What happened in LCF 10-20-30 Years Ago?

Ten Years Ago

An underground electrical wire that was accidentally cut by a construction worker’s jackhammer gave La Cañada High School students and faculty a half-day off when the power went out on campus. The accident occurred near the construction site for the new Information Resource Center.

Twenty Years Ago

La Cañada resident Donald Miralle, who had been accused of strangling his wife Tessie and burning her body in the desert near Victorville in September 1990, was acquitted of the charges. The prosecution’s case had focused on tire tracks found at the scene that they said were a match for the tires on Miralle’s vehicle. But the jury believed testimony presented by the defense team that indicated they were not a match.

Thirty Years Ago

La Cañada resident Craig Powers won the top prize, $100,000, as a contestant in NBC-TV’s two-part special, “The First All-American Ultra Quiz.”

Forty Years Ago

Off-road racer John Ulfeldt won the Baja 1000 race in the four-wheel-drive class, claiming the $3,500 prize. It was the second time the La Cañada resident and his partner, Sandy Cone, won the event. Their first victory was in 1968.

Fifty Years Ago

The La Cañada Fathers Council put together one of its rollicking fundraising performances, with many of the local dads dressed in drag. The 1961 production, “The Corsican and His Maid,” featuring Hugo Hammer as Napoleon, raised money for the council’s youth welfare program.

Sixty Years Ago

Manchester Boddy was prepared to open what had been his private estate, Descanso Gardens, to the public on Nov. 24, 1951. Boddy said there would be little fanfare, as he wanted Southern Californians to discover the gardens on their own and return to enjoy their changing seasons throughout the year.