Through his eyes, 12 years and 1,200+ columns later
The month just ended marked 12 years since this writer began to
write more than 1,200 News-Press columns about Glendalians and the
city. My thoughts at this Flag Day season are of many whose lives
have impressed me, both in their hallowed past and in our exciting
present:
* I remember the late Roger Barkley, whose premature passing was
a shock. The La Canada Flintridge resident turned each of several
major career setbacks into an advantage, excepting the final one.
After a career as a disc jockey, talk show host and comedian, he
became co-owner of several restaurants. Also, he established the
Roger Barkley Foundation. As a master fund raiser, he left us with a
legacy deeply involved in providing assistance where needed. In his
memory, the Roger Barkley Foundation goes on.
* I respect and enjoy knowing Foster Dennis, who, at 8, began to
turn a family tragedy (his father was killed by a motorcyclist) into
several decades of material and thoughtful thanks to the people of
Glendale for their loving support for his family in that painful
year.
* I remember bidding goodbye to the beloved mom and pop stores
which lined North Brand and North Central and displayed small flags
at proper times. The stores’ ghosts are dominated by
economy-generating tall buildings, where flags fly higher, but no
more proudly, than the mom-and-pop banners.
* I am glad I know Georgia Abelmann, who is loved by those in
each of many organizations to which she gives her time, her wisdom
and her energy. It’s hard to believe that someone so tiny can have
such a big heart and endless stamina. If there is a doll at the
senior level, it’s Georgia. It was nice that she was honored recently
by the Oak Society at the Glendale Adventist Medical Center.
* It is inspiring to visit the Self-Aid Workshop, where a large
group of mentally limited individuals are employed, full-time, and
paid proper wages, for commercial projects contracted by large
businesses. Preparing old newspapers for recycling, attaching price
tags to new products and stuffing sample kits are just some of their
many activities. Carol Jarouyan, with lots of help, supervises the
benevolent discipline. The workers are a happy family.
* I am proud to know Bob Munroe, 1941 Hoover High graduate, who
was at Pearl Harbor on the morning of the Dec. 7 attack. The Navy
acknowledged that his ship, the Tangier, fired the first Navy shot at
the attacking planes, and the Tangier captain said it was fired by
Munroe. The Tangier, a PBY tender, survived nearly four years of one
scary miracle after another in the Pacific Theater.
* I remember the late Mark Doyle, who survived a high level
combat assignment in the same war. He came home to father eight sons,
all college graduates. Each of the eight is still married to his
first wife.
Last year, shortly before he left us, Mark Doyle was on hand and
honored by the Glendale Chamber of Commerce at its annual Flag Day
Luncheon (June 14). This year, the chamber will honor war heroes and
others who pledge their allegiance to Old Glory and that for which it
stands. The honorees will include Joel Youngquist, the Glendale fire
and police departments, Danius Anelauskas and Nestle, USA.
* I am honored to know the war stories of George Haney, Tom
Bistagne, Fred Whitaker and many others in Glendale whose days in the
military were daring and fortunate. They walk down the street now,
unrecognized as heroes by members of the younger generation. It’s not
their fault. They weren’t around.
To many of us in the senior bracket, May through August is a
special span of time to notice the flag and remember the best of the
patriotic past.
VE-Day, D-Day, Flag Day, Independence Day and VJ-Day are times we
are filled with prideful thoughts and memories of both tragic and
joyful historic times.
Ours is a grand old flag.
* CHUCK BENEDICT’S columns run on alternate Mondays. Reach him at
637-3200 (voice mail 974), by fax at 549-9191 or via e-mail at
BChuckbenedict@aol.com.