langoria

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COMMUNITY

EYE ON BUSINESS

downtown slo has a great story to tell

By Maggie Cox, Barnett Cox & Associates

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hen Downtown SLO ( formerly the SLO Downtown Association) recently promoted a screening of “Urban Century: America’s Return to Main Street,” a documentary about efforts to revitalize downtowns nationwide, I was intrigued. The movie sounded interesting, and at an hour in length, not too overwhelming a time commitment. I headed to the Fremont Theater for the Wednesday night event, and was I surprised. Instead of the small crowd I had expected to see, there were hundreds of people milling about.

There were downtown business owners and employees, elected officials and City staff, students and, most surprisingly, lots of people like me: our businesses aren’t located downtown and we don’t live downtown, but boy, we love the place. I’ve watched our downtown grow and change in the 32 years I’ve lived here. I remember when the streets were first closed for Thursday Night events. Businesses have come and gone and surface parking lots have been transformed into handsome new buildings. Bubble Bear has left Mission Mall, but all of our other downtown markers are still in place (along with some newer ones like the Volny Clock Tower). The downtown arts community has

grown, Mission Plaza events give us personality and outdoor dining adds a special ambiance to downtown. Downtown SLO is a walkable, inviting, special place. It’s no surprise more and more people want to live right in the center of it all.

The film led us through the evolution of downtowns, talking about the Main Street that served as the community center for every American town before factors like the growth of suburbs and shopping malls changed the faces of downtowns, effectively destroying many. Business owners and residents in places including Joplin, Missouri; Macon, Georgia; and Flint, Michigan spoke about the exodus from their downtowns, but more importantly, the renaissance and reinvestment that are bringing them back.

One by one, small business owners talked about passion for community and the fervent desire to connect with people. It seems that everywhere throughout the country, citizens want to share experiences, have friends and celebrate everyday life. Even with the proliferation of online shopping and cell phone fixation, people still want to relate to others.

Watching the movie, it was easy to feel a bit smug. Despite the winds of change and

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challenges, our downtown has never suffered a real decline. We haven’t had blocks of boarded up buildings. Our merchants have hung tough and been creative, our government offices have helped keep things afloat and our tourist draw underpins it all.

So what’s to worry about? The worry now, according to a panel of experts who fielded questions and offered comments after the movie, is to keep downtown affordable for mom and pop businesses.

We have to assure there’s an inventory of small spaces with reasonable rent so local business can thrive. Chain stores bring investment, help anchor our downtown and attract shoppers, but we need to maintain a mix that includes local, unique shops and offerings to make sure SLO retains its special character.

Another take away from the evening was the idea of downtown housing. Millenials in particular are clamoring for smaller living spaces located near jobs and services.

Downtown is the perfect place. People living downtown create economic energy and vitality downtown. Upper floor living areas in downtown centers are the new model, and projects like the SLO Hothouse are helping to lead the way.

The documentary provided a backdrop to an uplifting evening. Things are going well, but there is much to think about and plan for as a new generation takes the reins of our community. Leaders like Downtown SLO Executive Director (and SLO native) Dom Tartaglia are bringing energy and vision to the task. Dom’s board of directors and committee members share that focus and commitment and the results are impressive. There is a lot of hard work going on and more to follow.

In the meantime, what’s the role for the rest of us? We need to stay engaged, pay attention and participate in the Downtown Concept Plan meetings that are underway. We don’t need to be developers or landlords to have an impact on downtown, but it’s also not enough to just love it from the sidelines. Our friends and neighbors’ livelihoods depend on a healthy downtown and so does our own sense of pride and place. Downtown belongs to everyone, and its future is in our hands. SLO Downtown has plans and ideas that deserve our support. Keep an eye out for more from this organization.

Downtown

Around

The Magazine of Downtown San Luis Obispo

September 2016

Inside: Downtown Perspec t ive Downtown B usiness Spo tlights

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followed with a thorough analysis of the subject matter. When given the opportunity to discuss his early career at the university, the first subject that he brought up was the “Learn by doing” educational philosophy that Poly is so well known for. Schwartz explained, “Julian McPhee was instrumental in developing the learn by doing philosophy and what many other establishments would call an upside down educational philosophy. That was my indoctrination.”

Dominic Tartaglia, Campus was also physically different in those Executive Director years as there was not a clear separation in the n 1952 a young man came to San Luis Obispo teachers’ offices and classrooms. It was just as with his wife and two children to pursue a new career as common to find classrooms and offices in the fields and a professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Ken Schwartz and barns as it was to call on professors by their first name. his family were leaving a much larger Los Angeles to try hat concept resonated with Schwartz and he carried the small town life. In his words there was some hesitation that vision forth with him near the end of his time at the about moving to a town of only 14,000 residents, “It was university when he assisted in designing and programming a big step down from LA but we thought we would give a new school in Costa Rica. In that process he spread the it a try.” Prior to this point in his life, Schwartz had been philosophy to other planners from around the world and the an architect and the thought of becoming a teacher was school later grew to become a university that echoes the a foreign concept but it appealed to him and he planned teaching style of Cal Poly as we know it. As we sat and talked to give it a shot for a while. “After the first couple of about the benefit of a campus that was integrated to that point, years, things just kept expanding and I never left.” he recalled stories of taking his children out to the barns and eaching has been a significant part of Mr. Schwartz’s life fields where they were immersed in agriculture. Not only and was evident throughout the interview as questions could they pet the hogs and pick produce but occasionally the that I asked were answered with a question in return and

n a Summer afternoon I had the opportunity to sit down with a man who has been changing San Luis Obispo and educating students at Cal Poly since his arrival. In my previous interviews, one man kept coming up as a person who had a story that would be great material for this series. The following account of our interview is the summation of the longest interview that I have ever conducted and the lessons that were laced throughout the interview, as to be expected from a longtime professor.

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On the Cover: Sam Sharp Band will be taking the stage for this year's final Concerts in the Plaza on Friday, September 9th; thanks in part to band sponsor Ernie Ball Music Man. Photo by Mukta Naran.

presents

2016

Concerts in theplaza September 2

September 9

Captain Nasty

Sam Sharp Band

Sponsor: Bill Gaines Audio

Sponsor: Ernie Ball Music Man

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FREE LIVE MUSIC FROM 5PM-8PM IN MISSION PLAZA, DOWNTOWN SLO • NO OUTSIDE ALCOHOL • NO PETS • FOOD AND DRINK AVAILABLE • WWW.DOWNTOWNSLO.COM

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professors would be around to share a simple lesson, “I hope that we don’t lose that spirit with the growth of the university.”

For many of us who grew up as kids in SLO, we can relate.

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he topic of the growth of our town radiated out much like the way a community grows from the center out. I doubt this conversation followed that formula by chance.

When talking about the civic center and the efforts to maintain the County seat Schwartz recalled, “A hell of a fight to keep the government facilities Downtown.

It was not an easy fight.” In the end the argument was made to stay Downtown and not move out to the area near Madonna Inn. As a result, the existing Downtown businesses were able to be successful as they provided support to county employees, jurors, contractors, etc.

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s is the case in many communities, growth was happening in San Luis Obispo and the small agrarian town that existed when the Schwartz family moved here was changing. “Before the mega hardware stores, there were five privately owned hardware stores Downtown. How were they supported? When you would go into one of these stores what you would find was people with cowboy boots. They would come in from surrounding ranches of the county and they were buying supplies at the same time they were stocking up on food. So it was one trip, maybe weekly or bi-weekly.

And it was a different kind of economy out in the hinterlands.

It wasn’t vineyards, it was cattle and animal raising and hay and grain as opposed to grapes.” Ultimately the change in the agrarian economy affected the urban Downtown.

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hich brought up the question for me of whether or not SLO could adapt and become urbanized in spite of our agrarian history. I got a question back, “What do you know about Proposition 13?” The following discussion and analysis of the infamous proposition outlined his disgust for how it shaped elements of our city. One big factor in whether Downtown could adapt in Schwartz’s analysis stems from the change in ownership of Downtown buildings. “I think when I was mayor, business ownership and property ownership were pretty close to par. About 80% of business owners owned their buildings. Now that may be inverted.” As we pressed further into this topic, profit and entrepreneurship were contrasted historically versus presently. Schwartz added, “In the former times, the profit from the property was more a function of the business as opposed to the value of the property.”

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ndeed the times have changed and the relationships between businesses and the properties they operate on have very different ratios but we are one of the few communities blessed to still have business owners who own the land under their stock. When I imagine what Downtown looked like in the days of Woolworth’s and Sears, I also see the private businesses next door, and I see the familiar faces of the shopkeepers of today with the same welcome of a smile and expert guidance on whatever product or service I am looking for. In that vision I know our town has changed but in doing so we preserved the essential character that embodies the Downtown SLO experience. It is with great appreciation for people like Ken Schwartz that I get to work and live in paradise.

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SLO Yoga Center

Stephanie & Andrew Stackhouse, Co-owners 672 Higuera Street SLOYogaCenter.com

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estled amongst Higuera Street shops lies a space meant to replenish the mind and body. With high energy and happy vibes, the SLO Yoga Center unites all yoga lovers of different ages. It is a relaxing and expressive place that allows San Luis Obispo locals to dive into the practice of foundational yoga. This foundational yoga is "true yoga," basing all of its teachings on methods from India, where yoga originates. It does not solely focus on conditioning the body but incorporates meditation techniques meant to satisfy and strengthen the mind.

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n addition to traditional yoga, SLO Yoga Center offers a variety of classes, workshops and activities. They are the only studio in San Luis Obispo offering aerial yoga and SUP yoga.

Aerial yoga uses hammocks as a tool for conditioning. The hammocks are mainly used to assist in inversions. Their SUP yoga classes are offered in Morro Bay where students are able to learn more about the practice of yoga and their bodies on stand-up paddleboards. This practice is meant to allow individuals to learn more about the way their muscles Andrew Stackhouse engage, while they enjoy a peaceful Photo provided by: scenery.

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he founder of Manduka Mats originally established SLO Yoga Center in 1991. It moved several locations around San Luis Obispo, until in 2014 it settled on 672 Higuera Street with new owners. Having recently moved from Seattle, Andrew and Stephanie Stackhouse were looking to open their own studio and when the opportunity to buy SLO Yoga Center arose, they fully committed.

Stephanie quit her job with Microsoft to help her husband pursue his dream of owning a studio. Having worked as a yoga instructor for the past few years in Seattle, Andrew gained a passion for the art of yoga.

efore Andrew became a yoga instructor, he had a very diverse background. Andrew grew up in Marin County and attended college at Cal Poly where he studied Environmental Biology.

After graduating, Andrew acquired a variety of jobs ranging from construction to teaching middle school special education. However, yoga became his true calling and he decided to further pursue a career in the art.

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SLO Yoga Center

he SLO Yoga Center also loves to incorporate music into their vinyasa flow. A few of their classes are paired with live music. A live band collaborates with the yoga instructor to provide a unique and more enjoyable yoga experience.

The studio also offers DJ nights and ecstatic dancing, which gives community members the opportunity to engage in free form dancing led by a DJ.

LO Yoga Studio provides a welcoming culture that attracts a variety of people. No matter a person's age, skill level or lifestyle, SLO Yoga Center is a place for everyone to unite under a common passion for yoga. Co-owner Andrew Stackhouse says, "Our staff has a variety of different personalities from free spirits to type A's but regardless, everyone has a passion for yoga."

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isit SLO Yoga online at SLOYogaCenter.com or their studio in Downtown SLO.

Written By: Julia Tettamanzi

SLO BREW OPENS ITS DOORS AT NEW HIGUERA STREET LOCATION

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fter closing the doors of its beloved and iconic Garden Street brewpub last year, SLO Brew is happy to announce the highlyanticipated opening of its new gastropub on Higuera Street. Just steps away from its former location at the heart of Downtown San Luis Obispo, The Brew is debuting a music partnership with The Knitting Factory Presents, a fresh menu curated by Chef Thomas Fundaro and new specialty and seasonal craft beer flavors.

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eaturing a full-sized restaurant with expansive indoor and outdoor lounging options, The Brew's new menu of signature pizzas, pub favorites and shareable plates complement the brewery's famed selection of craft beers, while adding a twist to locally-sourced and seasonal ingredients.

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aunching a lineup of intimate performances and electrifying shows, The Brew is proud to announce its partnership with national entertainment group the Knitting Factory, who will be managing The Brew's talent booking duties. In addition to the exciting slew of upcoming concerts, The Brew features rustic and industrial dĂŠcor, an entertainment space outfitted with a stateof-the-art sound system, a mezzanine level Whiskey Lounge with views of the stage and an al fresco creekside dining area.

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ith The Brew, SLO Brew is also announcing its new Downtown lodging option, The Lofts. Perched directly above

The Brew, The Lofts offer an ideally situated Higuera Street location, and spacious one-, two- and threebedroom accommodations.

In addition, SLO Brew will introduce its brand new brewery, The Rock, this August. Featuring an expansive 30-barrel capacity brewhouse, a tasting room, Photo by Mukta Naran biergarten restaurant, outdoor seating and spacious concert venue, The Rock is poised to become one of the most versatile event spaces available in San Luis Obispo.

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ith its trio of venues and unmatched selection of craft beer, food and entertainment options, SLO Brew offers both locals and visitors a complete signature experience that's perfect for any type of celebration.

For more information visit: www.SLOBrew.com

palm street perspective

rental housing inspection program: “that’s it?” “yes, that’s it!”

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By SLO Councilwoman, Carlyn Christianson

his is the most common conversation between landlords, tenants and city staff after inspection of their unit has taken place under the new Rental Housing Inspection Program (RHIP), which started up earlier this year. With about two-thirds of the city being rentals of one type or other, this program affects a lot of residents, either as a property owner or a tenant.

When it passed, many community members were concerned about its scope and impact, so I thought I’d provide an update, and a reminder of why the Council majority supported such a program.

The RHIP ensures that very basic, common-sense, legally required health and safety protections are in place in rental units not already inspected by the fire department or otherwise exempt—i.e., making sure such fundamental things as a locking front door, working heat & plumbing, and smoke detectors are present. At the time of this writing, over 350 inspections have taken place and the most typical reaction by landlords and tenants has been surprise about the inspection’s simplicity. The majority have passed on the second inspection, after fixing things like electric panel labeling, unstrapped water heaters, or missing smoke/carbon detectors. Where there are occasional situations with illegal units or major repair work needed, staff is striving to be as reasonable, flexible, and helpful as possible, working closely with property owners to keep their rentals in operation and tenants in their homes.

The effect of these types of inspection programs in the many other cities where they have been put into place has been to improve the safety, quality and longevity of the rental housing stock. Yes, there is a modest cost (averaging out about $7-10 a month) and yes, some tenants do not want an inspection (in which case they can simply refuse their consent and the city will inspect when their lease is up.) However, the overall reaction in practice has been the recognition that the RHIP will make San Luis Obispo a better place to live in the long run. As several landlords have remarked to city inspectors: “Now I have written proof that my unit is legal and safe—that could come in handy!”

So why did the Council decide to implement such a program in the first place? Well, for me it can be summed up plainly: the complaint-based system of rental health & safety code enforcement did not work (people just do not complain about even the most horrible situations), and the number of units that have problems is much larger than most people believe. Rental unit safety and compliance was not an isolated problem, but one that was widespread and slowly getting worse over time.

Based on the horrendous things I’d seen and heard over the past 15 years as a Planning Commissioner and City Council member, I came to believe that to let this situation go on without ever directly addressing it was to approve of such conditions, and I just think that is wrong. People should not have to live in substandard or slum housing, and neighbors should not have to live next door to firetraps and rodent dens. Renters should also not have to live in fear of retribution for complaining. Rentals are a business, and the city has an obligation to ensure businesses are operated safely and follow the laws that are in place. Better to approach

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the problem as a community-wide challenge and tackle it head on.

My sincere belief is that the city can get through a few cycles of inspections and most units will then fall under the “self-report” mode and won’t need further inspections. At that point the RHIP can be reduced in scope and cost.

Meanwhile I am looking forward to the periodic reports that the Council will receive (the first was 5/17/2016) and to reviewing the FAQs and information about the program on the city’s website www.slocity. org. If the program is not working the way it is supposed to, I will be the first to support a change—but right now, I have a picture in my mind of the kinds of unsafe, unhealthy, unlivable conditions that do exist in this community, and so “that’s it”: I remain strongly in support of the RHIP.

Mike Clark City Council If you want a City Council Member who will: · Listen to and be a voice for residents and their concerns · Respect and value our many unique residential neighborhoods and work to preserve and protect them · Be mindful of our water resources · Be financially responsible with taxpayer money · Work to protect and maintain the beautiful open space that surrounds us · Be mindful of our existing small businesses and not add barriers to their success · Work to add on-campus housing—in appropriate locations · Work to keep our downtown family-friendly

Then you should support and Vote for Mike Clark for SLO City Council. www.Clark4SLO.com Paid for by Clark for SLO Council 2016 Committee, FPPC ID #1384708

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greg morris memorial scholarship

Following the loss of Greg Morris, a leader whose generosity and kindness touched the lives of many, his children worked with Mission College Preparatory Catholic High School (Mission College Prep) to honor his memory with the Greg Morris Memorial Scholarship Award. Alyssa Caldera and Kush Yadav, of the upcoming graduating class of 2017, are the first Mission College Prep students to receive this award. From left to right: Kerry Morris, award-winner Kush Yadav, Vicky & Brendan Morris.

another record year for public transit

Fiscal Year 2015/16 set a new record for trips taken on public transit in the City of SLO. Over 1,209,701 rides were given on the City’s SLO Transit system, representing a 5.8% increase in ridership over the previous record set in 2014 (1,142,748 rides). The City tracks its ridership via electronic fareboxes located on every bus. With each swipe of a bus pass or paid fare, the farebox records a ride. This ridership data is tracked daily for monitoring trends and demand levels. The start of the 2015/16 academic school year quickly indicated a surge in the use of local public transit. SLO Transit operates M-F approximately from 6am to 10pm and Sat & Sun from 8am to 7pm. You can learn more by visiting www.SLOTransit.org.

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.

central coast follies parkinson’s fundraiser

Help find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease while attending a night at the theatre!! The Central Coast Follies handed a $30,000 check to the Parkinson’s Alliance last year after their October performances, bringing their total donation, over a 13-year period, to $323,500. Directed by Jason Sumabat, the Follies is a group of dancers over the age of 50 who rehearse all year to stage this outstanding musical benefit at the Clark Center in Arroyo Grande.

With this year’s theme—What’s in a Name?—you will enjoy hits like Mr. Bo Jangles, Hit the Road Jack and Proud Mary. Other talented community performers are interspersed between the Follies acts. Local celebrity emcees include Ian Parkinson, Tom Keffury, and Tony Cipolla among others. For more information go to http://www.CentralCoastFollies.org. Be entertained while helping to cure Parkinson’s! Save the weekend of September 30th or that of October 7th!

cuesta college welding fabrication best in nation

A team of three Cuesta College welding students brought home the gold from the 52nd Annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) recently held in Louisville, KY, placing first in the Welding Fabrication competition. The team, comprised of Joey Grant of Atascadero, Trevor Poindexter of SLO, and William Dexter of Half Moon Bay, CA, built a large tool box with a removable tray intended for use at a construction job site. The contestants were required to submit a design set of drawings and fabricate the project in 6.5 hours. “Time and time again, Cuesta College’s Career Technical Education students prove to be the best in the nation,” said John Stokes, Cuesta College’s engineering and technology division chair who oversees the college’s SkillsUSA team. This marks the tenth year in a row that Cuesta College students have placed on the SkillsUSA national podium.

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Appliance circuits • Troubleshooting • Service upgrades • Rewiring • Smoke detectors • 220 volt circuits • Computer circuits

Santa Maria 928-4949

Santa Barbara 963-2066

THE BULLETIN BOARD swanson pac community fund helps 9 groups

The Foundation for the Performing Arts Center, through the newly created Clifton Swanson PAC Community Access Fund, has awarded $27,300 in grants to 9 community arts group who are scheduled to perform at the PAC during the 2016-17 season.

Receiving funds from the first annual Swanson grant are: Central Coast Dance and Music Academy (CDMA), Cuesta Master Chorale, Festival Mozaic, OperaSLO, Orchestra Novo, SLO Civic Ballet, SLO Symphony, Vocal Arts Ensemble, and the San Luis Obispo Youth Symphony. Applicants for the inaugural Swanson grant needed to have their date for presenting at the PAC reserved for next year to qualify, among other financial qualifications. Pictured L to R: Clif Swanson, Mi Young Shin – SLO Youth Symphony, Zette Harbour – Orchestra Novo, Tara Behnke – Coastal Dance and Music Academy, Sarah Maggelet – Vocal Arts Ensemble, Bettina Swigger – Festival Mozaic, Leslie Michel – Civic Ballet of San Luis Obispo, Liz Summer – SLO Symphony, Sharon Dobson – OperaSLO, Linda Wilkes – Master Chorale, Carol Nelson-Selby – OperaSLO

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orchestra novo honors kathleen lenski

Orchestra Novo has created a scholarship fund to honor acclaimed violinist Kathleen Lenski. Fifty individuals contributed a total of $7100 for students attending the Orchestra Novo Summer String Music Academy. 23 students from across the country attended the Academy, an immersive summer camp for committed music study. It took place at Camp Arroyo Grande July 17-24 and included string orchestra rehearsals, chamber groups, sectionals, individual coaching, as well as social activities, games, and swimming. In total, Orchestra Novo distributed $12,750 in scholarship funds to students attending the camp.

BB/BS wins national Agency of the year award

Big Brothers Big Sisters of SLO County was one of six agencies recognized during the 2016 National Conference Gala held in Orlando, Florida in late June.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of SLO County was recognized as Agency of the Year in the Small to Mid-sized agency alliance category for building strategy that led to diversified funding and low employee turnover helping to provide the best leadership for their community. Pictured from left to right: Big Brothers Big Sisters Development Director Patty Carpenter and Board President Christie Clemons.

C rossword S O L U T I O N S

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THE BULLETIN BOARD

womenade collects backpacks for foster kids

information about these remarkable artists and their pieces will accompany these fascinating works of art. “Hidden History” will be on display through September 16th.

avocado margarita festival expanded

Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce is proud to bring the Avocado Margarita Festival to Morro Bay for the tenth year in a row on Friday, September 9th and Saturday, September 10th. The 2016 Avocado Margarita Festival features a larger footprint with a free area, more family-friendly activities, bands, and the inaugural Taste of the Grove Friday evening event. Tickets are now on sale at Eventbrite, on avomargfest.com, and by calling 772-4467. Until September 1st, tickets for the Saturday Street Festival are only $5 and include one entry to the Calavo’s Year Supply of Avocado raffle. Tickets for the Friday evening Taste of the Grove event are $60 and includes all food, drink, and entertainment, a raffle ticket for the Calavo Year Supply of Avocados, and entry into the Saturday Street Festival.

San Luis Obispo County Womenade collected backpacks and school supplies for Foster children served by Family Care Network again this year. Pictured, Linsey Bonquet, Volunteer Development Coordinator, Family Care Network.

peoples’ self-help housing receives grant

morro bay art exhibit

The Morro Bay Historical Society is proud to present, “Hidden History,” an extraordinary art exhibit hosted

by Morro Bay Art Association.

A private collection of rarely seen, exceptional paintings are on loan for this special event. Artworks by prominent 20th century artists who lived or worked in Estero Bay communities, circa 1920 through 1970 will be on display.

Celebrated artists include, Charles Hoxsey “Robbie” Robinson (1862-1945), Aaron E. Kilpatrick (1872-1953), Marian Barnett, (1913-1978), Joyce Pike, Gladys and Stanton Gray. Historical

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Steve Harding, Chairman of Rabobank N.A.’s Community Leadership Group, recently presented a $7,500 grant check to Peoples’ Self-Help Housing President/CEO John Fowler during an educational summer class at Courtland Street Apartment in Arroyo Grande. The grant is in support of the Youth Education Enhancement Program. For more information on Peoples’ SelfHelp Housing, visit www.pshhc.org, email communications@ pshhc.org or phone (805) 781-3088.

THE BULLETIN BOARD united way gives $75,000 to local nonprofits

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Fire Safe Garden. Sitting on a one-acre hillside, the Fire Safe Garden shows homeowners the best plants and locations to prevent damage from wildfires. The garden features Cal Fire landscaping principles for homeowners to model in their yards. The grant will be used to install rope guides around the Fire Safe Garden. The Fire Safe Garden at the SLO Botanical Garden is the largest in the state and is free to the public.

solarponics honored

United Way of SLO County recently selected the annual recipients of the Community Impact Fund. Each year United Way encourages applications from programs and organizations that impact the local community in a big way, and picks those that stand out to receive funding. This year $75,000 in total funds was given to these standout local nonprofits: 5Cities Homeless Coalition; Affordable Housing Paso Robles; CASA; Central Coast Grown; Community Counseling Center; Literacy for Life; One Cool Earth; Partnership for the Children; Peoples’ Self Help Housing; RISE; SLO County Arts Council; The Cambria Connection; The Child Development Center; Transitional Food and Shelter; and Transitions-Mental Health Association. United Way chose these programs through a careful selection process, and ultimately selected those programs that most empower youth to thrive.

pg&E donates $2500 to botanical garden

The SLO Botanical Garden received a $2,500 grant from PG&E to support its educational programs and the

Solar power is a booming business worldwide, but local installer Solarponics is among the companies recently named to an annual and well-recognized list of North America’s top solar contractors. This marks the fifth year in a row that Solarponics made the list, reaching the rank of 187 in North America. The Top 500 Solar Contractors List is developed

by Solar Power World magazine to recognize the work completed by solar contractors across the U.S. and Canada. The companies on the list are growing the economy, providing jobs and offering electricity consumers a choice about how they get their power. Pictured is Frank Scotti with Solarponics founder, Mike Emrich, at a Solar Contractors Awards Dinner held at the Aria Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

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

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

11175 Los Osos Valley Road, SLO

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Borrower must maintain property as primary residence and remain current on property taxes and insurance.

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

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the butler, SLO’s newest & most unique hotel

MOCA, LLC, in conjunction with Garcia architecture + design, proudly announce the grand opening of The Butler Hotel, SLO’s newest and most exclusive hospitality destination. Strategically located at 1511 Monterey Street in uptown MOJO (Monterey & Johnson) District. The Butler Hotel was envisioned as a oneof-a-kind hospitality experience that lay at the intersection of technology, design, and luxury. By repurposing yet respecting an existing industrial structure located on the property, this new central coast travel destination offers a unique visitor experience unlike any other. The existing ivy-covered steel building yields no clue as to what lies inside. Enter through the historic 1950’s façade and you’ll immediately find yourself immersed in a sophisticated haven infused with industrial yet modern design. Once inside, you’ll discover this boutique hotel’s rustic exterior gives way to an unexpected array of sophisticated modern hospitality details. A striking monochromatic colour scheme contrasts with the existing patina of the former auto repair garage building. There is no formal lobby, receptionist, or usual check-in procedure. No bell-hops, no room keys, and no chatter. Everything is booked and arranged electronically thru their website portal, including secret passcodes that are texted to guests cell phones giving them discrete access to the building and guest rooms. For more information, visit: www. thebutlerhotel.com. The Butler Hotel: An exclusive, no-compromise hospitality experience.

free senior health care screening

Screening offers health screening for adults 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.

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the new gary & Patricia Lamprecht music education endowment fund

As many of you have heard, Vocal Arts is celebrating a milestone this season: forty years of performing world-class choral music winning prestigious awards and spreading the message of peace through music to thousands of people. And in every one of those 40 years, Gary Lamprecht has been at the helm. Gary and his wife Pat founded the Vocal Arts Ensemble in 1976 and they have been creating beautiful music ever since. To recognize 40 wonderful years of the Vocal Arts Ensemble and to forever honor the contribution of the Lamprechts to music in our community, the Vocal Arts Ensemble created The Gary and Patricia Lamprecht Music Education Endowment Fund this year, a fund that will, in perpetuity, support the dreams of music education for students in SLO County. Please consider a tax deductible donation to the Gary and Patricia Lamprecht Music Education Endowment, in any amount, to support a young person’s educational goals in the field of music. Go to www.vocalarts.org for more information

paso’s cab collective

Paso Robles is earning its place as one of the world’s premiere producers of Cabernet Sauvignon and red Bordeaux varietals.

Not only is recognition among critics and sommeliers increasing across the board for members of the Paso Robles CAB Collective, Paso’s producers are planting more Cabernet Sauvignon than ever before, ensuring the region continues to position itself alongside the world’s top Bordeaux varietal regions. More than 55 percent of Paso’s 41,000 acres of vineyards are made up of Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties. In 2015 and 2016, roughly 3,000 new acres of vineyards were planted in Paso, of those, an estimated 50 percent were Cabernet Sauvignon, according to California Grape Field Representative Andrew Jones of Sunridge Nurseries. The key to Paso’s success is the devotion of CAB Collective members who strive to craft true terroir-driven wines. Formed in 2012, the Paso Robles CAB (Cabernet and Bordeaux) Collective (PRCC) is an independent collaborative effort of leading Paso Robles growers and producers of Cabernet and red Bordeaux varietals specific to the Paso Robles AVA in California. For more information, please visit www.pasoroblescab.com.

THE BULLETIN BOARD SLO Rotary 16th annual homes of distinction

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Senior volunteer services

Put your life experience to work with SVS. Join with many other seniors, age 50+ and over, who are taking time to help improve the lives of others. SVS can match your talents and interests with community needs. Call SVS at (805) 544-8740 for information on any of the following opportunities. SVS is sponsoring a wonderful Chablis Cruise at the Morro Bay Harbor on Tuesday, September 20, 2016 from 11:30am-1:30pm. This is open to the public, so please invite your family and friends! Cost is $50 pp & includes a riverboat cruise on a unique 50’ 2-story riverboat and a delicious brunch.

Make your Reservation by September 1, 2016 by calling our office at (805) 544-8740.

chevron supports bb/bs

Guests will have an exclusive look into five beautiful and interesting homes as the Rotary Club of SLO presents the 16th Annual “Homes of Distinction” Tour, Sunday, September 18 from 11am to 5pm. Pictured above and on the tour is the Avila House in SLO. Each home has a unique ambiance where architecture, décor and landscaping tell the stories of their lives. All proceeds fund scholarships for our local students. Tickets to tour the five homes are $25 per person. You can download a brochure, take a sneak peek at the homes, and purchase tickets online at www.slorotary.org, or purchase tickets at the door of any of the homes. Tickets are also available for purchase at the San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande and Atascadero Chambers of Commerce. To purchase tickets by phone, or for additional information, please call (805) 546-8806 or email WildaRosene@gmail.com.

another local serving our country

A 2011 Arroyo Grande High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy as part of a crew working aboard one of the world’s most advanced ballistic missile submarines, the USS Kentucky. Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Castro is an electronics technician serving aboard the Bangor-based boat, one of 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines. A Navy electronics technician is responsible for maintaining and operating the electrical systems of the sub to ensure that all motors, generators, and such remain active.

“I get a great deal of job satisfaction knowing that I can fix things on a daily basis,” said Castro. “I like being hands-on and this role enables that.”

Castro is part of the boat’s Blue crew, one of the two rotating crews, which allow the ship to be deployed on missions more often without taxing one crew too much. A typical crew on this submarine is approximately 150 officers and enlisted sailors.

Chevron continued their support for Big Brothers Big Sisters by awarding a grant of $4,000 to support the agency’s countywide one-to-one mentoring programs. Patty Carpenter, Development Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters said “Funding from Chevron, combined with additional sources, allows us to serve approximately 380 children throughout the County by pairing vulnerable local youth with quality adult role models.” A nationwide study conducted for Big Brothers Big Sisters by Harris Interactive finds that adults who were involved as children in our program are better educated, wealthier, and report stronger relationships with their spouses, children and friends. The local agency conducts targeted volunteer recruitment, screening and matching, as well as ongoing support for volunteers, children, and families, ensuring child safety to sustain successful long-term relationships. For more information call 7813226, or go to www.slobigs.org.

new apples and honey festival

The JCC-Federation of San Luis Obispo is pleased to announce its first annual Apples and Honey Festival on Sunday, September 25 from 1pm - 4pm at 578 Marsh St in downtown SLO. The familyfriendly afternoon features a traditional apples and honey tasting, area artists, apple crafting activities, and celebrates bringing in the Jewish new year. The schedule of events includes a children’s storytelling, bee education, and songs. Sweet baked goods, kosher hot dogs, and even acai bowls are all a part of the Apples and Honey Festival. Come downtown and enjoy! Further information can be found online at www.jccslo.com/apples--honey

cuesta college chosen for second chance pell pilot program at CMC

Cuesta College continues to fulfill its mission to provide access to education by participating in a new nation-wide program allowing prison inmates to take college courses via federal funding. Along with 67 colleges and universities around the country, Cuesta was one of only five in California recently chosen to take part in the Second Chance Pell pilot program, a national experiment that aims to reduce recidivism for inmates by providing postsecondary education and training programs. Beginning in the spring of 2017, selected California Men’s Colony (CMC) inmates will receive Pell Grant funds to cover the costs of Cuesta College courses and books.

By January 2017, Cuesta College expects to have 250 students at the CMC enrolled in a 21-course program that leads to a transferable degree in sociology. Students will be taught in-person by Cuesta College instructors working at the CMC. The program will not impact the availability of regularly scheduled courses on campus.

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We helped more people purchase a house in 2015 than any other lender in San Luis Obispo County.

Thank You! OPES ADVISORS

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1212 Marsh Street, Suite 1 | San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 | 805.250.2400 | opesadvisors.com Opes Advisors is licensed by the CA Department of Business Oversight under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act, License #4150089, CA Bureau of Real Estate 01458652, loans will be made pursuant to the Residential Mortgage Lending Act, CO Registration Regulated by the Division of Real Estate, Idaho MBL8530, Montana Mortgage Lender License #235584, Oregon ML4902, Washington CL1178435, Wyoming #2667 and NMLS 235584. Equal Housing Opportunity Lender. Opes Advisors is a registered investment advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). © 2016 Opes Advisors, Inc. All rights reserved.

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