Mystery History -- Solved!

I stumped everyone this week. With everything coming up roses in just two days, I decided to post a coronation photo.

But it's not the Rose Queen!

In the photo above, Susan DeClercq is crowned Pasadena City College's 1960 Red and Gold Queen by Dr. Catherine Robbins, PCC president, as other members of the court look on.

The 2011 Rose Queen, Evanne Friedmann, will be showcased with her court in the Rose Parade -- just two days away!




Many thanks to PCC and Tournament of Roses.

First-ever Pasadena Collegiate Field Tournament

Today at the first-ever Pasadena Collegiate Field Tournament at the Rose Bowl Stadium, we proved that we're a college town extraordinaire when teams from Art Center College of Design, Caltech, Fuller Theological Seminary, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Pacific Oaks College and Pasadena City College competed for the top prize in a series of goofball challenges.

In the photo above, PCC President Lisa Sugimoto presents a platter of burgers to the judges during the Cheeseburger Challenge.

During this challenge, teams of two from each college had to assemble a grill and prepare cheeseburgers to wow the palates of judges (seated left to right below) restaurateur Jack Huang, City Councilwoman Jacque Robinson and Honda Design Center Director Dave Marek.


Here's the Art Center team creatively assembling their grill.


And a member of the Fuller team faithfully biding her time while the meat marinades, a technique they prayed would get them high marks.


The judges may have needed some Alka Seltzer by the time this competition was over!



The team from Le Cordon Bleu won the challenge.

A fun little irony was that the food cooked in the Cheeseburger Challenge was for the judges; when noon rolled around and people got hungry, Robin's was there with cheeseburgers, hot dogs and lemonade to the save the day. (That's Fuller PR Director Fred Messick waving.)


But wait -- I'm getting ahead of myself.

It all started with the National Anthem sung by a chorus made up of one member of each college team plus a referee.


John Rabe of KPCC Radio's "Off-Ramp" served as master of ceremonies.


During each challenge, teams racked up points, with some shaved off if necessary for penalties, and the team with the highest score at the end of the tournament won the grand prize.

In the Monster Croquet challenge, teams had to use a monster-size mallet to push a monster-size ball through monster-size wickets. Here's the Cordon Bleu team:


The Art Center team (with a Cordon Bleu interloper):


Then it was the Frisbee Toss. Teams had to catch Frisbees tossed from downfield in the time allotted. Here's PCC:


And Le Cordon Bleu:


For the meteor toss, each team was provided with a bag in which there were pieces of fabric and some duct tape. They had to create what they thought would be the perfect catching implement for a series of "meteors" that were lobbed at them. This may have been the most important challenge of all because each team was charged with saving the world from certain destruction!

The Pacific Oaks team had their strategy for assembly...


...and Art Center had theirs:


All of the teams were fearless against the hurtling meteors -- from tennis balls to potatoes -- hurled via slingshot by Eric Duyshart, the city's economic development manager:


Here's Caltech saving planet earth:



In the Blind Faith Challenge, each team had one blindfolded member who had to take a series of pennants from the field, guided only by the voices of teammates. Here's the PCC team:


Next it was the Giant Puzzle Race. In this competition, teams had to run to the far side of the field to get individual puzzle pieces color-coded for their specific colleges, then run back and assemble them.


Once the puzzles were assembled, they revealed a map of sorts showing the various college locations and then some.


The Art Center team couldn't help themselves -- after this competition was over they created a sculpture with the puzzle pieces!



Before I forget, each team had a station complete with a bench and a round throw. Here's the Pacific Oaks station, which they appropriately adorned with children's pinwheels:


And here's Jered Gold, Art Center's director of public relations and communications, on the college's iconic orange dot:


While I make you wait in suspense about which college took the grand prize, here's Tony Bondi, president of Le Cordon Bleu:


The teams also earned points for their uniforms. Art Center's uniforms were an homage to the college's founder, Edward "Tink" Adams.

And Caltech students donned Albert Einstein wigs, although they took them off during physical competitions.


Many people from the community stopped by to watch the action, including Phoebe and Larry Wilson:


And now, without further ado, the college with the highest number of points overall: Caltech!


Mayor Bill Bogaard presented the trophy to the team leader...


...then all of the teammates shared in the thrill of victory.

By the time everyone was leaving the stadium, the trophy was entrusted to Caltech President Jean-Lou Chameau for safe-keeping.


Final team scores (along with their team colors), provided by Eric Duyshart:

Caltech 194
PCC 162
Fuller 160
Le Cordon Bleu 145
Art Center 143
Pacific Oaks 139

The entire event was shown live on the stadium's big screens. I'm told it was also recorded, so whenever I get a DVD I'll do some editing and run it on KPAS.



Gigantic kudos to Eric Duyshart, Ariel Penn and others in the Planning and Development Department who made this event happen, and thanks so much to all the colleges for participating!

Mystery History -- Solved

Barbara Ellis wins with her 8:49 a.m. Tuesday comment "My guess is that this is one of the more than 600 Japanese-Americans assembled at the Rose Bowl who left before dawn on March 23rd 1942 in a huge convoy heading for Manzanar, with almost 200 driving their own vehicles." Others were warm but Barbara hit it right on the head!

In the photo above, an unidentified man waves farewell just before dawn on March 23, 1942, after being processed at the Rose Bowl Stadium for residency at the Manzanar internment camp.

The stadium, Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia and the Fairplex in Pomona were among the processing centers and assembly areas for persons of Japanese descent living in western regions of Pacific coast states who would be relocated temporarily to camps in interior regions of California, Arizona, Utah and Wyoming.

I didn't know until I heard Joel Sheldon speak at an event on Sunday that Vromans Bookstore regularly sent boxes of books to Manzanar during this period.

Excerpt from the Los Angeles Times, March 22, 1942:

Tomorrow morning approximately 1000 Japanese will leave for the evacuation city on a special train and in busses, while a huge motorcade, again under the convoy of the Army, will depart from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for the same destination.

General instructions to Japanese leaving here for Manzanar tomorrow morning were issued yesterday by Maj. Gen. Walter Wilson, commanding the Southern California area.

Each person, the orders declared, will be required to bring all bedding except mattresses, all tools of his trade, clothing, cooking utensils, a one-gallon container of drinking water and his personal belongings. Baggage will be limited to what each person can carry with him and to what can be carried by baggage facilities on train or bus.

Before the war there were several businesses in Pasadena owned by Japanese American residents, most in the area bordered by Walnut Street, California Boulevard, Orange Grove Boulevard and Marengo Avenue. See a map showing businesses in 1940 here.


Many Japanese American residents belonged to the Pasadena Union Presbyterian Church. There is an honor roll displayed on the front window in this photo that lists the 117 Japanese Americans from Pasadena who were serving in the U.S. military at the time. The church offered free storage for the belongings of Japanese Americans who were interned at camps during the war years, then served as a dormitory and job placement facility when they returned to Pasadena.

It was one of hundreds of buildings demolished to make room for the 210 Freeway. Although the structure is no more, the ministry lives on as part of the First Presbyterian Church in Altadena.

Pasadena City College is looking for former Japanese American students who were forced to leave PCC because of World War II internment. Honorary degrees will be bestowed by PCC during commencement festivities in June as part of the California Nisei College Diploma Project.

President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, legislation on behalf of the U.S. government that apologized for the internment of Japanese Americans, called for public education about the camps and provided for restitution. More more than $1.5 billion in reparations were paid to individuals and heirs.

The Japanese culture lives on in our community with organizations such as the Pasadena Japanese Cultural Institute and the Pasadena Buddhist Temple.


Many thanks to Pasadena Public Library.

We Did It!

From Vromans Bookstore to PCC, thousands in Pasadena participated in the Great Southern California ShakeOut this morning.

For my part, I was among the city staff who work in our Emergency Operations Center. We were there by 9 a.m. when the three-hour drill started this morning.

After a briefing from Fire Chief Dennis Downs and other Pasadena Fire Department officials......we went to work.

The EOC is divided into various work units, including Operations, Finance, Planning and Logistics

Staff in the Logistics Section, for example, arranges for facilities, services, resources and other support.
I'm part of the Policy Group, which advises and assists in making strategic policy decisions after an emergency or disaster.

I also oversee the PIO team, which is responsible for communicating with media and the community. (Many thanks to my team today: Joy Guihama from the Public Health Department, Catherine Hany from the Library, Ronnie Nanning from the Police Department, Erica Rolufs from Pasadena Water and Power, and Mark Yamarone from the Transportation Department.)

I don't have any photos from precisely 10 a.m. on the dot when everybody dropped, covered and held on for 60 seconds.

Ordinarily our earthquake drills are very detail-specific, right down to deciding how many backhoes to request and the triage priority for first responders.

This morning we didn't get into such minutia and instead focused on big picture and strategy due to the nature of the scenario.

It was a worthy exercise and we're better trained as a result.

Remember, if you haven't updated your emergency plan and kit yet, now's the time to do it!

Farewell, Järvenpää!

It's never easy to bid farewell to friends.

Tonight was the official 25th anniversary celebration of the Sister City relationship of Järvenpää, Finland, and Pasadena, California. It also marked our last evening with our gracious Finnish hosts before we head to Germany.



About 25 people gathered at Kallio-Kuninkala, a graceful manor house owned by the Paloheimo Foundation. Some of you may know that Y.A. Paloheimo was the Finnish Consul for the southwest region of the U.S. who was married to the granddaughter of Dr. and Mrs. Adalbert Fenyes, who built the Fenyes Mansion that is now part of the Pasadena Museum of History complex.

Kallio-Kuninkala has been in the Paloheimo family for 110 years and now is owned by the Paloheimo Foundation. For more than 30 years Kallio-Kuninkala has been the site of Sibelius Academy courses for Finnish music students.

Shortly after our arrival, Mr. Lauri Paloheimo, a direct descendent of Y.A. Paloheimo, provided an overview of Kallio-Kuninkala.



We were fortunate to be entertained by Sibelius Academy students Ann-Karin Korhonen (left) and Meri-Tuuli Saarnio. They played a traditional Finnish song followed by a tune composed by Ann-Karin. The harp-like instrument is called a Kantele, which is uniquely Finnish.



Next came this wonderful songbird -- Enni Haaparanta -- who sang two short songs: one whimsical and the second a more serious number composed by Jean Sibelius. By the way, she was an exchange student in Pasadena when she was in high school.



Mayor Erkki Kukkonen spoke about the relevance of our Sister City relationship from his city's perspective, and Mayor Bill Bogaard did the same from Pasadena's perspective.

Then there was an exchange of diplomatic gifts. Mayor Kukkonen presented a tray by architect Alvar Aalto, who designed the Joonas Kokkonen home that we visited last night.



Mayor Bogaard presented a crystal award with an inscription commemorating the 25th anniversary.



Mr. Kimberly Hargan is the Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki (more about that below as I work backwards through the day). He was representing Barbara Barrett, the American Ambassador to Finland, who had a commitment tonight with some Japanese visitors. Mr. Hargan, who was raised in Fairbanks, Alaska, and whose brother studied on scholarship years ago at Pasadena Playhouse, made compelling remarks about the importance of public diplomacy and how sharing cultures broadens the world for everyone in it. He has beem in the U.S. diplomatic service for 20 years; this is his second year serving in Helsinki.



The final speaker was Ari Salmi, a former exchange student who spent a summer studying at Pasadena City College when he was 17 as a participant in the Telescopes in Education program. Now he is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Helsinki and his main field of study is ultrasonics. He related his experiences in Pasadena, where he did hands-on work at Mt. Wilson and JPL. I would swear I took a photo of Ari, but I can't find it.

We enjoyed a beautiful buffet dinner and visited with each other. Here's a high-level conference with the two mayors and Ilkka Holmila, the City of Järvenpää city architect.



The man in the middle is Pekka Luuk, a long-time member of the Järvenpää Ctiy Council and co-founder 25 years ago of the local chapter of the Finnish-American Society. To his left is Sheila Lamson and to his right is someone from the Jäarvenpää group whose name I don't know (sorry).



After retiring to the back porch for dessert and coffee, more gifts were exchanged -- this time between the Pasadena Sister Cities Committee and the Järvenpää chapter of the Finnish-American Society.



Ooh! Remember Ari who studied at PCC? That's him seated on the left!

I can't continue without giving a special shout-out to the fellow standing to the right of Ari. Pasi (pronounced POSS-ee) Ketolainen is the president of the Jäarvenpää Chapter of the Finnish-American Society, which of course is a voluntary position. His salaried position is as a physics teacher at Järvenpään Lukio, the local high school. Pasi is to be commended for being such an excellent teacher and mentor that one or two of his students qualify just about every year for the International Physics Olympiad. Pasi also has a keen sense of humor and never misses the opportunity to tell a funny joke with a decidedly Finnish twist. No matter what topic we might be discussing at any moment, Pasi can be counted on to say, "I have an anecdote about that!"

I don't have a photo of this, but at the end of our celebration Mayor Kukkonen presented each of us in the Pasadena delegation with a three-CD set of the the music of Jean Sibelius.

As a classical music aficionado who performed a recital version of "Finlandia" on the piano when I was a kid, the presentation of this gift brought me to tears. Besides, Judy Kent and I visited the Sibelius home earlier in the day (more about that below), which was an overwhelming experience. I will treasure this collection always.

As we prepared to leave this memorable celebration and head back to our hotel, two of the City of Järvenpää employees sent special greetings to some City of Pasadena staff: Leena Ritala, manager of international affairs, sends best wishes to Patsy Lane, director of the Pasadena Human Services and Recreation Department; and Ilkka Holmila, the city architect, extends a hearty hello to Pasadena Planning and Development Director Richard Bruckner.

* * *

The Pasadena group began the day today with a trip to the City of Järvenpää Technical Department, which oversees recreation, urban planning and internal services such as housekeeping.

The group got an overview of the department and learned about issues from, left to right, Jukka Laitila, city surveyor; Jyrki Meronen, director of the department; Hannele Portman, who oversees recreation programs; and Heidi Kawhanen, an intern.



The meeting took place at Järvenpää City Hall.



Next they visited the swimming complex, which includes swimming pools for athletes and children plus one for hydro-therapy; a water park; jacuzzis; exercise areas and more.



Judy and I played hooky! We just needed a little time away from the tight (although necessary) schedule, so we took a taxi to Ainola, the home in Järvenpää of Jean Sibelius, the most important composer in Finlands's history. It requires a bit of hike through the woods, but what a beautiful setting. Sibelius lived there from 1904 until his death in 1957.



"Finlandia" is his most famous work, although he is renowned for his many other compositions as well. While Finland was under Russian rule, "Finlandia" was banned in 1917 for being so identified with Finnish national aspirations.

Sibelius and his wife Aino are buried on the property.



Judy had her handy-dandy Pasadena Star-News with her, so we asked a docent to snap our photo at the entrance to the home.



* * *

We returned to the hotel, where we changed into "dress for success" attire and joined the rest of the Pasadena delegation (and some Järvenpää city employees as well) for a trip back to Helsinki for a celebration of our nation's independence.

We each got individual invitations.



Wow, what an impressive scene! The U.S. Embassy in Helsinki is massive, on sweeping grounds overlooking the Baltic Sea. Hundreds of people were there -- I had no idea there were so many Americans in these parts! Plus a large cadre of the international diplomatic corps was there to help us celebrate.

There was extremely strict security. Sadly, no cameras were allowed so I have absolutely nothing to show you. But it was a great scene. Barbara Barrett is the U.S. Ambassador to Finland, and I got myself into the reception line so I could greet her personally. There was a huge catering tent with all-American food and drink, including hot dogs, hamburgers, Pringles, m&m's, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, Miller Beer, Beringer wines from California, and on and on. The entire scene was decorated in red, white and blue. The program was very nice, with the colors posted by the U.S. Marine battalion assigned to the embassy, the U.S. and Finnish national anthems, and a short yet inspiring speech by Ms. Barrett about the significance of America's Declaration of Independence and its impact on the world.

Then it was back to the hotel for a couple of hours of down time before we headed to Kallio-Kuninkala, and now you're all caught up!

At o-dark-30 tomorrow we will head for the Helsinki airport and the flight Frankfurt, and then the drive to Ludwigshafen!

Sleep tight.