Howard Edward Regan passed away January 5 at the age of 69. Regan was born in Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Ohio State University. He then attended Officers’ Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, and served four years as a Navy lieutenant. After he was discharged, he went to work for Pan American Airlines Guided Missiles Systems for five years and was then with URS Corporation of San Mateo for the next 19 years. Since 1986, he was associated with Nadel Architects of West Los Angeles for 17 years, where he served as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Regan is survived by his wife, Yvonne; sons Jeff and Peter; daughters-in-law Susan and Nancy; granddaughters Bonnie and Isabella; and sister Margaret Caudill of Ohio. He was predeceased by his sister Colleen Rundio on December 29. A memorial Mass was held at Corpus Christi Church in Pacific Palisades. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to St. John’s Hospital Foundation, 1328 22nd St., Santa Monica, 90404 or to the Daniel Freeman Community Trust, 333 N. Prairie Ave., Inglewood, 90301.
Jean K. Parmelee, 86; Longtime Palisadian
Jean Parmelee, a 55-year resident of Pacific Palisades, died of a heart attack at Santa Monica/UCLA Hospital on December 24 at age 86. She was a very loving and caring mother and wife. Jean Kern Rheinfrank was born on July 5, 1917, Oak Park. a town on the west side of Chicago. She attended the Oak Park public schools and obtained a B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1939. She and Arthur Parmelee met in their sophomore year of high school. They were married on November 11, 1939, shortly after he started his medical training at the University of Chicago Medical School. While he served in the Navy, she lived with their two children, Arthur and Ann, in Oak Park. Their third child, Timothy, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, where Arthur received training in pediatrics. The family moved to Pacific Palisades in 1948, where Arthur had a pediatric practice for three years. He joined the UCLA Medical School Department of Pediatrics when the first medical school class entered. Their fourth child, Ruth Ellen, was born at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica. Despite devoting a great deal of time caring for her four children, Jean was very active in local civic activities, especially the League of Women Voters. She helped form the Palisades League unit and served for a number of years on the board of directors of the Los Angeles League. Later she edited the League’s monthly newsletter. A good athlete, Jean was on the women’s tennis and swimming teams in high school and college. In the Palisades, she played tennis and was a member of a group of Palisades women who played weekly at the Westchester Golf Course. She was a member of the Palisades Presbyterian Church for some time and participated regularly in church programs. In addition to her husband of 64 years, she is survived by her four children, who loved her very much and miss her greatly: Arthur of Boulder, Colorado; Ann of Garberville, California; Timothy of Malibu, and Ruth Ellen of Pacific Palisades. She is also survived by her five grandchildren. Contributions may be made to the charity of one’s choice.
George Rice III, 93; Athlete and Uplifters Club Pioneer
George Rice III, a longtime Palisadian and the last surviving member of the Uplifters Club, died on December 25. He was 93. Born on October 29, 1910 in Alhambra, Rice graduated from Alhambra High School and from Caltech in mechanical engineering in 1931. He then moved to the old family weekend cabin in Rustic Canyon built in 1921 by his grandfather George Rice Jr., where he lived from 1932 until his death. Grandfather Rice “discovered” Rustic Canyon in 1900 while on a horse and buggy ride, and persuaded the newly formed Uplifters Club to locate its clubhouse there in 1918. The building burned down and the 1924 version has since become the Rec Center building in Rustic Canyon Park.?? From 1931 until after 1990, Rice worked in Los Angeles at George Rice and Sons, Printers as a printing salesman. During World War II, he was a war worker at Alcoa Aluminum in Vernon, and in Liferaft plastics survival gear production in Hollywood. He was once president of the Printing Industries of America Association and pushed hard to get its new office built in Los Angeles. He also was responsible for the building of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Santa Monica, in 1964. A sportsman all his life, Rice played tennis at the Uplifters Club and swam in the pool there. He was tennis champion in 1948 at the Racquet Country Club, the successor to the Uplifters Club. He loved to ski and was still going down the slopes in Aspen/Snowmass when he was 90 years old. He also enjoyed belonging to Toastmasters for many years. A scoutmaster of Troop 2 in Santa Monica, Rice hiked up the backside of Mt. Baldy with the scouts and skied down for miles in 1938. He loved to kayak surf, which he was still doing when he was 91, and was a pioneer in the sport in Hawaii. After he retired, he spent considerable time in Honolulu every summer. He was married for over 60 years to Onis D. Rice, an artist and teacher, now deceased. He is survived by his dear friend Louella Begley; daughter Kristina M. Nugent of Carlsbad; and son Tim G. Rice, who still lives in Rustic Canyon. No services have been scheduled.
Yamato Sale Spells Final Weeks for Nursery
Yamato Nursery was looking more and more forlorn this week as customers took advantage of the “1/2 off everything,” going-out-of-business sale that began last Thursday. While inventories had not been restocked for some time as a consequence of the impending sale of the property to Village School, remaining trees, shrubs, roses and bedding plants were being snapped up in the deal. Amendments, pots, garden equipment and indoor plants were also being sold at a discount. Longtime owner Hiro (who preferred not to give his last name) was busy taking care of customers himself, as his staff was down to just one or two employees. For 37 years, Hiro has maintained the 20,920-sq.-ft. nursery at the corner of Alma Real and La Cruz that originally opened in 1954 as Palisades Garden Supply. Previously he had owned a nursery in Huntington Beach. He told the Palisadian-Post that he was most proud of his customer service and the quality of his plants in the Palisades. The nursery was known for not only the health of its materials and the different varieties of common plants, but also the large number of unusual plants such as California natives. During Christmas, the nursery also sold and delivered Christmas trees of the finest quality for reasonable prices. Hiro, whose father was a landscape contractor, has two daughters, whom he said were not interested in the nursery business. He was not certain about his future plans. Village School (just around the corner on Swarthmore) plans to build a two-story, L-shaped building with underground parking for 74 cars, six classrooms, a performance arts center and a gymnasium, as well as a playing field, with excavation to begin as soon as April 1. The facility is scheduled to open in September 2005.
Citibank Branch Robbed Monday; Suspects Flee, Nobody Is Hurt
A takeover robbery occurred on Monday at 11:10 a.m. at Citibank on Sunset, adjacent to the post office. Three suspects, described as black males in their late teens to early 20s, entered the bank through the side door (off the courtyard), and two of them jumped the teller counter, according to FBI spokesperson Cheryl Mimura. They yelled “Everybody get down, this is not a joke!” and then took cash from a teller’s drawer. No weapons were seen. A fourth suspect may have stood guard outside the bank, according to several witnesses. The suspects were seen leaving in a burgundy GM Safari van from the alley behind the building. The stolen van was recovered within 20 minutes by LAPD about three blocks away at the corner of Embury and Albright. The suspects were wearing black beanies, black hooded sweatshirts and black gloves, with two of them also wearing black sunglasses, Mimura said. LAPD Detective J. Licata said the robbery appears to be linked to other bank robberies. “There have been several takeover robberies in the city and county over the last couple of months that look similar,” said Licata. “In a couple of other robberies, a stolen vehicle was used and abandoned in a nearby location.” A reward is available for information leading to the arrest of the people responsible for the robbery. Contact: the LAPD Robbery/ Homicide division at (213) 485-0780. Longtime Palisadian Anne Froehlich was inside the bank talking to Citibank employee Henry Longres when the robbery occurred. “After I heard, ‘Get down,’ I hid under a desk,” she said. Another customer who was standing near the teller was pushed down by a suspect, but not injured. After the suspects fled, the bank was locked. Two witnesses who had seen the car parked in the alley (between Swarthmore and Monument) came and provided an identification of the car to police. Bank employees and witnesses in the bank were questioned by the police and the FBI for about 90 minutes as part of the investigation. According to Longres, this was the first robbery to occur at the Citibank (previously California Federal) branch in at least five years.
Cody Michaels: Town’s 50th ‘First Baby’
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Cody Robert Michaels, born at 1:50 a.m. on January 1 at St. John’s Medical Center in Santa Monica, has won the Palisadian-Post’s First Baby of the Year contest. He is the 50th baby to earn the honor. Cody’s mother, Pam Michaels, learned about the contest when she came into the Post’s offices last month to renew her subscription. Business Manager Cheryel Kanan asked when she was due, and reminded her to watch out for the First Baby contest and call the Post when she had her baby. So Pam called in on Friday, the day after giving birth, and Cody was eventually declared the winner. He and his parents will enjoy gifts and services from 60 Palisades merchants. “Little Cody is doing very well,” Pam said. “My pregnancy was great. I really enjoyed it and had no problems.” Cody’s dad, Robert, came up with his first name. “I was reading the baby names book and it just caught my attention,” said Robert. “He seems to have a strong-willed personality. He’s not shy about letting you know how he feels about things. When he gets wrapped in a certain way, he starts swinging his arms in boxing mode.” Cody’s 6-year-old brother, Brandon, a Corpus Christi first grader, is adjusting well to his new little brother and is helping out. “He was very excited and he couldn’t wait,” Pam said. Dad is proud of his older son’s transition to being a big brother: “He’s old enough to understand what it means; he cares for his brother and looks after him. He’s been very sweet to him.” The runners-up are Annie and Kendall Mars, twin daughters of Traci and Brian Mars, born at 6:55 and 6:56 a.m. on January 1 at Cedars-Sinai. Older sister Molly is in the same class as Brandon, at Corpus Christi. “It’s very special for us to have two sets of children the same age,” said Pam. “I was lying in bed that night, and called Traci to say, ‘I had my baby and you’re next.’ Brian answered and said ‘We did, too!'” Born at 7 lbs. 14 oz. and 20-3/4″ long, Cody has lots of brown hair and light eyebrows. His mom expects his hair to become blonde like his older brother’s, as he is his “spitting image.” “He’s thriving,” she said of Cody. “He hasn’t lost weight as newborns usually do; in fact, he gained a little bit of weight a few days after his birth. I just welcome a great eater. He’s quite a little feisty guy. “We didn’t know if he was going to be a 2003 baby or a 2004 baby,” Pam said. “We were hoping it was going to be January 1, the start of a new year. We didn’t even notice it was New Year’s, and before you know it, you’ve given birth. After he was born we realized it was New Year’s, so we celebrated. It was a lot of fun.” Cody was also the year’s first birth at St. John’s and was given a silver spoon that reads “First Baby of 2004” by the hospital staff. His mother recalls it was a busy night at the hospital. “My water broke on the 31st and when we came in at 4 p.m. there was no labor room available. There were three women there before me, and three women after me.” She had to wait about an hour until a room was available. Pam Michaels, who is originally from Durban, South Africa, was happy that her sister and brother-in-law had flown in from South Africa on December 30. “Brandon was thrilled he could spend the night at home with his aunt and uncle.” Robert Michaels, a native of Boston, is the president and CEO of Odesus, Inc., a technology consulting company. They have lived in the Palisades Highlands since 1997. “We’re pleased for the big announcement; it’s something special for Cody to carry through his life,” Robert said.
Nita Hughes’ First Novel Travels Between Gothic France and Now
For her first novel, Nita Hughes challenged herself by traveling between two time frames, 13th-century France and the present day in the same location. Hughes will be reading from “Past Recall” on Thursday, January 15, 7:30 p.m. at Village Books, 1049 Swarthmore. The story begins during the Inquisition, which is a threat to Clotilde de Mirepoix and her husband Jean, who possess the Cathar treasure, a set of manuscripts whose power they describe as so important as to change the world. Clotilde and Jean vow to return in the new millennium to unveil the treasure when the earth’s destiny looks darkest. The power of the Cathar treasure threatens the world once again in modern times when photojournalist Dana Palmer’s quest to find the treasure leads to her own peril. Hughes, a former international banker who lived in Australia, the Philippines and France, retired in 1994 to live in Maui and write. “I always was a closet writer and so after I retired I learned the craft. I read everything I could get my hands on, took a class and read novelists whose work I admire, such as Isabel Allende and Amy Tan.” Enjoying her new life in Maui, Hughes takes walks on the beach and a daily swim, but sticks to a disciplined schedule, writing from 10 till 1 and returning after a break at 3:30. A former Malibu resident, Hughes and her husband Douglas have three children who live on the mainland. She is already working on her second book, “Safe Haven,” which is loosely based on her time in Manila, when the Marcos’ government was overturned in 1992.
The Visual Treasure of the Santa Monicas
Photos and Text By JIM KENNEY I have been photographing in the Santa Monica Mountains since 1974. My initial interest began with wildflowers, which led to an all-consuming interest in fire ecology and its effect on the flowers and chaparral plant communities. The last few years I’ve been more involved with landscape photography. Success in this field involves some skill and a lot of luck. For example, the Temescal Ridge photograph on a clear day is appealing, but without the two hikers the result is ordinary. (See photo, page 1.) I did not plan to photograph the bright orange sycamores in Malibu Canyon, but I took advantage of the opportunity when I saw it. Of course, some of the photographs here WERE planned. I knew the Santa Ynez Waterfall would be there and set out with my tripod to capture the image. Same with the Giant Coreopsis-the previous week I scouted the area, then waited for a sunny day. (Not for the flowers, but for the ocean.) What I’ve found to be most important is to plan for the unexpected, and be ready to take advantage of it. Advances in film and digital photography are wonderful, but the same principles of managing light, contrast and composition apply now just as they did many years ago. Countless hiking excursions are not successful in terms of photography, but the marvelous exercise and visual excitement make it all worthwhile.
Landes Back on Court After Injury
Senior guard Ali Landes had 13 points, three assists and two steals in leading the Windward High girls basketball team to a 69-15 nonleague victory over Crossroads last Saturday. Landes, the Wildcats’ leading scorer last year and one of the Palisadian-Post’s athletes of the year, missed the team’s first 12 games this season with a back injury.
Koral Signs Letter of Intent with UCLA
Former Palisades High quarterback David Koral signed a national letter of intent to attend UCLA, Bruins head coach Karl Dorrell announced last week. He is one of six junior college transfers who have committed to the school in the last two weeks. Koral, a 6-2, 210-pounder from Santa Monica College, enjoyed a successful sophomore season for the Corsairs, completing 155 of 281 passes (55.2%) for 2,202 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. He is expected to enroll at UCLA for Winter Quarter and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining. As a senior at Palisades, Koral earned prep All-America honors from PrepStar magazine in 2000 and was rated the No. 6 quarterback in the West. In two seasons at Pali he passed for almost 9,000 yards. His junior year, he threw for 4,902 yards and 57 touchdowns and as a senior he accounted for 4,057 yards and 44 touchdowns, including a national high school record 764 yards against Van Nuys Grant. He signed with Vanderbilt out of high school.
