Southern Sierran - Sierra Club - Angeles Chapter

Chapter Awards: Volunteers who make a difference
By Angeles Chapter Awards Committee
Each year the Angeles Chapter salutes volunteer who have made outstanding
contributions during their service to the Sierra Club. Check
out these profiles of our 2012 honorees and then come celebrate at the
Angeles Chapter Banquet on May 5 at Brookside Country Club, 1133
Rosemont Blvd, Pasadena. (Chapter Banquet details here.)
John DePoy will be honored with the
Lifelong Service Plaque.
He has been an O-rated leader for more
than 30 years, primarily leading bimonthly
hikes in the San Gabriel and Verdugo
Mountains and the Angeles Forest.
His love of nature is evident in the hundreds
of wildflower photos he took and
generously shared in slide presentations to
Angeles Chapter groups. Hallmarks of his
BOB CATES
waterfalls and stream crossing outings were
the sumptuous potluck lunches his participants
willing brought to hike destinations.
Although he stepped away from leading outdoor activities a few years
ago, he continues to host all the major holiday weekends at Harwood
Lodge, including Thanksgiving Thursdays. With the precision of an
engineering background, he organizes meals preparations, ensuring
that everyone contributes to the overall enjoyment of food and camaraderie.
DePoy has always worked with a minimum of fanfare, but with
a wealth of dedication.
Steve Schuster will receive the Chester
Versteeg Outings Plaque.
An Angeles Chapter M-rated leader, Steve
has been the chair or co-chair for first aid
for the Leadership Training Committee for
many years. More importantly, he has been
the lead instructor for the Wilderness First
Aid Course (WFAC) since its inception
more than thirty years ago.
A vast majority of students who take
the course--offered twice a year, sometimes
with additional courses added—are Angeles
Chapter outings leader candidates or certified outings leaders. Although
the course is separate from the chapter and Sierra Club, it is vital to our
leader training program, and Steve is the heart and soul of the course.
He has done more than anyone else to elevate and to professionalize
first aid standards for our leaders. In so doing he has performed a signal
service not only for our leaders.
Through his training of our leaders, Schuster has indirectly helped
to treat most of the people who have become ill or been injured during
the course of a chapter outing over the past 20 years.
Patty Sap ping field will receive the Phil
Bernays Service Plaque.
Patty Sapping field is active in co-leading
Fundraising Out ings for the Angeles
Chapter. She has co-led outings to Arizona,
the Black Hills and the Redwoods, working
behind the scenes to plan the outings
and handling the financial transactions and
accounting for the trips to ensure their success
and maximize the fundraising to benefit
the Angeles Chapter.
Sappingfield regularly opens her home
to host pre-trip meetings for participants. In addition to her work at
the Chapter level, she is also an instrumental player in the Sierra Sage
Group, serving as the Group treasurer. She is involved with the annual
Join us at the Annual Banquet
Reservations/tickets cost $40 ($400 for a table of 10) and must
be made by April 20. To reserve dinner seating mail your check
(payable Sierra Club, Angeles Chapter) to Event Coordinator,
Donna Specht, 22221 Wood Island Lane, Huntington Beach, CA
92646. donnaspecht@juno.com, 714-963-6345. Please provide
your e-mail address for a reservation confirmation. During the
event, there will be a silent auction open to all attendees. If you
have an item to donate, contact Mary Ann Webster at (310) 559-
3126 or mawebster1984@sbcglobal.net.
Starr Ranch BBQ fundraiser and ready with a warm smile at all Sierra
Club functions to make newcomers and familiar faces feel welcome.
Mary Ann and Ron Webster will receive the Weldon Heald
Conservation Plaque.
Mary Ann and Ron
Webster have been
active with the West
LA Group conservation
projects and
instrumental to the
activities of the Santa
Monica Mountains
Task Force. They
were at the forefront
of the efforts to protect
Santa Monica
MOZAFFAR BAHARMI
Mountain ridgelines from a destructive mansion project proposed by
U2’s “The Edge” and were involved in Sierra Club support for the
Malibu Lagoon restoration project, which has begun successfully.
The Websters have tirelessly worked to lead Angeles Chapter trail
maintenance in the Santa Monicas. They have forged relationships
with elected officials that benefit land protection in the Santa Monica
Mountains and the West LA Group territory. Mary Ann has served
as an Environmental Commissioner for (then) Speaker of the House
Karen Bass and has worked with Sen. Fran Pavley and others. In addition,
Mary Ann has overseen the successful silent auction at the Awards
Banquet each year. Her efforts helped raise thousands of dollars for the
work of the Angeles Chapter.
Karen and Wolf Leverich will receive the Lori and Robin Ives
Excellence in Media Plaque.
Karen and Wolf Leverich have been elected (Karen) and appointed
(Wolf) members of the Hundred Peaks Section Management
Committee since 2002. In 2002, they re-created the section’s website,
adding routes, maps, way points and other details for each of the 270-
plus peaks on the list. They have also added historical details such
as a list of HPS officers, HPS award winners, lists of those that have
received emblems, scanned and shared copies of the HPS Newsletter
“The Lookout,” scanned and shared copies of registers from peaks
signed by those that climbed to the top, trip reports and other historical
data.
HPS was one of the first sections to add OARS Angeles Chapter
outings program to the website thanks to their hard work. The website
is a treasure of information both historical and current.
Al Sattler will be honored with a Political Service Plaque.
Al Sattler has been active with many political activities, but especially
important are his support of the Henry Waxman re-election campaign,
participation in Water District interviews, and his key involvement
with Political Committee fundraiser this past year. Sattler has held
several positions with the Angeles Chapter and is currently Excom
4 APRIL-JUNE 2013 SOUTHERN SIERRAN