Tag archives: in memory
On a personal note, I remember Santa Barbara realtor Chip Lawson, who has moved to more heavenly pastures at the all too early age of 62. A jovial soul, we first met at Cafe Del Sol, the former popular local bar hangout by the Andree Clark Bird Refuge, now the Magic Castle. Chip, a former […]
On a personal note, I remember two very different local icons who have moved to more heavenly pastures. Kirk Douglas, who shuttled between his home in Montecito and Beverly Hills, was one of the last actors from Hollywood’s Golden Age, starring in more than 90 movies and garnering two Oscar nominations. He was also a […]
This Thursday, January 9, marks the two-year anniversary of the historic debris flow that killed 23 people and destroyed or damaged over 500 homes in Montecito. To mark the anniversary, a team of community organizations has collaborated to host Raising Our Light: A Night of Remembrance, Community, and Hope at Westmont College. The first annual […]
Two years ago this week, at approximately 3:30 am on the morning of January 9, 2018, a massive rainstorm unleashed a series of lethal debris flows that swept through Montecito, killing 23 people and leaving scores more injured and homeless. Two victims were never recovered, including Jack Cantin, whose father, David, also died in the […]
On Sunday, December 8, 2019, Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation celebrated the life of Robert William Jansen, a decorated veteran of the Korean War, Purple Heart recipient, and Santa Barbara philanthropist. Robert was born in Los Angeles in 1930 and came of age when military service was required of young men. He joined the Navy when […]
Our beloved father, brother, husband, and friend stepped into the arms of Jesus on Sunday, November 3. He fought a mighty battle but succumbed to cancer within five months of his diagnosis with his children and two brothers by his side. As usual, his attitude was one of bravery and acceptance, stating he had no […]
Korean-American Richard O’Neill, longtime violist for Adrian Spence‘s Camerata Pacifica, is joining the internationally acclaimed lineup of the 45-year old Takacs Quartet. He will replace Geraldine Walther, who is retiring after 15 years in May. Richard, 41, joins founding member, cellist Andras Jejer, English first violinist Edward Dusinberre and American second violinist Harumi Rhodes, in […]
Clark graduated from Jefferson High School in Monroe, MI in 1964, and five decades later, with Jack Mabe, co-founded the Raymond L. Kessler Scholarship fund, honoring its Principal. As a true “Renaissance Man,” Clark’s career encompassed being a Maker of Steel, Writer and an Educator. In the Steel Industry, while employed at Georgetown Steel Corporation […]
We lost one of our favorite people at the end of September, as Canadian-born Lorraine Duffy Wilson passed away at the age of 87. She was a regular at Santa Barbara and Montecito fundraisers for decades, and as the News-Press society editor made lifelong friends of those she covered and those who covered them with […]
Santa Barbara International Film Festival has hired veteran Benjamin Goedert as its new development director. In his new role, Goedert will be responsible for generating funds to support the fest’s dynamic arts and educational programs through sponsorships, grants and donations. He moved to our tony town 11 years ago to attend City College where he […]
Santa Barbara’s Breast Cancer Resource Center hosted The Pink Lounge gala for 300 guests at the Rosewood Miramar, which raised more than $230,000 for programs, which are provided at no cost to recipients. The 21st annual bustling bash in the chandeliered ballroom, co-chaired by Douglas Mackenzie and Joanne Funari, had Hayley Wise, 32, a breast […]
John McCann, loving husband, father and grandfather, peacefully passed away on Monday, September 16 from a brief respiratory illness compounded by pulmonary fibrosis. John was born at Fort Meade, Maryland on June 28, 1942 to Peg and Jack McCann, two of the best parents for whom a boy could ask. He was the oldest of […]
John Dean Caldwell, respected defense analyst and noted national security scholar died unexpectedly following surgery to correct a previously undiagnosed ulcer in Torrance, California. He was born in Pittsburgh, PA on November 14, 1940 to Dr. David Caldwell, a thoracic surgeon and his wife Jean. In 1945 the family relocated to Santa Barbara where Dr. […]
To La Cocina, formerly Somerset, with my snapperazzi Priscilla, to check out the made-over East Anapamu Street eatery, which now features Mexican-Californian cuisine. The charming back courtyard, filled with lavender bushes and gnarled ancient fig trees brought in by flatbed trucks from Northern California and craned in over the rooftops when it first opened after […]
On a personal note, I remember Geoffrey Rutkowski, former principal cellist of the Santa Barbara Symphony, who has died aged 78. A charming, gentle and enormously talented individual, Geoffrey joined the music faculty at UCSB in 1968 until his retirement in 2013 as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He played all over the world, including two […]
Regular readers know how fondly we cared for the late Julian Nott, balloonist, pilot, inventor, and physicist extraordinaire. So, we thought we’d share this memory from his widow, Anne Luther: “In following the anniversary celebrations of the moon landing recently it was hard not to remember how much of a hero Neil Armstrong was to […]
On a personal note, I remember Broadway icon Hal Prince, who left us for more heavenly pastures aged 91. Prince was the driving force for many of the Great White Way’s most memorable productions, including Cabaret, West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, and Phantom of the Opera, the longest running stage show in Manhattan. In his […]
Having won polo’s 55-year-old America Cup three times in the last four years, it seems appropriate that former Santa Barbara Polo Club president and banker Dan Walker should now be sponsoring the three-week annual 16-goal tournament that runs through August 11. To mark the occasion, he hosted a bustling reception at his Farmers & Merchants […]
On a personal note, I remember Italian film director Franco Zeffirelli, who has died in Rome aged 96. I met the Oscar nominee a number of times with New York socialite Mary Mead Carter, a good friend of the helmsman of the 1968 film Romeo and Juliet, and the 1999 gem Tea with Mussolini, starring […]
On a personal note, I remember legendary reporter Steve Dunleavy, who died at his Long Island home aged 81. Sydney-born Dunleavy was a hard drinking, heavy smoking conservative columnist for Rupert Murdoch‘s New York Post, famed as a door-kicking reporter who introduced the U.S. to tabloid TV with the show, A Current Affair. He was […]
