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Looking Back... Putting Our Town on the Map
By David J. “Duke” Dukesherer
Erasmus wrote, “In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” Well I am here to tell you, there is nothing royal at all that comes with blindness. As a result of a little malady I was suffering through, I came up essentially blind in the left eye. Through the miracle of modern medicine, however, I have been measured for a new lens, and the problem will be solved shortly. It cannot be too soon for me. Reading and writing have been particularly difficult, and driving an automobile at night is almost impossible. But I am still, “looking back” nevertheless, and wishing you...Happy Holidays from Westchester and Playa del Rey! By the time you read this, you will, I hope, have had a very Happy Thanksgiving, and will be preparing for Christmas. As I wrote last month, Thanksgiving Day was more or less the birthday of Playa del Rey; that being the day in 1904 when the town and the early developments were dedicated. Unfortunately, in just ten or twelve years, nearly all of that first round of development burned to the ground or washed out to sea, although the residents of Santa Monica,“appreciated the firewood.” Until 1921, only a few homes remained and three or four
• your community newspaper • your community newspaper • your community
buildings. Then the arrival of Fritz Burns permanently put Playa del Rey, and later, Westchester on the map. For many years I have been writing and re-writing a screenplay about our town called Beach of the King. The history of the area is an exciting topic and maybe I will finish the thing one day, beginning with the account and subsequent annihilation of the early inhabitants the Tongva, through the Mexican Rancho Period; the written descriptions of Old California by Richard Henry Dana (Two Years Before The Mast), and William Tecumseh Sherman (Memoirs); the rise and fall of Port Ballona and the first attempt to build Playa del Rey, Mines Field (LAX), the development of Loyola University (LMU); and the glory days of Coach Tom Lieb’s Loyola University football and hockey teams; Sherman’s trolley cars; Daniel Freeman’s Inglewood and purchase of Rancho Sausal Redondo (Westchester); and the mythic boomto-bust-to-boom tale of the great Fritz Bernard Burns. One could write a book on any of these subjects, or in my case nine books, which I did write and I have two more about finished. And there are many interesting people associated with our area as well: Howard Hughes, Mae Murray, Rudolph Valentino, Ronald Coleman, Bessie Love, Father Joseph Sullivan, Barney Oldfield, Don Johns, George Beban, Mel Blanc (What’s Up Doc?), Cecil and Richard DeMille, Carmen
Come Join Your Friends At
COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Worship Service 10:30 am Canines@Covenant 5:00 pm Sunday Covenant on the Corner 80th and Sepulveda Blvd.
Church School for Young People during Service
Pastor: Rev. Cathy Chisholm
LAX, LMU and Otis College. At one point, the Tongva roamed the dunes and seashore and crossed the ocean to Catalina in handmade boats, a Southern General and later a Scottish Lord owned most of Westchester, “the Waterman” Mike Doyle surfed at D&W and Gillis Beach was king. Finally, we are the undisputed home of the 1928 Air Races, a 1932 Olympic event, the Spruce Goose, the start of the Laurel Canyon Freeway, Randy’s Big Donut, the “baby” Vons, the Shack Burger, the Buggy Whip, the Loyola Theatre, the Lighted Pylons, Tower Pizza, Thrill Hill, Vinny’s Pizza, Saint Bernard High, Hank’s Pizza, Tompkins “Fireside” Square, the Westchester “cat woman” and “Christmas Candle.” Recently, there has been a great deal of renewed interest in the area, and I was lucky enough to be filmed by AOL Studios discussing the history of Surfridge and Palisades Del Rey. I hope that you have a chance to view it. The program, What Remain (available at aol.com) takes an interesting look at vanishing America including Surfridge, the Mt. Lowe Railway and the Saint Francis Dam. And the show must go on, even if you have to do it with a bum eye. After all, what we look back on and what we look forward to is up to us. Comments: dukepdr@gmail.com
Westchester Little League 2013 Season Sign-ups
Early Bird Sign-Ups! Save Money by Signing up at our Early Registration Event in December at Nielsen Field located at 6000 Will Rogers St. on Saturday, December 8th from 10am to 1pm and Sunday, December 9th from 1pm to 3pm. Registration will also be conducted at Nielsen Field located at 6000 Will Rogers St. on the following days: Saturday, January 12th from 10 am to 1 pm Sunday, January 13th from 1 pm to 3 pm
We have an Orchestra and Adult, Youth and Children’s Choirs E-mail: cpoffis@pacbell.net Childcare is provided- For more information, Call (310) 670-5750
–NEW REFERRAL PROGRAM– Refer a new player to WLL and receive $20 in snack stand credit. Refer 10 new players, your 2013 registration is waived and receive $200 in snack stand credit (a $380 value)!!
FOOD PANTRY, LAX Emergency Food Distribution to those in need Sponsored by Westchester Clergy Association
Open Tuesdayand andFriday Friday •• 11:00 a.m.toto12 12:30 Open Tuesday 10 a.m. p.m.p.m. (noon) 355 Beach Street, Inglewood
If you have Food to donate, take to Covenant Presbyterian Church or bring to location from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Volunteers and money donations also welcomed and encouraged. For further information, please call (310) 677-5597
Ad donated by Covenant Presbyterian Church
December 2012
Miranda, Charles Bickford, Bob Denver (Gilligan), Dwayne Hickman (Dobie), Jack Prince, Don Klosterman (The Duke of Del Rey), Maury Nipp, Gene Britto, Bud Brubaker, Al Duvall, Harry Acquarelli, Jerry Neri, Jordan Oliver, Bob Boyd, Jerry Sunderland, Hank Gathers, Tracy Sharp, Jerry West, Phil Jackson, Jerry Buss, Mike Jay, Maury Wills, Anissa Jones, Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, Flo and Eddy, The Turtles, Esther Williams, Jim B. Smith, Merle Norman, Doctor Howard Murad, William Hannon and so many more. A few miles away in Hawthorne, Marylyn Monroe lived and attended grade school and George Foster opened the first Fosters Freeze (1946) on La Brea, not far from the Wilson Beach Boys’ home. Over in Culver City, Union Troops were stationed at Camp Latham (1861), not far from La Ballona Elementary where Fatty Arbuckle went to school, which was very close to where Louis “Satchmo”Armstrong lived and worked at the Cotton Club. Gwen Verdon, Helen Hunt and Drew Barrymore were born there; and it’s the place where Thomas Ince, Mack Sennett and Harry Culver created the modern motion picture business. We are the former home of two world-class raceways, the longest private runway in the world (Hughes Airport), Lake Los Angeles, Carol Shelby’s Mustang plant, Hy Green’s Sportsden, Lopez Ranch, and the current home of the Theme Building at
Westchester
All players signing up in December will receive a discount along with two payment options: either a single payment of $160 (more than 10% savings) or two monthly payments of $85 (over 5% savings). An additional $15 discount will also be given to all new players entering the league.
Don’t miss out on the BEST DEAL IN TOWN!!!
WLL is open to all boys and girls age 6 through 12. Please visit www.WestchesterLL.org for the registration form to fill out, required deposits, and information you’ll need to bring to the sign-ups. If you have any questions, contact us at playball90045@yahoo.com or contact Jennifer Mulligan at (310) 606-1467. westchesterlittleleague.com • facebook.com/WestchesterLL
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