Renovations Started on the Interior of the American Legion Building

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Members of the Legion family, led by Jim Cragg (center), joined with contractors to start on Legion Hall renovations on La Cruz.

Finally, a facelift is underway for the American Legion building, at the corner of Swarthmore and La Cruz.

Wielding sledgehammers to start the demolition of the 1965 interior of the building were Post Commander Jim Cragg, Auxiliary President Sue Pascoe and Sons of the American Legion President Richard Klein.

Minor cosmetics were done to the building in the early 2000s, as well as a kitchen renovation. But the interior of the post had been lost in time, complete with a disco ball.

American Legion Commander Jim Cragg and Auxiliary President Sue Pascoe take the first steps in removing the old wall.

The newly designed interior will feature an up-to-date lounge area, meeting space and improved ADA access for members to enjoy. A ramp will be built from the front door to the meeting area, so that those in wheelchairs will no longer have to go to the rear of the building to enter. Bathrooms will be upgraded to ADA standards.

“Our goal is to raise our image in the community with a facility that feels inviting for all community members who can come and take advantage of classes and recreational events,” Cragg said. “We want a Legion Post that our members will be proud of when inviting in their friends and families. While some events will be for Legion members only, there will be lots of events that are open to the community.”

Pascoe added, “The Legion was founded by town leaders in 1928, and we hope that this facility can once more be the heart of the community as a gathering place and the site of many activities.”

Initially the renovation was supposed to start in the fall, but obtaining building permits and working with the remediation, pushed back the 24-week construction. But, if all goes as planned, the building will be ready for meetings this September.

Lighting will be replaced with LED to make the building more environmentally friendly, and the exterior will also receive a face lift. The plans received approval from the Palisades Design Review Board last fall.

Ben Wiser, the project manager for Howard Building Corporation (HBC), is tasked with the almost $2 million remodel.

The Legion family, Post 283, the auxiliary and Sons, is one of the largest philanthropic nonprofit organizations in Pacific Palisades, supporting food drives, homeless organizations, schools and scholarships for youth.

Anyone needing to reach someone at Post 283 can call (310) 454-0527. The three officers — Kevin Niles (adjutant), Larry Kirven and Deloris Artis (assistants) — have relocated to a small temporary office in the Chase Building (Suite 219).

S.A.L. Leader Richard Klein takes his turn with a sledge hammer.

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Slightly-Used Shoes Are Needed for Soles4Good, a Student Campaign

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

If you have a pair or several pairs of shoes in your closet that are barely worn, consider donating them to Soles4Good.

Co-founded by Amaan Furniturewala and Alec Katz (Furniturewala is now at the University of Pennsylvania and Katz is at Stanford), the mission has continued with students at Palisades High, Paul Revere, Harvard-Westlake, Warner and Crescent Valley.

The group’s mission: “We help women in developing worlds create sustainable, lifelong business that general consistent sources of income. As an excess in many communities, shoes provide the perfect platform to empower others.”

Since its founding in 2018, Soles4Good students have collected and shipped more than 15,000 pairs that have helped kickstart 13 micro-businesses in El Salvador and Senegal.

In 2019, Soles4Good traveled to El Salvador and helped 11 women found micro-businesses, selling used shoes that had been collected through shoe drives.

The women received training in basic accounting and inventory management. They were urged to reinvest, with the long-term goal of sustainability rather than reliance on short-term donations of shoes.

The idea is to continue to supply shoes that could be purchased at low cost and then to reinvest some of the profits.

The founders, who were Harvard Westlake students, reported that in the first two weeks of the program, the women had sold 68 pairs of shoes, and eight of them had purchased additional inventory to expand their enterprises.

They reached out to other students, including Leena and Layla Adeli, who were at Revere (and now attend Palisades High School), who helped with the initial drive.

There’s a collection bin in front of the Paul Revere Middle School main office, off the horseshoe driveway, through March 25. To read more or to donate, visit: soles4good.org.

The student founders of Soles4Good went to El Salvador to support women in business.

Posted in Community, Schools | 1 Comment

Cathay Palisades Loses Lease After 33 Years on Antioch

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Cathay Palisades owner David Leung is looking for a new location for his restaurant after losing his lease in the Business Block Building.

Cathay Palisades, the only Chinese restaurant in Pacific Palisades, has learned that its lease will not be renewed, after 33 years on Antioch in the Business Block Building.

Owner David Leung was informed by the landlord, Anderson Real Estate, that his popular eatery must close in June.

“I was never late for rent,” Leung told Circling the News on March 15. He said he had been looking for a new space since late last year, and that he had asked the landlord for a short extension. He even offered to pay more rent, but was turned down.

“Anderson Real Estate has no comment,” was the March 21 email that CTN received when it reached out to the landlord. The Business Block Building and Palisades La Cruz (the Chase building) are under the ownership of the Anderson Company. Topa Property Management takes care of the commercial properties and is under the Anderson umbrella.

Leung looked in the Marquez area, but was only offered a three-year lease. He said that after a space is tailored to a restaurant, an owner needs at least a five-year lease to make it work.

Leung said he ALSO looked at the second-floor space above Citibank on Sunset, but admitted that with so many seniors among his clientele, he needs a first-floor space.

On Nextdoor Palisades, Leung posted that he had been told that his family-style restaurant doesn’t fit the “tenant mix” and that Anderson wants to “upscale” the building.

CTN asked Leung about Caruso’s Palisades Village, since there are several empty spaces, and Leung said, “We have never considered there because first of all, if Topa considers us a bad fit for tenant mix, we can imagine Caruso’s. Then there is sky-high rent, and an astronomical management fee.”

Leung said he also looked at the former Ritrovo space (next to Shell) but was told it has been rented out. He looked at the former Sweet Rose Creamery on Monument, but was told the manager would not rent out existing first-floor for food service, given that there are already three restaurants in the building.

He said he inquired about the space next to Pearl Dragon, which housed Elizabeth Lamont (home goods), but the landlord was already considering a lady’s apparel or a home furnishing store.

“I know with the stringent parking requirement, it is impossible to find space for a full-service restaurant,” Leung said. “I am pivoting to a takeout/delivery mode and I am looking for a space about 1,000 sq. ft. on a ground floor that allows food use.”

He also reached out to the Methodist Church, which had not renewed the lease for Puzzle Zoo on Sunset, across from Ralphs.

CTN asked a manager at Cafe Vida (adjacent to Cathay Palisades), which is owned by Luis Castaneda, about its lease, which was up in 2021. It was renewed for five years.

 

Posted in businesses/stores, Restaurants | 6 Comments

Celebrate Brianna Kupfer’s Birthday April 9

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Brianna Kupfer will be remembered on April 9 at Brentwood School.

Brianna Kupfer, a Pacific Palisades resident, was stabbed and killed on January 13 when she was working alone at Croft House, a Hancock Park boutique furniture store.

A suspect was caught and will be brought to justice, but the senseless tragedy has left the family struggling to understand how Brianna, 24, who was so full of life and love, was taken from them.

The family is planning an April 9 event, “Run for Brianna, Run for Love,” to celebrate what would have been Brianna’s 25th birthday.

“Everyone is welcomed to come hang out to honor Bri,” the family said. Participants are invited to run, walk, dance or do yoga from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Brentwood School, 100 Barrington Place.

People are asked to RSVP/register by April 2 at briannafoundation.org in order to gain access to the campus.

To run or participate in a class is $50, or to come and support the fundraising event is $25. Runners and walkers are encouraged to seek sponsors. Raise $500 and you will receive a commemorative hat or tote or if you raise $1,000, you’ll receive both.

There will be food trucks, beverages, medical teams, security and free parking. Please bring sustainable water bottles and yoga mats.

Brianna’s family — dad Todd, mom Lori, brothers Brandon and Tucker and sister Mikaela — started the Brianna Kupfer Foundation in February.

“This foundation is meant to serve as a representation of the world Brianna deserved and wanted. We will be championing causes dear to Brianna, such as environmental and social justice issues, as well as honoring victims like Brianna through the protection of women and social betterment.”

“We believe that Brianna was and continues to be a guiding light of pure love and that with more love in this world, we can transform it into one she would be proud of. It starts with the family and with the community.”

Brianna grew up in the Palisades, attended St. Matthew’s and then Brentwood. She received a degree from University of Miami and was studying architectural design at UCLA when her life ended tragically.

She was interested in the environment and sustainability and was a member of the local nonprofit Resilient Palisades.

All money raised will go to the foundation, which will select community-based charities that support environmental issues, promote victim advocacy and fight violence against women.

“If we love each other and this earth as fiercely as Brianna did, we can mold this world into a better place,” the family wrote. “Hold your loved ones tight and live wild like Brianna would encourage you to live.”

 

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Adam Levine Looks to Move from His Palisades Compound; Neighbor Brooke Shields Has Moved On

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo have put their Cliff May house up for sale.

By BERNICE FOX

Special to Circling the News

Adam Levine of Maroon 5 and his wife, model Behati Prinsloo, have put their Upper Riviera compound on the market. They’ve only owned it for a little more than three years, buying it at the end of 2018 from Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck. Garner and Affleck had bought the estate from producer Brian Grazer for $17.5 million in 2009. It was Grazer who refurbished the main 1940 home, honoring the original style of architect Cliff May.

When Levine and Prinsloo bought the place, they paid Garner and Affleck $32 million. Now they’re asking $57.5 million for the three-acre estate.

There are three buildings on the property. There’s the main house with five bedrooms and eight bathrooms in about 9,000 square feet. There’s a four-bedroom guest house. And there’s another structure that serves as a gym and office.  Levine and Prinsloo brought in a design team. It’s unclear what, if any, structural changes may have been made.

The pair have bought and sold a few upscale homes on the westside in the eight years they’ve been married. And last year they bought and sold an estate in Montecito, making around $5 million in about three months for that flip. While they never picked up and settled in the Montecito house, Prinsloo makes reference to their constant moving in a video posted last August for Architectural Digest.

Prinsloo and Levine in their living room.
Photo: William Abranowicz/Architectural Digest

As she and Levine take the AD cameraperson on a tour through their Riviera home, she plops into one of two big chairs that look as if they’re upholstered in fake fur. Levine says sitting in them is “like being hugged by a bear.”

Prinsloo says they are her “favorite chairs in the world. They’re so cozy. And these also come with us from house to house to house. We can’t get rid of them.”

At one point in the video they talk about permanence, while Levine points out “it’s so rare to find a property with a big yard in L.A.” like this house has.

“So I think when we saw that yard, like we just had tunnel vision for it. And we thought to imagine our kids growing up here and being able to run around.” They have two young daughters.

The video tour takes viewers to their clothes closets. In Levine’s there’s a daybed, which he calls “deeply unnecessary.” He quickly adds “this is never leaving. So, it’s never for sale. And this house isn’t for sale, either. So don’t even think about it for at least a year.”

Well, they missed that mark by a few months, putting the house on the market only seven months after this video was posted.

At the end of the video, Levine thanks Architectural Digest and says “we had a wonderful time showing you our house. We hope you guys love it as much as we do.”

They may love their Riviera house, but they’re selling it anyway.

A clothes closet in the Levine and Prinsloo home.
Photo: William Abranowicz/Architectural Digest

Adam Levine’s Neighbor, Brooke Shields, Sells First

Brooke Shields finally has sold her longtime Upper Riviera home, next door to Adam Levine’s place.

Shields put the 5,400 square-foot house on the market last August for $8.2 million. She soon dropped the price. Escrow closed end of February with a sales price of $7.4 million.

The new owner is actor Sam Page. Among other roles, he’s known for playing the romantic lead in many Hallmark Channel movies. Right now, he’s in the middle of selling his current home off of Las Casas.

Shields had owned her Palisades home since 1997. She bought it during the time she was married to tennis star, Andre Agassi.

While she lived in it some of the time over the years, it was often on the rental market, as she, her longtime husband, writer-producer Chris Henchy and their children spend most of their time in New York City.

When the house went into escrow, Shields posted photos of her and the home. In a few, she’s on her deck, looking out at sweeping views of the nearby canyon – views she might miss when she’s in her New York City home.

Brooke Shields viewing the canyons from her Pacific Palisades house that she has now sold.

Posted in Real Estate | 1 Comment

To Keep a Body in Top Form Means Movement

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

As one ages, an important exercise to include is side-stepping. Alison Burmeister demonstrates.

By ALISON BURMEISTER

Special to Circling the News

 

Our bodies are amazing machines. Given the right fuel and proper maintenance we are designed to run for a long time. With the occasional tune up and a yearly “check under the hood,” these bodies of ours are pretty solid vehicles to cruise through life.

It’s fair to say that we might even take them for granted until we notice a problem: a screeching shoulder, a hitch in our giddy up and a clang in the lower back. If we are good, we recognize this right away and inquire how to fix it. If we continue to “drive” a bit longer, we might find ourselves stranded calling roadside service (doctor).

Before I was certified as a yoga instructor, I was a makeup artist for some of the top fitness and yoga instructors in Los Angeles. It was my job to watch other people work out. I grew increasingly interested in why and how we work out.

I found myself “tech-ing” for my clients, which basically meant counting their reps and checking their form and letting them know if they were out of alignment in any way. While they hired me to make sure their hair and makeup were in place, I soon found myself caring more about their form.

Just like a classic car, if taken care of, our bodies will sometimes drive better than some of the newer models out on the road. There are many modes to keep us moving, but the real challenge is, we must do it.

Sitting and watching others work out is not going to make us strong. Sitting and sinking into our couches, desk chairs and seats of cars are definitely not doing us any favors either. We must move.

In working with clients from 9-99 I notice a common problem: posture. No matter the age, everyone is on a phone, computer, or some sort of device. We are slumped over, chin down, rounded spine.

If ever there was a direct connection between form and function, it would be posture. When our bodies are in proper alignment, they function better.

PROPER POSTURE:

One of the simplest and easiest ways to keep your spine healthy is using correct posture. This is especially important if you spend time sitting for long periods of time or standing throughout the day. The next time you notice your mood sinking, try changing your posture; stand up straight, and take deep breaths. Feel free to smile too while you are at it. You may notice a gentle boost in mood after doing so.

Sitting and standing with proper alignment improves blood flow, helps keep your nerves and blood vessels healthy, and supports your muscles, ligaments and tendons. People who make a habit of using correct posture are less likely to experience related back and neck pain.

With cell phones, notepads and computers, people seem to be constantly bent over. Alison demonstrates the correct standing and sitting postures.

STRETCH AND STRENGTHEN HIPS:

Hip stretching and strengthening plays a vital role in helping you stay physically active as you age. As we get older, our bones become weaker. That’s a normal part of “living.” But it means that a “more mature bone” can break more easily. Muscles and joints weaken, and range of movement deteriorates as we age.

The good news is that you can improve strength and flexibility in your hips, core and legs, which can help protect you from falls and fractures, or increase the likelihood of regaining as much mobility as possible if you do break your hip.

SIT/STAND AND SIDE TO SIDE:

The sit-to-stand transfer is an important functional movement that enables a person to safely move from a seated position to a standing position. This transfer is important for the essential activities like getting in and out of the car, out of bed and out of a chair.

That’s why the sit-to-stand exercise is probably the best of the mobility exercises for seniors. It is a functional exercise for that exact movement — and strengthens leg, core and back muscles. Those muscles are needed to increase mobility and independence as well as improve balance.

Once you are standing the next most important step is the sidestep. About 95 percent of hip fractures are caused by falling — and usually falling sideways.

The act of walking sideways occurs nearly every day. It uses a different set of muscles from the primary muscles used in walking straight ahead. Side-stepping exercises can strengthen these underused muscles while also improving balance, improving flexibility and increasing spatial awareness.

Any exercise is better than no exercise – seated or otherwise. If you find yourself sitting around the house a lot, make it your intention to increase your exercise from nothing to even 10 minutes a day. It will make a difference not only in your body, but your mind and spirit, too.

Stretching and strengthening hips can be done while sitting.

(Editor’s note: Alison Burmeister began her career 22 years ago in the beauty and fitness industry as makeup artist. She is a certified yoga instructor and teaches weekly classes both on-line and in person.  She also works with individual clients, tailoring fitness workouts for specific needs. Originally from Chicago, Alison and her husband Mitch have lived in the Palisades for 21 years and have a daughter, who attends local schools.  Visit: www.alisonburmeister.com.)

 

 

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Bing Crosby’s Great-Grandson Pitches for the Barnstormers – And That’s Just the Beginning of the Augie Sylk Story

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

MLB player Augie Sylk with Bob Benton (right) at the annual Palisades Baseball pancake breakfast on March 12 at the Palisades Recreation Center.

(Editor’s note: This story, written by Mike Gross and featured on Lancaster Online, was published in August 2021 and is reprinted with permission by the LNP Media Group. The featured athlete, Augie Sylk, grew up in Pacific Palisades and attended Palisades Charter High School.) 

 

At the beginning, baseball bored Augie Sylk.

“They put me out in right field,’’ Sylk, now a starting pitcher for the Barnstormers, then a little kid in Pacific Palisades, Calif. “I probably had the same attention deficit disorder as every other kid. I’d pick at the grass. My eyes would wander. I was so bored.’’

Sylk did play basketball and soccer and ice hockey and lacrosse as he grew up, but he also had a life, outside of sports, that probably made playing T-ball right field seem a bit, let’s say, quotidian.

Sylk hung out around celebrities, on movie sets, and attended Star Trek conventions. His mom, Denise Crosby, is an actor with credits that include recurring roles on “Star Trek: Next Generation,” (as Tasha Yar and, later, Commander Sela), and “Mad Men,’’ and whacking Eddie Murphy with a baseball bat in the 1982 film “48 Hours.’’

Sylk’s dad, Ken Sylk, is also an actor and screenwriter his son calls, “the best storyteller in the world.’’

Augie isn’t bad himself. During an afternoon in the Clipper Magazine Stadium press box last month, he charted pitches and told the remarkable story of a unique American family.

Ken’s grandfather was an Ellis-Island immigrant from Poland who settled in Philadelphia. Ken’s dad, William, started working at age 11 and worked himself through Temple University and Penn Law School.

William Sylk eventually bought a small drugstore and turned it into a chain of 200, expanded into ownership TV and radio stations and, in 1949, joined a group of investors in buying the Philadelphia Eagles.

Ken was recruited to Penn State to play football when Joe Paterno was an assistant to Rip Engle (Silk’s freshman-team coach: ex-Ohio State head man Earle Bruce). Sylk tore his knee up in a motorcycle accident, transferred to Villanova, was injured again and went to film school.

Denise Crosby’s grandfather is Bing Crosby.

In case you skated past that last bit: Yes, that Bing Crosby. The “White Christmas,’’ guy. Bing Crosby’s great-grandson pitches for the Barnstormers.

Denise never even met him.

Her father, Bing’s son Dennis, and her mother, Marilyn Scott, were not married. Dennis soon married another woman, prompting a paternity suit that was a very big deal in 1957, and from which Bing Crosby kept his distance.

“It was very scandalous, when I was born,’’ Denise said Aug. 3, during a visit to her son in Lancaster.

“It was a different time. Bing’s public persona was quite different from his personal one, and there was a conflict there.

“For myself, it has been a process, a reckoning, of having someone that famous and (his) not having anything to do with you.’’

Crosby went to college intending to go into broadcast journalism, got talked into auditioning for a school play, got the part, after which modeling opportunities opened up, leading to a role on the soap opera, “Days of Our Lives,’’ and a lifelong career.

Fast-forward to around 1990, 30 Rock in New York City. Sylk had a meeting there, and was riding an elevator down when man got on the elevator, befouled it with flatulence for a few floors, then got off.

Crosby got on the elevator, and intrigued Sylk. Sylk repulsed Crosby, who assumed he was the source of the befouling. He tried to convince her otherwise all the way down to the street, where she escaped into a cab.

A couple of years later, Crosby and some friends were going for a hike in the Santa Monica mountains, before which they met with more friends at the house of a guy named Ken.

That led to their true meeting: “Wait, I know you, …. Didn’t we meet in an elevator, … Oh my God!’’

That house is still their home. August William Sylk was born in 1998. Twelve years later, Augie and Denise were walking their dog in their neighborhood when they noticed a kid at a local field getting personal instruction from a coach.

Augie, who had never played baseball after that brief, boring taste of T-ball, watched closely, intrigued.

“Wait here,’’ he told his mom. “I’m going to go get my glove.’’

“I didn’t know he had a glove,’’ Denise said.

Soon Augie was 6-4, lefthanded, and throwing 90 miles per hour. He chose hometown USC over a number of West Coast Division One Schools. In two years there, he threw just four innings for the Trojans, but was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2019.

Sylk was a 38th round pick, and thus not a giant investment. His job with the Royals was eliminated with the downsizing of the minor leagues. He’s just 22, the youngest Barnstormer and incredibly inexperienced for an Atlantic League regular.

“This is really my first pro season,’’ he said, and arguably his first real season since high school.

“I’m learning so much being around guys who’ve been in the big leagues. If I was still with the Royals, I’d be in high-(class)A now at best. It’s been a great opportunity to come here and learn how to pitch.’’

Hope he makes it, if only for the trivia. His great-grandfather owned the Pittsburgh Pirates at the same time his grandfather co-owned the Eagles. During that time, the Pirates won a World Series and the Eagles an NFL championship. Both in 1960.

Sylk was born on the 17th. That’s his favorite number. Whenever he’s had a choice of uniform number, he’s chosen 17.

He learned recently that Bing Crosby, who grew up in Spokane, Washington, played college baseball at hometown Gonzaga University.

Guess what number he wore.

 

Posted in Community, Sports | Leave a comment

Theatre Palisades Youth Auditions Will be Held for “Newsies”

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Theatre Palisades Youth performed its spring musical “Singin in the Rain.”

Theatre Palisades Youth Director Laura Ganz has announced that auditions will be held for this summer’s musical “Newsies.”

The musical is based on the New York City newsboy strike of 1899.  Residents of New York received newspapers from an army of ragged orphans and runaways, called newsies. The youngsters sold the newspapers of Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, and other great publishers, barely eking out a living. Newsie Jack Kelly dreams of a better life than the hardship of the streets. But when Pulitzer and Hearst raise distribution prices at the newsies’ expense, Jack finds a cause to fight for, and must decide between his dreams and his newfound responsibility.

Auditions will be held at Pierson Playhouse, 941 Temescal Canyon Road, on Wednesday, March 30, and Monday April 4 from 3:30pm – 6:30pm and on Thursday, April 7 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Visit: Theatrepalisades.org/youth to reserve a time.

All youth, in third grade through ninth grade are encouraged to audition. The kids should be prepared to perform a one-minute selection from a Broadway or Disney musical and to also do a cold reading from the script.

Those auditioning should wear clothes for dancing and dancing shoes—no open-toed shoes.

Callbacks will be held from 2 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30.

Rehearsal dates will run June 20 through July 14. Performance dates are July 15 to 17 and July 21 to 24.

Posted in Arts, Kids/Parenting, Schools | Leave a comment

Obituary—Joan Sather, Longtime Palisadian, Skilled Realtor

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Joan Sather, a beloved longtime resident and a popular realtor with Sotheby’s, passed away on Sunday, March 13. She passed after bravely battling ovarian cancer, which unfortunately took her away from us too soon. Her husband Kent said that even in the hospital, she was answering real estate questions for clients and providing nurses information on potential neighborhoods.

Always active in Pacific Palisades, Joan sponsored the Fourth of July Home Decorating Contest from 2010 onward. She told Circling the News last year, “When I attended my first PAPA (Palisades Americanism Parade Association) meeting 11 years ago, I had no idea I would enjoy it so much and be so involved for so long.”

She said her favorite part of the contest was visiting the houses for the final judging on July 3. During these visits she was joined by the yearly honorary mayors which included Jake Seinfeld, Kevin Nealon, Janice and Billy Crystal, and Eugene Levy. “All of the judges are terrific and very funny!”

Roberta Donohue, former publisher of the Palisadian-Post, praised Joan as “a fun lady to work with and one of the great realtors in the Palisades. She was also a wonderful contributor to the Woman’s Club home tour booklet.”

The daughter of a Naval officer, Joan lived all over the United States, including Hawaii, Maryland, Rhode Island and San Diego. She also lived overseas in France for three years where she became fluent in French. She attended five elementary schools, two middle schools, two high schools and Sweet Briar College before graduating from UC Berkeley.

She met her husband Kent in San Francisco and they moved to an apartment in Brentwood. Through friends, they heard about Pacific Palisades and started house hunting. “We looked for quite a while before we found something we could afford in the Marquez Knolls area,” said Joan, who was pregnant with their first child, daughter Kelly. A major drawback was a long set of stairs to climb to reach the home, but this experience helped Joan develop the buying philosophy she later shared with real estate clients.

“There were more things about the house we liked than we didn’t like, including the floor plan and the square footage,” Joan said. “Even looking at a $10 million home, you won’t find a totally perfect house. You have to decide where you are willing to compromise.”

After they lived in the Palisades for almost a year, Kent accepted a job with a real estate developer in Arizona. They went to look at houses in Arizona and Kent asked Joan, “Which one do you want to put an offer on?” Joan replied, “I don’t want to make an offer. I don’t want to leave the Palisades.”

She later said she didn’t think about her response. “It just came out of my heart. After moving around so much as a kid, I wanted to stay here in the Palisades.”

Praising her husband, Joan said Kent responded by saying, “Guess I’ll have to quit my job and come back to L.A.” He soon joined a real estate development company in L.A., and by the time their son Peter was born, they realized they needed a more family-friendly house. They bought a home in the Huntington Palisades, where Joan would one day serve as president of the homeowners association.

When her two kids were older, Joan earned an MBA at Loyola Marymount at night, and became a realtor with Jon Douglas in his Palisades office in 1988. She later said, “With an MBA in hand, the more flexible hours of real estate seemed a better fit for a family than a corporate setting.”

Over the years, Joan and Kent traveled the world together. In 2013, she told Post editor Bill Bruns, “When we married, Kent had never traveled farther from his home in Marin County than to visit his aunt in San Diego. He was so interested in my stories about traveling that we have spent most of our married life making up for it. We spent our honeymoon in Europe, and we have bicycled throughout Europe and Asia, snorkeled in New Guinea, and climbed Mt. Kilmanjaro and Mt. Fuji.” Just last year, Joan and Kent returned to Paris for a famous art installation.

Said Bruns, “Joan was strong and vivacious, and a talented writer. I enjoyed publishing various stories that she submitted to the Post about her travels and the real estate business.”

In 2014, Joan brought her labradoodle Cooper to the Palisades library for a new children’s reading program called Bark. She also worked with John Muir students as a reading counselor, and she was always accompanied by Cooper, whom the children adored.

Susan Montgomery, Joan’s associate at Sotheby’s, said, “As a longtime friend and colleague, I, along with so many others, mourn the sudden passing of our beloved Joan. She traveled the world often with great enthusiasm, loved her family, her career in finding people their forever homes, and our community with all her heart.

“Always up for a challenge, Joan volunteered for many local events, including spearheading our annual Home Decorating Contest for the Fourth of July. I was thrilled to partner with her for this festive occasion for several years. The PAPA committee and I will feel her absence in perpetuity and will honor her contributions going forward. She was such a bright spark in this world and touched the lives of so many.”

In addition to her husband Kent, Joan is survived by her children, Kelly and Peter, and six grandchildren. A memorial service will be held in June.

 

Posted in Obituaries | 3 Comments

Chamber Music Palisades Features World Premiere

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Chamber Music Palisades will feature the premiere of a piece composed by Maria Newman.

Chamber Music Palisades (CMP) will present the world premiere of a piece by Maria Newman on March 30 at 8 p.m. in the sanctuary of St. Matthew’s Parish. “Phaeton: Prologue and three movements” will be performed by Newman (violin), Scott Hosfeld (Viola) and CMP Artistic director Susan Greenberg (flute).

Newman is an American composer of classical music and the youngest child of Alfred Newman, a major Hollywood film composer. Growing up in Pacific Palisades, she started piano at age six. Two years later she began in the violin and was composing by the age off nine.

She attended University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, graduating in 1984. She attended Yale University, completing graduate work in 1986, studying violin with Syoki Aki and composition with Martin Bresnick. She received the school’s George Wellington Miles Award.

She has collaborated as a soloist with celebrities, such as Pierce Brosnan, Paul Reiser and Billy Crystal.

Her works have been performed in novel locations, such as the U. S, Capitol Building, Hearst Castle Private Theatre, Washington State Capitol Building Rotunda, The National Archives, the Kennedy Center and the U.S. Marine Barracks.

Newman and her husband, Scott Hosfeld, who is the Founding Conductor/Music Director of the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra, live in Malibu.

In addition to “Phaeton,” the program will include “Debussy’s Syrinx” for solo flute, “Ginastera Impresiones de la Puna” for flute and string quartet, and Mozart’s “Quintet in A Major, K. 851.”

The later piece will feature long-time Los Angeles Philharmonic principal clarinetist Michele Zukovsky, Hosfeld, Newman, Nina Evtuhov (violin) and Paula Hochhalter (cello).

Tickets will be available for $35 online at cmpalisades.org or at St. Matthew’s at 1031 Bienveneda Avenue.  Guests must wear masks and provide ID and proof of full vaccination. CMP offers free admission for full-time students with ID.

Chamber Music Palisades Artistic Director Susan Greenberg will perform.

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