A day to remember and to honor our heroes of war

BARBARA DIAMOND

From flapjacks to flag waving for fallen heroes, Heisler Park is

where Laguna celebrates Memorial Day.

Assemblyman Todd Spitzer was the keynote speaker at the

traditional ceremonies held at Monument Point on Monday, the 60th

anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.

“I’d like to thank all of the veterans here,” Spitzer said. “And I

like to ask you to do something. Look at your hands. At one point in

your life, the fate of the world rested in your hands. You faced evil

and you fought it.” (Text of speech is on p. B10.)

Laguna Beach posts of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the

American Legion hosted Monday’s ceremonies, which paid tribute to

“The Greatest Generation,” who fought in World War II, and the

hundreds of thousands of lives it took to win it.

“Sixty years ago today was a joyful day in Europe,” said legion

Adjutant Jim Law. “Adolph Hitler and the Nazis were finally

defeated.”

Celebrations were held all over the world, not just in Europe.

But many of the American fighting units in Europe expected to be

reassigned to the Pacific Theater where fierce battles still raged.

However, that war came to an abrupt halt with the introduction of the

Atomic Age, preventing an estimated 12 million casualties, Law said.

The posts are supported by the women’s auxiliaries -- daughters,

wives and mothers of veterans are all eligible. Legion auxiliary

members make and sell the red paper poppies that bloom every Memorial

Day.

Proceeds benefit veterans and their families.

Dorothy Twomey, president of the Legion Auxiliary for 16 years,

and Diane Connell, president of the VFW Auxiliary, welcomed guests to

the ceremonies and presented the auxiliaries’ floral offerings in

memory of the nation’s dead heroes.

Floral offerings were also presented by Carrie Joyce and Christine

Calderone on behalf of the Ebell Club. Pat Freeman and Hal Werthe

represented the Exchange Club. Bobbi Cox made the presentations for

the Laguna Beach Taxpayers Association and Laguna Beach Republican

Club.

Among the other donors: Anne Webster and Anita Mangles for the

Festival of Arts; Bob Mosier for the Friends of the Library; Captain

Api Weinert for the Firefighters Association; Officer Jason Farris

for the Police Employees Association; the Garden Club, the Patriots

Day Parade, Senior Center, Rotary, St. Vincent de Paul, Village

Laguna. Also, Laguna Beach Woman’s Club, English Garden and private

memorials, including one for Les and Frances Chatham.

The city was not represented.

“It’s really a sad thing that no council members came,” Legion

Auxiliary board member Jean Law said. “They were all given

invitations.”

Many of the people in the audience and some of the participants

stoked up for the ceremonies at the annual pancake breakfast,

sponsored by the Laguna Beach Exchange Club, earlier in the morning.

Between bites, Zack, the elder Neev twin by three minutes, said

Memorial Day was “to remember all the soldiers who died in all the

wars.” Younger twin, Matthew, said they have known this for a while.

Memorial Day began early for Bill Frye, Bill Morris, Carolyn

Miller and Sande St. John, who began decorating tables at about 5:30

a.m. in the picnic area at the base of Myrtle Street.

Fire chief Mike Macy cooked sausages, assisted by reserve Captain

John Luna, full-time firefighers Eric Lether and Capt. Dan Stefano

and reserve firefighters Brian Lenahan, Michelle Barnett, Alex Landa

and Thomas Padden flipped flapjacks.

Evan Lewis of Evan’s Supper Club was the celebrity chef.

Club members Zolita Scott and Sharon Thoresen poured coffee. John

Bush was the official trash collector, Anne Wood the official money

collector.

Devin the Balloon Guy, son of Judy and Jeff Rosen, entertained.

Linda Haylett, director of Miss Linda’s Dance Castle taught some

youngsters how to hula -- a photo op -- and the Watermelon Fairy

offered slices of fruit.

Hal and Sandi Werthe made the first pot of coffee at home and

brought it to the breakfast, for which volunteers and early arrivals

-- like 7 a.m -- gave thanks.

“We are always up this early,” Linda Jahraus said.

Jeff Jahraus, the younger son of Richard Jahraus, who watched the

ceremonies from the porch of his home across Cliff Drive from

Momument Point, said he knows what the volunteers go through. He used

to be on the Boys Club Labor Day Pancake Breakfast committee. Girls

were added when he was on the board in the 1980s.

“Isn’t this beautiful,” Harry Lawrence said, waving his hand at

the park and ocean below. “We (pointing to Ben Blount) are on the

beautification committee and we didn’t have a thing to do with this.”

Architect Morris Skendarian said somebody sure knew what they were

doing.

It was like a big family reunion with folks swapping stories,

catching up with friends.

Joe Sovella talked about his trip to Thailand, to deliver money

and teddy bears to a mission of orphans.

“I saw a video of the tsunami,” Sovella said. “It’s not a wave

that breaks -- it’s a surge and when it pulls back it sucks

everything with it -- trees, buildings. There are still purses being

thrown back up on the beach. I was told it moved at about 400 miles

an hour.”

Pat Freeman said his trip to the town of Ushuiaua in Terra del

Fuego -- that’s the end of the world -- in Argentina was fascinating.

“There are no poor people there,” Freeman said. “The whole town is

a test market.”

Lu Campbell just came back after a month in Italy.

“I rented an apartment in a little town south of Florence with a

population of 1,000,” Campbell said. “I didn’t have a car. I walked

every day to the market and spent the rest of the time painting.”

Some of her subjects -- her landlord’s chickens -- will come home

to roost at Campbell’s Festival of Arts booth.

Down the line, waiting for breakfast: City Councilwoman Jane Egly,

Corky Smith, Laguna newcomers Toni and Gary Smith, Barbara Painter

and Janiyn Fessette, who was remembering her father, Art, former

chief lifeguard and a World War II vet.

Also: Jim and Arts Commissioner Pat Kollenda, David and Sawdust

Festival spokeswoman Rebecca Meekma and their daughters Isabel and

Maggie, Concert Band founder Carol Reynolds, artist Patricia Turnier

and Barbara Laird, who underwent a liver transplant -- the

life-saving gift of the family of Top of the World teacher Claudia

Flint, who died tragically in a traffic accident on the corner of

Glenneyre Street and Forest Avenue.

“It’s been over seven years,” Laird said. “I take 25 pills a day,

but I have lived to see my son married, my daughter married and my

grandchildren, Leeann and Ethan.”

* OUR LAGUNA is a regular feature of the Laguna Beach Coastline

Pilot. Contributions are welcomed. Write to Barbara Diamond, P.O. Box

248, Laguna Beach, 92652; hand-deliver to Suite 222 in the

Lumberyard, 384 Forest Ave.; call (949) 494-4321 or fax (949)

494-8979.