VILLAGE NEWS
Scott Appleby & Kerry ApplebyPayne
LA JOLLA
For a complete La Jolla holiday events guide,
see page 18
A Family Tradition of Real Estate Success
858-775-2014
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2010
San Diego Community Newspaper Group
Les Paul legacy
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www.SDNEWS.com Volume 16, Number 13
PAVED IN GOLD
has beginnings in La Jolla Guitar enthusiast releases first full-color book on iconic instrument BY CLAIRE HARLIN | VILLAGE NEWS From his beginnings as a teen guitar enthusiast and surf band star in La Jolla in the 1960s, Robb Lawrence blossomed into a talented musician, working with a host of renowned artists and performing at prestigious events like the Nov. 27 Jimi Hendrix birthday celebration in Seattle. But being a musician is not what Lawrence is known for. “I dedicated my life to the history of guitars WHAT: Book signrather than having a family or being a rock ing and perforstar,” said Lawrence, who has spent more mance by journalthan 40 years chronicling the history of ist, musician and guitars and the life of milestone guiguitar expert tarist Les Paul, the namesake of GibRobb Lawrence son guitars played by stars like Jeff WHERE: D.G. Wills Beck and Eric Clapton. Books, 7461 On Dec. 11, Lawrence will Girard Ave. visit La Jolla, still the home of WHEN: Dec. 11 his family, to discuss and at 7 p.m. sign his two-volume Robb Lawrence holds account titled “Les Paul an original 1952 goldLegacy.” He and his top Les Paul model friends will also perform Courtesy of Robb Lawrence on vintage Les Paul guitars at the event, which will take place at 7 p.m. at D.G. Wills Books, located at 7461 Girard Ave. As a teenager, Lawrence remembers playing at “love-ins” at Scripps Park, “battle of the bands” events in La Jolla and at car shows. He also landed many a gig at the then-popular Hi Ho live music club on Fay Street. “I was underage, so I could only be on stage or outside,” said Lawrence. “I had to walk out in the alley on breaks.” At 17 he became the first rock ’n’ roll guitar teacher at La Jolla Music, located at 7442 Girard Ave., and had about 40 students he taught after school and on the weekends. Even then, he said, used guitars seemed to be of better quality than SEE LES PAUL, Page 4 The Corvette-themed 1995 Les Paul model in cascade green is one of many in the collection of Robb Lawrence, the original Les Paul historian. Courtesy of Robb Lawrence
La Jolla BID group taking form BY CLAIRE HARLIN | VILLAGE NEWS The formation of an entity to decide how Business Improvement District (BID) assessments are allocated in La Jolla took shape last Thursday, Dec. 2. About 40 local merchants and planners attended a forum in which they organized five task-specific groups — identity, budget, by-laws, elections and incorporation/tax-exempt filings. The BID fund is about $170,000-strong and comes from individual assessments of $45 to $350, depending on business location, purpose and size. Attendees heard a short presentation by Mike McLaughlin, who was put in
place by the San Diego Business Improvement Foundation to help with and promote organization of what he calls a “new not-for-profit business betterment corporation.” Participants broke up into groups according to their interests and availability. McLaughlin spent time with each group listening and answering questions along with Patrick Edwards, who oversaw the formation of a BID group in North Park. Several members of the La Jolla Community Planning Association attended but did not participate in the groups because they are not part of the taxation district. More attendees expressed an interested in participating in the budget group than
any other group, which will be responsible for creating a conceptual budget that will assign dollar amounts to categories such as beautification, personnel, special events and promotions. The “identity” group brainstormed a name and mission statement for the new group, and the “bylaws” group discussed issues such as membership, officer elections, the audit process and officer terms. Each of the working groups set times that they would continue to meet within the next few months, and they are still seeking additional involvement from local merchants. To find out how to get involved, contact Mike McLaughlin at mike@tmc2020.com or (619) 295-5171.
The San Diego golden retriever meet-up group prances down Prospect Street at the 2010 La Jolla Christmas Parade and Holiday Festival, which took place Sunday. For more parade coverage, see page 10. DON BALCH | Village News
Holiday Heroes
Editor’s note: This story is part of a December series honoring outstanding La Jollans who have gone above and beyond to unselfishly help others.
Kristi Pieper, second from left, delivers dinner to elderly residents on Thanksgiving with her children, Dane, 13, Nan, 10, and Drake, 11. Courtesy of Kristi Pieper
For La Jolla family, volunteering is a tradition of generations Delivering meals on Thanksgiving is one of many activities for mother of three BY KENDRA HARTMANN | VILLAGE NEWS Kristi Pieper’s husband, Michael Rossbacher, often remarks that his wife’s alphabet only includes 24 letters. According to him, she’s not familiar with the letters “n” and “o.” The fulltime career woman and mother of three adopted children fills her minimal amount of free time volunteering at every opportunity. “You never want to bite off more than you can chew. You want to do a good job, so don’t overextend,” Pieper said with a laugh. “But we all have to learn how to multi-task in life.” Since 1994, the La Jolla native has been heavily involved in the nonprofit arena, running the gamut of organizations from the Junior League to the Parent Teacher Association. She has cochaired the San Diego Charity Ball, chaired the St. Germaine
City names day in honor of La Jolla ‘bench lady.’ See page 2. Do you know a good Samaritan whose efforts deserve to be shared? The Village News wants to hear your stories of La Jollans’ altruistic actions and noble endeavors. Please send bios and photos to ljvn@sdnews.com.
Children’s Charity Silver Tea, was a six-year member of Las Patronas and sits on the Mealson-Wheels board. Pieper describes herself as “wellrounded,” explaining that her volunteer efforts have shifted gears along with the changes in her life. When her two oldest children were in elementary school, she focused her efforts at Bird Rock SEE HEROES, Page 4