Peninsula People Sept 2017

September 2017 • Peninsula 3

THINKING OF MOVING TO THE PENINSULA?
We affectionately call it The Hill
Let me conduct a tour of the Palos Verdes
Peninsula, consisting of four incorporated
cities, two unincorporated areas, one annexed
area. Building requirements
consider lot coverage, air space, views,
privacy, and neighborhood compatibility.
We call it “The Terraced Land”.
Let me show you why.
• “A Village”, parklands, open space, no congested
cities, traffic, or parking meters
• Thirteen micro-climates from which to choose
• Views are common here: Mighty Pacific, City
Lights, Pastoral, Ocean Cliffs and Coves,
Canyons, LA Harbor and most are without
power lines!
• Public schools are rated Top 10 - website:
www.pvpusd.k12.ca.us
• Three High Schools, Three Intermediate Schools,
11 neighborhood Elementary Schools, transitional
Kindergarten. Highly rated Private Schools
• Two nearby beaches off the beaten track, tide pools
• Four Golf Courses, Tennis Clubs, Athletic Clubs
• Active Peninsula Senior Center, Three beautiful
Public Libraries
• Horseback Riding Stables, Ice Skating Rink,
Sports Parks (soccer, baseball), Toddler Parks,
Dog Park, countless Hiking/Walking Trails
• Norris Theatre for Palos Verdes Performing Arts,
Palos Verdes Art Center
• Regal 13 Cinema, plenty of easy parking, seating
• 45 minutes to LAX (in traffic)
• Three major hospitals within a 15-minute drive
• HOMES IN EVERY PRICE RANGE AND LOCATION
Interested yet? Let me show you around. Resident
since 1977 and a Certified Palos Verdes Specialist
P.S. Neighbors, any additions to brag about?
Just email me.
LINDA CAVETTE, Realtor Lic. 01294734
Coldwell Banker Palos Verdes and Beach Cities
(310) 544-8455 LKCavette@aol.com
www.LindaCavette.com
PENINSULA
Volume XXII, Issue 2
September 2017
P A L O S V E R D E S P E N I N S U L A M O N T H L Y
ON THE COVER
Jumpstart CEO David Lord.
Photo by David Fairchild
PROFILES
20
Lord of Jumpstart
by David Mendez David Lord’s computer games are
designed to do more than entertain and now have over five
million monthly users. Next up, China.
26 Produced and then published
by Bondo Wyszpolski Peninsula novelist Jennifer Irwin’s
controversial, but unpublished novel is soon to be a major
motion picture.
32 Peninsula paradiso
by Stephanie Cartozian Jean and Charles Shriver made
an offer for an Italian villa that wasn’t for sale. Four years later
the owners responded to their offer.
58
San Pedro soul food
by Richard Foss Chef Dustin Trani’s family’s restaurants
have nourished the soul of San Pedro for nearly a century.
62 Schwartz’s baby
by Esther Kang Over the past three decades, Dr. Jerry
Schwartz has led the ongoing technological innovations at Torrance
Memorial’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
65
De-stress the start of school
by Dr. Greg Allen The start of a new school year can lead to
stress for both kids and parents. Talking about it helps.
HIGHLIGHTS
8 Stormstock Woodstock revival
12 Jester & Pharley
16 Harbor Interfaith
DEPARTMENTS
39 Peninsula calendar
66 Peninsula health guide
68 Around and about
73 Home services
STAFF
EDITOR
Mark McDermott
PUBLISHER
Stephanie Cartozian
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Mary Jane Schoenheider
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Richard Budman
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FRONT DESK
Judy Rae
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Daniel Sofer (Hermosawave.net)
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6 Peninsula • September 2017

TUESDAY
August 29th @ 6:30 pm
5 Sauces You
Need to Know
VisitCustomDesign.com
for a complete list of our
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September 12th @ 6:30 pm
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S P O T L I G H T O N T H E H I L L
Stormstock
A Woodstock Revival
The Peninsula Committee Los Angeles Philharmonic held its newest
fundraiser Stormstock, a Woodstock Revival, on a sprawling grass
lawn in Rolling Hills, generously hosted by Claudia and Tom Grzywacz.
The 240 guests dressed in bell bottoms, miniskirts with crazy flowered
prints, long-haired wigs and tie-dyed T-shirts. Psychedelic art beckoned
guests to a “selfie station.” The entertainment highlight of the evening
was Andy and Renee and the Hard Rain Band with a little help from
Chef Michael Shafer of Depot Restaurant. Andy and Renee took guests
down memory lane with a sing along and dancing under the stars. The
Peninsula Committee supports the LA Philharmonic and youth music
education in the South Bay.
PHOTOS BY PAT ZELT AND PROVIDED BY PCLAP
1. David and Kei Benoit, Cheryl Graue
and Lisa Zagha.
2. Chef Michael Schafer singing along
with the band.
3. Elizabeth Burns and Dominique
Claessens.
4. Joellen Alflen and John McBeth.
5. Greg and Natasha Finn.
6. Dave Jones, Marian Hall, Tammy
and Mark Tucker.
7. Karen and Jeff Hogue.
8. Chip and Pat Zelt, Dave and Debra
Schinnerer.
9. Sisters Claudia Grzywacz and
Elizabeth Storm McGovern.
10. Brian Higa, Tammy Tucker,
Marian Hall and Dali Higa.
11. Marian Duntley, Lu Takeuchi,
Jane Beseda, Lisa Sierveld and Jann
Feldman.
12. Claudia Grzywacz, Daniela Garcia
and Tom Grzywacz.
13. Paula DiFiore (seated), Vivien
Murtha and Sharon Guthrie.
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7
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8 Peninsula • September 2017

S P O T L I G H T O N T H E H I L L
Jester and Pharley
Create Joyful Phundraiser
or the last 22 years, The Jester Has Lost His Jingle has given me strength
“Fand courage,” said Jesse Hernandez. Now 27, Jesse told his story at The
Jester & Pharley Phund Taste of the South Bay Soiree. “That book changed my
life. You read the book to me when I was 5 at Miller Children’s Hospital in Long
Beach,” he told Barbara Saltzman, mother of the late Palos Verdes author-artist
David Saltzman. “Thank you for giving me hope then– and now.” The Phund’s
founder read her late son’s book to Jesse shortly after its release in late October
1995 and hadn’t seen him since. Hernandez’s mother Joann had been told her son
wouldn’t live to be 8. The “Phundraiser” on July 21 at Alta Vista Park in Redondo
Beach included the 5th Annual Jester Benefit Doubles Tennis Tournament and
Food and Wine festival, sponsored by Big 5 Sporting Goods, Premier Bank of Palos
Verdes and the Original Red Onion. Visit www.thejester.org for more information.
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY THE JESTER AND PHARLEY PHUND
1. Barbara Saltzman with Jesse
Hernandez and Madison Radlein.
2. Adam Jonas MD with wife
Julie Noble MD.
3. Joe Saltzman and Norman
Panitch MD.
4. Nickie Lennertz and son
Harrison Lennertz.
5. Susan Dalton, Denise Vega
and Jennie Speciale.
6. Richard Gridley, Brandon
Stokes and Aime Claire Lager.
7. Chair Heidi Grimm presents
trophies to Janice Bittker and
Michael Lopez.
8. 1st Place Winners-Addie
Soltani and Lanana Goldstein.
9. 2nd Place Winners-Lou Stokes
and Rebecca Clites.
10. Aime Claire Lager swing.
11. Heidi Grimm, Bob Oster,
Larry Styza, Yaz Nakamoto and
Deborah Ford.
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12 Peninsula • September 2017

September 2017 • Peninsula 13

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S P O T L I G H T O N T H E H I L L
Harbor Interfaith Services
Amuse and news
The South Bay Auxiliary of Harbor Interfaith Services
produced its third annual Comedy and Magic Night
fundraiser, netting over $80,000. The evening included
comedians and magicians, food, drink, a silent auction
and a raffle. Auction items included a 5 night stay in a
Maui oceanfront vacation home and four VIP suite tickets
to Clippers and Kings games at Staples Center. In an
emotionally moving talk, a Harbor Interfaith client recalled
how the agency helped her family.
1
2
PHOTOS BY ALEX DEVIN
1. Sheri Nikolakopulos, Kathy Siegel and Alex Nikolakopulos.
2. Ann De Briere and Rev. Sunny Kang.
3. John Hodge and Nanci Browning.
4. Claudia Storm Grzywacz, Beth Burns, Teri Hogan and
Margarita Schweisberger.
3
4
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JumpStart CEO
David Lord cuts
loose in his
Torrance office,
with help from
his JumpStart
characters.
Photo by
David Fairchild

Lord goodGameS
of
For many years, David Lord’s morning routine was to walk from his
Terranea condo to the trail along the ocean bluff and walk several miles
listening to Boston sports radio over headphones.
“Boston sports radio,” the New England native said after a moment,
laughing in spite of himself. “I liked to get clarity on the sports scene, and
I wouldn’t be able to check in all day,” said the Boston native and CEO of
Torrance-based, education software developer JumpStart.
The past season belonged to Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas,
the 5-foot-8 basketball superstar who seemingly scored at will against much
larger competition.
“He’s a fighter, and that’s Boston at its core – just a bunch of dopey, working-class
people. I’m the same way,” Lord said. “There are no blue bloods
in our family.”
Lord cashed in on a tech startup at the height of the late 1990s dot-com
bubble, helped build a major ticket reseller, and most recently, helped lead
JumpStart through a six-month-long acquisition negotiation with Chinabased
game developer NetDragon.
Lord is no longer living at Terranea, the sale to NetDragon closed this
month and the youngest of his three daughters has moved out. But he isn’t
slowing down.
“I’m still hungry,” Lord said.
Lord is the son of a factory worker. He spent his youth playing football
and Lord graduated from Northeastern University with a B.S. in accounting.
Through there, he found his way into tech.
“After college, I went with a reengineering group, doing tech accounting,”
Lord said. “The first eight to 10 years of my career led up to when the dotcoms
were starting.”
After a year of incubating the idea, Lord helped to found Toysmart, an e-
commerce company that specialized in developing educational, or what
Lord calls “good” toys, as opposed to Barbies and Hot Wheels. To keep
prices down they marketed directly to consumers, rather than through retailers.
But they had a problem.
“I was there at the beginning, when you couldn’t convince investors that
people would buy online,” Lord said.
Fortunately for Lord, concerns that consumers wanted to touch what they
bought and wouldn’t wait for a product to be shipped, passed.
“It got to the point where we had term sheets (investment agreements)
rolling in, each one with a $10 million higher valuation of the company
than the one before it,” Lord said. “All the biggest leaders in [venture capitalism],
everyone wanted to invest. It was an unbelievable time.”
Those were the Wild West days of the web, when companies such as
About.com, Yahoo and Pets.com were booming. New initial public offerings
for companies were hitting the stock market every day, starting at $15 a
share and increasing in value by 2,000 percent by day’s end.
In August 1999, Disney bought a majority stake in Toysmart for $45 million.
In May 2000, eight months after the acquisition, Toysmart shut its
doors. The company lagged behind its contemporaries, eToys and Toys-
RUs.com. Lord left Toysmart in August 2000.
He worked for three years at Intel as the President/CEO of its New Business
Ventures department. But the transition, he said, was rough.
“Going from a start-up back to corporate…that was a punch in the nose,
after working at a dot-com,” Lord said.
In 2004, Lord began re-exploring the world of startups, and found an opportunity
with Razorgator, a then-minor player in the nascent world of online
ticket reselling.
He began as a consultant while still working on the East Coast. At the
time, the secondary ticket market was illegal in Massachusetts.
“There were plenty of scalpers, but you couldn’t do it online and get away
with it,” Lord said. “No one cared, but it wasn’t legal, so a corporation
wasn’t going to work.”
by David Mendez
David Lord conquered the educational software markets in North and South America and Europe. Now he’s targeting China.
Investors were eager to work with the company though. Razorgator drew
interest from major venture capital firms, such as Kleiner Perkins Caufield
& Byers, and Oak Investment Partners.
“When you get a blue-chipper like that [backing you], you have to go for
it,” Lord said. He and his family moved to Agoura Hills. Within four years,
the annual sales hit $150 million and it became the official ticket reseller
for the NCAA.
“Our first big event was the Rose Bowl — and it happened to be the USC
vs. Texas Rose Bowl,” Lord said.
The game was an instant classic, a 41-38 shootout between star quarterbacks
Matt Leinart, of USC, and Vince Young, of the University of Texas.
The game’s final scoring play, with 19 seconds left on the clock, sealed a
three-point victory for Texas at one of college football’s most historic venues.
And though the loss was hard for the newly-minted Californians, Razorgator
was thrilled with the association.
But Lord was unhappy. He and Razorgator’s investors had irreconcilable
difference of opinion over the company’s future. Time with his family over
the holidays in 2007 led him to move on.
“I hate seeing you so miserable – why’re you doing this?” Lord recalled
his father saying. “You should consider other things.”
Four months later, in April 2008, Lord joined JumpStart.
It was a natural fit for Lord. He was able to apply lessons learned and relationships
developed with Toysmart. He brought his team from Razorgator
along with him.
“It goes back to those days at Toysmart — we called it ‘good toys,’ and it
felt like we did something worth doing,” Lord said.
He and his team were focused on making learning fun for kids, building
on their Knowledge Adventure, JumpStart and Neopets brands.
Jumpstart now has over five million monthly users in North and South
America, Europe, Oceania and Asia.
Key to the company’s success was building a partnership with Dreamworks,
that allowed JumpStart to build the “School of Dragons” series
around Dreamworks’ “How to Train Your Dragon” franchise.
The demographics served by “School of Dragons” are unusual: Ages 7-13
make up 50 to 55 percent of the player base. The rest is made up by players
aged 13-25.
“People get associated with a brand at age 10 and they stay loyal to it,”
Lord said. “It’s an interesting phenomenon.”
Just as interesting is getting feedback on the way kids interact with their
games. The “Dragons” games are based on the scientific method: pose a hypothesis,
test it, interpret the results and duplicate the results.
“We got the perfect review: a kid wrote ‘I was having so much fun, until
I realized I was learning.’” Lord recalled. “We checked, and the kid had been
playing for six months. It just clicked.”
New owner NetDragon focuses on mobile application development and
online multiplayer gaming. The company offers JumpStart the opportunity
to move from selling solely to consumers to working with schools.
JumpStart, he said, has the opportunity to become the biggest educational
brand in China, where education providers must be approved by the government.
“No one is doing what we’re doing over there,” Lord said. “The gaming
market is unbelievable and NetDragon has an incredible portfolio.”
Lord is staying on as CEO of JumpStart, where his daughter who just
moved out will be joining him and her older sisters.
Having kids, Lord said, is the perfect training for being a CEO. “You’re
always sleeping with one eye open,” he explained.
Though still hungry, his goals have changed.
“I’m in a different place than I was five years ago. I like mentoring. Watching
them be successful is awesome,” Lord said. “I don’t base success on revenue
and losses anymore. But people, that’s what matters.” PEN
September Month Year 2017 • Peninsula • Peninsula People 21

Sexand the
Singular
Girl
Jennifer Irwin. Photo by Bondo Wyszpolski
by Bondo Wyszpolski
Jennifer Irwin wrote about a sex addict, and her novel will soon be a film
The road to becoming a published author has changed dramatically in
just one or two decades. The Internet now provides endless opportunities
for anyone with chutzpah to get their manuscript noted, increasing
the chances of seeing it into print. With a unique angle or storyline,
and a gift for self-promotion, writers can draw attention to themselves and,
if truly fortunate, their book-to-be will generate a buzz before it’s even
boxed up and shipped out.
Jennifer Irwin has navigated herself into that enviable position. The film
rights to her novel, “A Dress the Color of the Sky,” have been bought for
$250,000, despite the book still in its final edits.
As the saying goes, Timing is everything. The Palos Verdes resident
showed her manuscript to an agent who also lives locally. As Irwin recounted
it, he told her, “Your book is very of-the-moment because it has a
flawed female character who does bad things but you can root for her.”
What sort of bad things? Book Reader Magazine, an online publication,
ran a brief Q&A with a synopsis, the gist of the latter being like this: “Prudence
Aldrich, wife and mother, pulls up her jeans in the miniscule bathroom
after yet another random sexual encounter… After several dangerous
liaisons, Prue’s therapist advises her to get serious help. Her diagnosis: sex
addict.”
It’s an attention-getter, all right. Prudence checks herself into the Serenity
Hills rehab center for a five-week stay, her contract stipulating that she is
to abstain from all sexual relations, and she is even forbidden to have or
perhaps to nurture sexual thoughts (yeah, good luck with that). Five weeks?
I’m reminded of Wing-Foot’s comment on fasting in Jorge Amado’s “Shepherds
of the Night”: “Without food, drink, and a woman, nobody could live.
True, there were men who could go for a month without a woman; he had
heard tell of them.”
The novel has an elegant and poignant title, and the story edges back and
forth between Prue’s stint in rehab and her life as a child and young
woman, which will gradually lead the reader into an understanding of who
Prudence is and how she ended up where she does.
And, by the way, the book is about more than sexual addiction and abuse,
but we’ll get to that later.
I mentioned timing. Another factor that has helped propel the story is
the resurgent interest in books and films about empowered women. Of particular
note is Reese Witherspoon and her Hello Sunshine production company.
Witherspoon was behind “Gone Girl” and “Wild” (both box office
hits). Among other women-penned novels that Witherspoon has scooped
up for potential films we find “Luckiest Girl Alive,” “Eleanor Oliphant is
Completely Fine,” and “Something in the Water.”
Although there is always the risk of market oversaturation, the people
and the company who have acquired “A Dress the Color of the Sky” are
banking on the continued viability of this genre, niche or trend. Now, if
you’ve noticed me skirting around proper names and identities that’s because
it’s all hush-hush for another month or so. The cat isn’t being let out
26 Peninsula • September 2017

of the bag just yet. But let’s take a
step back and look at how Jennifer
Irwin reached the point where she
is today.
Read it and rate it
Something or Other Publishing
holds an annual contest. “My book
was the most voted on book in the
history of this publishing contest,”
Irwin said. What’s involved, however,
is more than just a high vote
tally. Contestants also have homework
to complete. “Part of the
homework was they taught you the
importance of marketing and the
importance of the author being extremely
involved in promoting the
book. Even if you publish with a big
five publisher, they expect you to
put the money they give you up
front for the book and invest that in
marketing. They taught me how to
utilize and market on Twitter, they
taught me how to get the right audience
following you, and I found the
author community on Twitter extremely
supportive.”
One may ask, supportive of what?
since none of them have seen the
book. What they’ve seen is a brief
synopsis and excerpts of the reviews.
Reviews? But how can that
be? Irwin explained:
“Early on I went to friends and
people I knew who were big readers,
and I asked them to read the
manuscript, even in its earliest
stages. And I was able to get reviews.
On my website I have all
these reviews that are just amazing.
I would take snippets of the reviews
on Twitter and use them for posts.”
These reviews are also posted on
Instagram and on Irwin’s Facebook
page.
“People see the review, or they see
just a sentence, and they’re intrigued;
and they want to know
more about the book.”
“A Dress the Color of the Sky” is
being published by Glass Spider in
the fall.
“I have a list of bloggers and reviewers
who have asked for advance
copies, and they’re
committed to [submitting] their reviews
within 30 days because my
book goes to pre-order in October.
So, in September the reviews will
come out from these really prominent
book bloggers. That’s kind of a
really important time for me.” Furthermore,
Irwin noted, there are
“hundreds of thousands of readers
following these different bloggers.”
She also pointed out that she’s
been “marketing the book for two
years,” which on the one hand can
be seen as diligent and savvy, but
more like hype on the other since
there is no product, only a synopsis.
But, as I said, the road to publishing
(and being noticed) has drastically
changed. New age, new tactics.
Sex cells
Irwin was raised in New York and
attended Denison University where
she earned a BA in Cinema. Actor
Steve Carell was a classmate; Jennifer
Garner and Hal Holbrook are
alumni. While in college, Irwin
wrote a screenplay. After graduation
she worked in advertising and later
married. Over the course of a 20-
year marriage she and her husband
had three sons, moved to Lunada
Bay in about 2000 (all three children
attended Palos Verdes High School),
and eventually divorced. Irwin has
been with her attorney boyfriend
for six years now, in one of the
winding housing tracts that overlooks
Trump National Golf Club.
Irwin retired from fulltime work
after her third son was born, and a
couple of years later became a Pilates
instructor. “That was,” she said,
“a good job for me to do and still be
a mom.
“Teaching private Pilates is like
being a hairdresser; you hear a lot of
stories. You share with them and
they share with you, and I had all
kinds of clients, not just PV moms.
It got me interested in women and
how they think and how they fall in
love, and how some women choose
the right man and some women
don’t. Is that luck? Or does that
have to do with your childhood or
having a good father figure?”
Irwin ceased writing after she
married and began a family. But
after her divorce she returned to
some former ideas, “and a little bit
is part of the screenplay that I wrote
back in college. The story just got
bigger and bigger and [began] taking
on a life of its own. Whereas I’d
started to write it to heal from my
own pain and my own relationship,
all of a sudden I was letting people
read it and they were really encouraging
me that there was something
big there and that I should keep
going with it.”
Film rights to the book were sold
“almost immediately” after Irwin
won the publishing contest. One
can again point to Reese Witherspoon
because, after Irwin opened
her Instagram account to the public,
Witherspoon’s book club began following
her online. It was around
September 2017 • Peninsula 27

this time that the agent (the one who
told Irwin, “Your book is very of-themoment”)
informed her that Witherspoon’s
production company “was
looking for meaty roles of flawed female
characters, whether likeable or
not,” and snatching up the film rights.
The stars must have been aligned,
as they say, because Irwin then gave
her manuscript to what in Hollywood
is known as a private money investor,
someone (or some group) with deep
pockets who puts their money behind
potential film projects. Presumably
aware of the trend towards projects
with strong or singular women at
their center, this producer liked the
gist of what she read and acted on her
gut instincts.
Irwin initially thought that what the
private money investor wanted to purchase
was merely an option on “A
Dress the Color of the Sky.” Many
books are optioned for film, and many
books sit on shelves for a couple of
years until the option runs out. Some
of course do get made into films, just
as some baby turtles do make it to the
shoreline and into the water.
“She said No, I don’t mean option, I
mean purchase,” Irwin recalled. “I
want to buy this manuscript for a feature
film whether or not your book is
ever published. I want the story.”
Not to demean the novel in any
way, but at that point it was the subject,
the concept, the themes, that
were the basis for the sale.
Irwin was given a good faith deposit,
which she invested in a writing
coach. The manuscript evolved from
having flashbacks to being linear, to
again toggling between events past
and present.
“After I finished working with my
writing coach I landed an agent in
New York,” Irwin said, “which is
every author’s dream.” Agent Karen
Gantz also represents Alec Baldwin,
who recently published his memoirs.
Now, because the film rights have
been sold, and because Irwin already
has a following on social media, Gantz
encouraged Irwin to go with a small
publisher, ostensibly because the author
would have more control over
when the book would go to print. One
Irwin cont. on page 60
The cover of “A Dress the Color of the Sky,” forthcoming from author Jennifer Irwin, and
soon to be made into a feature film.
28 Peninsula • September 2017

1 A N A C A PA
ROLLING HILLS ESTATES - THE VANTAGE POINTE
WWW.1ANACAPA.COM
4 BEDS | 3.5 BATHS | 3286 SQ FT | 21,874 SQ FT LOT
Ease into elegance in this unique French-country inspired home. Step into the
stately dining area with impressive ceiling medallion and convenient wine room.
The kitchen is pure decadence with modern appliances, granite countertops and
upgraded backsplash. The comfortable family room and inviting living room boast
rich hardwood floors and other artful details. Welcome your guests outdoors with
a refreshing saltwater pool and outdoor living room with fireplace. This is living at
a whole new level.
Asking $3,100,000
9 S A I L V I E W
RANCHO PALOS VERDES
WWW.9SAILVIEW.COM
4 BEDS | 2.5 BATHS | 3,660 SQ FT | 17,100 SQ FT LOT
Fabulous one level graceful home welcomes you with generous hospitality. The formal
living room’s high vaulted ceilings, custom fireplace and beautiful crown moldings
lend a comfortable elegance situated next to the formal dining room. The
kitchen boasts a spacious center island with granite counters, walk-in pantry, butler’s
pantry and breakfast nook. Relax by the fireplace in the family room before leading
your guests out to the ultimate entertaining patio with iridescent pool surrounded
by a large grassy yard, outdoor barbecue and stone patio. Settle into the extremely
large master suite with sitting area, walk-in closet and luxurious bath. Welcome
home to elegance and comfort!
Asking $2,299,000
GAYLEPROBST
Re/Max Estate Properties
310-977-9711
CalBRE# 01137236
A TRUSTED ADVISOR.
CLOSE AT HAND
“Preparation, turn-key real estate advice,
September 2017 • Peninsula and the personal touch you expect.” 29

Peninsula paradiso
The rear of the Shriver residence shows architraves or moulding around the windows characteristic of Italianate design.
by Stephanie Cartozian
Back in the early 1930s Frank Vanderlip’s
attorney E.D. Levinson walked on these
now worn paver stones leading to the front
yard gardens and courtyard.
The Italian villa wasn’t for sale. The Shrivers made an offer, anyway, with fortunate results.
Charles and Jean Shriver waited four years to hear from a sealed bid
they submitted in 1980 for a sprawling, Portuguese Bend compound.
They came across the property on a class tour for new appraisers.
The house was not for sale. The class was there to learn how to appraise.
A friend of Jean’s had invited her to join the class for the day, so she could
see the secluded home. Neither she nor her husband were in real estate.
Jean was a Manhattan Beach librarian and Charles an engineer. They were
living on Paseo Del Mar in Lunada Bay.
Four years after the tour, the property owner, Seymour “Skip” Warner
and his wife Virginia unexpectedly accepted the Shriver’s offer. The time
was serendipitous. The Shrivers were about to begin a remodel of their
residence. Instead, they moved into what Jean describes as her “dream
family farmstead.”
The Italianate residence was built for E. Douglas Levinson, the attorney
for Peninsula founder Frank Vanderlip. Levinson’s wife never visited the
property because it required taking a train from Los Angeles, then the Red
Car to Redondo Beach and then a mule over the hill to the residence.
In 1931, Levinson hired architect Gordon Kaufmann who, at the time,
was also working on the Hoover Dam. Kaufmann’s other notable works
include the Doheny Greystone Mansion, the Los Angeles Times building,
Scripps College and the Santa Anita Park Clubhouse.
Charles and Jean met in the late 1940s when he attended the then all
male Princeton and she attended the then all female Vassar. Albert Einstein
Photos by Tony LaBruno
Jean and Charles Shriver in the home
they’ve owned for over three decades.
32 Peninsula • September 2017

One of the two living rooms with a wood burning fireplace and original furnishings passed down from both sides of the Shriver family.
The cornerstone of the home with the
initials of the first owner, E.D. Levinson,
dating back to 1931.
lived in Jean’s neighborhood, where he attended the Institute of Advanced
Studies, along with Robert Oppenheimer, the “Father of the Atomic Bomb.”
Einstein planned to return to Germany but it was wartime, and his summer
home had been taken over by the Nazis, so he stayed in the United States.
“Einstein was a regular figure amongst us,” Jean said. “But I never spoke
to him because what do you say to someone of such a grandiose, mathematical
mind?” The town of Princeton was small at the time, with only
about 10,000 residents. “Everybody knew each other,” said Jean, who authored
a book about her famous neighbor, ”The Einstein Solution.” She
also wrote a novel, “Mayflower Man,” about a teenage boy’s efforts to save
the family farm.
The Shrivers’ two story, 4,900 square foot, sprawling, Italian farmstead
has seven bedrooms, two kitchens, two offices, two living rooms, four bathrooms,
an attic and a basement. As you travel up the private, gravel road
you hear the shrill screams of peacocks and the neighs of horses. The
sweeping courtyard is flanked by Roman columns. During the holiday season,
the courtyard is the venue for the annual Portuguese Bend Arty Party,
which attracts hundreds of residents for wine and cheese and to enjoy local
artisans’ wares. Horse stalls line the back of the courtyard. The Shrivers’
son Steve, an accomplished artist, recalled that during the filming of
“Rumor Has It,” starring Kevin Costner and Jennifer Aniston, ”The set
painters had so many tricks up their sleeves that they were able to transform
objects in an instant to create a point in time.” They worked with
A old crank pencil sharpener in Charles’s
office, next to a 1930s photograph of the
peninsula, in which the Shriver home
is pictured.
September 2017 • Peninsula 33

The courtyard entry to the Shriver home is flanked by columns. Projected eaves along
the roofline are supported by corbels, common in Italianate architecture.
Steve Shriver with a self portrait in his studio.
paint and muddled graphite over conduit to make the bars in the stable appear
rusted. During the filming of “A Walk in the Clouds,” starring Keanu
Reeves and Debra Messing, Jean said, “The set designers spent 10 days
preparing the property, including installing a pool in the courtyard and only
seven days doing the actual filming. “We were thrilled. Anthony Quinn was
here. He was old and funny.”
Although it was exciting having celebrities on their property, “none of the
movies were any good,” Jean said, candidly.
Both Jean and Charles keep offices by the stables, each with an exterior
entrance. Jean’s office has floor to ceiling shelves, teeming with books of
every genre. Above her desk is a trap door leading to an attic with old, fabric
and leather bound books, some with gold leaf letters.
The family’s furnishings have been passed down from both sides of the
families. Jean said that they have purchased maybe two pieces of furniture.
Everything else is an heirloom with a provenance. A bathroom has the original,
small teal tiles from the 1930s. There is a nod to history everywhere,
including old photographs of the Peninsula, classic automobiles, renaissance
style art of a medallion with the the Virgin Mary and Jesus (original to the
exterior of the house) and even an old crank pencil sharpener affixed to the
wall in Charles’ office.
But not everything evokes the past.
In Steve’s studio there is a large oil on canvas self portrait. “It’s not a typical
self portrait,” he said. The portrait shows him under a freeway overpass,
juggling eggs, naked. PEN
34 Peninsula • September 2017

The shaded path along the side of the home leads you to gardens and an idyllic natural pond.
September 2017 • Peninsula 35

$23,450,000

PRICE
REDUCTION
QUEEN'S
NECKLACE
VIEWS
NEW
LISTING
550 Silver Spur Rd. Suite 240, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90275

eventcalendar
CALENDAR OF COMMUNITY EVENTS
Compiled by Teri Marin
You can email your event to our address: penpeople@easyreadernews.com
All submissions must be sent by the 10th of each month prior to event taking place.
Saturday, August 26
Annual Rummage Sale
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. Lots of garage, yard and estate sale items.
Held in the “Family Life Center” room and upper patio area, directly opposite
the parking lot. 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. 301 Avenue D, Redondo Beach. There is
a parking lot opposite the church on Avenue D. For more information go to:
sntandrews.org.
Bee knowledgeable
Join Nicole Palladino, Founder, Beequilibrium to celebrate National Honeybee
Day. She will explain the importance of bees to the food chain. 11 a.m.
at White Point Nature Education Center and Preserve. 1600 W. Paseo del
Mar in San Pedro. Free. RSVP to (310) 541-7613 or go to: pvplc.org: Events
& Activities/Whitepoint Presentations.
Medicare 101
Do you have questions about Part A, B, C, D, enrollment windows, cost sharing
or “Extra Help”, the difference between Original Medicare, Medicare
Advantage and Supplement Plans? Carol Clement, (CA License 0H80524)
will answer all your questions. Sponsored by Palos Verdes Library District, this
informational seminar is free and open to the public. 3 p.m. at the Peninsula
Center Library Community Room. 701 Silver Spur Rd., Rolling Hills Estates.
Questions? Please contact Mary Cohen at mcohen@pvld.org or 310-921-
7519. Palos Verdes Library District, (310) 377-9584, pvld.org.
Summer Music Series at Nelson’s
Enjoy fantastic food,
drinks, entertainment and
scenery at Nelson’s Sunset
Bluff every Saturday and
Sunday throughout the
summer. The culinary
team will be offering po’
boy and beer pairings, as
well as specialty Bluff
cocktails. Gelato,
smoothie, and nitro coffee
available on Sundays.
Saturdays 6 -10 p.m. Sundays
1 - 5 p.m. For more information call (310) 265-2836 or go to: terranea.com/events.
Sunday, August 27
FRAMfest
FRAM is the only competitive soccer club in Palos Verdes and has 50 competitive
youth soccer teams with over 750 kids ranging in ages 7-18. This all
day event will feature team booths, a coaches game, silent auction, dunk
tanks and much much more! Nansen Field, 15 Hidden Valley Road, Rolling
Hills Estates. For more information call (310) 418-3708 or email:
admin@framsoccer.com.
Garden Concert Series
St. Luke’s third free Garden Concert features The Firebird Quintet and their
repertoire that ranges from traditional Russian, Ukrainian and Eastern European
songs, to well-known classics and original compositions. Come early to
picnic in the lovely garden. During intermission, dessert and coffee are hosted
by St. Luke’s. 5 - 7 p.m at 26825 Rolling Hills Road, Rolling Hills Estates. For
more information call (310) 377-2825 M-F, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m or go to: stlukespres.com.
September 2017 • Peninsula 39

40 Peninsula • September 2017

eventcalendar
Monday & Tuesday, August 28 & 29
Calling All Singers
Allan Robert Petker, Director of the Los Cancioneros Master Chorale, is holding
auditions for the 2017 - 2018 season starting at 6 p.m. at Hope United
Methodist Church, 3405 Artesia Blvd., Torrance. To make an appointment,
contact Lorraine Pickus at (310) 377-4978 or email: auditions@lcmasterchorale.com.
For more information go to: lcmasterchorale.com.
Friday, September 1
Seaside Beaders
A special interest group of the Embroiderers' Guild of America. This meeting
continues work on a miniature bead embroidered chair that is a pincushion
and needle keep. Visitors are welcome. You can always bring your own project
to work on. 9:30 a.m. St. Francis Episcopal Church, 2200 Via Rosa, Palos
Verdes Estates. For more information, please call Idele (310) 540-6104 or
visit www.azureverdeega.com.
Saturday, September 2
Coffee & Cars
All Senior (55+) car hobbyists & enthusiasts - Bring your Hot Rod, Custom,
Muscle Car, Sports Car, Antique, Classic, Exotic, or other Special Interest Car
or Truck, or just yourself to this free event in the parking area between Starbucks
and Burger King of the Peninsula Shopping Center. Meet and socialize
with Peninsula Seniors members and guests, and other enthusiasts. First Saturday
of every month from 7:30 to 9 a.m.
Monthly Beach Clean-Up Day
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium monthly Beach Clean-Up Day. Learn about coastal
habitat, the growing amount of marine debris within it, and the benefits of
protecting this ecosystem. Volunteers of all ages and abilities are welcome. 8
to 10 a.m. 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro. For additional information,
group reservations, or to receive a calendar of events, call (310) 548-
7562 or visit cabrillomarineaquarium.org.
First Saturday Family Hike
Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy at George F Canyon, 27305 Palos
Verdes Dr. E, Rolling Hills Estates, 9 a.m. Bring your family and join a naturalist
guide to discover habitat, wildlife and more on an easy hike up the canyon
with amazing views of the city. Free. All ages welcome. For more information,
contact (310) 547-0862 or RSVP at: www.pvplc.org, Events & Activities.
Outdoor Volunteer Day
At Portuguese Bend Reserve, Ishibashi Trail, RPV., 9 a.m. – noon Help restore
important wildlife habitat while looking out at a beautiful view! Sign up at
pvplc.volunteerhub.com.
Sea Salt Workshops at Terranea
Explore Terranea by Land and Sea with an experience highlighting the resort’s
farm-to-Terranea philosophy. Sea Salt Workshop attendees enjoy an intimate
workshop, salt pairing, wine and learn about the resort’s salt harvesting
process with Terranea’s award-winning chefs. The first Saturday of each month
at 10 a.m. $70 per person, per workshop. The Sea Salt Conservatory is located
adjacent to the Palos Verdes Ballroom Terrace. Ages 21 and up. Advance
reservations required. For more information please call (310) 265-2885
or go to: terranea.com/events.
Bill Engvall at The Norris
Palos Verdes Performing Arts opens the season with one of the country’s most
popular comedians. Bill Engvall makes a stop at the Norris Theatre on his “Just
Sell Him for Parts” tour. 8 p.m. 27570 Norris Center Drive, Rolling Hills Estates.
Tickets $165 - $185. To purchase tickets, call the box office at (310)
544-0403 or go to: palosverdesperformingarts.com.
September 2017 • Peninsula 41

DAVID FAIRCHILD PHOTOGRAPHY
"Its Like You’re There All Over Again"
310-316-5547 WWW.DAVIDFAIRCHILDSTUDIO.COM
eventcalendar
Sunday, September 3
Full Moon Hike
At George F Canyon with the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy. Explore
nocturnal sights with an expert naturalist under a full moon at the George
F Canyon Nature Preserve, 27305 Palos Verdes Drive East, Rolling Hills Estates.
Ages 9 and up. $12 per person. For reservations (required) and time:
pvplc.org, Events & Activities.
Monday, September 4
Labor Day Concert
Enjoy the sounds in the beautiful South Coast Botanic Garden. The Palos
Verdes Symphonic Band consists of about sixty musicians, including school
music teachers, engineers, physicians, homemakers, as well as current and
former professional and amateur instrumentalists. Concert starts at 5 p.m. Tickets
available at the entrance. 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes Peninsula.
For more information call (310) 377-2442 or go to: pvsband.org.
Wednesday, September 6
Pen Seniors lecture series
Local author Christopher J. Lynch talks about what he considers to be the
“Greatest Adventures” of his life, the challenges, the perceptions and finally,
the shattering of the word “dis-abilities”. Ongoing Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.
Hesse Park, 29301 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes. For more information
call (310) 377-3003 or go to: pvseniors.org.
Full Moon Yoga
In celebration of the full moon, yoga
enthusiasts of all levels are invited to
practice yoga under the warm summer
night sky while the bright full
moon shines above. Please bring
your yoga mat and a $20 charitable
donation. Starts at 7:30 p.m. 100
Terranea Way, Rancho Palos Verdes.
Space is limited, and reservations
must be made by calling The Spa at
(310) 265-2740.
Friday, September 8
Classical Crossroads
Joanna Lee on violin, Tanner Menees
viola, Bingxia Lu cello and Sung
Chang on piano, performing Robert
Schumann’s Romantic-era masterpiece
Piano Quartet in E-flat Major,
Op. 47. Starts at 12:15 p.m. with a
complimentary reception to follow.
First Lutheran Church and School,
2900 W. Carson Street, Torrance.
Admission is free. For more information
call (310) 316-5574 or go to:
palosverdes.com/ClassicalCrossroads/FirstFridays.htm.
At Play in Creation
This retreat will focus on the period
of Thomas Merton’s life when he encountered
Sophia, Holy Wisdom, in
the depths of his heart. This led him
to an intense study of the Russian
mystical writers. This in turn formed
42 Peninsula • September 2017

eventcalendar
the backdrop of his remarkable prose poem Hagia Sophia. Learn to appreciate
what Merton has to say in this profound work as well as in related works
from this fruitful time in his life as he discovers Wisdom at play in creation. 7
p.m. Mary & Joseph Retreat Center, 5300 Crest Road, Rancho Palos Verdes.
Call Marlene Velazquez at 310.377.4867 x234 for reservations or information.
Online Registration is available at www.maryjoseph.org.
Ricky Nelson remembered
In a unique, multi-media entertainment event, twin brothers Matthew and Gunnar
Nelson perform the hits of their legendary father, Ricky Nelson - the Rock
n’ Roll Hall of Famer who shook up music charts. The retrospective is heartfelt
and full of laughter. 8 p.m. Norris Theatre, 27570 Norris Center Drive, Rolling
Hills Estates. Tickets $70 - $80. To purchase tickets, call the box office at (310)
544-0403 or go to: palosverdesperformingarts.com.
Saturday, September 9
Preschool open house
Come check out Ascension Lutheran’s innovative preschool and transitional
kindergarten programs. Spaces still available for children ages 2 thru 5 years
Morning or full day sessions 26231 Silver Spur Road, RPV, (310) 373-
3083;www. ALCPreschool.Org
Channel Islands adventure
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (CMA) is offering a Channel Island Adventure to
Santa Rosa Island. Meet at 7:30 a.m. in Ventura and board a high speed
catamaran for an early morning crossing of the Santa Barbara Channel returning
at approximately 7 p.m. The fee is $82 adults, $74 seniors, $65 children
($70 Friends members) and pre-registration is required. On the island,
participants will follow along on a naturalist-led hike to learn about past human
occupation and observe the diverse coastal habitats, amazing geologic formations
and panoramic views that this unique island has to offer. Please note:
Island activities are very strenuous. For more information, reservations or to
receive a calendar of events, please call (310) 548-7562 or visit cabrillomarineaquarium.org
Team Leader training
Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy Team Leaders provide support and
oversight during Outdoor Volunteer Days. Learn more about native plants,
habitat restoration and growing plants in the nursery through exclusive training
workshops held throughout the year. 9 a.m. – noon Ages 16 and up. RSVP
to: www.pvplc.volunteerhub.com.
Stories, Songs and More
Families can share the joy of storytelling and nature with retired Children’s Librarian
Carla Sedlacek. All ages are welcome. Free. Reservations appreciated
but not required. Wear comfortable shoes and bring sun protection. 10 a.m.
White Point Nature Education Center, 1600 W. Paseo del Mar, San Pedro.
R.S.V.P. to: pvplc.org, Events and Activities.
Make and Take: Fairy Garden
Flap your fairy wings and sprinkle some magic dust to join a wonderful day
in the Gift Shop where you will make your very own garden fairy habitat. All
materials provided, including a pot, soil, plants, top dressing, and an enchanted
ornamental inclusion to help dress up your habitat. Upgraded pots
and décor will also be offered. Walk-ins are welcome but registration is encouraged.
South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes
Peninsula. Noon - 1:30 p.m. Visit are website: southcoastbotanicgarden.org/
or (310) 544-1948.
Guided walk
Hike while admiring picturesque ocean views and restored seaside buckwheatcovered
bluff tops that support the recovery of the rare El Segundo blue butterfly.
This is a moderate walk. Free and open to the public. 3 p.m. Pelican
Cove, 31300 Palos Verdes Dr. S, Rancho Palos Verdes. For more information,
contact (310) 541-7613 ext. 201 or sign up at www.pvplc.org/_events/NatureWalkRSVP.asp.
September 30, 2017
September 2017 • Peninsula 43

eventcalendar
AAUW / PVP
Fall Fling is the American Association of University Women, Palos Verdes
Peninsula’s festive and fun event to start off the year. Reconnect with friends
after the summer and hear about the variety of activities planned for the coming
year. It is the one time when all of the projects and interest groups and are
gathered in one room and the full scope of branch activity is on view. Members,
prospective members, and guests are all welcome. 1-3 p.m. Hesse Park,
29301 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes. $15 for members. Prospective
members and guests are free. Reservations are required. For information and
reservations, call 310-377-5252 or go to palosverdes-ca.aauw.net.
Sunday, Sept. 10
White Point Home Tour
Unforgettable homes reveal unique
stories and designs at the White
Point Home Tour. Lovers of art, architecture
and nature will relish in the
opportunity to tour six homes on the
Palos Verdes Peninsula, which feature
a range of architectural, landscaping
and design styles. Enjoy the
self-guided tour before relaxing at a
private Reception and Silent Auction
at Brouwerij West in San Pedro. Tickets
are $65 in advance or $75 the
day of the event. Self-guided tour
from 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. Registration
begins at 11 a.m. at White Point
Nature Preserve, 1600 W. Paseo
del Mar, San Pedro. Reception and
silent auction from 4:30 p.m. - 7
p.m. For more information call (310)
541-7613 or go to: pvplc.org.
Rock, Paper,
Masterpieces!
Join an artistic game of row-shambow
at this month’s Kids Club, where
families will explore the intersection
of nature and art together. Grab a
paint brush, paint a rock and set
your imagination free as you hide
them in the Garden for future visitors
to find. Capture the beauty of the
Garden alongside master plein air
artists with your own pastel painting,
and help create a group masterpiece
using your own nature paint.
1-4 p.m. Free with Garden admission.
South Coast Botanic Garden,
26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos
Verdes Peninsula; southcoastbotanicgarden.org
or (310) 544-1948.
Spiritual Eco-action
Is God the ultimate environmentalist?
Spend an afternoon considering
God’s creation in a new light and
identify your impact on it. Enjoy nature,
moments of silence, experiential
activities, and group discussion. You
may wish to bring a journal. 1- 4
p.m. $10. Part 1 of a 3 Part Series
exploring issues critical to our community.
Mary & Joseph Retreat Cen-
MATTUCCI
Plumbing
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SUMMER SPECIALS
$ 9 8 0
Residential Water Heater
40 gal. installed! ($1080 - 50 gal. also available)
Includes hot & cold water supply lines
Expires September 30, 2017
CONCERT OF THE CENTURY
Torrance High School Centennial Celebration
David Pack
former lead vocalist
Ambrosia
FULL SERVICE PLUMBING
SEWER VIDEO INSPECTION
ROOTER SERVICE
COPPER REPIPES
Sings his #1 Classic Hits
including How Much I Feel,
Biggest Part of Me and others.
BEATO BAND
Featuring David Pack, Fred Beato,
and Tom Croucier
Sept. 9, 2017 @ 7pm
2200 W Carson St, Torrance High Auditorium
Tickets $30 @ TorranceHighCentennial.com
310-533-4396 x8031
• Friday Football 7pm
• Saturday Tartar Family Reunion 10am-3pm
• Saturday Concert of the Century 7pm
$ 7 5
Rooter Service - Main Line
Must have clean-out access. Some restrictions may apply.
Expires September 30, 2017
F R E E
E S T I M A T E S
M e n t i o n t h i s a d w h e n
s e t t i n g u p a p p o i n t m e n t .
3 1 0 . 5 4 3 . 2 0 0 1
Thank You
For Your
ON CALL
24 HOURS
7 DAYS
September 2017 • Peninsula 45
PLUS
2013

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ter, 5300 Crest Road, Rancho Palos Verdes. Call Marlene Velazquez at
310.377.4867 x234 for reservations or information. Online Registration is
available at www.maryjoseph.org.
Second Sundays concert
Catherine Gregory on flute and David Kaplan on piano. Starts at 2 p.m.
sharp! Rolling Hills United Methodist Church, 26438 Crenshaw Blvd., Rolling
Hills Estates. Admission is free. For more information call (310) 316-5574 or
go to: rhumc.org/concerts-at-rolling-hills/.
An Enchanted Evening at Villa Narcissa
Join the Peninsula Friends of the Library at the historic Villa Narcissa, 5:30 to
8 p.m. Enjoy food and drinks, with the music of Gershwin and Porter. Watch
the sunset from the Villa patio and imagine the early days of the Palos Verdes
Peninsula when Villa Narcissa was created. Attire from the 1920s is welcome
but not required. Valet parking. Reservations $150. For more information or
to make a reservation, please call (310) 921-7505, or (310) 921-7503.
Tuesday, September 12
Advance Care Planning for Smarties
5-part series to help you gain a better understanding of the people, process
and paperwork involved in successful advance care planning. Presenters Edward
Long, JD and Ellen Gorbunoff, RN (board members of Caring House),
have years of practical experience with both successful and failed advance
care planning. Free and open to the public. Join one or all sessions. No RSVP
necessary. 1 - 2:30 p.m. at the Peninsula Center Library Community Room,
701 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates. Questions? Please contact Deb
Ripley at dripley@pvld.org or (310) 377-9584 x217.
September 2017 • Peninsula People 47

48 Peninsula People • September 2017

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Wednesday, September 13
Pen Seniors lecture series
Brett Arena, archivist for the A.F. Gilmore Company, owner of the original
Farmers Market, manages an eclectic collection of artifacts, photographs and
documents. “Welcome to Gilmore Island” is an overview of the long history
and varied activities of a family-owned enterprise that continues to leave an
impression on generations of locals and visitors from around the world. 10:30
a.m. Hesse Park, 29301 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes. For more
information call (310) 377-3003 or go to: pvseniors.org.
Friday, September 15
RHUMC concert
Accomplished concert soloist, recitalist and opera singer Jessie Tisdale, will
perform. 7:30 p.m. in the sanctuary of Rolling Hills United Methodist Church,
26438 Crenshaw Blvd, Rolling Hills Estates. Admission is free & donations
are welcome. For more information call (310) 377-6771 or go to:
rhumc.org.music.asp.
Saturday, September 16
Coastal Clean-Up at Abalone Cove
Join the Los Serenos docents and the community for the annual International
Coastal Cleanup Day. Bring friends and family to clean up Abalone Cove 9
a.m. to noon. Gloves and trash bags provided, or bring your favorite trash
bucket and trash picker! Trail to the beach is moderate to strenuous. Please
wear sturdy shoes; part of the walk will be on cobblestones. Parking fees
waived up to 45 minutes prior to the event and 30 minutes after. Postponed if
there is rain. (310) 377-5370 or visit losserenos.org.
Outdoor Volunteer Day
At Alta Vicente Reserve, 9 a.m. – noon. Help restore this unique canyon habitat,
home to many threatened and endangered wildlife species. 30940
Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes, Sign up at
www.pvplc.volunteerhub.com.
Malaga Cove Lawn Show
Last weekend for the summer art show, Saturday and Sunday. Over 30 talented
artists from the seven art groups affiliated with Palos Verdes Art Center
gather on the lawn in Malaga Cove Plaza, 10 a.m to 5 p.m. The Plaza offers
plenty of free parking. With
the support of Palos Verdes
Art Center and the City of
Palos Verdes Estates, the
shows have been a tradition
in the community for over 60
years. The artists have created
a variety of original artwork
including paintings,
ceramics, jewelry and photography
and are happy to
chat about their work and its
creation.
ArtWalk Experiment
The San Pedro Historic Waterfront Business Development District in collaboration
with San Pedro Waterfront Arts District announce an experimental Third
Saturday ArtWalk. Explore galleries and artist lofts, dine in unique eateries
and stay for a show or listen to music at local bars and restaurants. Free
guided ArtWalk tours will be offered at 2:30 and 4:30 p.m., leaving from
Sirens Java and Tea, 357 West 7th Street. For more information and an Art-
Walk Guide contact: Joe Pielago jpielago@sanpedrobid.com, (310) 832-
2183, Linda Grimes, lgrimes@ix.netcom.com. SanPedroWaterfrontArts
District.com. Facebook: San Pedro Waterfront Arts District.
September 2017 • Peninsula 49

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Make it a Habit
Little Sisters of the Poor Auxiliary’s annual fundraiser benefits the Jeanne Jugan
Residence. 5:30 p.m. no host cocktail reception; 7 p.m. dinner followed by
live auction. DoubleTree by Hilton Torrance, 21333 Hawthorne Blvd.,Torrance.
For more information (310) 548-0625 or www.lspsocal.org.
Benefit Concert
Richard Sherman Trio with Bili
Redd. Tickets are $25, tax deductible
and benefit the Seaside
Church. 7 p.m. James Armstrong
Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Dr.,
Torrance. For more info: Richard
Sherman (310) 378-5813, Shermanpianoman.com.
Sunday, September 17
Peninsula Seniors Homes Tour
This Capital Campaign fundraiser features three private estates, never before
open to the public, each valued at more than $6,000,000! 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
$100 includes a gourmet luncheon. Get your tickets before Thursday, Sept.
14! No tickets will be sold at the door. Call (310) 377-3003 or mail your
check to Peninsula Seniors, 30928 Hawthorne Blvd. Rancho Palos Verdes,
CA 90275.
A Fall Fete
Enjoy cocktails in the garden, a silent auction, entertainment, an elegant dinner,
and stunning sunset views from a historic Peninsula home overlooking the
ocean. 4:30 p.m. Reception in the Garden and Silent Auction. 5:45 Musical
Theatrics by ETC Theatre Company. 7 p.m. dinner. Please reply by September
50 Peninsula • September 2017

September 2017 • Peninsula 51

JoAnn DeFlon
SRES, Palos Verdes Specialist
310.508.3581 call/text
joann.deflon@VistaSIR.com
CalBre #01943409
Every resource that is available to me and
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Call me about your current home or
to find your next one.
Each office is independently
Owned and operated
eventcalendar
6 - Reservations limited. Outdoor elegant, bring a wrap for nightfall, no heels
for lawns and uneven paving. “The Cottage”, 99 Vanderlip Drive, Rancho
Palos Verdes. Information: (310) 202-6234 , (310) 210-0523,
ETC.Theatre.Company@gmail.com or www.ETCtheatre.org.
Grand Annex concert
Award-winning South Bay rockers, Andy & Renee return to the Grand Annex,
434 6th Street, San Pedro, for a riveting tribute to The Band’s legendary Last
Waltz concert. 7:30 p.m. www.grandvision.org/grand-annex/events.asp.
Tuesday, September 19
Advance Care Planning for Smarties
This 5-part series will help you gain a better understanding of the people,
process and paperwork involved in successful advance care planning. Presenters
Edward Long, JD and Ellen Gorbunoff, RN (board members of Caring
House), have years of practical experience with both successful and failed advance
care planning. Free and open to the public. Join one or all sessions.
No RSVP necessary. 1 - 2:30 p.m. at the Peninsula Center Library Community
Room, 701 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates. Questions? Please contact
Deb Ripley at dripley@pvld.org or (310) 377-9584 x217.
Wednesday, September 20
Wild Birds Walk
Wild Birds Unlimited leads a special guided bird walk at White Point Nature
Preserve. Explore the birds now making a home in the restored habitat at the
preserve. On 3rd Wednesdays starting 8:30 a.m. The program is free and
open to the public. All ages are welcome. Binoculars are available. Reservations
appreciated but not required. Wear comfortable shoes and bring sun
protection. 1600 W. Paseo del Mar, San Pedro. RSVP to:
pvplc.volunteerhub.com. For more information got to: pvplc.org.
Pen Seniors lecture series
Back by popular demand! Anthropologist Dr. Roberto Frisancho is returning
with “Grandmothers’ and Grandparents’ Role in Human Evolution”. The
award-winning doctor was named the Arthur A. Thurnau Professor of Anthropology
in 1999 for his distinguished teaching record. 10:30 a.m. Hesse Park,
29301 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes. For more information call
(310) 377-3003 or go to: pvseniors.org.
PVP 4-H CLUB Community Meeting
4-H is an organization for youth ages 7-19, that promotes hands-on learning
and is based on parent and volunteer participation. 4-H welcomes all youth
(and adult volunteers) from all backgrounds. 4-H offers such a wide range of
projects, programs and activities that every member can benefit from involvement.
Monthly meetings held at Rolling Hills Estates City Hall Council Chambers,
4045 Palos Verdes Drive North Rolling Hills Estates, 7 - 8 p.m. For more
information about the 4-H Club; please visit local website
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Thursday, September 21
Farm and Vine at Mar’Sel
Enjoy rare vintages from premier wineries at Terranea’s signature restaurant,
Mar’Sel. Each intimate dinner features exclusive wine pairings with a fivecourse
specialty tasting menu from an iconic California farm. $195+ per person.
6 - 9 p.m., 100 Terranea Way, Rancho Palos Verdes. For more
information call (310) 265-2836.
South Coast Rose Society
September meeting begins at 7 p.m. with refreshments. Society members,
Sharon Van Enoo and Gloria Leinbach, speak about the Heritage Rose Foundation,
a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving old roses. South
Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Boulevard, Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Friday, September 22
Beauty of Nature film series
Based on a New Yorker essay by novelist Jonathan Franzen, Emptying the
Skies exposes the rampant poaching of migratory songbirds in southern Europe.
Songbird populations have been drastically declining for decades, with
a number of species facing imminent extinction. This poignant documentary
follows the intrepid squad of pan-European bird-lovers waging a war against
poachers to disrupt illegal trapping. $10. Starts at 3:30 p.m. at the Peninsula
Center Library, 701 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates. For more information
go to: pvplc.org/_events/filmseries.asp.
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54 Peninsula • September 2017

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Saturday & Sunday, September 23 & 24
Celebration of Food and Wine
The grandest yet, this year’s event at Terranea Resort features multiple daytime
and evening events, including a Taste at Twilight reception to kick off festivities,
Farm-to-Terranea Dinner, Breakfast at the Cove, two tasting menu lunches complete
with wine pairings from California’s Central Coast, an after-party, and
more. For more information or to purchase tickets go to: terranea.com/california-food-wine-festival.
100 Terranea Way, Rancho Palos Verdes.
Saturday, September 23
Guided Nature Walk
At the White Point Nature Preserve, 9 a.m. Visit White Point Nature Preserve
and attend a naturalist-guided hike. Enjoy coastal views and learn more about
the plants, animals, restoration area and more! White Point Nature Preserve
located at 1600 W. Paseo del Mar in San Pedro. Meet at the information
kiosk between parking lot and Nature Center. For more information call (310)
541-7613 or RSVP at: www.pvplc.org, Events & Activities.
Attack of the Killer Algae
Presentation and book signing with author Eric Noel Munoz about an exciting
success story against invasive algae in our oceans. Free. 11 a.m. White Point
Nature Education Center & Preserve, 1600 W. Paseo Del Mar, San Pedro.
RSVP to: www.pvplc.org: Events & Activities/Whitepoint Presentations or call
(310) 541-7613.
Native Plant Sale
Plants sold on first-come, first-serve basis. Noon-2 p.m. White Point Nature
Preserve located at 1600 W. Paseo del Mar in San Pedro. For more information
call (310) 541-7613.
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September 2017 • Peninsula 55

eventcalendar
Eff You En
Tony Award-winning musical comedy “The 25th Annual Putnam County
Spelling Bee”. Runs through October 1. This hysterically funny tale will have
you rooting for the unlikeliest of heroes. 2 p.m. 27570 Norris Center Drive,
Rolling Hills Estates. Tickets prices are $30 - $70. To purchase tickets, call the
box office at (310) 544-0403 or go to: palosverdesperformingarts.com.
Grand Annex concert
An annual Annex sell-out! All-star ensemble of top LA musicians, celebrating
the memory of the Father of Cuban Salsa, Arsenio Rodriguez. Co-sponsored
by KXLU’s Alma Del Barrio radio show. 8 p.m. 434 W. 6th Street, San Pedro.
www.grandvision.org/grand-annex/events.asp.
At the Table
Experience an elegant dining experience with fine wines and education on
pairing them to the perfect foods. Join in multiple silent auctions and opportunity
drawing for a beautiful, handmade quilt. 5-10 p.m. Cost: $125 per person
if purchased before Sept. 1; $150 per person after. Buy a table ~ bring
your friends! Mary & Joseph Retreat Center, 5300 Crest Road, Rancho Palos
Verdes. Call Marlene Velazquez at 310-377-4867 x234 for reservations or
information. Online Registration available at www.maryjoseph.org.
Sunday, September 24
Music On the Meadow
Join the Corelli Ensemble on the Upper Meadow for an enjoyable afternoon
of Baroque music. 3 - 4:30 p.m. Free with admission. South Coast Botanic
Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes Peninsula. southcoastbotanicgarden.org
or (310) 544-1948. PEN
56 Peninsula • September 2017

A unity of themes
Chef Dustin Trani’s family has operated local restaurant for nearly a century.
Still, even J Trani’s traditional fare has a modern flair
by Richard Foss
One of the modern memes in restaurant design is the deliberately inappropriate
space. Trendy Italian in a warehouse, Korean food in a
British pub, Southern traditional in an austere space reminiscent of
a hospital, they’re all a thing in greater LA. It’s ironic humor expressed in
architecture, and when done well it can mess with your expectations in an
amusing way.
I generally prefer harmony of décor and dinner, environments that seamlessly
put me in another world or perhaps another era. On days like that,
I’m likely to end up at J. Trani’s, a San Pedro classic. I admit a level of nostalgia
here. My parents took me here as a child when it was Peppy’s steak
and seafood house. When the Trani family took the place over in 1989 they
converted a charming but relatively conventional place into a retro mountain
lodge with English baronial touches. If you’re the kind of person who
grooves on architecture you can wander around and notice details like the
spokes radiating around the ceiling of the bar. If you aren’t, you can just
luxuriate in the atmosphere of vintage cool.
It’s pretty clear which camp I’m in. On a recent visit I spent quite a while
viewing the place from all angles while waiting to be seated. Once ensconced
at a table in a corner by the bar we spent some quality time with
a pair of cocktails while examining the menu. The Sunken City (a renamed
Gold Rush) was well-made, but the Black Tie Affair was more innovative
and better. The mix of dry vermouth, chartreuse, Aperol, and chamomileinfused
brandy had harmonious spicy and herbal flavors. San Pedro is short
on craft bars, but these drinks make the case for Trani’s as the local leader
in the field.
With regard to the food, Chef Dustin Trani could be forgiven if he served
nothing but steaks, seafood, and pastas as dated as the architecture. His
family has operated local restaurants for over 90 years. However, even the
traditional offerings have a modern flair. A case in point is the cold smoked
swordfish carpaccio, which is tossed with olive oil and lemon and served
on a board alongside a basket of toast. It’s a classic smoked fish appetizer,
but the sprinkling of smoked red onion and radish sprouts adds a spicy tang
to the old favorite.
On another evening I tried their “new style” calamari. It’s tossed with
greens, Thai-spiced aioli, a dash of balsamic vinegar, and a sprinkle of black
sesame seeds. The greens and sesame add flavor and varied textures to an
item that is often just an excuse to eat crunchy batter. I would certainly
order this again.
After the “new style” calamari, we considered ordering the “old fashioned”
navy bean soup, but decided on the Trani’s salad instead. It’s just
greens with fresh mushrooms, red onion and feta with an herb-mustard
vinaigrette, but sometimes you just want simple flavors minimally accented.
The only flaw was the bread that came with it, which was dense and characterless.
It was fine toasted with the fish carpaccio, but with all the good
Italian bakeries in town that can deliver good crusty bread there isn’t a reason
to serve this.
For main courses, we decided on swordfish milanese and a sausagestuffed
pork chop with roasted root vegetables. Milanese on a menu usually
means a thick breading on something pan-fried – a schnitzel by another
name. It was breaded fish, but with a light crust of herbs and panko crumbs,
and it suited the meaty, mild fish nicely. The filet had been topped with
fresh green, yellow, and red cherry tomatoes and a bit of balsamic and olive
58 Peninsula • September 2017

Experience Handcrafted
Fine Mexican Cuisine
Filippo Trani, founder of the four generation restaurant family, left the island of
Ischia for San Pedro, where he opened the Majestic Cafe in 1929. Photo by Brad
Jacobson (CivicCouch.com)
oil, and served over mashed potatoes with asparagus, making a pretty
and varied plate.
The stuffing on the pork was a thin layer that seemed to be more
breading than actual sausage, but that didn’t detract from our enjoyment
of that item. It was a good quality and very large piece of meat that had
been rubbed with a slightly salty herb mix before being grilled, and it
usually arrives topped with a rosemary demi-glace. I asked for this on
the side because my wife sometimes finds these heavy, and I liked it
both with and without it. The medley of carrots and parsnips sweetened
when roasted and were a good companion. Along with the mashed potatoes
it made a fine meal.
We had been seated in the bar rather than the main dining room and
as we ate we realized what a gathering place for the community this is.
Just about everybody there had a greeting, hug, or handshake for Marco
the bartender, and there was a lot of table-hopping. This isn’t surprising
given J. Trani’s long history, but it’s nice to know that places like this
still exist.
I had enjoyed the tiramisu on a previous visit but on this day we were
too full for dessert. So after I finished the last of the glass of Chianti I
had ordered with dinner we made our exit. Dinner for two with two
cocktails and one glass of wine ran $128. It was money well spent. J.
Trani’s is a slice of history. The bust of the founder in the lobby looks
on approvingly as his legacy continues in high style.
J. Trani’s is at 584 West 9th Street, San Pedro. Open Mon. 5:30 p.m. – 9
p.m., Tues. - Wed. 4 p.m. – 9 p.m., Thur. 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m., Fri. 11:30
a.m. – 9:30 p.m., Sat. 5 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m – 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
– 9 p.m., Parking lot, full bar. Some vegetarian items. Wheelchair access
okay. Banquet room. Menu at JTrani.com. (310) 832-1220. PEN
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September 2017 • Peninsula 59

RPV Residents
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Irwin cont. from page 28
might think, Why not try for Pantheon or Scribner? Glass Spider, which
bills itself as “A Boutique Editing and Publishing Service,” seems like a minnow
in an ocean of giants. When asked why them, Irwin replied, “I chose
Glass Spider for a variety of reasons, the main one being trust.”
Arousing finale
We should circle back to why it is that “A Dress the Color of the Sky”
seems to have grabbed people’s attention and fueled their curiosity. Irwin
tells me about an interview she did with a book publicist in which “fifteen-hundred
people tried to call in and talk with me… And why? Because
people are interested in knowing the story of this person who’s a sex addict
and what happened.”
Is it partly autobiographical?
“No.”
Not at all?
“No.”
It’s all made up?”
“Yes.” Irwin paused. “All writers write about what they know. Can I write
about a marriage crumbling? Yes. Can I write about what it’s like to be
married to the wrong person or to date the wrong guy? Yes. I did a lot of
research for the book, obviously on addiction and recovery. I went to a lot
of meetings and talked to a lot of addicts, and my dad was an alcoholic
and a recovered drug addict, so I know what that’s like.”
Also, as mentioned, there were many contemporary issues that Irwin
wanted to explore, one of these concerning the reports of date rapes on
and off campus. “I had to put this into my book because, as a mother of
boys, I wonder where we’re going wrong. I don’t know about the girls because
I don’t have a daughter, and I don’t know about raising a girl.” She
added that she’s spoken to her sons about this subject. “I tried to have them
understand women and how to respect women. I’m sure my kids aren’t
perfect, but it was really important to me.”
This is, in a way, related to the title of the book, which is taken from a
late 17th century fairy tale by Charles Perrault called “Donkeyskin.” The
fairy tale hints at sexual abuse and incest. The donkey skin, Irwin said, “is
what we cover ourselves in to have people not really know who we are.
It’s our protective shell.”
The novel gives a full account of the fairy tale.
“There isn’t a lot of gratuitous sex in my book,” Irwin continued, “but
there is some sex and there’s also discussion of sex and abuse. So, it’s not
for the faint of heart, but at the same time it’s not graphic. It’s not a ‘Fifty
Shades of Grey’ or anything like that.”
One of Irwin’s sons is in his late teens, the others in their early 20s.
When she was writing the book was she thinking what their reactions
might be when they read it?
“Yeah. That was a little hard,” she admited, “and as a matter of fact my
youngest son has been embarrassed about the subject matter of the book.
I definitely did think about that and I definitely was worried about that.”
However, “He’s a big advocate of me being a writer and me writing this
book.” She laughed. “But he doesn’t want to read it.”
Writing “A Dress the Color of the Sky” has, after all, pulled Jennifer Irwin
out of her comfort zone, and she’s aware that not everyone’s going to sing
its praises once it’s published. In some ways she’s steeling herself for that.
That said, she’s had quite a bit of help and support along the way, from
book publishing veteran Edward Young, whom Irwin refers to as a writing
mentor, to her publisher Vince Font, her boyfriend and her sons, her agent
and her many readers, and now the producer and director of the film,
which is scheduled to go into pre-production in January. That’s quite a
backup team, and we can be certain there are others.
And afterwards? Is this the end of the line for sex addict Prudence
Aldrich?
“I’m going to be starting my second book soon,” Irwin said. “At the end
of the book there’s a place where you can go, Oh my god. Now I need to
see what happens next.” PEN
60 Peninsula • September 2017

Dr.
Delivery
Dr. Jerry Schwartz, head of Torrance Memorial’s neonatology department. Photo by Esther Kang
Torrance Memorial neonatology director Dr. Jerry Schwartz brings multidisciplinary
teams and newest technology into the delivery room
by Esther Kang
Inside his quiet office on the fifth floor of Torrance Memorial’s Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit, Dr. Jerry Schwartz recalled in a soft voice a delivery
last Christmas Eve that was unprecedented in his 29-year career as the
department’s medical director.
Schwartz, who is Jewish, works a 24-hour shift every Christmas. On this
particular evening, a mother began experiencing the acute onset of severe
fetal distress. The fetus’ heart rate was dropping to dangerously low levels.
As nurses wheeled the mother into the operating room for an emergency
C-section, he learned the situation was more dire than usual. The mother
was having an amniotic fluid embolism, a rare condition during childbirth
when the amniotic fluid enters the mother’s bloodstream. The result can
be multiple organ failures.
Within moments of entering the operating room, the mother went into
full cardiac arrest. While the code blue team began performing CPR on one
side of the table, Schwartz and his labor and delivery staff performed a C-
section on the other side. There were about 18 people in the operating
room. It was like a ballet, Schwartz said.
“The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Not a word was spoken."
The baby was born without a heartbeat and required a full resuscitation.
The mother, after being closed up, was wheeled into intensive care.
“Both survived,” he said. “I’d never seen this in 29 years, a full maternal
arrest leading to fetal distress.”
Schwartz prides himself on the efficacy of his multi-specialized neonatal
team. The team includes six board-certified neonatologists, approximately
50 labor and delivery nurses and several in-house obstetrician-anesthesiologists.
During his nearly three decades at the helm of the department, the
Palos Verdes resident has bolstered the unit’s resources to include advanced
technologies not commonly found in community hospitals. These include
high-frequency ventilators, non-invasive nasal mechanical ventilation
equipment, inhaled nitric oxide therapy and therapeutic hypothermia.
These resources enable the team to treat most high-risk newborns.
Soon, Torrance Memorial’s neonatal unit will move to the newly completed,
$450 million Melanie and Richard Lundquist Tower. The tower’s
new neonatal unit includes 23 private rooms with around the clock ameni-
62 Peninsula • September 2017

ties for entire families and rooms designed for sick newborns. Proceeds
from the 31st annual "Honda Evening Under the Stars” Wine Festival on
Saturday, August 26 will help underwrite the new neonatal unit.
Schwartz, 60, was born in Philadelphia. His father, a Navy Air Force engineer,
and his mother, a junior high school teacher, raised him to be a doctor,
he said. He graduated first in his pre med class at La Salle University
and went onto the University of Maryland’s medical school. In 1989, following
his pediatric residency at Saint Christopher’s Hospital for Children
in Philadelphia, he moved to Southern California to accept a combined fellowship
in neonatology and pediatric pulmonology at the Children’s Hospital
of Los Angeles.
“After the fellowship, I stayed in Southern California,” he said. “It’s a
hard place to leave.”
Following a brief stint at Tanzania Regional Medical Center, Schwartz
answered an ad seeking a medical director for neonatology at Torrance
Memorial. He was just 31 years old when he was offered the job. Under
his direction, the hospital has received about 10,000 babies in the Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit.
“Our hospital invests a lot of money in making sure our babies get what
they need,” Schwartz said. “And that’s based on what we tell them, using
evidence-based research. I was always passionate and aggressive in bringing
state-of-the-art neonatal intensive care. That’s why they hired me.”
“One thing about being a neonatologist is that every time our in-house
phone rings, it could be an ordinary call or it could be the start of something
extremely intense,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz moved to Palos Verdes in 1989. He has three daughters, ages
26, 20 and 17. The youngest is a senior at Palos Verdes High School.
“I felt Palos Verdes had the best schools in the country,” he said. “It was
beautiful, low crime, great sense of community. I went there for all the
usual reasons people move to PV.”
Schwartz is a supporter of the Palos Verdes Education Foundation and
the Palos Verdes Junior Women’s League, where he volunteers his piano
chops at some of their events. He was an auction item a few years ago for
a Christmas party. His primary instrument, he said, was the trumpet,
which he began playing in second grade. He played with local jazz quintets
and the Philadelphia Jazz Band, but when he received his fellowship in his
late 20s, he gave up the instrument due to lack of time.
In October, some 300 people will gather for the annual NICU staff and
grad reunion.
“We get to see the children grow up,” he said. “There are a lot of families
that were not critical, but there are also families who had extremely premature
twins or triplets and you just see them running around the room.”
Schwartz said the celebration is his favorite night of the year.
The 31st annual “Honda Evening Under the Stars” Gourmet Food and Wine
Festival takes place Saturday, Aug. 26 from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at the American
Honda campus in Torrance. Saxophonist Kenny G. will perform. Tickets are
$200 per person, or $300 per pair. For more information, visit facebook.com/
eveningunderthestars. PEN
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September 2017 • Peninsula 63

64 Peninsula • September 2017

Illustration by Tim Teebken
Easing back to school stress
by Dr. Greg Allen
Many kids and parents experience anxiety over going back to school
from the morning rush, the homework, and the quicker pace of
life. While this doesn’t mean we don’t like school, the changes
‘back to school’ time brings (new teachers, new classmates, new material)
can lead to increased stress. Here’s what young adult novelist Elizabeth
Scott and I recommend parents can do for their kids and themselves to relieve
back to school stress.
Get enough sleep
Over the summer, most families take their cues from the sun and and
stay up late. With the start of school, adjust bedtime schedules and try to
have everyone eat on a regular schedule. This advice isn’t just for little
kids. Teens and adults need quality sleep for proper functioning, as well.
Be ready
Set aside a specific study area for your child, even for kindergarteners,
most of whom have homework these days. Preparing that area can be a
shared project. You may also want to get your routines ready ahead of time,
such as having your kids lay out their clothes the night before and keeping
their shoes by the door so they can find them in the morning.
Talk
One of the best ways to relieve back to school anxiety is simply to talk
to your child about what he or she may be feeling. Let your child tell you
what’s exciting about school as well as what may be anxiety-provoking. If
your child expresses negativity about school, don’t discount his or her concerns.
Instead, focus on validating their feelings. Then help find solutions
to whatever is challenging to them. It may be another student, a teacher
or coach, a subject, peers or even how they feel about themselves.
Seek to understand what the main challenges are. It will be different for
each kid and for each school year. Add in some more positive focus, like
seeing friends, covering exciting new material, and growing up. These conversation
times can also be a time to discuss important topics like how to
handle bullies and peer pressure. Letting your child know you’ll be available
for support. Open discussions can be a crucial to your relationship,
as well as to your child’s success in school.
Balance responsibilities
Managing school is a shared task. While you don’t want to take away responsibility
from your child or teen for managing their schedules, your
support and guidance can be a positive motivator to your family functioning.
Dr. Greg Allen, LMFT is a therapist with a group practice in Palos Verdes
Estates and Hermosa Beach (drgregallen.com). He is the founder and director
of Freedom4U, a non-profit organization focused on creative arts, life skills,
leadership and service. (freedomcommunity.com). He may be reached at
greg@freedomcommunity.com PEN
September 2017 • Peninsula 65

DHEALTHCARE
PROVIDERS
Active Living to Skilled Nursing
Whether you’re looking for Independent Living, Assisted Living, or Skilled Nursing
with attentive 24-hour care, you’ll find a warm, welcoming and caring community
at The Canterbury. As part of Episcopal Communities & Services, its not-for-profit
philosophy guides Canterbury’s mission to serve people of all faiths and backgrounds.
The beautiful Life Plan community in Rancho Palos Verdes offers a lifestyle
filled with boundless opportunities for enrichment through Creative Living. Come
and see for yourself why The Canterbury is a great place to live life to the fullest.
Canterbury’s A- Fitch rating, the highest rating for a Life Plan community in California,
makes it a superior choice for retirement living with comfort, care and financial
security.
The Canterbury
5801 Crestridge Road, Rancho Palos Verdes
310-541-2410
thecanterbury.org
Keep life comfortable, dignified
At Comfort Keepers, nothing is more important than helping people live
full, independent and dignified lives within the comfort of their own homes.
Comfort Keepers is dedicated to providing in-home care that enriches people’s
lives and helps them maintain the highest possible level of independent
living and dignity. Comfort Keepers’ in-home assistance includes
companionship, meal preparation, transportation to doctor appointments
and other commitments. It may also include personal care such as bathing,
dressing and mobility. Families choose Comfort Keepers for both extensive
and short term care.
Comfort Keepers
25124 Narbonne Avenue, Suite 101, Lomita
310-325-6500
Care for women by women
From its online patient portal to fireplaces and chocolates on every pillow,
you, your time, and your health are Complete Women Care’s priorities.
Personalized care is provided by all-female, highly experienced physicians
at multiple convenient locations that offer the latest technology and one
goal – your optimal health. Patients enjoy 24/7 emergency care provided
at their GYN Emergent Care Center with a spa-like GYN specialized Sur-
66 Peninsula • September 2017

DHEALTHCARE
PROVIDERS
gical Institute on site. Complete Women Care serves over 40,000 patients
in the area, has performed more than 50,000 GYN surgeries, helped
deliver over 15,000 babies and is trusted by more than 2,000 primary
care providers.
Complete Women Care
550 Deep Valley Drive Suite 279, Rolling Hills Estates
562-634-8812
www.completewomencare.com
Hearing Health
Dr. William Lee Parker of Hermosa Beach, was born into a family with
deaf parents, although he could hear. He understands the challenges of
the hearing impaired. He founded Parker Hearing Institute in Torrance in
1975. His children Josh and Andrea followed him into the audiology business
after years of study. Josh is now in charge with offices in Torrance
and San Pedro.
20% of the American population has hearing loss but only 20% of those
with hearing loss seek hearing help. The remainder struggle to cope. Modern
digital aids are invisible and adaptive to noisy environments. Josh
prides himself on professional and empathetic care.
Parker Hearing Institute has helped over 40,000 people achieve greater
hearing health.
Parker Hearing Institute
4201 Torrance Blvd, suite 140, Torrance
310-540-4327
www.ParkerHearing.com
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September 2017 • Peninsula 67

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around&about
Residents urge support for PVE Police
n Residents who support keeping an independent Palos Verdes Estates Police Department
are urging fellow residents to send letters of support for the police to cityclerk@pvestates.org.
Last March, residents voted down Measure D, which would have extended the
Palos Verdes Estates Fire and Paramedic Services Parcel Tax. As a result, the city
is facing a nearly $5 million budget deficit. A study about how to fund the police
department will be presented to the city council in September.
Moana at the South Coast Botanic Garden
Globe’s PV Hill gets local
n The South Coast Botanic
Garden hosted a summer family
movie night July 28 to a
sold out crowd. Hundreds of
ticketholders began arriving at
3 p.m. for a big screen show
of Moana that started at 8
p.m. with festivities beforehand
that included Polynesian
dancers, food trucks and craft
beers. The gardens were in full
bloom and picnicking families
enjoyed an adventurous
evening watching the Disney
sensational film underneath the
stars. Visit www.southcoastbotanicgarden.
org for more information
about upcoming
family events.
26922 EASTVALE RD. PALOS VERDES PENINSULA
$1,649,000
Set in the prestigious community of Westfield in the Palos Verdes Peninsula…
more that two thirds of an acre on 4 graded flat pads with wide views. It is not
only the ultimate horse property, the house boasts 3 large bedrooms and 2 1/2
baths (one with a whirlpool spa tub). The charming remodeled kitchen features
convenient built-ins, wood cabinets and shiny granite countertops. Cozy fireplace
in living room. Extensive use of travertine and gleaming hardwood and high grade
laminate flooring and granite along with energy efficient dual pane windows
throughout and on sewer system. Circular driveway and large garage allow ample
room for multiple cars. Close to freeways, shopping, schools,
medical facilities, entertainment, parks, tennis court, trails and riding ring.
Armitra Properties Inc. • 310.994.7400 • arun@arjay.net
Globe CEO Matt Hill and Globe riders and staff celebrated the August
11 opening of the Australian surf, skate and snowboard company’s first
U.S. retail store, in Hermosa Beach. Hill, a Palos Verdes resident, and
brothers Steve and Peter founded the now global lifestyle company in
1994. Hill came to the U.S. in 1995 to attend USC film school but soon
took charge of Globe’s U.S. operations. Photo by Kevin Cody
68 Peninsula • September 2017

30 Year Anniversary
The Palos Verdes Flower Talking Clock donated by
Michel Medawar and his family, celebrated its 30th
Year on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
around&about
Olde Time Barbershop Quartets Host Ice Cream Social
n The South Bay Coastliners, The Westminster Chorus and guest quartets hosted
an afternoon ice cream fundraiser at the First Methodist Church in Torrance. Guests
were able to take a step back in time and enjoy music of a bygone era while taking
a break from the summer heatwave. The Coastliners perform a weekly chorus
rehearsal at the Redondo Beach Salvation Army Community Center, 125 W. Beryl
Street, Redondo Beach from 7:30 to 9:45 p.m. Visit www.coastliners.org for
dates and more information.
Your clock reminds you of its presence every
time you wind it. If the accuracy of the clock is
not what it used to be, or the chimes are not as
strong or rhythmic, or maybe it just stops; that means
your clock is talking to you and telling you that its endless
life is in jeopardy.
It is imperative to maintain and service your clock
regularly. Oil gets old and dry forcing the train of gears
to work twice as hard to accomplish their goal. This results
in damage that drastically shortens the life of a
fine timepiece.
Michel Medawar has been extending the lives of
timepieces for over sixty years as his father did sixty
years before. He is the inventor of the first talking clock
in the world. He is a graduate from Patek Philippe in
Geneva, Switzerland, The Theod Wagner Clock CO. in
Zeeland, Michigan. Call him so that he may come to
your and offer you a free estimate for servicing your
clock. Or bring your wall or mantel clock to out store
to see our showroom and receive the same complementary
diagnosis.
Mike Siditsky, Rick Llewelyn, Jack Reid, Barry Waite, Tim Hasselman,
John Saffery, Frank Olivadoti, Peter Neushul (Director), Denny
Lawrence, Bruce Beyne, Tim Bixler, Jim Gallagher, Damian Curran, Dan
Ullfig, Michael Borrett, Scott Suwabe. Photo courtesy of The Coastliners
We are located at 810C Silver Spur Rd., in Rolling Hills Estates, Ca.
90274. Or call us at (310) 544-0052
Open 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Tuesday - Saturday
810C Silver Spur Road • Rolling Hills Estates • CA 90274
Call 310.544.0052
70 Peninsula • September 2017

around&about
Concours continues tradition of elegance & speed
n The 1964 Ford Fairlane 427 “Thunderbolt” Drag Racer, one of 100 ever produced,
will represent Motor City’s Glory Days at Palos Verdes Concours Sunday,
Oct. 1 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Louis Zamperini Field in Torrance. This stock, builtfor-speed
Fairlane is owned by John Karelius of Dove Canyon, California, and
boasts its original engine, body, and chassis. This marks the first time for this “Thunderbolt’s”
appearance in the Concours. The car was originally delivered to Max
Larson Ford in Coldwater, Michigan, on Dec. 26, 1963, and resold to Jack Mefford
Ford in Springfield, Ohio, on April 21, 1963, where it campaigned throughout
the Ohio Valley. Jack Lindeman of Jack Mefford Ford reported to Lee Iacocca
every Monday morning about the T-Bolt’s weekend victories and sometimes losses.
Originally produced with an automatic transmission, this car was quickly converted
to a Ford “Toploader” four-speed. This common conversion to the “Thunderbolt”
model created a very competitive car in the Super Stock classification.
The pair, Iacocca and Lindeman, it is said, battled constantly about switching over
to a manual transmission. The many successes that followed confirmed that swapping
the automatic transmission for the “Toploader” four-speed was the right decision.
This year’s show will feature the marques of Packard and Porsche. In addition,
there will be a total of 19 classes of automobiles representing the finest in craftsmanship
from all over the world and for the first time there will be historic aircrafts
on display as well. Ticket holders will be able to tour the Western Museum of
Flight located at Zamperini Field at no additional charge. Proceeds will benefit
the Boys and Girls Clubs of Los Angeles Harbor and the Western Museum of
Flight. For more information visit www.pvconcours.org or contact Kimberly Locke
at 310-961-8834 and Kimberly.pvconcours@gmail.com.
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John Karelius’1964 Ford Fairlane 427 “Thunderbolt” Drag Racer, one of
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V ilicich
Watch & Clock
Established 1947
Celebrating
Our
70 th
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(310) 833-6891
714 S. Weymouth Avenue
San Pedro, CA 90732
Not affiliated with Rolex USA
September 2017 • Peninsula 71

72 Peninsula • September 2017

around&about
Portuguese Bend Horse Show Poster Contest
In anticipation of the 60th Annual Portuguese Bend National Horse Show September
8-10 at Ernie Howlett Park, high school students across the Peninsula were
invited to participate in a photography contest showcasing the heart-rending relationships
between horses and people. The winner would receive a monetary
award as well as the honor of having his/her photo piece used for the show’s
promotional posters. The contest was sponsored by Lisa and Chuck Noski of Palos
Verdes and the Art Department of Peninsula High School received a $1500 prize
as did the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles in honor of Peninsula High School’s
1st Place Winner, Chloe Green’s winning submission.
Poster contest winners: First Place-Chloe Green, Second Place-Krystina
Lukacova, Third Place-Katherine Kemps, Fourth Place-Chloe Green
(poster held by James Stiles) and Fifth Place-Emmy Rener, (poster held by
Anne Farrell). Photo by Flora Fairchild
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Cell: (310) 293-9796
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September 2017 • Peninsula 73