Community: Guild gives $156K to neuroscience center

The cheers were loud and smiles wide as Ollie Vick, president of the Providence St. Joseph Medical Center Guild, made the annual donation to the medical center during the June installation tea at Lakeside Golf Club.

Vick happily presented the $156,000 check to Julie J. Sprengel, medical center chief executive. The funds will go toward the guild’s pledge of $500,000 to the Cusumano Family Neuroscience Outpatient Center at the hospital.

Specifically, the funds will provide free screenings for children at the state-of-the-art concussion center that is part of the neuroscience center, Sprengel said.

“So, we thank you very much for your contributions for the time you put on the Neuro campaign, but, more importantly, we thank you for being there, being a part of our history, being the one to remind us of what St. Joe’s is all about and why you have committed for as long as you have,” she said.

The donation is the result of such fundraising efforts as events held in the fall and spring, the gift shop and card parties.

Also during the tea, Vick accepted another year as president. Serving with her will be Donna Mahoney, first vice president and fashion show director; Terry Campbell, second vice president and publicity; Sharon Reid, treasurer; Kathleen Marsden, recording secretary; Patricia Cimo, corresponding secretary; and Pamela Shriftman, finance director.

Also serving are Lori Riela, food service; Mahoney and Marian Enos, Guild at a Glance; Jill Allen, hours; Claire Loughlin, social; Vicki Smith, table decorations; as well as Jackie Van Beveren and Maria Balke, co-chairs of the gift shop.

To thank Vick for her first year of service, the guild presented her with a gift card to Chico’s and a memory book filled with photographs of her first term.

“It’s been a great year and I thank you all for your support,” Vick said. “You should all be proud of what we’ve accomplished this year. I’ve had a great time being your president and am so happy to be doing it again next year.”

Youth starts percussion class for seniors

Girl Scout Meera Varma has got the beat, and she’s using that talent to create a class for seniors to earn her Gold Award.

She will soon teach a percussion class called “Rejuvenating Rhythms” at the Joslyn Adult Center. The first class will be from 4 to 5 p.m. on Monday, and classes will continue at the same time each Monday after that.

The 15-year-old is a member of Burbank Troop 10456 and she is a sophomore at Burbank High School.

“Being a musician for the past 10 years has taught me that playing music has many health benefits,” she said. “Through my percussion class, I will be promoting the mental, physical and emotional health of older adults through music. No experience is necessary to take my class. It is a fun, new and creative way to get exposed to music while mingling with others.”

The instruments for the class have been either donated or lent from Remo Percussion Co. in North Hollywood.

Community votes on parade theme

The Burbank On Parade Committee has announced that the next parade will be on April 23.

It has selected three possible themes and asks the community to weigh in on them by voting on the Burbank On Parade Facebook page.

The three choices are “Burbank On Parade Presents: My Super Heroes,” “Burbank On Parade Presents: Aloha Burbank” and “Burbank On Parade Presents: Back To The ’50s.”

Committee members ask that there be one vote cast per person and keep in mind the best theme is one that can be easily depicted when decorating floats and other novelty entries. The voting deadline is July 10.

A fundraiser is planned from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on July 16 at Barragan’s, 730 N. Victory Blvd. Committee members request guests tell the waiter/waitress they are supporting Burbank On Parade and a portion of the bill will be donated to the parade.

Prospective members are welcome to attend planning meetings at 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month at the Burbank Historical Society Museum, next to the Creative Arts Center in George Izay Park.

Magnolia Park optician remembered

Joseph Neal Roberts, 95, a longtime Magnolia Park optician, passed away surrounded by family on June 24 from complications of pneumonia.

He was born on Sept. 27, 1919, in Oklahoma City and was 1 year old when his family moved to Los Angeles. He graduated from Marshall High School in L.A. in 1938, and then joined the U.S. Army. He planned for a career in forestry after his required military service.

But his plans changed after Pearl Harbor was bombed on Dec. 7, 1941, which compelled him to serve for the duration of World War II. Staff Sgt. Roberts was stationed at Fort Ord in Monterey, Calif., at the time and married his childhood sweetheart, Louise Watson, in January 1943.

His 7th Infantry Division trained for desert combat in Africa in Needles, Calif., and then was sent to repel the Japanese invasion of the frozen Aleutian Islands of Attu and Kiska in Alaska in May 1943.

After the battle, the “Hourglass Division” recuperated in Hawaii and trained for two more major battles in the Pacific. Those were the Battle of Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands in February 1944, for which Roberts was awarded the Bronze Star for bravery, and then the Battle of Leyte in the Philippines in October 1944.

On the island of Leyte, Roberts was struck in the knee by a machine gun bullet, later losing his leg at the hip due to gangrene. After a month in the hospital in New Guinea and a long voyage home, Roberts’ hospital ship was met by actor Bob Hope. Roberts was sent to Utah to recuperate for a year, where he was joined by wife and where he was taught to use his artificial leg.

After the war, the couple started their family and moved to Burbank in 1946. Roberts began training at American Optical and remained an optician for the rest of his life. He owned his own optical business for more than 40 years in the Magnolia Park area of Burbank.

His family says that Roberts could not be stopped by the loss of his leg, refusing to use a wheelchair, crutches or even a cane until well into his 80s. A lifetime passion for sports found him coaching and playing baseball and softball with his children and rooting on the L.A. Lakers and the USC Trojans. He attended USC football games as a season ticket holder for years.

Roberts is survived by his wife of 72 years, Louise, and son, Robb Roberts, and daughter, Jill Roberts, who still reside in Burbank.

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JOYCE RUDOLPH can be contacted at rudolphjoyce10@gmail.com.