Wheelchair-Bound Crossing Guard Gets a Green Light

On a busy street in Culver City, crossing guard Anna Simard holds a bright red stop sign and wears a crisp, official uniform. But she uses one other item that other crossing guards don’t. Simard, one of the city’s 16 crossing guards, is afflicted with cerebral palsy and uses an electric wheelchair to escort children across the intersection of Duquesnse Avenue and Braddock Drive.

Last spring, Simard interviewed for a position with the Culver City Police Department. After she was hired in May, Simard became the first wheelchair-bound crossing guard in the city’s history.

“It’s a job, and I can do it,” she said proudly. “Because of this job, I’m becoming a more independent person.” Her work schedule includes a morning, lunch and afternoon shift each Monday. She believes that “the best thing about being a crossing guard is the kids; they’re always so nice and friendly.” During each shift, a job coach is on hand to assist Simard with any technical problems. When she feels ready to do the job independently, the job coach will be used only occasionally. Simard’s supervisor, Police Capt. Al Elias, noted, “Anna has an exceptional attitude and is doing a good job for us, and we couldn’t be happier about giving her the opportunity.” When she’s not working, Simard, 28, is a full-time student at West Los Angeles College.

Seventh-grade student Michael Bernstone received an Honorable Mention award from K mart in the company’s national Invent America! competition.

A student at El Rodeo school in Beverly Hills, Bernstone was recognized for the creation of a car that uses three sources of power for its energy. Invent America! was founded by the nonprofit United States Patent Model Foundation in 1987 to encourage inventiveness among young Americans.

Carl R. Terzian, a Los Angeles Fire Department commissioner and West Los Angeles public relations executive, has been elected a director of the St. Vincent Medical Center Foundation.

He is also a director of the Wellness Community in Santa Monica, the Boy Scouts of America and the Hugh O’Brian Youth Foundation. Terzian recently was honored with the Jane Wyman Humanitarian Award from the Arthritis Foundation of Southern California.

Pepperdine University professor Byron D. Lane has been appointed to the county’s Developmental Disabilities Program Board for the Los Angeles area by Supervisor Deane Dana.

Lane has a doctorate in organizational psychology and a master’s degree in business management.

The Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations will honor Rabbi Alfred Wolf for his lifelong contributions to interreligious and interethnic understanding in Los Angeles County.

Wolf, who served Wilshire Temple in the mid-Wilshire area until his retirement in 1985, has been active in promoting better relations among groups for 44 years. He was also a member of the Commission on Human Relations.

Culver City Councilwoman Jozelle Smith has been elected treasurer of the Los Angeles County Division of the League of California Cities for the 1990-91 year.

The American Cancer Society has named Erny Pinckert Jr., Bob Klein, Brian Shae and Joseph Borda to serve as its newly organized Westside Corporate Council. Members of the council will urge local businesses with employees who smoke to participate in the Cancer Society’s “Great American Smoke-Out.”

Items for People can be mailed to People, Los Angeles Times, Suite 200, 1717 4th St., Santa Monica 90401.