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September 16, 2015 Palisades News Page 17
Republican Speaker Series
Features Pete Peterson
Pete Peterson will lead a discussion
in the Pacific Palisades Republican
Club’s 2015 Speaker Series at 7:30
p.m. on Thursday, October 1, in the meeting
room at the Palisades Lutheran Church,
15905 Sunset Blvd. Residents are invited
and there is free parking off El Medio.
He will speak and lead a discussion titled
“‘Too Bad You’re a Republican’: Lessons
from the Trail and a Look at 2016.”
Peterson is Pepperdine’s School of Public
Policy interim dean and executive director
for the Davenport Institute. The Republican
candidate for California Secretary of State
in 2014, Peterson writes widely on public
engagement for a variety of major news
outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Los
Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle.
Peterson is a leading national speaker on
issues related to civic participation and the
use of technology to make government
more responsive and transparent. He has
been a public affairs fellow at The Hoover
Institute, and he serves on the Leadership
Councils of the Public Policy Institute of
California and California Forward.
Call (310) 454-4345 or visit Pali sades
Republicans.com.
(Disclaimer: Palisades Lutheran Church
gives space for community groups to meet,
which does not imply an affiliation.)
Student Success Conference Oct. 17
Prominent L.A. independent school educators
will address “What Are the Proven
Keys to Student Success, Both in the School
and the Future?” from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
on Saturday, October 17, at the Luxe
Hotel, 11461 Sunset Blvd.
The fee is $179 per person and space is
limited. Call (818) 864-6725.
“This is going to be an extraordinary event
for parents,” said Sue Slotnick, the CEO and
co-founder of Educational Test Prep and
director of advancement at Village School.
Keynote speaker is Dr. Rob Evans, the
author of three books, including Family
Matters: How Schools Can Cope with the
Crisis in Childrearing. He will outline key
dilemmas in raising children and adolescents
today and offer concrete suggestions
for successful coping at home and school.
Following his presentation, parents can
attend different workshops, hosted by 10
experts on various topics.
PASSINGS
Donny ‘Conn’ Claps;
Entertainer, Speaker
Donny Conn Claps, 85, passed
away September 2. He was a musician,
comedian, speaker and
creative spirit who entertained and enriched
the lives of family and friends.
He was born on January 3, 1930 in Waterbury,
Connecticut, where he attended
school and learned to play drums.
Claps graduated from the University of
Connecticut and was one of the founders
of Beta Sigma Gamma, the first intercultural
fraternity in New England.
After college in 1952, he toured the Unit -
ed States and Canada, with The Playmates,
pianist Chic Hetti and vocalist Morey Carr,
who were also from Waterbury.
The group’s song “Beep Beep,” the story
of a Nash Rambler and a Cadillac, was on
the Billboard Top 40 charts for 12 weeks. It
sold over one million copies and was award -
ed a gold disc. At the height of the song’s
popularity, the Playmates appeared on the
Milton Berle Show, December 3, 1958.
That same year, the group signed with
Roulette Records as the label’s first vocal
group.
The Playmates followed up with a
chart-listing single in 1959, “What Is
Love,” and then again in 1960 with “Wait
for Me.” They recorded four albums for
Roulette before the group, which was
known for its between-song comedy and
banter, broke up in 1965.
Claps reinvented himself first as a
stand-up comedian, then as a professional
speaker. He later turned to comedy writing,
which opened his eyes to a career in
Donny “Conn” Claps
public speaking.
When that career took off in 1980,
Claps delivered more than 100 speeches a
year to all types of groups.
After he spoke, clients would ask him to
recommend keynote speakers for upcoming
conventions. Claps built a roster of qualified
speakers and shortly after founded Convention
Connection Speakers Bureau, one
of the first speaker bureaus to book lecturers
for conventions and business meetings.
Claps moved to Pacific Palisades in 1972.
He is survived by his wife of 58 years,
Joanne, and his children Kiela, Steven and
Koby and grandchildren Amanda and Kelly.
A memorial service will be held in October.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be
made to: HOLA (Hearts of Los Angeles
Youth), 2701 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 100, Los
Angeles, CA 90057 or visit: heartofla.org/
ways-to-give/donate.
NOTICE TO READERS
The Palisades News welcomes submissions of obituary notices
for Palisadians, past and present. Notices must be 400 words or
less. A photo may be sent for possible inclusion. There is no charge
for the notice, nor the photo. For questions, or to submit, please
e-mail editor@palisadesnews.com. The desired deadline for submissions
is Thursday before the intended publication date (the
first and third Wednesday of the month).
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