Readers share their sentiments after the final...

Readers share their sentiments after the final L.A. Then and Now column by reporter Cecilia Rasmussen, who recently retired from The Times. A collection of Rasmussen’s columns can be found at latimes.com/cecilia.

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“You’ve cleared up many mysteries for me, shined the light on the end of whispered snippets of gossip, which were always accompanied by rolled eyes, pursed lips or even a knowing smile.”

-- Pat

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“Thank you for the wonderful article that you wrote regarding the Savannah Memorial Park Cemetery for us in 2006. It helped bring attention to the importance of preserving this historic cemetery.”

-- Janice

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“I believe that it was in your ‘L.A. Unconventional’ that I read of some of the great, unsung heroes and heroines of the city -- like Rebecca Lee Dorsey, one of the greatest Angelenos that practically no one has heard of. I feel that I’d be a poorer person, in a sense, if it hadn’t been for your work. I’m sorry it’s come to this.”

-- Tim

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“I’m a descendant of Lastenia Abarta, about whom you wrote in a May 1999 article with the title ‘The Cad That Drove a Good Woman Mad.’ Thanks for what you wrote about Lastenia. . . . It was very accurate, as we have had old newspaper accounts.”

-- Steve

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“History is always stranger than fiction, and a heck of a lot more interesting.”

-- Dick

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“I have lived in Los Angeles since 1948 and often wondered about the movers and shakers that created this great city. They were people like you and I, or blessed with a special vision of what Los Angeles would become. Well, thanks to your great research and writing we now know most were people, who loved and lived and sometimes had great problems of their own making.”

-- Cliff

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L.A. Then and Now will return with new writers next month. Readers needing a fix of local history in the meantime can check out The Daily Mirror, The Times’ blog about L.A.’s colorful past.

latimes.com/thedailymirror

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Also on latimes.com

Life in the Shadows -- Check out The Times’ series about the lives of illegal immigrants in Southern California, including multimedia presentations, photo galleries, a discussion board and Spanish translations of the stories.

latimes.com/shadows

L.A. Unleashed -- An initiative that would prohibit what its supporters call “cruel confinement” of farm animals such as pregnant pigs and egg-laying hens has qualified for the November ballot.

latimes.com/unleashed