Culinary excursions Page 3
Beppe Gambetta Page 7
Templeton Life
FEBRUary 2015
Nurturing the arts at THS
$50,000 gifted to Templeton Community Library Association
Community Spotlight
Kingsbury American H.S. Theater Festival Director of 2015
Group remains committed to building a library
By ALLYSON OKEN Of Templeton Life
With some ups and downs over the years, the Templeton Performing Arts Center has found its match in Director Catherine Kingsbury, who in her first few months with the school district has been named the American High School Festival Director of 2015. It’s not the first time she received the honor. “I received the award once before in 2013,” Kingsbury said. “My reaction when I was notified of the award was excitement for the students to have this opportunity for a life-changing experience, proud for Templeton High to be recognized for supporting and promoting a quality theater arts program, and pleased to be recognized for my educational program and philosophy. A great thing about this award is that it acknowledges and validates fine arts in the schools and in the community. The students were amazed, excited, and thrilled!” Kingsbury has big plans for the future of the TPAC. The current projects that are on the docket for this outstanding program are the THS drama spring show, “Guys and Dolls” set for March 19-28; a benefit concert series in association with Matt’s Music to Benefit
By ALLYSON OKEN Of Templeton Life
Ian played football in high school and worked at McDonalds, then won a football scholarship to Cal Poly where he played center while majoring in engineering. He continued to work in restaurants during college, and came to the conclusion after his junior year that first, he wanted to stay in the area, and second, his heart was really in the food industry rather than engineering. In 1977, McPhee started cooking full-time in local restaurants and by age 25 realized that being a chef was a passion he wanted to pursue as a career. He and a former roommate opened a restaurant, “Ian’s” in Cambria in 1981. The roommate was the financier, and Ian was the chef.
Since 1999 the Templeton Community Library Association has been seeking the funds to reach its fundraising goal so it can start construction. They are one step closer thanks to the continued support of Margret Anderson Radunich, who donated a generous $50,000 to help raise the roof. At the TCLA meeting on Jan. 8 this gracious donation was received by the board members who fell silent in awe and were given a renewed sense of vigor to seek the remaining funding. TCLA treasurer Gwen Pelfrey said that the generosity brought her to tears. It was the third time Radunich has donated to the cause. “We are thrilled and overwhelmed at the continued support that we have received from this donor,” Pelfrey said. “She has also injected encouragement and enthusiasm into every board member so that we want to work that much harder this year and get closer to our goal and make a library branch a reality.” Radunich is from Pacific Grove and has shown more support for the formation of this library in Templeton than most locals. She was born in San Luis Obispo County and went to school in Templeton, where her father drove the very first school bus. Though she does not live in Templeton today, she still feels a strong connection to the community and continues to support these types of endeavors, saying that it is money well spent.
Please turn to Page 2
Please turn to Page 4
Photo courtesy of Connie Pillsbury
Ian McPhee of McPhee’s Grill in Templeton.
Ian McPhee – 20 years of serving great food at McPhees
By CONNIE PILLSBURY For Templeton Life
I
an McPhee grew up in an “Ozzie and Harriet” neighborhood of Pico Rivera, one of many middle class suburbs of Los Angeles where tidy houses built in the early 1950s lined the streets, and where dads went off to work in the morning and moms stayed home. McPhee’s parents had emigrated from Scotland in their teens and met in Los Angeles after World War II. Ian’s father rose through the ranks to become chief chemist for Dutch Boy Paints, and at home he was famous in the neighborhood for rolling out the barbecue on summer evenings.
Please turn to Page 4
Inside ...
THS tackling teen drug use Hosting Drug Awareness Night monthly By ALLYSON OKEN Of Templeton Life
PRSrt std U.s. postage paid Permit no. 19 paso robles, ca 93446
******EcrWss****** Postal Customer TEMPLETON, CA 93465
Please turn to Page 7
Monthly publication dedicated to covering Templeton, CA
Photo By Allyson Oken Shelley Brard, Templeton High School Associated Student Body director and new addition to the THS staff, is spearheading monthly Drug Awareness Nights.
Over the last year a topic of great debate in the Templeton Unified School District was how best to combat teen drug use. After several months, the TUSD and Templeton High School have formed a game plan: hosting monthly Drug Awareness Nights from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month. These meeting are open to the community. The next meeting is Feb. 17 at the Templeton Preforming Arts Center. Shelley Brard, Associated Student Body director and new addition to the THS staff, is spearheading these events with the help of the
student body and the Friday Night Live Club. She explained that after implementing regular drug testing for athletes and hiring a drug dog unit to patrol the high school, they have found that their drug problem stems more from the community than the students so their goal is to educate. “We want to give students the tools to make educated decisions and feel empowered to take control of their lives and themselves in any situation,” she said. “With that in mind, we are offering these monthly Drug Awareness Nights as an opportunity for community members and parents to learn more about the drugs present in our community and how best to communicate the danger of these to their children.”
TCC Gateway Sign 2 Culinary Excursions 3 This and That 4 Community calendar 6 Beppe Gambetta 7