10-20-30 Years Ago

Ten Years Ago

More than 200 Ballet Petit students performed “Alice in Wonderland” at Lanterman Auditorium. La Cañada High School senior Grace Kim held the starring role.

Twenty Years Ago

Nine La Cañada homes sustained damages in two fires that began at the curb and in the front yard of a house at 5016 Angeles Crest Highway. Serial arsonist John L. Orr, an arson investigator for the Glendale Fire Dept., was later convicted of starting the local blazes, as well as in the College Hill fire in Glendale, which burned both sides of the Glendale (2) Freeway and destroyed more than 60 homes. It was determined Orr also started the 1984 Ole’s Home Center fire in South Pasadena that killed four people, including a 2-year-old. Orr is serving a life sentence in prison.

Thirty Years Ago

La Cañada Flintridge City Manager Clark Smithson confirmed he was seeking a new job after, for the second year in a row, the city council refused to raise his annual salary, which was $34,480 plus $2,400 in deferred compensation.

Forty Years Ago

The congregation of Church of the Lighted Window (now La Cañada Congregational Church) voted to begin raising $425,000 toward implementing a master plan that called for remodeling the church sanctuary and building new Christian education facilities.

Fifty Years Ago

The 18-hole, 3-par Verdugo Hills Golf Course opened on 28 acres of land near La Tuna Canyon. The owners were Joe Piuma of Flintridge, John Fellows of La Cañada and Bill Hairston, a member of Oakmont Country Club.