La Cañada History: Community’s oldest church renamed for the seventh time since the 1890s

Ten Years Ago

La Cañada’s oldest church changed its name for the seventh time, returning to to its original name, La Cañada Congregational Church during a ceremony held Nov. 9, 2008. Since its founding in 1897, it had been known variously as La Cañada Valley Community Church (1898), Church of the Lighted Window (1925), La Cañada Community Church/Church of the Lighted Window (1937), Community of the La Cañada Valley/Church of the Lighted Window (1940) and, in 1954, simply Church of the Lighted Window again. Then-Pastor “Skip” Lindeman said the new/original name more clearly reflects the church’s roots and background, specifically its affiliation with United Church of Christ. Today the pastor is the Rev. Kyle Sears.

Twenty Years Ago

The La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce and Community Assn. put out the call asking local residents to pitch in on “Decorating Day,” Nov. 21, 1998, to string lights in the trees lining the Foothill medians in advance of the early December Festival in Lights. Already signed on to help were members of the Kiwanis Club of La Cañada and the staff of the Community Center, but more hands would be welcome, organizers said.

Thirty Years Ago

La Cañada resident Pat Rielly, the well-respected head pro at Annandale Golf Club, began his two-year term as president of the Professional Golfers’ Assn. of America. He was 53 and only the second Southern Californian to serve as president of the PGA in its then 72-year history.

Forty Years Ago

The Descanso Gardens Guild embarked on a new program, Bridge Buffs, allowing members and their guests to meet monthly in the Hospitality House (Boddy mansion) for an afternoon that included desserts and rounds of bridge.

Fifty Years Ago

A 9-year-old La Cañada boy was hailed as a hero for dashing out of the house and diving into his family pool to rescue his 3-year-old cousin, who was floundering in the water. Paul Bermudez, then a student at La Cañada Elementary School, could only think of one thing after the successful rescue: Before taking the plunge he’d forgotten to remove the new pair of shoes his father had just bought him. “Dad will be mad,” he said. But his proud father, Arthur, instead said he would not mind at all going out to buy a replacement pair, especially in light of his son’s laudable actions.

Sixty Years Ago

The manager of the La Cañada branch of Bank of America, Loren McCoy, announced that 531 Christmas Club checks totaling $95,958.80 were being mailed out in November 1958 to La Cañada residents who had participated in the special bank program that year to set aside cash for the holiday shopping season. The mailing was part of a statewide distribution by the bank of a record $65.5 million in Christmas Club checks to 571,000 Californians.

Compiled from the Valley Sun archives by Carol Cormaci.