Vol. 51, No.29
Serving the San Gabriel Valley Since 1966
July 10, 2013
Special Section
Local Events
Entertainment
Sports
Student's Corner
Temple City, San Gabriel, & ROSEMEAD PAGE 6
page 2,3,4 Visit Car Culture at http://www.midvalleynews.com/
page 3,7
page 9,10
page 3
Temple City
Visit Us Online at www.midvalleynews.com for more Highlights of Local Schools and Events from the San Gabriel Valley Area.
Temple City Resident Shares Memories
Lawrence Stevens is an ordinary guy who experienced extraordinary life experiences and lived to tell about them. With the help of his granddaughter, Stacey, his story is now available for everyone to read in his book entitled, “It Only Takes One, Memoirs of a Tail Gunner.” Larry was born in his parent’s home in Alhambra in 1924. He remembers all of the “open land, horses and skies so blue they were near to purple.” Imagine Atlantic Boulevard was only a dirt road lined with pepper
For the pulse of the San Gabriel Valley, local news, special events, and school events check us out.
by Jo Anne Disney
trees. Larry said that “Atlantic Boulevard was first called “Wilson Boulevard” because it was the road leading to the Mt. Wilson Observatory. Growing up, Larry had 4 siblings, Ernie, Mayme, Jim and Mary Lou. He worked with his dad who was a plaster contractor. As a young boy, Larry helped his dad plaster Holy Angels
Church in Arcadia. When all of his high school friends were being drafted during WWII, Larry enlisted in the army and graduated early
from Alhambra High. He reported for duty on May 10, 1943. He graduated from gunnery school at age 19 becoming part of the Army Air Corps. Tragically his older brother, Ernie, who had been in the army since 1941, was killed in action “spear-heading an infantry drive in Messina, Italy” in November 1943. Larry and the crew of the “Full House,” the name of his plane, flew 34 successful missions. Then, the “Full House” with a new crew was shot down photo by Jo Anne Disney
in Zeitz, Germany. Larry’s 35th mission was in a new plane called “Big Chief Illiniwek” which was a new B-17 G plane and its first mission. Larry said they were headed to Politz, Austria. Over Germany one of the engines malfunctioned and “for the first time on our tour, we had to abort.” According to Larry, “When our crew was in combat, there was a 1 in 5 or 20 in 100 chance of survival and a 50-50 chance after the 15th mission.” Larry was one of the lucky ones and as he said, “Our guardian angel road with us all the way.” Many articles have been written about Larry. He was a highly decorated member of the 412th Bombardment Squadron and the 95th Bombardment Group. At the age of 20, Sgt. Larry Memories continued to page 6
Mid Valley News in the Middle of Standoff and El Monte Police Get Their Man
El Monte
by Lucia Flores
www.midvalleynews.com
cers arrived with bulletproof vests and rifles, prepared to prevent anything that could go wrong. A few hours passed before officers from the Pasadena Police Department arrived with a K-9 Unit to
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assist in apprehending the suspect. After they arrived, officers entered the building from the second floor rear entrance with guns drawn. After a few minutes, the suspect was escorted downstairs in handcuffs to a waiting police vehicle.
or current residents
photos by Devette Johnson
The morning after the 4th of July holiday was quite eventful for the staff here at Mid Valley News. After an order from the El Monte Police Department to evacuate the building, employees from all offices soon found out that a suspect considered armed and dangerous was hiding in the Masterson Building, on the corner of Valley Boulevard
and Meeker Avenue. Employees waited in the parking lot of Goody’s Restaurant, as Meeker Avenue was cordoned off and more offi-
Police Standoff continued to page 15