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VOL. 10, NO. 6
MODERN DAY MONROVIA PIONEERS: THE FITZPATRICK FAMILY’S LEGACY OF TRIUMPHS AND TRIBULATIONS Terry MILLER tmiller@beaconmedianews.com
D
uring the past year or so, retail business has been hit hard by a combination of struggles, not the least of which was a complete shutdown in an early effort to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Restaurants and other businesses are trying to salvage what they can in the wake of one of the most grueling economic catastrophes witnessed since the 1930s. One local family, whose name is synonymous with Old Town Monrovia, has seen it all. Their legacy lives on but their retail presence is no more. On the morning of July 31, 2018, Monrovia awoke to the news that one of the
true treasures of Monrovia, Pam Fitzpatrick, passed away from complications of throat cancer. In addition to having four children, she had three sisters, one of whom, Nancy, predeceased Pam as did her brother Jim. A year later, her sister Jennifer Ranger also passed away. The family business that stood the test of time for 30 years, the Dollmakers’ Kattywompus, would leave Monrovia’s Old Town for good the following year in April 2020. Pam’s many accomplishments are legendary in the city and Old Town in particular, to which she devoted her business life with vigor and her celebrated boundless energy. In 1987, Luke and Pam Fitzpatrick moved to Monrovia. Four years, later in 1991, the Dollmakers opened at 109 E. Lemon Ave., later
becoming the ever-popular Dollmakers’ Kattywompus. The store was truly a one-ofa-kind shop where children (and parents) were encouraged to have a hands-on experience with toys and games they offered. None of the ubiquitous “Look don’t touch” philosophy there. Pam left behind four children: David, Wil, Luke and Katie, who collectively have continued the entrepreneurial tradition in one form or another. The family matriarch raised her children to work hard, work together and work honestly, according to Luke. “This work ethic gave the family a firm foundation and opportunity to be a part of the transformation that Old Town Monrovia experienced over the last 30 years,” he said.
COVID-19 has taken its toll on many businesses. On Myrtle Avenue, as with many other areas, retail suffered some of the toughest challenges since the depression. This location was the former home of Dollmakers’ Kattywompus. | Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News
As time went by, Luke opened his own business, Monrovia Tech Support, a mobile computer network-
ing company for those of us who know little about these machines that dominate our lives.
Read More at, MonroviaWeekly.com under FEATURED
Pasadena Tournament of Roses Takes City to Court Over Co-ownership of Tradenames City of Pasadena says Tournament of Roses litigation is ‘divisive’ The Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association has filed a lawsuit against the City of Pasadena in federal court over ownership of the tradenames “Rose Bowl Game” and “Rose Bowl.” The dispute originated with the Tournament of Roses’ decision to move the
College Football Playoff game, originally scheduled for the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas due to California guidelines during a surge of COVID-19 cases. This was the second time in history the Rose Bowl Game was played outside Pasadena since the immediate after-
math of the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The Tournament of Roses, which built and then deeded the Rose Bowl Stadium to the city of Pasadena in 1922, says it owns the “Rose Bowl Game” trademark and related marks. Usage of the mark, along with other
aspects of the association’s relationship with the city, are spelled out in a Master License Agreement (MLA) and two additional agreements with the city. Read More at, PasadenaIndependent.com under News
USC plays in a Rose Bowl Game in 2008. | Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News