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Donald McDaniel, 73; Lawyer, Civic Leader

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Donald C. McDaniel passed away on Saturday, May 7 after a short but courageous battle with cancer. He was 73. Born on April 2, 1932, McDaniel was a lifelong resident of Pacific Palisades after being born and raised in Beverly Hills. He graduated from Stanford University in 1954 and earned his law degree from UCLA in 1961. He practiced law in Santa Monica and Los Angeles for 45 years. After serving as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, McDaniel was active in civic groups, including the Young Republicans and the Santa Monica Rotary Club, where he was a Paul Harris Fellow. He is survived by his wife, Helen McDaniel; his son Scott of Idaho; daughter Margy of West Los Angeles; and five grandchildren. Words cannot describe the family’s sadness or how much they loved and will miss Don. They request that in his honor you forgive everyone for everything and that you take the first opportunity to embrace your loved ones and reaffirm the love you feel for them. Services were private.

Jane Bishop Fahey, 80

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Jane Bishop Fahey, a 34-year resident of Pacific Palisades, passed away peacefully at home in the arms of her family on May 5. She was 80. Born in Boston, Massachusettts, on September 21, 1924, Jane lived with her parents, Mary VanCourtland Richards and James Thoburn Bishop in Cleveland, Ohio, before moving to New Canaan, Connecticut, in 1934. She graduated from Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia, as president of her class and Columbia University with an R.N. degree. She became a supervisory nurse at Presbyterian Hospital, where she met John Leslie Fahey, M.D. They married in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York, in 1954. They lived in Washington, D.C., and London before settling in Chevy Chase, Maryland, to raise their three children. In 1971, Jane and John moved their family to a beautiful home in the Palisades, where they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last year. In 1972, Jane helped to organize the library’s Fourth of July parade float. She joined the Palisades Woman’s Club and enjoyed the friendship of many neighbors and resource persons in the village shops, banks and markets. In 1970, Jane suffered the onset of multiple sclerosis that progressively limited her activities. Yet she traveled with John to England, Ireland, Alaska, Canada, Mexico and Japan, cruised the Panama Canal, and spent three weeks on safari with family in East Africa. She participated in many celebrations with family and old friends. She was game to try it all. Jane loved gourmet cooking, big red wines, the L.A. Opera and the Philharmonic, and the Brooklyn Dodgers. She was a talented artist, a passionate naturalist, an avid gardener, a Girl Scout troop leader and a teacher of ecology to inner-city youth. In addition to her husband, Jane is survived by her children, Marguerite of West L.A., James (wife Kaoru) of Tarrytown, New York, and Catharine of Boulder, Colorado, as well as grandchildren Allison, Cassidy and Audrey. She was a radiant person with a wonderful laugh and an insightful sense of humor. Her patience, kindness and nurturing presence will be greatly missed. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 21 at 3:30 p.m. at Corpus Christi Church, corner of Sunset and Carey. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2440 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 115, Los Angeles, CA 90064.

Martha Newman Ragland, 84

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Martha Newman Ragland, a resident of Pacific Palisades for nearly 60 years, passed away May 9 from cardio-pulmonary failure. She was 84. Born on the Mississippi Delta in Clarksdale, on December 5, 1920, Martha was a graduate of the University of Tennessee where she was selected from a college annual picture to sign a contract with New York modeling agent John Robert Powers. She spent a year-and-a-half modeling in New York City before coming to Hollywood as an actress under contract to 20th Century Fox where she became a Goldwyn Girl, appearing in small roles in Danny Kaye films. In November 1947, she married film composer Alfred Newman, who headed the music department at 20th Century Fox. They purchased property in Rustic Canyon to build a home designed by architect Lloyd Wright. It was here they raised their five children. Martha and her family continued to live in Pacific Palisades after her husband’s death in 1970. All her children still reside in the Los Angeles area. She dedicated many volunteer hours to groups in her community, including Fashionettes, DAR, Westside L.A. Philharmonic Society, Community Bible Study and her local churches. A founding member of St. Matthew’s Parish, she also attended Calvary Church and, most recently, Palisades Presbyterian Church. Martha devoted her life to family and friends, who deeply loved her and will miss her. ”She is survived by her second husband, Robert Ragland; children Lucy (husband John), Fred (wife Norma), David (wife Krys), Thomas (wife Ann Marie) and Maria (husband Scott); 16 grandchildren, including Christopher, Jennifer, Elizabeth, Jaclyn, Steven, Matthew, Stephanie, Brianne, Diana, Evan, Julia, Jack, Martha, Isabella, Samuel and Noah; and three great-grandchildren: Aaron, Anna and Madelyn. A service will be held at the Presbyterian Church, corner of Sunset and El Medio, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 14. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to Community Bible Study at 200 Fairbrook Dr. # 102, Herndon, VA 20170.

Council Angered by Open Space Acquisition

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Community Council member Ted Mackie stares up at part of the land purchased by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority for $255,000 under the Open Space Preservation Measure. The controversial acquisition stretches across three hillside lots between several homes on Revello (starting at the center of this photo and moving right).
Community Council member Ted Mackie stares up at part of the land purchased by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority for $255,000 under the Open Space Preservation Measure. The controversial acquisition stretches across three hillside lots between several homes on Revello (starting at the center of this photo and moving right).
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

Disappointment and frustration spread across the faces of several Community Council members at last Thursday’s meeting when discussion turned to Santa Monica Open Space Preservation Assessment District No. 2. Some council members were distraught over the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority’s $255,000 purchase of three contiguous hillside lots between several homes on Revello in Castellammare. They argued that this plot of land (lots 70, 72 and 74) has apparent slide issues and no public benefit. ‘There is no kind way to describe our reaction to the acquisition that has been made,’ Chairman Norman Kulla said. ‘One word is ‘outraged.” The property was purchased last June, according to Paul Edelman, chief of natural resources and planning of the MRCA, a local agency of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. It is the one acquisition made to date in Pacific Palisades, or Area H, under the Open Space Preservation Measure, funded by tax money from property owners in the Santa Monica Mountains (areas north of Sunset, west of the 405 Freeway to the Calabasas border). ‘I think we did a good job of picking the cr’me de la cr’me of what was available,’ Edelman told the Palisadian-Post Tuesday. He was not present at Thursday’s meeting. ‘It’s part of that whole Castellammare area that appeared to be more stable and it has high-quality habitat.’ Community Council members remained flabbergasted, pointing at the steep, sloping land across from two homes in the 17000 block of Revello as one major cause for concern. ‘How can you sell a landslide?’ asked Kurt Toppel, council vice-chairman. In response to the council’s concern about an apparent slide, Edelman said, ‘there are houses directly downslope and directly upslope that don’t appear to be going anywhere.’ He and his staff as well as one of their 10 MAI-approved appraisers inspected the land before purchase. Asked why they did not hire a geologist to look at the area, he said, ‘We don’t normally do that because we’re not putting any buildings on it.’ The council also feels that the considerations and criteria for the purchase are unclear and seem only to benefit a small group of people. ‘They have such horrible reasons for buying a piece of property,’ council member Norma Spak said at the meeting. She serves on the Citizens’ Oversight Committee for Open Space Preservation Assessment District No. 2, one of two members appointed by City Councilmember Cindy Miscikowski. According to Edelman, the MRCA looks for properties that provide aesthetic value, habitat value and green space. ‘We’re trying to buy as many as we can [that are] well-distributed throughout the community,’ he said. ‘Then it boils down to what we can afford, what’s a good deal and what’s realistic.’ Edelman does not understand why the Community Council is so upset about the acquisition. ‘I think a lot of people in the community have not been able to put themselves in our staff’s shoes,’ he said. ‘They don’t understand [the MRCA’s task of] buying in subareas of the community, and the value of having a pocket of open space.’ He added that the MRCA is not looking to purchase any more property in the Castellammare area because ‘the Community Council is so angry and adamant about it.’ However, even the Council’s appointed subcommittee, which has made attempts to discuss and understand the MRCA’s choice of purchase with Edelman, is not satisfied with his answers. ‘We complained there could be no public use,’ Kulla wrote in a letter to council members. ‘Paul agreed that we were correct about who would benefit from purchase [neighbors living adjacent to and across from these lots] and that there could be no public use. He said that was part of the mandate of the Santa Monica Open Space Preservation District No. 2., i.e., to acquire such parcels under such conditions.’ Part of the confusion may lie in the original information about this assessment sent to property owners in the summer of 2002. Flyers and brochures with juxtaposed photographs of raging fires and Caterpillars rolling over a flat expanse of land statement: ‘On June 29th, we can save our remaining open space from development and prevent wild fires.’ The mailed ballot asked if property owners wanted to assess themselves $40 per year over 30 years to fund the acquisition and preservation of nearby open space and parkland, and to annually clear brush to reduce fire hazards in their acquisition area. The measure was approved by 68.1 percent in District Two. While it’s too late to reverse the vote or even the acquisition already made by the MRCA, the Community Council plans to follow closely the agency’s proposed acquisitions. ‘I do have an opinion as to how our tax money should be spent: it should benefit the general public,’ Kulla wrote to council members. ‘Accordingly, I would like to see acquisitions that enhance existing public parkland or provide new public parkland, perhaps a pocket park if something larger isn’t affordable. I do not support purchasing lots merely to increase surrounding property values.’ The proposed acquisition sites in Area H that Kulla and other subcommittee members Ted Mackie and Gil Dembo are discussing with Edelman include properties adjacent to Topanga State Park and/or Trailer Canyon in the Highlands; properties adjacent to or nearby existing Los Liones Park; properties adjacent to Marquez Elementary School now owned by DWP (as a possible neighborhood pocket park); and properties in Rivas Canyon adjoining Will Rogers State Park. ‘There may be problems with these lots, and others may be more worthy, but further investigation is required in all events because we have inadequate information,’ Kulla said. The subcommittee toured the proposed sites with Edelman on April 7, expressed their concerns and requested more information on some of the target sites. ‘We were specific in asking him not to commit to a piece of property until the Community Council has a chance to look at it,’ Dembo said. The MRCA has to spend the remaining money’$2.2 to $2.3 million’by April 2006, according to Edelman.

Louis Leithold, 82; Esteemed Calculus Teacher in Malibu

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By HANS LAETZ Special to the Palisadian-Post A former Pepperdine University mathematics professor, who at the age of 82 was still teaching college-level calculus classes at Malibu High School, died April 29. Dr. Louis Leithold was found dead in his Pacific Palisades home by a Malibu parent whose children were concerned after Leithold failed to arrive at the high school that morning. ‘This is the guy who literally wrote the textbook on calculus,’ one saddened Malibu teacher said. Leithold’s ‘The Calculus with Analytic Geometry,’ first published in 1968, is in its eighth edition and has been translated into many languages. ‘He was a rock star among mathematicians,’ said colleague Robert Barefoot of Scottsdale, Arizona, who recalled audiences of 2,000 screaming Leithold fans, many wanting their textbooks autographed, at calculus lectures in universities in Central America. ‘He was the first person to receive royalties from a textbook,’ Barefoot said, ‘and the first person to ever put artwork onto the cover of a college textbook.’ Barefoot and Leithold together taught summer clinics for high school calculus teachers for several years at Fordham University in New York, and at Pepperdine. ‘A lot of kids just really enjoyed his type of teaching,’ said Pepperdine mathematics professor Carol Adjemian. Leithold, who began his career in 1955 at Phoenix College in Arizona, wrote his seminal textbook while teaching at Cal State Los Angeles. He taught at Pepperdine for 17 years before retiring in 2000. In 1998, at age 76, Leithold began teaching calculus at Malibu High. ‘He made listening to a lecture about calculus interesting and engaging,’ said MHS senior Danielle Horn. ‘Calculus was the love of his life,’ said senior Anne Carol Cruz. ‘Everything he taught, he taught with great enthusiasm. The school lost a great man; he was so passionate.’ Fellow MHS math teacher Brian Corrigan said Leithold got his students ‘convinced that their calculus class was the most important class. That wouldn’t happen if there wasn’t passion.’ ‘He was revered on campus,’ said Malibu High principal Mark Kelly, who noted that an extremely high percentage of Leithold’s advanced placement students passed the final tests to gain college credit because ‘he lived and breathed calculus; for him it was a piece of theater.’ Teachers called Leithold’s students over the weekend and asked them to discuss his passing at a special Sunday afternoon class at the high school. The sad news was delivered as students were studying for the statewide AP calculus final exam on Tuesday. ‘The kids know that the best thing to do in these circumstances is to do well on the test. That didn’t have to be said,’ Kelly said. Leithold surprised many Malibu students with an encyclopedic knowledge of and vivid enthusiasm about the film industry, and was advisor to the school’s Film Club. He collected and sold vintage movie posters and was as well known in that community as he was in the world of mathematics. ‘He was a national treasure,’ Barefoot said in Arizona. ‘He always said that if his textbook washed up on a desert island, someone could learn calculus just from picking up and reading that one book.’ Leithold is survived by a brother and two grandchildren. Funeral services were pending.

John O’Hare, 82; Broadway Actor and Playwright

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Natalie and John O'Hare celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary at home in 2001.
Natalie and John O’Hare celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary at home in 2001.

John O’Hare, actor and playwright, passed away at his home in Pacific Palisades on April 20. He was 82. Known for his comedic flair and good looks, O’Hare played leading roles both in summer stock and on Broadway before coming to Los Angeles to write. He was born on July 17, 1922 in La Junta, Colorado, and stayed in Colorado through high school, before departing for the drama department at the University of Washington. After he told his mother he wanted to be an actor, she blessed his decision and he soon migrated east to places like Erie, Pennsylvania and Wooster, Massachusetts, to do summer stock. He also performed at the Bucks County Playhouse, where he began his lifelong friendship with actress June Lockhart, with whom he toured in several shows. O’Hare’s acting career was interrupted for three years while he served in the Army Air Corps as a bombadier in the Pacific. In 1947, he met his future wife, actress Natalie Core, in summer stock in Wooster. The couple played opposite each other in several musicals and married on September 26, 1948. O’Hare continued acting, playing opposite the most glamorous actresses of the time, including Gloria Swanson in ‘Goose for the Gander,’ and Rosalind Russell, Beatrice Lillie and Greer Garson for 639 performances in ‘Auntie Mame’ on Broadway. After ‘Auntie Mame,’ O’Hare moved behind the scenes to concentrate on writing and produced his first play, ‘Pride and Joy,’ in 1954. In 1961, Natalie came to Los Angeles to play in the film version of ‘The Music Man,’ with Robert Preston. Once while John was visiting from New York, the couple decided to relocate to L.A., John saying that ‘he could just as well write here as there.’ The O’Hares lived in Santa Monica Canyon for two years before moving to their home on Rimmer in 1964. Dedicating himself to scriptwriting, O’Hare had a number of his plays produced both in the United States and Europe. His comedy ‘The Gentle Trap’ played London, then toured in both England and France. It has since been staged in Poland, Italy and Germany. Seven years ago, O’Hare had one leg amputated and the following year the other. But he went on with his life, enjoying his books and his Yorkies. His nurse, Mirna Guzman, who loved him like a father, relished their daily outings to the library, the park and to the ocean. O’Hare is survived by his wife, Natalie. In lieu of a memorial, there will be a private gathering of friends. Contributions may be made in his name to the Actors’ Fund of America, c/o Wallace Munro, 729 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019; or by e-mail: munro@actorsfund.org

CLASSIFIED ADS FROM THE MAY 5, 2005 ISSUE OF THE PALISADIAN-POST

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HOMES FOR SALE 1

MAGNIFICENT 180′ VIEWS. Palos Verdes to Malibu. 2 bed+2 lge baths. 1,824 sq ft. Triple & 1/2 mfg. home in Tahitian Terrace. No age limit “family park,” as of May 05. Exceptional schools! Largest space in park, huge deck, pond w/ 10′ waterfall, 25′ palms. New carpet, freshly painted, vaulted ceilings, lge walk-ins. 2 car carport + extra pkg space. Must See! $615,000. Owner. Call (972) 771-4657 5,000 sq ft HOME on 6.5 irrigated level acres in BOISE IDAHO. Three master suites, new in 2004. Pool, pasture for horses & the best schools. Sub-division potential, 8 per acre. $1,495,000. Owner, Agent. Call (208) 672-1945 SAVE BIG MONEY buying a home! Remington700.Com or recorded message: (800) 842-5316, ext. 709 YUCCA VALLEY, CA. 2 bed, 1 bath & large den on 1/4 acre. Approx. 1,100 sq. ft. w/ gas, hardwood flrs, rock fireplace. Built in the ’50s. In excellent condition, but needs work. Best cash offer, over $225,000. Call ERA Realty, (760) 365-0647, or owner Ray, (310) 454-7432

UNFURNISHED HOMES 2a

VIEW OF QUEEN’S NECKLACE. 4 bedroom, 2 bath, family room. Remodeled kitchen, new carpet. 1 year lease. Available April 1st. $5,950/mo. Call Patsy, (818) 703-7241. SHORT-TERM LEASE (3 to 6 mo.) Santa Monica Canyon. 325 E. Channel Rd. 3 bd, 2 ba house w/ den, office. Nicely tiled kitchen, hardwood flrs, stove, microwave & w/d hookup. $4,500/mo. Pets OK. (310) 480-6471 PAC PAL CASTELLAMMARE. Charming, European Old-World style, 1926 guest cottage with tile roof. SMALL, ideal for one. Lovely location, totally separate building, private entrance and tended, large walled garden. Eighteen built-in drawers, hardwood flr., fresh paint, W/D, new dishwasher. 2 blocks from ocean/view. $2,500/mo. (310) 454-5656

FURNISHED APARTMENTS 2b

GREAT 4 IN-LAWS. Sr citizen summer lease. Bright, sparking, clean with new furniture. 1 bed, 1 bath condo. Available June thru Oct ’05. $1,600/mo, incl utils. Broker. (310) 456-8700

UNFURNISHED APARTMENTS 2c

PALISADES ON THE BLUFFS. 2 bd, 2 ba w/ unobstructed ocean views! Lush gardens, large yard, heated pool. $3,500/mo., utils included. No cats/dogs. 1 year lease. Call for details: (310) 454-1042 CARMEL in THE PALISADES. 2 bedroom, beautiful lot. Walk to village. $3,495/mo. Agent. Call Nancy, (310) 230-7305 PAC PAL CASTELLAMMARE. Charming, European Old-World style, 1926 guest cottage with tile roof. SMALL, ideal for one. Lovely location, totally separate building, private entrance and tended, large walled garden. Eighteen built-in drawers, hardwood flr., fresh paint, W/D, new dishwasher. 2 blocks from ocean/view. $2,500/mo. (310) 454-5656 CUTE COTTAGE. 2 stories, 1 bedroom, 1.5 bath. On the bluffs. $2,500/mo. Call (310) 454-8210 OCEAN VU CONDO. Close to town. Walk to ocean. 2 bd, 2 ba, 1,200 sq. ft. New. Hardwood floors, granite kitchen, marble bathrms. Large deck. Huge closets. High ceilings. W/D. $2,790/mo. (310) 230-4200

ROOMS FOR RENT 3

FURNISHED ROOM & BATH, bright and cheery. Walk to village. Rent negotiable, in exchange for lite duties. References required. Call (310) 454-2931

WANTED TO RENT 3b

GARAGE STORAGE SPACE wanted in the Palisades for a car. The owner lives on Chautauqua & drives it twice per month. Please call (818) 557-0135 PROFESSIONAL FAMILY LOOKING for upscale long-term (2 or more years) lease or lease/option rental in Pac Palisades/Malibu. Need min. 3 bed, 2.5 baths. Move-in July or August. Please contact Rick or Janice Rosner, (203) 544-8991. Email rgr@the riverbankgroup.com

OFFICE/STORE RENTALS 3c

CORNER OFFICE AVAIL on Via de la Paz. Sublet, month-to-month. No traffic, quiet, clean and very bright. 20 x 12. Avail now. $600/mo. Call (310) 454-0685

VACATION RENTALS 3e

PRIVATE FURN APARTMENT IN PARIS. Services available. 24-hour hotline. Starting at $75 a night for 2 persons (studios to 4 bedrooms). Privacy, economy, convenience as you live like a Parisian. 5 day minimum. Established in 1985. PSR 90, Ave Champs-Elysees. PSR, Inc. (312) 587-7707. Fax (800) 582-7274. Web address: www.psrparis.com. Email: Reservations@psrparis.com

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES 5

ENTREPRENEUR. $3,000 to $5,000 weekly income potential from home. Full or Part-time. Training is provided. Serious only. Call (800) 230-6073

PERSONALS 6b

SEMPER FI. To be always faithful. Honor our U.S. American Marine heroes, giving their lives for our peace & freedom. Ray Nasser, U.S. Marine, Vietnam ’68, ’69, The Flying Tigers. Call to learn more. (310) 454-7432

MISCELLANEOUS 6c

SUNBURST BEAUTY PAGEANTS. California State Pageant & Most Beautiful Baby Contest. You could be our new State Queen! May 27-29 in Bakersfield. Entry deadline, May 10! Call (816) 263-2045 or email: sunburstqueens@cs.com for information.

COMPUTER SERVICES 7c

COMPUTER SUPPORT – Home – Business – Desktop & Network Support – Low Rates – One Or One Hundred PCs, We Can Help. WWW.FRANKELCONSULTING.COM. Providing Solutions for 18 Years – (310) 454-3886 MARIE’S MAC & PC OUTCALL. I CAN HELP YOU IN YOUR HOME OR OFFICE WITH: Consultation on best hard/software for your needs – Setting up & configuring your system & applications – Teaching you how to use your Mac or PC – Upgrades: Mac OS & Windows – Internet: DSL, Wireless, E-mail, Remote Access – Key Applications: MS Office, Filemaker, Quicken – Contact Managers, Networking, File Sharing, Data backup – Palm, Visor, Digital Camera, Scanner, CD Burning – FRIENDLY & PROFESSIONAL – BEST RATES – (310) 262-5652 YOUR OWN TECH GURU – Set-up, Tutoring, Repair, Internet. End Run-around. Pop-up Expert! Satisfying Clients since 1992. If I Can’t Help, NO CHARGE! COMPUTER WORKS! Alan Perla, (310) 455-2000 COMPUTER CONSULTANT, MAC SPECIALIST. Very Patient, Friendly and Affordable. Tutoring Beginners to Advanced Users. Wireless DSL internet. MAC/PC SET UP – Repair – Upgrade – OS X. Senior discounts! Home/Office. William Moorefield, (310) 838-2254. macitwork.com MyMacGuy.NET. “Taking You To The Next Mac Level.” (Local resident for 16 years). Solutions/Tutoring (310) 459-7544 IS YOUR INFORMATION SECURE? Mitigate risk. Improve performance. Provide your system with optimal protection to achieve optimum efficiency. Call ISYIS: Specializing in the detection, removal, & prevention of viruses & spyware. ISYIS installs robust, automated & self-updating antiviral, worm protection & spyware detection, including effective firewalls, pop-up blockers, spam filters & parental controls. Tutoring available in MS Office, Acrobat, Explorer, Firefox, AOL, CD/DVD burning, data backup, VoIP, iPods/iTunes, PC/MAC. Senior/Student discounts. Secure Peace of Mind. Call ISYIS, (310) 455-6805

GARAGE, ESTATE SALES 7f

PLANNING A GARAGE SALE? a moving sale? a yard sale? a rummage sale? an estate sale? Call it what you like. But call us to do it for you. We do the work. Start to finish. – BARBARA DAWSON – Garage Sale Specialist – (310) 454-0359 – Furniture – Antiques – Collectibles – Junque – Reliable professionals Local References

NANNIES/BABYSITTERS 8a

NANNY/HOUSEKEEPER/DOULA. Available F/T Mon.-Fri. Experience w/ newborns & toddlers. Doula cert. CA driver’s license. Refs avail. Alida, (323) 965-8093 or (310) 384-6324 GREAT PRE-SCREENED NANNIES available. Let us help you with your nanny search. We are a dedicated, professional agency and we will find the right match for you. Whether you are looking for a full-time, part-time, L/I or L/O help, we can help you. Call Sunshine Nannies at (310) 614-5065 or (310) 801-8309 EXPERIENCED NANNY SEEKING f/t live-in position. Has car and driver’s license. Speaks fluent English. Call Alexandra, (310) 422-8358 F/T BABYSITTER or HOUSEKEEPER, live-in. Has over 2 years experience and own transportation. Please call Vanessa or Morena, (323) 692-0827 PALISADES FAMILY looking for caregiver for June & July to work full-time to help care for 1 and 3 year olds. Must speak English, be legal, have driver’s license w/ own car, & ability to work flexible hrs. Also, includes lite housekeeping. Please call (310) 489-0486

HOUSEKEEPERS 9a

“PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.” We make your home our business. Star sparkling cleaning services. In the community over 15 years. The best in housekeeping for the best price. Good references. Call Bertha, (323) 754-6873 & cell (213) 393-1419 P/T HOUSEKEEPER AVAILABLE. Can work Thursday and Fridays. I have a car, insurance and references. Can also do errands. Call Delmy, (323) 363-9492 MY HOUSEKEEPER has 1-2 days available. Experienced. Excellent cleaner. Call (310) 454-3659 P/T HOUSEKEEPER or NANNY avail Tues., Thurs., Fri., p.m.s and week-ends. Live-out. Has experience, has car, cooks, does laundry & has good refs. Call Edith, (323) 236-1185 F/T HOUSEKEEPER is AVAILABLE with over 16 years experience. I have local references. Please call Gloria, (323) 571-8299 P/T HOUSEKEEPER AVAIL. Mon., Tues., Wed., and Fri. Has own transportation. Experienced, references, good English and is pleasant. Please call Carol, (323) 299-1797 MY WONDERFUL HOUSEKEEPER is available on Tuesdays. Best housecleaner ever!! Completely reliable, professional, efficient, very thorough, hard-working & pleasant. Sweet w/ children. Own car, never missed a day or been late. Please call Tracy, (818) 704-7627, or Lorena, (213) 365-6445. EXCELLENT HOUSEKEEPER AVAIL. Own car, speaks perfect English. Responsible and reliable. I have good references. Please call Rose, (310) 779-8643

ELDER CARE/COMPANIONS 10a

WOMAN NEEDED to HELP a partially handicapped lady with her daily exercises & housework, 5 days per week for a FAMILY of TWO. Prefer you to live-in. Must be able to drive OUR car. No children or pets. Malibu area. Salary is open. Call (310) 457-3393 HOME & CARE MANAGEMENT, hospital sitter, homemaker, companion, CNA, baby nurse. Live-in/live-out. Nursing care, drive to doctors, prepare meals, housekeeping. Bonded & Insured. Call now for special rate. (800) 987-7077 CAREGIVER NEEDED FOR OLDER woman on weekends. 5 P.M. to 10 P.M. Good food preparation is important. Call (310) 454-9467

GARDENING, LANDSCAPING 11

PALISADES GARDENING – Full Gardening Service – Sprinkler Install – Tree Trim – Sodding/Seeding – Sprays, non-toxic – FREE 10″ Flats, Pansies, Snap, Impatiens. (310) 568-0989 ERIC LANDSCAPING & GARDEN MAINTENANCE. We’ll make your garden dreams come true. Over 15 yrs local experience. References. Call Eric at (310) 396-8218 BUDGET SPRINKLERS & LANDSCAPING – INSTALLATIONS – REPAIRS – UPGRADING & SOD – YARD CLEAN-UPS – FREE ESTIMATES/CASH DISCOUNTS. Lic. #768354 – (310) 398- 8512

MOVING & HAULING 11b

HONEST MAN SERVICES. 14″ van & dollies. Small jobs to 2 bedrooms. Hauls it all. California/Nevada. Over 12 years. Westside experience. (310) 285-8688

MASSAGE THERAPY 12b

AWARD-WINNING MASSAGE by Natalie. www. massagebynatalie.faithweb.com. Ask about free massage offer. Call (310) 993-8899

WINDOW WASHING 13h

NO STREAK WINDOW cleaning service. Fast and friendly. Quality service you can count on. Free estimates. Lic. #122194-49. Please call (323) 632-7207

MISCELLANEOUS 13i

PRESSURE WASHING. Driveways, patios, walk-ways, garages, dirt, oil, rust, paint and moss removal. Concrete, brick, natural stone. Clear and colored-stain sealers. Large/small jobs. Craig, (310) 459-9000

COOKING/GOURMET 14a

CYNTHIA BROWN. prepfreshfood@yahoo.com. Let me prepare family meals in your home. I shop & prepare the meals your family likes to eat. Professional and pleasant.

HOUSESITTING 14h

HOUSESITTING. Palisades resident, experienced, reliable, good with pets. References available upon request. Call Brian, (310) 433-7117

PET SERVICES/PET SITTING 14g

SUSAN’S PET PLANET – Clicker Training – Great Walks – Play Dates – Vet trips – Call Susan – (310) 473-8329 BE HAPPY TO COME HOME! Trusted house/pet care in & around Palisades since 1986. Educated responsible. (310) 454-8081 K-90272 MOBILE PET SERVICES. Grooming, customized to your pet’s lifestyle. Vehicle equipped w/warm water. Additional services: Pet sitting. Dog walking. Training. Transportation. Rebecca, (310) 238-2339 PET HEAVEN TRAINING – Walking – Overnight – Feeding – Is your pet unruly? Needs manners? Call Pet Heaven, (310) 454-0058 POODLES TO BREED. Stunning, standard males. These boys are beautiful and of supberb AKC lineage. Contact (310) 576-3265

FITNESS INSTRUCTION 15a

NORDIC WALKING. Nordic Walking burns up to 46% more calories than regular walking and is excellent for weight loss. Perfect for all ages. Makes a great gift and get the 1st instructional DVD in the U.S. for only $29.50! Personal Training walking classes and Nordic walking poles avail. Check at www.nordicwalkingonline.com or call (310) 573-9000 FITNESS FOR WOMEN. ZIMMERMAN FITNESS FOR WOMEN specializes in weight loss and body shaping. Our private studio near the village offers professional & individual services, using the finest equipment and products. This specific one-on-one training is safe, natural, efficient and exclusively for women. Appointment only. Local references. Call us for a free consultation: (310) 573-9000. www.zfit.com

SCHOOLS, INSTRUCTION 15d

SWIM LESSONS. Children. Mommy & Me. Adults. Over 14 years experience. Red-Cross certified. Private & semi-private lessons at your home. Call Brian, (310) 505-9231

TUTORS 15e

INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION. EXPERIENCED TUTOR 20+ YEARS. Children & adults, 20+ yrs teaching/tutoring exper. MATH, GRAMMAR, WRITING & STUDY SKILLS. Formerly special ed teacher. Call (310) 313-2530. SCIENCE & MATH TUTOR, All levels (elementary to college). Ph.D., MIT graduate, 30 years experience. Ed Kanegsberg, (310) 459-3614 MS. SCIENCE TUTOR. Ph.D., Experienced, Palisades resident. Tutor All Ages In Your Home. Marie, (310) 888-7145 SPANISH TUTOR. All grade levels, conversational & all ages. Local refs, flexible hours. Please call Noelle at (310) 273-3593 CLEARLY MATH TUTORING. Specializing in Math! Elementary thru college level. Test Prep, Algebra, Trig, Geom, Calculus. Fun, caring, creative, individualized tutoring. Math anxiety. Call Jamie, (310) 459-4722 THE WRITING COACH: Student essays/homework/ reports/research papers (all subjects). Focus on structure, technique, style, vocabulary, content, analysis. Improves skills, confidence, grades. Also, College/Private School application essays, counseling, prep. Extensive experience, success stories. MA, Johns Hopkins; former LA private-school teacher and Hopkins CTY instructor; writer/consultant. Outstanding Palisades/Malibu references. (310) 528-6437 IN-HOME TUTORING, ALL SUBJECTS, K-12. Certified teachers come directly to your home. SAT, ACT & study skills. Affordable rates. (310) 550-0117 – www.clubztutoring.com COLLEGE ADMISSIONS ASSISTANCE: Juniors & parents: Don’t get stuck in September without a headstart on your college applications. Through a proven organized and individualized approach, I strive to provide an experience that will not only assist students in getting accepted to their top college choices, but also alleviate the stress that is often associated with the college admissions process. Reasonable rates based on other fine college counselors on the westside. References available. (310) 396-8318

CABINET MAKING 16

CUSTOM CARPENTRY – Entertainment Units – Cabinets – Libraries – Bars – Wall Units – Custom Kitchens – Remodeling – Designed to your Specifications – Free Estimates – CA Lic. #564263 – (310) 823-8523 CUSTOM WOODWORK AND CABINETS. Craftsmanship quality, 20 years experience, local resident. Local references available. General Contractor Calif. License #402923. Ron Dillaway, (310) 455-4462. rondillaway@yahoo.com

CONCRETE, MASONRY 16c

MASONRY & CONCRETE CONTRACTOR. 30 YEARS IN PACIFIC PALISADES. Custom masonry & concrete, stamped, driveways, pool, decks, patios, foundations, fireplace, drainage control, custom stone, block & brick, tile. Excellent local references. Lic. #309844. Bonded/insured/ workmen’s comp. Family owned & operated. MIKE HORUSICKY CONSTRUCTION, INC. (310) 454-4385 – www.horusicky.com ALAN PINE GENERAL Contractors. Remodeling, additions, kitchens, baths. Local resident. California License #469435. Call Alan, (800) 800-0744

CONSTRUCTION 16d

PARADISE CONSTRUCTION Building Contractor – All Trades – Lic. #808600. Call (310) 383-1659 CASTLE CONSTRUCTION. New homes, remodeling, additions, fine finish carpentry. Serving the Westside for 20 yrs. Lic. #649995. Call James, (310) 450-6237 PALISADES CONSTRUCTION SERVICES. KEVIN B. NUNNELEY. (310) 454-5029 – 1 (877) 360-6470 Toll-Free. Local References Avail. Lic. #375858

ELECTRICAL 16h

PALISADES ELECTRIC, ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. All phases of electrical, new construction to service work. (310) 454-6994. Lic. #468437. Insured. Professional Service ELECTRICIAN HANDYMAN. All Phases and General Repairs. Local Service Only (Not lic.). Please Call (310) 454-6849 or (818) 317-8286

FENCES 16j

THE FENCE MAN. 14 years quality workmanship. Wood fences – Decks – Gates – Chainlink & overhang. Lic. #663238, bonded. (818) 706-1996

FLOOR CARE 16l

GREG GARBER’S HARDWOOD FLOORS SINCE 1979. Install, refinish. Fully insured. Local references. (310) 230-4597. Lic. #455608 CENTURY HARDWOOD FLOOR. Refinishing, Installation, Repairs. Lic. #813778. www.centurycustomhardwoodfloorinc.com. centuryfloor@sbcglobal.net – (800) 608-6007 – (310) 276-6407 HARDWOOD FLOORING. Best pricing. Senior discounts, quality workmanship. Bamboo, maple, oak and laminate. Installation & refinishing. Call for free quote. Lic. #763767. Ron, (310) 308-4988

HANDYMAN 16n

HANDYMAN, Since 1975. Call for your free est. Local ref. Lic. #560299. Member, Chamber of Commerce. HOOSHMAN (310) 459-8009, 24 Hr. LABOR OF LOVE carpentry, plumbing, tile, plaster, doors, windows, fencing & those special challenges. Work guaranteed. License #B767950. Ken at (310) 455-0803 D.J. HANDYMAN. Fencing, painting, tiling. Just a few of my trades. No job too small. Competitive prices, local service. (Not lic.). (310) 454-3838 LOCAL RESIDENT, LOCAL CLIENTELE. Make a list, call me. I specialize in repairing, replacing all those little nuisances. Not licensed; fully insured; always on time. 1 Call, 1 Guy’Marty, (310) 459-2692 HANDYMAN, Comprehensive Home Repair – Improve – Build – Install – Repair – Professional Reliable Service – Happiness Guaranteed. (not lic.) – Daniel Howe, cell (310) 877-5577 PETERPAN – Quality Home Repair -Serving Entire Westside. (Not lic.) Ask for Peter, (310) 663-3633

HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING 16o

SANTA MONICA HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING. INSTALLATION: New and old service and repairs. Lic. #324942 (310) 393-5686

PAINTING, PAPERHANGING 16q

PAUL HORST – Interior & Exterior – PAINTING – 51 YEARS OF SERVICE – Our reputation is your safeguard. License No. 186825 – (310) 454-4630 – Bonded & Insured TILO MARTIN PAINTING. For A Professional Job Call (310) 230-0202. Ref’s. Lic. #715099 MASTERPIECE PAINTING & DECOR – Specializing in Faux Finishes – Stenciling & Plaster Effects – Interior/Exterior – Free Estimate – Lic. #543487. Bill Lundby, MFA in Palisades, (310) 459-7362 SPIROS PAINTING, INTERIOR/EXTERIOR. Painting on the Westside since 1980. Lic. #821009. Fax and phone: (310) 826-6097. NO JOB is too small or too big for Spiro The Greek. SQUIRE PAINTING CO. Interior and Exterior. License #405049. 25 years. Local Service. (310) 454-8266. www.squirepainting.com PIERRE HOUSEPAINTING. Interior, exterior, plastering, drywall, tile, wallpapering and handyman work. Excellent work with references. I take pride in my work and I treat your home as if it were my own. (323) 461-2122

PLUMBING 16s

ROBERT RAMOS, Plumbing Contractor – Copper repipes – Remodels – New Construction – Service & Repair – Water Heaters – Licensed – Bonded – Insured – St. lic. #605556 – Cell, (310) 704-5353 BOTHAM PLUMBING AND HEATING. Lic. #839118. (310) 827-4040

REMODELING 16u

KANAN CONSTRUCTION – References. BONDED – INSURED – St. Lic. #554451 – DANIEL J. KANAN, CONTRACTOR, (310) 451-3540 / (800) 585-4-DAN LABOR OF LOVE HOME REPAIR & REMODEL. Kitchens, bathrooms, cabinetry, tile, doors, windows, decks, etc. Work guar. Ken Bass, General Contractor. Lic. #B767950. (310) 455-0803 BASIX DESIGNS & REMODELING, INC. WE DO IT ALL – Kitchen & Bathroom Remodeling Specialist – Room Additions – Interior/Exterior Paint – Windows/Doors – Custom Carpentry – Plumbing – Electrical – Call For Free Estimate – Toll Free: (877) 422-2749 – Lic. #769443

HELP WANTED 17

DRIVERS: GREAT HOME time. Pay and benefits! Regional drivers make up to $55,000/yr. Team drivers make up to $150,000/yr. Werner Enterprises. Ph: (800) 346-2818, ext. 561 LOVING & RELIABLE CHILDCARE needed. Approx 20-25 hours per week. Tuesday A.M. and P.M., Wednesday A.M., Thursday mid-day, Friday and Saturday A.M.. Please call Jessica, (310) 459-1018 RECEPTIONIST/GENERAL OFFICE. General office position in Palisades office. F/T, computer skills required, multiple phones, filing. Fax resume, attn: Deborah, (310) 454-5797 P/T HOUSEKEEPER WANTED. Must speak English well, have exp. and local references and drive a car. Be avail evenings, 5-8 p.m. and all day Thurs. & Fri. Sat. (optional). Call (310) 487-8588 P/T CLEANING PERSON for real estate office in Pac Palisades. Need reliable person twice (2X) per week. $10 to $12/hr. Call Alyssa, (310) 573-4245, ext. 132 PART-TIME ASSISTANT. Put up and take down open house signs. Sundays, 11 A.M. to 12 P.M. and 5 to 6 P.M. Also, some Tuesdays, 9 to 10 A.M. and 2 to 3 P.M. Truck required. $20/hr. Alyssa, (310) 573-4245, ext. 132. P/T NANNY NEEDED for 16-month-old twins. Must be English-speaking, drive own car, have experience & refs. Light housekeeping. Mom at home most of the time. $13/hr. to start. Call (310) 471-2423 SEEKING ORGANIZED, EFFICIENT and upbeat assistant for growing Pac Palisades company. Computer literate. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call (310) 230-1295 PRE-SCHOOL TEACHER needed who loves children, art, music. Team player with experience and 12 ECE units. Begins September, 2005. Fax resume: (310) 454-7203 OFFICE ASSISTANT. Busy chiropractic office needs p/t assistant must be friendly, professional & precise. Start $11/hr. Mon, Wed, 1-7:30 p.m. Fax resume, attn: Crystal, (310) 459-7804 FACILITATOR for MOTHER/INFANT & Toddler Program needed at the Methodist Preschool. This individual should have experience leading and facilitating a support group for mothers. Must have a degree in Child Development and/or Family Counseling. Commitment is for 2 mornings per/wk. (T & Ths.) Kindly direct your response, cover letter & resume to: Jan Gentry, Director, 801 Via de la Paz, Pac Palisades, CA 90272

SITUATIONS WANTED 17a

PERSONAL CHEF SEEKING full-time position in private estate, For biography and some photographs of my work: www.CHEFBAER.com or call Philip, (310) 398-5232

AUTOS 18b

1991 VOLVO SEDAN. 140K miles. Good condition. Smogged. New tires. You can view in Palisades. $2,500. Clayton, (310) 459-1266 1999 HONDA ACCORD LX, 4 door. Only 56K miles. Silver color. Car alarm, power windows, air. In excellent condition. $10,900. Call (310) 260-7764 2003 JAGUAR X TYPE. Silver exterior/beige interior. Manual transmission. 10K miles. Take over 16 remaining lease payments of $302.99/mo. Call (310) 454-2363 2003 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. Adapted for side-wheelchair access. Bright red. Less than 13K miles. Perfect condition. Call (310) 459-2834 for appt. $$$CASH FOR your CARS $$$. Foreign or domestic. Running or not. We come to you. We handle all paperwork. Friendly, professional buyer. Please call (310) 995-5898

FURNITURE 18C

DECORATOR’S OWN ENGLISH pine coffee table. Made from antique timbers. 48″ round by 22″ high. Original cost $3,000. Asking $1,500. Call (310) 459-4037 MISC. FURNITURE SALE. Children’s antique roll-top desk, $550. Dark wood trundle bed w/ mattresses, $75. Set of 8 ANTIQUE pressed-back chairs. First $200 offer gets all 8. Antique, small wood chair w/ wicker seat. $125. Black floor lamp, $20. Call (310) 454-1788 FURNITURE: ESTATE SALE. 5 pc cherry bdrm set, 2 nightstands, 1 dresser & mirror, 1 armoire, $2,100 obo. 1 treadmill, new, $450. 9′ walnut pool table w/ cover & wallrack, etc. mint condition, $6,000. ‘Arrow’ bike stationary, $100. Pine carved armoire, $600. Dog house & carrier (for lrg dog), $150. 2 headboards & footboard, white painted brass (queen), $200. King white washed wood, $100. End tables & coffee table, best offer. Comic books (classic), 1950-1960 board games, best offer. Oak desk, file cabinets, credenza w-wheels, best offer. By appt. (310) 459-4037

GARAGE, ESTATE SALES 18d

ESTATE SALE: EVERYTHING must go! Tons of books, vintage furniture and clothing. SAT., May 7, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 1047 Embury Street. GARAGE SALE. 16640 Linda Terrace (off Lachman Lane) in Marquez area. SAT., MAY 7, 8 A.M. to 2 P.M. Everything imaginable. SPRING REDECORATING SALE. Antiques/furnishings/patio set/framed art, prints/collectibles/knick-knacks/hsehold, kitch goods/clothes/books/tapes/ CDs/More! 16620 Merivale Ln (off Lachman). FRI.-SAT., May 6-7, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. MULTI-FAMILY SALE. SAT. MAY 7, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. 16018 Temecula Street, corner of El Medio.

PETS, LIVESTOCK 18e

KITTIES. I have some beautifully-trained brother & sister kitties, 1 year + young. I will adopt out to good home, either 2 together, or separately. Call to see: (310) 456-9810

MISCELLANEOUS 18g

DISNEY/FLORIDA BEACH Vacation. 7 days & 6 nights. Travel is good for 1 year. Paid $600. Must sell for $199. Call (562) 492-0034. REFRIGERATOR FOR SALE. Practically new white Maytag. Excellent condition with top-load freezer. $300 obo. Email c2004fun@yahoo.com or call (310) 463-4464 SHOPRIDER POWERCHAIR 888WNL. Electric wheelchair for sale. Perfect condition. Barely used. Call (310) 459-2834 for appt.

WANTED TO BUY 19

WANTED: Old tube guitar amplifiers, ’50s, ’60s, etc. Tommy, (310) 306-7746 – profeti2001@yahoo.com

A Spy Among Us Talks

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Palisadian Betty Lussier has lived a life filled with bold strokes. She was a pilot and counterespionage agent in World War II. After the war, she introduced hybrid corn into Morocco and started schools, health clinics and recreational facilities for farm labor.
Palisadian Betty Lussier has lived a life filled with bold strokes. She was a pilot and counterespionage agent in World War II. After the war, she introduced hybrid corn into Morocco and started schools, health clinics and recreational facilities for farm labor.

Years before any bra was burned in protest, Betty Lussier starred in her own female liberation movement. Fueled less by politics and more by innate talent, Lussier boldly crossed gender lines throughout her life–first as a pilot, then as a World War II spy and later as a farmer in Morocco. Amid these chapters of daring, she also found time to marry a Spaniard, raise four boys and live in an elegant apartment in Madrid, with Ava Gardner as her friend and neighbor and Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly among the guests she entertained. Lussier, still robust at 83, moved to the Palisades four years ago. The die was cast for a life of adventure on a dairy farm in Maryland where Lussier grew up with her three sisters. Lussier’s father, a decorated WWI pilot, moved the family there from Canada, sharing the hard work of the farm with his young daughters, all of whom became champion swimmers and big achievers. “I built a boat with my dad when I was only 12,” Lussier recalled during a recent interview in her home in the El Medio Bluffs neighborhood. At 16, she learned to fly a family friend’s Piper Cub, thus initiating a lifelong love affair with flying. “Those Lussier Girls Should Have Been Boys” reads the headline from a 1943 Baltimore newspaper article. The piece highlighted how Betty Lussier’s mother was holding things together on the farm while her daughters, all grown except one, and husband were scattered around the world contributing to the war. That year Betty, at 21, had won her wings in the British Air Transport Auxiliary. Two years earlier, she had interviewed as a potential recruit, but lacked sufficient flying hours. “I just felt I had to go,” Lussier recalls of her teenaged zeal to aid a troubled Europe, even before the U.S. entered the war. “I had a firm idea that this was going to be a big threat to the world, but a lot of people didn’t see it.” A determined Lussier withdrew from the University of Maryland, worked the midnight shift at the Martin aircraft plant and used all the money she earned to get flying hours. Then, in 1943, she responded to the call from Britain to “come home” to aid the war effort, with passage included. Born in Canada, Lussier was entitled to a British passport. Once in England, Lussier was quickly assigned as an Air Transport Auxiliary pilot, work that mostly involved bringing new planes from the factory to the fields for operation, and flying planes in need of maintenance back to inland bases. “It was very satisfying. They paid us the same as men and advanced and promoted us just as if we were real citizens. It was the first time I saw equality with men, and that really amazed me,” Lussier said. Things turned sour when it was announced that women pilots would not be allowed to fly into combat zones on the Continent once the ground invasion of Europe took place. Lussier promptly resigned. “I loved flying so much I would have stayed, but I really wanted to do what the men were doing,” she says. Her next mission came about right away. Sir William Stephenson, the famous spymaster who directed British intelligence operations in WWII, also happened to be a close family friend. Stephenson and Lussier’s father, Emile, had been Canadian pilots during World War I. Known by his code name, Intrepid, Sir William had been instrumental in arranging the training of Americans by British intelligence. He recommended that Betty, his goddaughter, join the Office of Strategic Services as a counterespionage agent. Stephenson had watched over Lussier throughout her time as an ATA pilot. When he toured England every month to observe intelligence services, he always asked for her as his pilot. “Here’s this very important man seeing people like Churchill and Lord Beaverbrook and he’d say with a straight face, “I’d like third officer Lussier to fly me around,”” Lussier recalls with a laugh. “They would scurry around to find me, put me on the plane, but only allow me to be co-pilot.” She entered the elite division of the OSS known as X-2, and was one of the few Americans trained and authorized to deliver “Ultra” messages to combat headquarters. “Ultra,” called “Ice” by the Americans, was the name of the system the British developed to decode German messages. Shortly before the war, the British had secretly seized an Enigma machine, the device used by Germany to send signals. “There were the Germans chattering with each other from Berlin to their field agents, and they had no idea they were being intercepted,” Lussier explains. “Naturally, the British wanted to keep this a secret and very few people knew it existed. They set up a system called Special Liaison Unit whereby only one person would know about an intercept. That person would get the information from the British interceptor and take it back to American headquarters and present it as it if came from a different source.” Lussier became one of a handful of special liaison “Ultra” agents, a role requiring setting up station first in Algiers, then in Sicily, Naples, Rome and finally in France. She was not only delivering coded messages, but also tracking down collaborators and stay-behind Nazi agents. “We really trained ourselves how to catch spies; we invented it as we went along,” Lussier says. Among her X-2 comrades was a man named Ricardo Sicre (his nom de guerre was Rick Sickler), a Spaniard who had fought in the Spanish Civil War against Franco and managed to escape to London. The two worked as an operational team for nearly three years, organizing an extensive net of double agents. The duo was responsible for apprehending a French lieutenant who had sided with the Nazis and was transmitting damaging intelligence directly to Berlin from his farmhouse in southern France. X-2 seized the agent’s wife and child, threatening to kill them if he betrayed them. He eventually cooperated, sending false information to German headquarters about the location of Allied troops, which probably saved hundreds of lives. Another incident involved a captured German spy, who never broke under interrogation by either the French or the British. It was Lussier and Sickler who finally hit pay dirt by unearthing the man’s great ambition: to go to Hollywood to be a comedian like Charlie Chaplin. When the OSS team agreed that they could arrange this, the German confessed he was a paymaster and showed them a list of 35 agents. “We were able to arrest all these agents and turn about eight of them into double agents,” Lussier says. The man never made it to Hollywood, but was returned to the French and, according to Lussier, was probably killed. Lussier and Sickler’s wartime camaraderie blossomed into romance and the two married after the war ended in 1945. They settled into a well-heeled life in Madrid and eventually had four sons. Soon, however, the adventurous Lussier became restless with her too-comfortable life and left an elegant apartment in Madrid to find satisfaction in working the soil in Morocco. “The empty, getting-nowhere idleness of our life in Madrid, or rather of my life in Madrid, weighed upon me. I wanted to do something with my hands and brains,” Lussier stated in “Amid My Alien Corn,” a book she wrote in 1957 chronicling her North African journey. “Once one has farmed, one always misses a farm,” she further explains. Lussier took her four sons, a tractor and enough seed for 1,000 acres and settled on a farm in Morocco. She set out to produce hybrid corn because she felt it was the one crop, hitherto untried in Morocco, that would most benefit the country. As interested as she was in successfully raising a new crop, Lussier also focused on improving the social conditions of the people who worked on the farm, setting up schools and health clinics. When she returned 25 years later as part of a U.S. delegation working to set up income-generating activities for Moroccan women, she saw fields of corn and thought with satisfaction: “That’s me, I brought it here.” Lussier and her husband eventually moved from Spain to Switzerland, then to Manhattan before divorcing when their boys reached college age. Neither remarried, and they maintained a close relationship until Ricardo’s death 10 years ago. “He really liked the jet-set lifestyle and being with high-profile people; I was more a helper type, always setting up services for underprivileged people,” Lussier says. When she returned to the U.S. in the 1970s, she attended Columbia University and earned a master’s degree in community development. Lussier has nine grandchildren. One son, a film producer, lives in Santa Monica, two live in Spain and another lives in London. She sees her three sisters annually at a family reunion in Maryland. She maintains a long, lean athletic stature by running at the beach and biking to Venice, and among her local causes is planting trees with Palisades Beautiful. And she has never stopped flying. She’ll travel to Sacramento soon to visit cousins and fly their plane. Not surprisingly, Hollywood has approached her over the years hoping to turn her life story into a movie. “I’ve always said no,” she says. “When you do something that gets a lot of publicity, your privacy is destroyed.” Ava Gardner, the “it” actress of the 1950s and ’60s, was a good friend in Spain, someone Lussier bicycled, swam and socialized with often. “Going out with her was a nightmare. She really needed a new face.” Nonetheless, the publicity-shy Lussier does hope to have her recently completed memoir telling the story of her adventures in World War II published. “I always try to make each day worth being alive,” Lussier says. “I think it’s a privilege to be alive and you need to contribute to pay it back.”

Hill Makes National Junior Rowing Team

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Palisadian Claire Hill is one of four members of the Maritime Rowing Club in Norfolk, Connecticut, recently selected to the elite summer training programs for the United States Rowing Junior National team. ”Hill, a sweep rower, is one of 39 high schoolers nationwide to earn a spot. After intense training at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 14 girls will be selected for further training at Lake Placid to represent America at the World Championships in Brandenburg, Germany, in July. ”Under the tutelage of Maritime Rowing coach Liz Trond, Hill won a gold medal in the Intermediate 8+ division (college level) at the National Youth Championships in Indianapolis. ”’Rowing with so much talent in the boat with you is awesome,’ Hill says. ‘I started sculling here three years ago with coaches Yan Vengerovskiy, Olga Vengerovskiy and Victor Potabenko. I am amazed how the sculling and sweeping programs have developed.’ ”All of Maritime’s women’s boats won gold medals this fall at the Newport Autumn Rowing Festival in Newport Beach. ”Hill has signed a national letter of intent to row this fall for the University of California, Berkeley. The Bears are currently the second-ranked women’s crew team in the NCAA, behind only Princeton.

Dolphins Dominate Marine Swim Finals

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All season long, the Palisades High varsity swim teams dominated their Marine League opponents. So it came as no surprise when the Dolphins dominated last week’s League Finals Meet and established themselves as strong contenders for the City Section championship. ”Pali’s varsity girls scored 597 points to outdistance second-place Venice (418) and third-place San Pedro (258). Leading the way for the Dolphins was freshman Kristen Fuji, who won the 200 Freestyle in 2:03.96. Julie Wynn was first in the 50 Free while Jasmine Punch was first in the 500 Free and Chelsea Davidoff was second in 5:52.78. In the 100 Backstroke, Fujii was first in 1:03.76, Patrice Dodd swam second in 1:10.61 and Rachel Kent was third in 1:12.72. In the 100 Breast, the top two finishers dueled down to the wire, with Alexandra Ehrgott (1:15.29) just edging Pali teammate Chelsea Davidoff (1:17.71). ”Pali’s 400 Freestyle Relay won in overwhelming fashion in 4:01.30, more than 20 seconds ahead of second-place Venice. ”The Dolphins’ varsity boys showed fine form in accumulating 559.5 points to lap Venice (431) and San Pedro (374) and establishing themselves as the clear favorites to repeat as City champions. ”In the 200 Free, Peter Fishler took first place in 1:51.98 while in the 200 Individual Medley, Brian Johnson won in 2:06.38, Ted Tomlinson was second in 2:20.4 and Varit Soon was third in 2.20.71. First place in the 50 Free was a dead heat between Pali teammates David Nonberg, who tied at 23.52 seconds. Neither has finished lower than second place all season. Peter Fishler won the 100 Butterfly in 56.78 and Pali’s 200 Free Relay won in 1:27.73. ”In the 100 Backstroke, Johnson remained undefeated this year with the only sub-minute time of 57.60. Showing the depth that has been its hallmark all season, the Pali boys team took second, third and fourth in the 100 Breaststroke, led by Slava Agafonoff at 1.09.87. The Dolphins’ 400 Free Relay won in 3:33.50, over 18 seconds better than its previous best time this season. ”Next up for the Dolphins is the City Preliminary Meet on May 18 at the Los Angeles Memorial pool.

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