SLO LIFE Magazine Oct/Nov 2019

| BRIEFS
40
Four decades ago Gary Eberle released
his first Eberle wine, a 1979 Cabernet
Sauvignon bearing the iconic boar logo
(Eberle means “small boar” in German).
Since then, he has earned recognition
for many firsts, including the first to use
the Paso Robles appellation on his wine
label, and the first to produce a 100%
Syrah commercially. This year, Eberle
celebrated forty years in the business by
earning the esteemed Robert Mondavi
Hospitality Award.
7,650
The total number of students that San
Luis Coastal Unified School District
enrolled in the current school year at the
district’s ten elementary schools, two
middle schools, three high schools, and
two adult schools.
$7.2 million
The cost of converting the Octagon Barn,
a San Luis Obispo landmark built in 1906
and located just south of the city on Higuera
Street, into a community center. A grand
opening was held in September, with plans
to open the gates to the public daily starting
the first part of 2020. Government grants, as
well as private donations raised by the Land
Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County
paid for the renovation, which took twenty
years to complete.
Philanthropist
of the Year
Joan Gellert-Sargen was recently was named
the SLO County Philanthropist of the Year
by the local chapter of the Association of
Fundraising Professionals for her “generous,
widespread and contagious” philanthropy.
$22,498.75
The August selling price of RR Auction’s
Item #9517: a total of thrity original
“never-before-seen” glossy photos
that according to the auction house
“vividly document the fatal car crash
site of Hollywood actor James Dean,”
including “terrifying aftermath photos”
of Dean’s Porsche 550 and his No. 130
racing number. The crash site, a popular
pilgrimage spot for movie buffs, is near
the intersection of Highways 46 and 41
outside Paso Robles. The buyer has not
been identified.
ReadySLO.org
A new one-stop resource for public
information and help before, during, and
after a local emergency, brought to you by
the San Luis Obispo County Office of
Emergency Services. The cloud-hosted,
easy-to-remember website is designed to
load quickly and continue to work during
large-scale emergencies when potentially
thousands of people could be accessing the
site at the same time.
TOP 10
Picking Daisies, a San Luis Obispo-based
small business, was named one of the
Top 10 quilt shops in the nation by Better
Homes and Garden Quilt Sampler Magazine.
The honor earned owners (and sisters) Kay
Porczak and Dede Bruington a five-page
feature in the Fall/Winter 2019 issue.
63.68 mph
A new American collegiate speed record
set in September at the 20th annual
World Human-Powered Speed Challenge
in Battle Mountain, Nevada. Cyclist Josh
Gieschen pedaled a human- powered,
front-wheel-drive bike named Ambition,
fabricated by a team of Cal Poly
engineering students out of carbon fiber
and Kevlar, to beat the previous men’s
record of 61.29 mph set by a team from
UC Berkeley in 1992.
“It’s a
pleasure to
have Coach
Cederquist
back with us.”
That’s San Luis Obispo Blues general
manager Adam Stowe announcing
the return of former Blues coach Clay
Cederquist as the new head coach for
the 2020 summer season. Cederquist left
SLO in 2016 to coach with the San Jose
State Spartans. He replaces head coach
Dan “Skip” Marple.
$566,574.78
The annual pay, including benefits,
of Cal Poly President Jeffrey D.
Armstrong, who began his tenure as
Cal Poly’s ninth permanent president
in 2011 at $333,662.25. That’s a 70%
increase in his eight years on the job.
Salaries and pension benefits of most
California public servants are available at
transparentcalifornia.com. SLO LIFE
26 | SLO LIFE MAGAZINE | OCT/NOV 2019