Category: Opinion

Two weeks ago I traveled back east to Philadelphia to visit friends, have a few cheese steaks, enjoy a Phillies game at their brand-new stadium, and hang with the family. Those were my intentions, nothing too exciting or dramatic — just a nice, calm stay in the house and city where I grew up. Little did I know that the puppy that I had picked out after a sweaty seventh-grade summer of working as a supermarket clerk to save enough money to buy would die during this trip home. I wasn’t prepared to see Max go, he was my dog in a house of five, with my two brothers, one younger, one older. I had saved the money to get Max, and I can still remember handing my father the 300-plus dollars nearly 14 years ago on the way to the Amish country in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where Max was born. I’m told 14 is well past the life expectancy for a Labrador retriever, but of course I thought he would live forever. The past few years Max’s hips became severely arthritic and he could not run or walk around the block without enduring significant pain, which of course neither I nor my parents — whom Max lived with — wanted to subject him to. In addition to the arthritis, Max had a nervous stomach and towards the end of...

The Fritz B. Burns Foundation has announced that it has selected Lance Lipscomb, owner of the LAX Travelodge Hotel, as the 2004 Fritz B. Burns Outstanding Community Service and Leadership Award. Lipscomb will be presented with the award at the Westchester/LAXnMarina del Rey Chamber of Commerce Installation Dinner Friday, June 18th, at the Marina del Rey Marriott Hotel. The event begins at 6 p.m. with cocktails, and dinner will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets for the black-tie optional event are $75 per person and are available by calling (310) 645-5151. The event will celebrate more than 50 years of accomplishments for the chamber and will include president David Voss’s presentation of a variety of awards to Chamber members commemorating their service to the Chamber during the 2003-2004 year. In addition, incoming president Diane Barretti and her new board of directors will be installed by Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, and the new Honorary Mayor will be announced. Lipscomb has a unique history with the Burns award. In June 2000, he accepted the same award for his partner, Jim Bunch, a past chamber president who passed away that same year. Lipscomb had always worked behind the scenes until Bunch’s passing, but in the wake of Bunch’s death, Lipscomb emerged with a renewed commitment to community service. Since then, he has championed a variety of causes and been an active...

On Friday, June 4th, West-chester Family YMCA members and guests gathered at a dinner honoring the spirit of volunteerism to show that volunteers really do “Rock.” The inaugural Volunteer “Rock”ognition Awards Dinner and Dance spotlighted special individuals, groups and businesses that demonstrate the critical role volunteerism plays in building strong kids, strong families and strong communities. Six dedicated volunteers of the Westchester Family YMCA and two outstanding organizations that best exemplify the spirit of volunteerism were honored. Honorees in the category of Outstanding Program Volunteers were Bob Neece, Service; Allan Mylander, Aquatics; Helen Rupp, Healthy Lifestyles and Mario Lafaurie, Camping/Youth & Government. In addition, Covenant Presbyterian Church was honored as Outstanding Community Partner, and Arden Realty, Inc., was honored as the YMCA’s Outstanding Business Partner. Honored as this year’s West-chester Family YMCA Volunteer of the Year was Mike Arias of Arias, Ozzello & Gignac LLP. Arias has been an active member and volunteer of the Westchester Family YMCA for over ten years, serving as chairman of the Board of Managers, Golf Tournament chair, Financial Development chair and Major Gifts chair. Arias also has served as a volunteer coach and mentor and has offered legal counsel to the branch on several occasions. His dedication to the YMCA, his willingness to help others and his generous spirit made him a natural to receive the award. The highlight of the evening was...

Race boats from San Francisco to San Diego gathered to contest one another in California Yacht Club’s Cal Race Week regatta, held Saturday and Sunday, June 5th and 6th. Up 20 boats from last year, 99 boats raced for ten Class Trophies, the Thomas K. Armstrong Team Championship, the PHRF (Performance Handicap Racing Fleet) Charles Tanner trophy and the Fred F. Harris One Design Trophy. Because of the prestige with which the regatta is regarded, two one design classes have chosen to present their class championship perpetual trophies to the winners of this event — the Jimmy Morris Perpetual to the top Schock 35, and the Dr. Bob Crum Memorial to the Martin 242. The 20 to 30 degree oscillating breezes on Saturday drove the crews — especially the tacticians — crazy. Since I hadn’t raced Saturday, on Sunday morning at California Yacht Club’s dock I asked the first three skippers I ran into how it went. “Aarghh. ” was the universal reply. The huge wind shifts changed boat places willy-nilly. “It was painful,” said overall Martin 242 winner Mike George later. On Course #2, racing was delayed Sunday, because the readings at the windward mark were different from the race committee boat anchored a mile downwind. They were waiting for more consistency over the course. On Sunday, the southerly wind was very consistent, but another big culprit for...