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‘Side Man’ Carries Poignant Tune

Sinking into the corner booth of a dimly lit, smoky New York jazz lounge can transport you back several decades to a time when jazzmen reigned as kings of music. Clifford Brown. Fats Navarro. Dizzy, Miles and Chet. All it takes is one tender trumpet solo to make time stand still. The intense and passionate life of a Manhattan jazz musician and his broken family is captured in Warren Leight’s beautifully written ‘Side Man,’ on stage at the Malibu Stage Co. through July 18. Directed by the company’s interim artistic director Christopher Hart and produced by co-founder Jackie Bridgeman, ‘Side Man’ is complete with powerful performances that resonate long after the lights go down. Set first in 1985 and traveling back to 1953, the play is narrated by the young but reflective Clifford (David Barry Gray), whose father, Gene (Jack Conley) was a sideman in the legendary Claude Thornhill big band. A jazz term, sideman ‘refers to a musician who works for hire on band jobs, who knows the standards by heart and who can solo dazzlingly but also blend in with an orchestra’s sound.’ Leight wrote ‘Side Man’ based on his own father, Donald Leight, now 81, a trumpet player who worked with Claude Thornhill, Woody Herman and other band leaders through the 1950s. Perhaps this is why the characters in the memory play feel so real’their emotions raw and human. Of particular note is Conley’s commanding performance as Gene, an intensely devoted musician whose oblivious neglect of his family evokes some of the drama’s heaviest emotions. With his deep, gravelly voice and stoic demeanor, Conley creates a striking sideman. No sooner do we meet Gene than we are introduced to his family of fellow horn players, Ziggy (Todd Truly), Al (John Mariano) and Jonesy (Eddie Kehler); their loyalty to each other is rooted in their shared obsession with jazz. These quirky, comical and self-destructive characters have measured their life in gigs, not money’burning brass, getting high, traveling light and eating soup. In older age, they reminisce in the same dark, intimate jazz clubs. Their home base is the Melody Lounge, where Clifford (named for Clifford Brown) goes to visit the father he hasn’t seen in years before heading west to pursue a painting career. En route to the Lounge, he stops by their old apartment to see his alcoholic mother, Terry (Ellen Greene), who is dead inside from lonely years of marriage to a man married to his music. Separated from Gene, Terry can still think only of her love for him and their son. Greene stuns the audience with her complex character’a girlishly naive but motherly type with a dirty mouth and sudden temper. Her transformation into an alcoholic mother is painfully moving. Some may recognize her sweet, high-pitched voice from her role as Audrey in Alan Menken’s and Howard Ashman’s ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ where she initiated the role of Audrey singing ‘Suddenly Seymour’ and ‘Somewhere That’s Green.’ She also co-starred in the movie version. Clifford traces the breakdown of his parents’ marriage through the rise and decline of jazz, superseded by the advent of rock ‘n roll. Raised on his father’s obsession with jazz and his mother’s resentment, Clifford was made old at a young age and forced to assume a parental role. It is not a coincidence that Terry tells him to ask his father to play her favorite song, ‘Why Was I Born?’ or that when Clifford walks into the bar, he hears his father soloing on ‘I Remember Clifford.’ ‘Genie on a ballad, break your heart every time,’ says Clifford of his father’s playing. And the moving production of ‘Side Man’ does break your heart, in the way that only the best jazz solos and tender melodies can. Some of the most poignant scenes illustrate the intense brotherhood formed by the four musicians over their shared passion for and understanding of jazz. When they listen to Clifford Brown’s last recording of ‘A Night in Tunisia,’ we see Ziggy, Al and Gene at their most ecstatic, nodding their heads, laughing and reacting to every melodious rise and fall. Actors Conley, Kehler, Truly and Mariano maintain their chemistry throughout the play, creating moments of humorous camaraderie and warm nostalgia for a bygone era. Kehler’s performance as the lovable but strung-out Jonesy is particularly impressive. Mary Lou Metzger plays the role of Patsy, a Melody Lounge waitress and constant in the lives of the jazzmen and Clifford. The costumes (Paula Post), especially in the ’50s and ’60s scenes, are fun to see, and the set design (Gary Randall) captures the intimate environment of the New York jazz scene. Though the production lacks live music, ‘Side Man’ is a memorable show to be seen, felt and heard in the intimate and rustic Malibu Stage Co. setting. It is not surprising that such a moving play goes up in a former place of worship. Performances run Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25. The Malibu Stage Co. is located at 29243 Pacific Coast Highway. For reservations call 589-1998.

Story of Animal Friendship Warms Human Hearts

The large black crow who landed on the railing outside Jeanette Griver’s Palisades home brought with him a story. When Griver first saw the crow appear two years ago, she began observing the relationship between her Shetland Sheepdog, Curio, and the bird, whom she called Mr. Crow. ‘I took notes thinking someday I would want to write a children’s book,’ says Griver, an author and scientist by nature. In January of 2004, she began writing ‘Curio a Shetland Sheepdog Meets the Crow,’ a warm and educational story for children and adults, published by Compsych Systems, Inc. and printed by the Palisades Post. Griver was amazed at the friendship that seemed to develop in real life between her dog and the crow, who initially made a loud cawing sound that caused Curio to run to the big glass window for a look at the bird. ‘After a week or two, they had found a way to communicate,’ says Griver, who describes a curious nod that each animal, on either side of the window, would give the other as a kind of secret language. Though her book is based on these animal observations, Griver says it’s a work of fiction that incorporates ideas of communication and problem solving, loyalty and friendship. ‘The relationship between Curio and Mr. Crow is about finding a friend who’s intelligent and with whom you share a mutual respect,’ she says. Griver’s psychology background helped her write ‘Curio’ but she also conducted a good amount of research on the Internet and at the library in order to learn about and develop her characters. ‘I looked at the similarities and differences between crows and Shelties,’ says Griver, who earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UCLA in 1961, and a master’s degree in human factors (a branch of psychology) from USC in 1964. ‘I never knew how intelligent crows were.’ She developed Mr. Crow from scientific data and dictionary information, and imagined him as a strong member of his flock, living off the land and providing for his family. By contrast, the character of Curio is dependent on her companion, Susan, to provide for her. Griver already had extensive knowledge of Shelties, who she says are ‘very loving, intelligent, eager to please, and motivated not only by food but by love.’ She had taught her own Sheltie how to spell her name, Curio, in blocks using her nose and front paws. In creating a persona for Mr. Crow, Griver focused on the positive characteristics of crows and gave him a friendly but cautious voice instead of a loud and hostile voice, which others may have chosen for the crow. Griver named her human character after her good friend of 25 years, Susan Espinoza, whose 10-year-old grandson, Michael Canty, was one of the book’s first readers and wrote one of the blurbs on the back cover. ‘I needed all the data I could get,’ says Griver, whose collaborator, Phyllis L. Milway, helped with the story development and dialogue, while artist Marna Obermiller, who has bred and trained Shelties, illustrated the book. Griver is also the author of ‘Oh No! Not Another Problem,’ a 10-step guide to problem solving which she self-published in 2000. ‘Oh No!’ appeared on the Los Angeles Times paperback, nonfiction bestseller list for 27 weeks in 2000-2001 and was printed in braille by the Library of Congress in 2001 and made into an audio book; it has since been printed in Canada, the UK and Korea. Griver’s first book was ‘Applied Problem Analysis Plus,’ published in 1988. President and CEO of her human factors company, Compsych, Griver still does some consulting but is mostly focused on her writing. She recently adopted a 4-month-old Blue Merle puppy whom she named Merula, which means ‘blackbird’; ‘Merle’ is archaic for ‘Merula’. Asked what response she hopes people will have to the ‘Curio’ book, she says, ‘I’m hoping children and adults will take time to get to know their animals and one other.’ She is already working on a second ‘Curio’ book. Griver is having a discussion and book signing at Village Books on Tuesday, June 15 at 7 p.m. Contact: 454-4063.

Youngsters Create ‘Boom’ Comic Books

Canyon School fourth graders Casey Alexander and Anthony Fedorko have turned their love of comics into a thriving business with their comic series ‘Boom.’ There are six issues so far, focusing on the misadventures of Agent Boom. Casey, the son of Debbie and Scott Alexander, and Anthony, the son of Debbie Zeitman and Yuri Fedorko, said the idea came up in their cartooning class this fall at Brentwood Art Center. Casey was doodling Agent Boom. Anthony looked over his shoulder and said, ‘He looks cool.’ Casey said, ‘You think so?’ Anthony offered to help draw and work out storylines. Thus, a comic was born. ‘It’s fun to do it together,’ says Casey. ‘There are more plots and evil characters.’ ‘I love to draw,’ says Anthony, who describes his drawing style as ‘cartoon-like, not detailed and realistic. And I like making other people happy reading them.’ The classmates work on the comic during recess and after school. In November, their fourth grade teacher Charlena TerVeer assigned the class a business project. Anthony and Casey at this point had an issue, so a lot of photocopying later they started selling the comic to their classmates. ‘Their comics were very popular and the kids really liked them,’ TerVeer says. ‘They’re both good artists and very funny.’ In January, the comic books began selling at HiDeHo in Santa Monica. So far the boys have earned close to $100, which they are putting back into the business to pay for copying costs. According to Casey, they are also thinking of making a ‘Boom’ movie in their animation class. Agent Boom is a round-faced fellow with big black eyes who wears a ski mask. Issues including ‘The Hunt,’ ‘The Revolution,’ ‘War in Hell,’ ‘Rise of the Dead,’ ‘Battle Star’ and ‘The Matrix’ feature Agent Boom battling evil characters. ‘He’s not that professional,’ says Anthony of the character. ‘He makes mistakes.’ Their inspiration comes from varied sources including the TV show ‘X-Files’ and Bruce Lee movies. ‘I’ve been getting a lot of xeroxed comics in since they did the Boom Comics, I’ve gotten a lot of copycats,’ said Kelly Spears, manager of HiDeHo Comics. The display at the store, made by Anthony’s mom, features a picture of the boys on the front. ‘Guys come in and they say ‘I used to do that when I was a kid and I want to support these kids.’ ‘It’s really original,’ Spears says. ‘It’s almost like reading a video game. It’s fun, I like it a lot.’ The issues have become increasingly professional-looking and easier to read, with the upcoming Boom #7 featuring a color cover. The comic book started at four pages and increased to 12 pages for volume 6. The artwork has also been refined’from 24 hand-drawn ‘teeny panels’ a page to 12 panels per page, drawn with a ruler. The two have other comic book ideas, and call their burgeoning company Boom Brothers.

A Passion for Birds

Writer and photogapher Mathew Tekulsky, the “Birdman of Bel Air.”
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

As a nature writer and photographer, Mathew Tekulsky has to take on some of the qualities of the birds he observes. For example, he has to watch like a hawk as he quietly waits to study and photograph birds. ‘It’s sort of like being an explorer,’ he says. ‘I go out into the field and I’m open to what I am going to find.’ Capturing the feathered friends on film is not easy. It requires patience and a steady hand. Although primarily a writer, Tekulsky focuses on photography and observation while doing fieldwork, saying, ‘If you take too many notes, it decreases spontaneity.’ The Sullivan Canyon resident is also known as the ‘Birdman of Bel Air,’ the title of his biweekly column on the National Geographic Web site (http://news.NationalGeographic.com), which receives nearly five million visitors a month. The column, written in a friendly, conversational style, features stories about birds or bird sightings, primarily in the Western U.S. Each column is accompanied by one of his own photos of the birds in question, and often includes historical and/or biological information in the sidebar. Tekulsky overflows with enthusiasm when talking about his specialty, and has a special love for the local birds that land in his own backyard. He encourages a reporter to birdwatch, supplying binoculars to spot the frequent visitors. He finds birds fascinating and friendly and likes to write about their personalities. In his seven years in Sullivan, he has created a bird sanctuary in his small backyard, which overlooks the canyon, fitting for an author whose credits include the book ‘Backyard Birdfeeding for Beginners.’ His garden includes apricot, lemon and coral trees, birds of paradise, Mexican sage and jasmine. One of Tekulsky’s most frequent visitors, and some of his favorites, are the scrub jays. He regularly feeds them whole peanuts, throwing the nuts onto the concrete around the pool, which the jays pick up with their beaks, one or two at a time. ‘The jays are hearty, but sensitive and delicate,’ Tekulsky says. ‘They live in a small area, and stay right here in the canyon. One family lives in less than one square mile. I feel like I’m seeing the same family over a period of years.’ The jays, squawking away, go through a ritual, picking up one peanut, then another, until they find one that is most worthwhile for making the trip. Then they fly off to store the peanut in a hiding spot to provide nourishment all winter. It takes about 17 pecks for them to open the shell, Tekulsky says. The jays also have a sweet tooth and go into a feeding frenzy when fed sugar-coated graham crackers. They also enjoy acorns and grapes. Other bird visitors require different food. For the little California towhee (characterized by its high-pitched peeps), more shy and tentative than the jays, Tekulsky will shell a peanut and give the bird half for a snack or meal. Through his observations, he has noticed subtleties about the birds. For example, the towhee, which at first looks like a rather plain brown bird, has beautiful brown markings on its cinnamon-colored throat. ‘It’s a much prettier bird than you think.’ Other common backyard visitors, which may be familiar to many Palisadians, are the black-hooded parakeet, California towhee, spotted towhee, mourning dove, Northern mockingbird, Anna’s and Allen’s hummingbird, bushtit, house finch, oak titmouse, California quail, band-tailed pigeon and song sparrow. Tekulsky has a special feeder set up for the yellow-and-black hooded orioles, and various other feeders and birdbaths throughout the yard. In a flash of brilliant yellow, the hooded oriole briefly flies in for a 10-second stop to feed on sugar water at the oriole feeder. Tekulsky had taken down the feeder for the winter and planned to put it back up in April, but in late March, a male oriole came back early from his winter in Mexico, whistling at him to put the feeder back. Tekulsky is concerned with conservation, and follows certain rules in dealing with his bird visitors. ‘I always feed them’it’s a waste of energy for them to come here without a payoff. They have a very high metabolism rate and must feed a lot more than we do. [But] I try not to domesticate them. They’re not pets. They’re wild animals you’re studying and interacting with.’ Many of the birds, such as the scrub jay, wrentit and California thrasher, are year-round residents of the Sullivan Canyon area; others, such as the sparrow, fly in from the Pacific Northwest and Alaska to winter here, and still others, such as the oriole, are here for the summer and spend the winters in Mexico or other southern locales. T o give his readers suggestions of places they can visit, Tekulsky also ventures out to see birds in nearby locations like the Malibu Lagoon or the Sepulveda Basin, or farther-flung national parks. Other times he visits quirkier locales such as Mrs. Paton’s Birder’s Haven in Patagonia, Arizona, a backyard which Marion Paton keeps open for any birdwatchers who care to drop by. Tekulsky sat for days there in the hot sun and is happy to have captured on film the elusive violet-crowned hummingbird. Using his old Pentax, without a tripod, Tekulsky stationed himself with his camera in hand for hours. ‘It’s a big camera, like lifting a bar bell,’ he says, happy that the digital camera he purchased this spring is much lighter. ‘I’ve gained a lot of faith in people through birdwatching,’ says Tekulsky, who recommends newcomers talk to birdwatchers about what they’ve seen and ask questions. ‘There’s a social aspect to birdwatching. People like to share their knowledge.’ While in the field, Tekulsky doesn’t use a blind tent, which some bird photographers use to hide from the birds so their presence won’t scare them off. He takes the time for the birds to get accustomed to him being there. ‘I say, ‘Here I am, deal with me.” Tekulsky, who is a self-taught ornithologist, maintains an archive of thousands of his photos and over 100 reference books. He studies the images to learn about bird behavior, and has been inspired by the great nature writers such as John Muir (1838-1914) and John Burroughs (1837-1921). He loves the sense of history in birdwatching. ‘Grinnell and Storer wrote ‘Animal Life in the Yosemite’ in the 1920s. They described the Steller’s jay building a nest in 1919. Eighty-five years later, I saw the exact same thing they described with the jay’s beak full of muddy grass for the lining.’ Tekulsky, 50, was born in Larchmont, New York, and after graduating from the University of Rochester, he moved to Los Angeles in 1977 to pursue his writing career. He immediately began freelancing for publications such as the Los Angeles Times, Family Circle, Science Digest and Tennis. ‘I came out here to broaden my horizons after growing up on the East Coast,’ he says. His writing career has included nature titles including ‘The Hummingbird Garden’ and ‘The Butterfly Garden’ as well as a series of gourmet drink titles, such as ‘Gourmet Coffee, Tea and Chocolate Drinks: Creating your Favorite Recipes at Home.’ In addition, he has written children’s stories and short stories, including an unpublished children’s series on ‘Scrubby, the Scrub Jay.’ But his bird column seems to have called him, he says. He’s having fun doing it, and it absorbs nearly all of his time. He recounts a Thanksgiving day spent photographing a blue-billed American wigeon while in Payson, Arizona and he calls the photo he took of the brown pelican on Christmas day 2002 ‘a great Christmas gift.’ After all, a holiday is just another day to be captivated by birds.

Bronco Indians Outscore Dodgers

Dodger second baseman Chris Aronson (left) steps off second base and tries to turn a double play during Tuesday's Bronco Division playoff game against the Indians at the Palisades Recreation Center's Field of Dreams complex. The Indians won, 13-10, and advanced to meet the Red Sox for the championship.
Dodger second baseman Chris Aronson (left) steps off second base and tries to turn a double play during Tuesday’s Bronco Division playoff game against the Indians at the Palisades Recreation Center’s Field of Dreams complex. The Indians won, 13-10, and advanced to meet the Red Sox for the championship.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

With a chance to face the Red Sox for the Bronco Division championship on the line, the Indians and Dodgers played a game to remember Tuesday on Field 2 at the Palisades Recreation Center’s Field of Dreams complex. The Indians built a 7-1 lead over the first two innings. The Dodgers rallied for six runs in the top of the third inning, but the Indians eventually prevailed,13-10, to advance to the finals against the Red Sox. ‘We’ve been winning close, low-scoring games all season, so this was a bit surprising,’ said Indians coach Steve Skolnik, who guided his 11 to 13-year-old Indians to the best record of any team in PPBA during the regular season. We gave up a lot of runs but fortunately we got some big hits too.’ The Indians stranded 13 runners in a 5-1 loss to the Red Sox in the second round of the playoffs. The two teams played Wednesday (result not available at press time) and if the Indians won the two teams will play a decisive game today at 4:30 p.m. ‘This was an exciting ball game and we had out chances,’ Dodgers coach Alan Preston said. ‘It’s disappointing to lose but I think our players had a lot of fun playing and they didn’t give up. Conner [Preston] smoked the ball three times, Chris Aronson played great at second base and Adam Christiana stole six bases for us. Everyone did a nice job.’ The game was tied 8-8 in the fifth inning Luke Mullan hit a leadoff single for the Indians and scored the go-ahead run on Eli Redman’s ground ball. A groundout by Nate Redman advanced his brother to third, Gunnar Kohl walked and Daniel Edelstein singled to score Eli Redman for a 10-8 lead. David Skolnik then doubled to the center field fence to drive in two more runs and later scored on a wild pitch for a 13-8 lead. Preston ripped a double over the third-base bag to pull the Dodgers within 13-10 with one out in the top of the sixth inning, but David Skolnik, younger brother of Palisades High baseball players Matt and Sam Skolnik, struck out the final two batters to end the game. Mustang (Ages 10-11) Zach Hernandez scored the go-ahead run for the Tigers in the bottom of the fifth inning on an infield single by Michael Sullivan and Brandon Newman added an insurance run on a hit by Sam Wasserman as the Tigers advanced to the finals with a 5-3 victory over the Indians. The game began as pitchers duel between left-handers Austin Kamel of the Tigers and Tommy Sanford of the Indians. After Kamel singled to score Newman and Tyler Steil in the bottom of the first inning, both pitchers settled down and each had three strikeouts over the next two innings. Right-handers Sullivan for the Tigers and Jayenth Subrahmanyan for the Indians took over in the fourth inning. Andy Currier reached base all three times he batted and scored the Indians’ last run on a hit by catcher Leo Abbe-Schneider in the sixth inning. The Indians tied the game, 2-2, in the top of the fifth inning when a single by Justin Stein scored Jack Clausen. John Frachiolla played well at third base for the Indians, who had upset the Tigers earlier in the playoffs. ‘This was a great game,’ Tigers coach Brian Sullivan said. ‘I thought both teams played great. Austin and Michael did a great job pitching for us and their catcher Leo [Abbe-Schneider] did a great job keeping us from stealing.’ The Tigers played the Braves, who won the other bracket, Wednesday and if the Tigers won they will play the Braves again today on Field 3 for the division championship. Pinto (Ages 7-9) In a tense defensive struggle, Peter Tilden tripled down the first base line to score Matt Zeiden and Dawson Rosenberg with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning and the Tigers held to beat the Phillies 2-1 on Field 4. Rosenberg at short stop at Tyler Newman at second base played great defense to keep the Tigers in front. ‘I’m really proud of the kids,’ Tigers coach Joe Rosenberg said. ‘We were the American League champions, but we lost to the Red Sox in the playoffs and now we have another shot at them.’

Marrone Is Two-Sport Wonder at St. Monica

He may go to a ‘little’ school, but Tommy Marrone is making it ‘big’ on campus. One of about 600 students at St. Monica High, the Palisades native is a standout athlete in both football and volleyball. In fact, choosing between the two is as hard for him as scoring a touchdown or setting a teammate for a spike. “Football is always fun because of the physical contact and the guys you play with,” Marrone said. “And I like volleyball when it gets really intense if the match is close.” Marrone was voted most valuable player of the Mariners’ junior varsity football team after scoring 14 touchdowns as both a running back and wide receiver and making three interceptions as a free safety on defense. His coaches were so impressed that they moved him up to varsity for the playoffs and he saw action at tailback in St. Monica’s victory over Big Bear in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division XI playoffs. The highlight of his season was a 90-yard touchdown run in a game against Mary Star of the Sea. “One thing I noticed immediately playing varsity is that the players are much stronger and faster and the game is much more physical,” Marrone said. “I was clocked running 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash in spring practice, but I’m not sure that’s accurate.” When he’s not breaking tackles on the gridiron, the 16-year-old Marrone is dishing out assists on the volleyball court as the starting setter for St. Monica’s varsity team. He was named first-team All-League as a sophomore and looks forward to a run at the CIF title next year. “I play middle blocker on my club team but my high school needs me to set so that’s what I do,” Marrone said. “I’m considered small for a volleyball player (5-9 and 150 pounds), but I can jump pretty high.” In the off-season, Marrone plays for the Pacific Palisades Volleyball Club’s 16-2s team, which accumulated enough points in a series of tournaments to qualify for the Junior Olympics later this month in Austin, Texas, where it will compete against 100 of the best teams in the United States. Growing up, Marrone’s first love was baseball. He played for the Red Sox in the Palisades Pony Baseball Association from Pinto through Pony and was selected to the West Los Angeles All-Star team as a catcher. He also played AYSO soccer and flag football at the Pali Rec Center. But sports is far from the only meaningful activity for Marrone. He became an Eagle Scout with Troop 223 in February after fulfilling a community service project that involved furnishing benches, uprooting dead trees and cleaning out supply sheds at Palisades Elementary School. “I started as a Cub Scout in third grade, became a Boy Scout in fifth grade and I worked towards becoming an Eagle since then,” said Marrone, who has aspirations of one day joining the military. “My ultimate goal is to be in the Army. I want to serve my country and defend freedom.”

Tennis Pair Third at City Tourney

Though their team lost to Granada Hills in the semifinals of the City Section tennis playoffs last month, Palisades High players Sepehr Safii and Stephen Surjue were able to exact some measure of revenge last Wednesday, defeating the Highlanders’ No. 1 duo of Jeremy Choo and Jared Novak , 6-4, 7-6 (6), to take third place in the All-City Individual Doubles tournament at Balboa Tennis Center in Encino. In addition to beating Granada Hills’ best team, Safii and Surjue were also the only team to take a set off of El Camino Real’s Isaac Adrabi and Chad Gerber, the top-seeded tandem in the tournament, winning the opening set of their semifinal match 7-5 before losing the last two, 6-0, 6-1. ‘They played great the whole tournament,’ PaliHi head coach Bud Kling said of Safii and Surjue. ‘They gave the best team in the City a fight and they beat a more experienced team in the third-place match. That bodes well for next season.’ For the second year in a row, Palisades’ No. 1 player Chris Ko was done in by injury. Ko rolled an ankle during his second set in the City team finals last season’an injury that kept him from participating in the individual tournament as well. This time, Ko was seeded No. 1 in the 64-player singles draw and reached the semifinals with ease. But there, during a tense baseline duel with eventual singles champion Bobby Tam of Belmont, Ko hurt his back and had to default due to injury after dropping the first set, 7-5. ‘It’s disappointing that Chris got hurt because he would’ve had a good chance to win the singles,’ Kling said. ‘He’s beaten Bobby before and he would’ve beaten the kid Bobby beat in the finals.’ Ko, a junior, lost only one set against City opponents this year’to Phil Weisburd of Granada Hills in the team semifinals. Against Tam, Ko was on serve and playing well when he felt a twinge in his back. ‘I wanted to keep playing, but I knew there was no way I could,’ Ko said. ‘It hurt just moving and I couldn’t serve at all. I think I would’ve won if I didn’t get hurt.’ The 2004 season officially over, Kling is now focusing his attention on 2005 and he likes the way his team is shaping up. ‘Nine out of our 10 starters will return, plus two of the top JV players. We may have a shot to win City next year. The lack of competition in our league really cost us this season. It didn’t prepare us for the playoffs. We need to develop a stronger third doubles.’

YMCA Track Meet Is Sunday at PaliHi

The Pacific Palisades Optimist Club and Palisades-Malibu YMCA will hold the 33rd annual Youth Track and Field Meet Sunday at Palisades High’s Stadium by the Sea. The meet is open to boys and girls ages 5-15. Opening ceremonies will begin at 11 a.m. and the meet will end by 2 p.m. The entry fee is $15 per participant (pay at YMCA, 821 Via del la Paz) from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday or sign-up on the day of the event. The meet provides the youth of the community with a great opportunity to discover the fun and excitement of a real track and field meet. Field events include the high jump, long jump and shot put. Running events include the 50 and 100-meter dashes for all ages; 200, 400 and 800 meter runs for the older kids; and relays for all ages. All participants will receive an event t-shirt and the atmosphere is one of friendly competition and good sportsmanship. Boys and girls are awarded multiple ribbons for their participation and achievements. Parents, family and friends can mingle while enjoying picnic lunches or pizza purchased at the Stadium. Last year’s event attracted 170 local athletes. For more information call Jim Kirtley at the YMCA: 454-5591, ext. 1503.

Lederman Leads Team to CIF Tennis Title

Palisadian Josh Lederman won both of his sets at No. 1 singles to lead the Harvard-Westlake High boys tennis team to a 14-4 victory over Loyola in the CIF Southern Section Division I finals last Wednesday at the Claremont Club. Lederman defeated both Bryan Ross and Ray Alvarez by 6-2 scores in the first two rotations of singles play and was replaced in the third round after the top-seeded Wolverines (22-0) had already clinched their second CIF title in three years. Lederman scored a key doubles victory when Harvard-Westlake beat Brentwood in the Division V final two years ago. It was Harvard-Westlake’s third victory over the unseeded Cubs (20-4), the first two having come in Mission League play. Lederman played No. 1 singles all season for the Wolverines. In Division IV, top-seeded Redondo (27-2) won its first boys’ tennis title in school history by defeating second-seeded Brentwood, 12-6, in a rematch of last year’s final. Brentwood won that match by the same score. Palisadian Aiden Lloyd teamed with partner Michael Riorden to win a set at No. 2 doubles for the Eagles (18-7).

Anthony Devivo, 81; Realtor

Longtime Pacific Palisades and Malibu resident Anthony (‘Tony’) DeVivo died April 28. He was 81. Tony was born December 28, 1922, in Denver, Colorado, to Mary and Aniello DeVivo. He grew up in the Palisades, attended University High School and served as a second lieutenant and pilot in the Army Air Force. Following his discharge, he operated Tony’s Auto Service in Santa Monica until 1962, when he became a real estate broker and opened Malibu Sierra Realty. Tony had a wide range of interests and aptitudes. In addition to being a skilled pilot, he could run a bulldozer, repair a watch, broker a complex land deal, design and build a fire protection system or rehabilitate an animal. He was one of the Malibu hardies who, when burned out, just cleared the land and built bigger and better. Tony married Marie Moss in 1950 and moved to the Palisades to help raise his stepson, Berk. He divorced and moved to Malibu in the early ’70s, and married Earleen Strong, a professor of psychology at Valley College in Van Nuys, in 1976. Earleen died a few weeks before her husband. Tony is survived by his stepsons, Berk Moss of Newberg, Oregon, and David Strong of Thousand Oaks; stepdaughters Rachel Carroll of Half Moon Bay and Rhoda Hoisington of Nine Mile Falls, Washington; and seven grandchildren. A celebration of Tony’s life was held on May 22.