NCAA Ruling Against Penn State Imperative

NCAA President Mark Emmert (right) announces sanctions Monday for Penn State.

NCAA Slaps Penn State With Severe Sanctions; Was It Wrong?

By Diana L. Chapman

   As the news streamed in that the NCAA slapped a $60 million fine on Penn State Monday and wiped away its successful football record over the past 14 years, all morning long commentators and others kept saying this: "It's not about football."

   In fact, this has everything to do with football and that's exactly why the NCAA had to act -- and act harshly even if it's not within its own policy or using its own investigation.

   This is a football story on how a bunch of administrators at Penn State University believed the football program was more important than the lives of a lot of young boys being molested for years by the university's former defensive coach Jerry Sandusky. This often happened in the school's facilities and was something the famous head coach, Joe Paterno, apparently knew about. (Sandusky was found guilty of 45 criminal sex abuse counts last month involving at least eight boys.)

   It's also about how the popular and highly regarded Penn State  football program racked up so much money, administrators considered it more significant than the fact Sandusky was raping boys in the university's gym showers. They seemed to think it better to hide such a scandal to save its renowned reputation -- and its money.

   It's  also about how a janitor who cleaned the football stadium and gym witnessed a Sandusky molestation and told his supervisor. The janitors were too terrified to talk to anybody due to the football culture that apparently had an iron-fist rule at the school for decades. In fact, the janitors believed they'd be fired if they brought it up to their administrators, according to an investigation completed by former FBI director Louis Freeh, also a former judge, in a 267 page report.

   The NCAA used Freeh's report, released in July that sets the blame squarely on Paterno as well as then president Graham Spanier and other powerful administrators, for failing to protect the children.

   After that, the NCAA swooped in with some of the harshest sanctions it's ever imposed  and are unprecedented.

   "Football will never again be placed ahead of educating, nurturing and protecting young people,"  Mark Emmert, NCAA president, told the press.

   Thank you.

   While many denounced the NCAA sanctions, I embrace Emmett's startling announcement Monday despite many sports commentators complaining the board stepped way out of its league. The heavy restrictions included that the team will not be allowed in bowl or post season games for four years, the $60 million will be used to help child abuse victims and the school will be undergo  five years of probation. In addition, 10 new scholarships for football will be eliminated in 2013-2014 along with another 15 the following year, according to news accounts.

   The university wins from 1998 to 2011 will be erased along with the fact that Paterno will no longer be considered the most "winningest" university coach in history. Penn state football players can also leave and go to other school's without any punishments, the NCAA ruled.

   Why do I so agree with this NCAA action while others are crying foul for the innocent football players, taking away scholarships for those who need them and ruining the whole atmosphere of a school where students were once proud of its football legends, many of whom were devastated when they learned of the sanctions Monday?

   It's simple. We can never, never, never let this happen again. As soon as the Sandusky case broke, we soon discovered there were other college coaches who had molested young victims as well. The NCAA didn't go far enough in fact, and should have gone after each and every administrator involved.

   What these sanctions did do is give an extremely clear smoke signal that any college involved with any horrendous molestation scandals like this again will bleed - and bleed badly all over.

   As it should.

   And something more important about the sanctions:

Penn State has to be thoroughly stripped of this culture, cleaned up and sterilized to show the world that in America this can never happen at any college again or anywhere else for that matter. Children will no longer be treated like snared cattle without any power, raped repeatedly while adults stand around more concerned about their organizations or more worried about injuring the reputation of a Catholic priest, a football coach or a Boy Scout leader.

   I am more attuned with ESPN football analyst Desmond Howard who points out that once again people have forgotten the real victims here and are worried about the innocent Penn state football players.

   " Penn state football players today have a choice, "Howard said to go elsewhere.  "The victims did not."

   We all need to remember that.

Bonnie Sheehan Pled Guilty To Misdemeanors

My Friend Pled Guilty Thursday in Tennessee; Receives Two Year Probation and Fine

By Diana L. Chapman

   My friend Bonnie Sheehan, who has rescued thousands of dogs in and around Long Beach, pled guilty this week to 14 misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty in Tennessee after a failed attempt to transport her dogs across country.  She received two years probation and a $500 fine and is prohibited to have any animals during her probation.

   Sheehan, 55, ran Hearts or Hounds in Long Beach for 15 years but decided to leave the area due to the souring economy.  In January, she and a friend, Pamela King‑McCracken, were taking  140 dogs in a U-Haul trailer to a farm in Virginia they recently purchased when they were stopped by state patrol officers.

   Following the guilty pleas, the judge refused to expunge her record although she has no criminal record. All charges against Pam were dropped. Bonnie told the court that, as the driver, she was to blame.

  Bonnie built a loyal following with her adoptions in California, and supporters raised thousands of dollars for attorney fees. Several went to Tennessee to testify on the two women's behalf.

  "We are so grateful we had all this support," Bonnie told me this week as she drove to Virginia with a great sense of relief that she won't be headed back to jail. "We are blessed. I'll always go through life so humbled by the people who did so much."

   The officer pulled them over on I-40 in Tennessee and called in animal control officials.  The two women were plunged into a world of turmoil and were charged with felony animal cruelty for allegedly overcrowded conditions. While Pam was able to post her bail, Bonnie spent seven days in jail.

   The women can relax at last, said a friend.

   District Attorney General Mike Dunavart, who prosecuted the case, told news media that Bonnie basically took all the blame to save her friend.

   "She is absolving Ms. McCracken," Dunavart told the media. "She's essentially falling on the sword and saying: 'I abused them. I am responsible.' "

    It doesn't surprise me that Bonnie would do this for Pam, a stalwart volunteer who had religiously helped Bonnie in her full-time quest to save thousands of small dogs.

   For me, it's sad the two women didn't make it to Virginia this time. If they had, her supporters likely would have been celebrating huge numbers of adoptions instead of working so hard to keep the women out of jail. In an earlier visit to the farm, Bonnie had adopted out 28 dogs with many other adoptions pending, waiting for the other dogs to arrive.

 While Bonnie was obviously relieved, it makes me sad that it came to this after seeing news reports of people cutting dogs heads off, torturing animals in horrible ways and still others putting dogs in illegal dogfights where they are often maimed or killed.   Football player Michael Vick -- after being found guilty for holding horrendous dog fights wants to adopt a dog for his children.  But not Bonnie for the next two years? 

 Please.

 On the other hand, Bonnie has dedicated her life to taking dogs from death's door, cleaning them up, treating them for illnesses like mange and making them beautiful again for adoption. This is how my 83-year-old mother adopted Dara, a 3-year-old Havanese.  The two are inseparable.  My sister adopted Lily, another Havanese,  and my family brought home a bearded collie/poodle mix we call Baxter.

  Bonnie, who has been haunted by the loss of the dogs, several of which were her own personal animals, is ready to turn the page.

 "I'm going to have a normal life now," she said. "I can go to work at Rite Aid."

Bonnie Sheehan Pled Guilty To Misdemeanors

My Friend Pled Guilty Thursday in Tennessee; Receives Two Year Probation and Fine

By Diana L. Chapman

   My friend Bonnie Sheehan, who has rescued thousands of dogs in and around Long Beach, pled guilty this week to 14 misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty in Tennessee after a failed attempt to transport her dogs across country.  She received two years probation and a $500 fine and is prohibited to have any animals during her probation.

   Sheehan, 55, ran Hearts or Hounds in Long Beach for 15 years but decided to leave the area due to the souring economy.  In January, she and a friend, Pamela King‑McCracken, were taking  140 dogs in a U-Haul trailer to a farm in Virginia they recently purchased when they were stopped by state patrol officers.

   Following the guilty pleas, the judge refused to expunge her record although she has no criminal record. All charges against Pam were dropped. Bonnie told the court that, as the driver, she was to blame.

  Bonnie built a loyal following with her adoptions in California, and supporters raised thousands of dollars for attorney fees. Several went to Tennessee to testify on the two women's behalf.

  "We are so grateful we had all this support," Bonnie told me this week as she drove to Virginia with a great sense of relief that she won't be headed back to jail. "We are blessed. I'll always go through life so humbled by the people who did so much."

   The officer pulled them over on I-40 in Tennessee and called in animal control officials.  The two women were plunged into a world of turmoil and were charged with felony animal cruelty for allegedly overcrowded conditions. While Pam was able to post her bail, Bonnie spent seven days in jail.

   The women can relax at last, said a friend.

   "Most of the charges were dropped and all of Pam's were dismissed completely," said Cecille Giacoma. "Last night, they smiled and even laughed for the first time in a long time. It was wonderful!"

   District Attorney General Mike Dunavart, who prosecuted the case, told news media that Bonnie basically took all the blame to save her friend.

   "She is absolving Ms. McCracken," Dunavart told the media. "She's essentially falling on the sword and saying: 'I abused them. I am responsible.' "

    It doesn't surprise me that Bonnie would do this for Pam, a stalwart volunteer who had religiously helped Bonnie in her full-time quest to save thousands of small dogs.

   For me, it's sad the two women didn't make it to Virginia this time. If they had, her supporters likely would have been celebrating huge numbers of adoptions instead of working so hard to keep the women out of jail. In an earlier visit to the farm, Bonnie had adopted out 28 dogs with many other adoptions pending, waiting for the other dogs to arrive.

 While Bonnie was obviously relieved, it makes me sad that it came to this after seeing news reports of people cutting dogs heads off, torturing animals in horrible ways and still others putting dogs in illegal dogfights where they are often maimed or killed.   Football player Michael Vick -- after being found guilty for holding horrendous dog fights wants to adopt a dog for his children.  But not Bonnie for the next two years? 

 Please.

 On the other hand, Bonnie has dedicated her life to taking dogs from death's door, cleaning them up, treating them for illnesses like mange and making them beautiful again for adoption. This is how my 83-year-old mother adopted Dara, a 3-year-old Havanese.  The two are inseparable.  My sister adopted Lily, another Havanese,  and my family brought home a bearded collie/poodle mix we call Baxter.

  Bonnie, who has been haunted by the loss of the dogs, several of which were her own personal animals, is ready to turn the page.

 "I'm going to have a normal life now," she said. "I can go to work at Rite Aid."

Bonnie Sheehan Pled Guilty To Misdemeanors

My Friend Pled Guilty Thursday in Tennessee; Receives Two Year Probation and Fine

By Diana L. Chapman

   My friend Bonnie Sheehan, who has rescued thousands of dogs in and around Long Beach, pled guilty this week to 14 misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty in Tennessee after a failed attempt to transport her dogs across country.  She received two years probation and a $500 fine and is prohibited to have any animals during her probation.

   Sheehan, 55, ran Hearts or Hounds in Long Beach for 15 years but decided to leave the area due to the souring economy.  In January, she and a friend, Pamela King‑McCracken, were taking  140 dogs in a U-Haul trailer to a farm in Virginia they recently purchased when they were stopped by state patrol officers.

   Following the guilty pleas, the judge refused to expunge her record although she has no criminal record. All charges against Pam were dropped. Bonnie told the court that, as the driver, she was to blame.

  Bonnie built a loyal following with her adoptions in California, and supporters raised thousands of dollars for attorney fees. Several went to Tennessee to testify on the two women's behalf.

  "We are so grateful we had all this support," Bonnie told me this week as she drove to Virginia with a great sense of relief that she won't be headed back to jail. "We are blessed. I'll always go through life so humbled by the people who did so much."

   The officer pulled them over on I-40 in Tennessee and called in animal control officials.  The two women were plunged into a world of turmoil and were charged with felony animal cruelty for allegedly overcrowded conditions. While Pam was able to post her bail, Bonnie spent seven days in jail.

   The women can relax at last, said a friend.

   "Most of the charges were dropped and all of Pam's were dismissed completely," said Cecille Giacoma. "Last night, they smiled and even laughed for the first time in a long time. It was wonderful!"

   District Attorney General Mike Dunavart, who prosecuted the case, told news media that Bonnie basically took all the blame to save her friend.

   "She is absolving Ms. McCracken," Dunavart told the media. "She's essentially falling on the sword and saying: 'I abused them. I am responsible.' "

    It doesn't surprise me that Bonnie would do this for Pam, a stalwart volunteer who had religiously helped Bonnie in her full-time quest to save thousands of small dogs.

   For me, it's sad the two women didn't make it to Virginia this time. If they had, her supporters likely would have been celebrating huge numbers of adoptions instead of working so hard to keep the women out of jail. In an earlier visit to the farm, Bonnie had adopted out 28 dogs with many other adoptions pending, waiting for the other dogs to arrive.

 While Bonnie was obviously relieved, it makes me sad that it came to this after seeing news reports of people cutting dogs heads off, torturing animals in horrible ways and still others putting dogs in illegal dogfights where they are often maimed or killed.   Football player Michael Vick -- after being found guilty for holding horrendous dog fights wants to adopt a dog for his children.  But not Bonnie for the next two years? 

 Please.

 On the other hand, Bonnie has dedicated her life to taking dogs from death's door, cleaning them up, treating them for illnesses like mange and making them beautiful again for adoption. This is how my 83-year-old mother adopted Dara, a 3-year-old Havanese.  The two are inseparable.  My sister adopted Lily, another Havanese,  and my family brought home a bearded collie/poodle mix we call Baxter.

  Bonnie, who has been haunted by the loss of the dogs, several of which were her own personal animals, is ready to turn the page.

 "I'm going to have a normal life now," she said. "I can go to work at Rite Aid."

San Pedro students writes about worst day of her life

 

San Pedro High School Student Tells Another Sad Tale About Life

The Worst Day of My Life

 By San Pedro Senior Rain Wase

  

   The worst day of my life was when my best friend killed herself.

   It was a hot summer morning and I hadn't seen her for a few weeks. As I got out of bed, she called and asked me to come over. As I start to get ready, my mom tells me to ask her mom if we are stilling going to have the bonfire that night.

   I start to ride my bike to the halfway point in between our houses. When I get there she's waiting and greets me with a nice hello. We start to ride to her house and we began a real talk. We called it a "real talk "because it isn't a "b.s" conversation.

   She starts to tell me about what's going on in her life. She starts talking about school and she begins to cry.  I don't understand.

   When we get to her house, we go straight to her room. She rolls up her sleeves and I notice her wrist's dense scars.

   "Why are you hurting yourself?" I ask.

   She starts to cry and just runs out of her room, goes in the kitchen, grabs a knife and stabs her lower stomach and just falls to the floor and starts to bleed. Her mother and I run to her. She looks up at me and says: "Don't do what I did."

   I didn't understand what that meant and I still don't.

   After the police left, I still ask her mom about having a bonfire and she looks at me like I'm crazy.

   But it's just death. And it happens every moment of every day.

----------------------------

French Racing Sailboat Arrives in LA Port

French sail vessels prepping for the Transpac Race From Los Angeles to Hawaii

San Pedro Gets a Sneak Peek at l'Hydroptere - A Sleek Sailing Racer Its French maker Claims Can Fly Over the Sea

By Diana L. Chapman

   They don't really want you to know about it.

   But it's difficult to miss. Sitting like a small airplane ready for takeoff at the most southern tip of Miner Street in San Pedro, the aerodynamic/marine cross, nearly 60 feet longvessel arrived at the Port of Los Angeles this week to make adjustments  and prepare for a potentially history making challenge.

   The French team wants to break the 2005 Transpac record -- a sailing race that starts near the Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro and ends off the Diamond Head Lighthouse -- 2,215 nautical miles across the sea.

   And that's exactly why the "l'Hydroptere -DCNS" is here in Los Angeles- at the newly developed Cabrillo Marina in the Port of Los Angeles -- to prove its one of the fastest sailing vessels to exist.

   While it's French makers claims it can practically fly and skim over the sea, the group has set out to topple the record-breaker-- the Trimaran Geronimo (also sailed by a French team in 2005) which made the journey if four days, 19 hours and 37 seconds, said Rachel Campbell, a Port of Los Angeles spokeswoman.

   "After an anxious 24 hours prior to crossing the finish line, the crew on board Geronimo have succeeded in breaking the previous record of 5 days, 9 hours and 26 seconds, set in the 1997 Transpac  race by Bruno Peyron, by 13 hours," according to the International Sailing Federation's website."

   L'Hydroptere will visit for a few more days as its crew installs a new rudder and works on the "sail drive," Campbell said, and the crew doesn't want any visitors.

   On Friday, the team used a 15 foot tall crane to make mechanical improvements as they prepare for the 2012 Transpac race. L'Hydroptere was shipped to Los Angeles by a cargo arriving at the port on July 5 and was reassembled. "The big carbon bird" and its team awaits safe weather conditions to start on the race. Captain Alain Thebault and his four crew members hope to leave in 72 hours, a media release said.

   "The five sailors will initially position themselves in a 'a code red situation," as they await favorable conditions and prepare for the challenge on site. As soon as a propitious weather window presents itself, they'll switch to a 'code orange,' which is synonymous with a departure in the next 72 hours."

   Thebault's dream since childhood was to engineer a sailboat that could fly and was able to persuade other sailors and industrialists to design such a vessel alongside him.

   Should he beat the current record, Thebault might take flight and glide into sailing  history.

Three Great Leaders Depart Coastal Neighborhood Council

Doug Epperhart, (left) John Stinson and Bruce Horton depart after giving years of service to the Coastal Neighborhood Council in San Pedro

Three Great Leaders of San Pedro Coastal Neighborhood Council Depart At The Same Time After 21 Years of Combined Service

By Diana L. Chapman

   To me, it's a shame.

   To them, it's about time.

Three Coastal Neighborhood Council members have concluded they are done with their posts, quietly departing at the end of June to do other public service and say this too quietly stamps a philosophy all three have had for years: a good council board needs change.

   Doug Epperhart, 56, the coastal board president twice since he joined a league of 95 Neighborhood Councils established in Los Angeles in 2001 to thwart further secession attempts, said coastal was the second council to exist in the sprawling metropolis.

   "We were the second neighborhood council in the city and we organized early," Epperhart said. "It was a good, thorough process. But it's time to get out and let somebody else do it. You need someone fresh."

   Epperhart has moved up to neighborhood council ranks while John Stinson, treasurer for the last seven years and Bruce Horton, the secretary for the same amount of time, both said they are moving on to pursue other interests -- both community oriented as well. Vice president Dean Pentchaff also departed after about five years on the council.

   "I've got a lot of other fish to fry," said Stinson, 65, who also heads the San Pedro Art Association ."I've been a treasurer for the last seven years and while it has had its upside, dealing with the city's bureaucracy is maddening. But we've done good things."

   Former secretary Bruce Horton,72, joked: "Why am I giving it all up, all the fame and glory? I've met so many good people. I feel like I almost grew up here. But the board needs new blood. I'm moving on and I think others should too."

   Horton says he'll return to do volunteer work for The Lone Wolf Colony in Apple Valley which provides two week stays for ambulatory adults trying to heal from injuries or illness. He was once a board member for the program.

   All three -- also commending their council member comrades -- say they have worked diligently to aid their community and have much to be proud of.

   That they have.

   Their council aligned with two other Neighborhood councils -- central and Northwest San Pedro and Harbor City -- to beat back a scheme to change single family residential zoning at a former Navy housing site on Western Avenue to multiple-zoning.

   Developer Bob Bisno wanted to force in 2,300 condominiums on the 61.5 acres, but met his match when he faced off with the councils.

   "In proposing what officials say would have been San Pedro's largest residential development ever, Bisno unwittingly galvanized potent opposition from within the community's increasingly sophisticated neighborhood councils," said a 2009 L.A. Times article.

   Bisno's "move to scale back the project to 1,950 units...did nothing to mollify the well-organized opponents," the article said. The project has since been revised  by I-Star finance which is seeking to build 1,135 units at the site.

   The former coastal members  are also proud of helping to defeat another condominium project at a defunct McCowan's grocery site on Leland Street in yet another residential neighborhood.

   One of the proudest moments, he had, Epperhart said, was helping to divert the YMCA's proposed move to take over the Cabrillo Youth Camp -- saying it would only be open to the public once a week. Still in the hands of the Boy Scouts, many San Pedro residents for years have been miffed that the port property was used exclusively and run by the Boy Scouts, often the monstrous building with a pool and camping sites sitting empty along the West Channel on Shoshonean Drive. The Boy Scout lease ends in 2013 and the debate is expected to resume.

   Epperhart, who has moved to the top amongst councils, now serves on the seven member Board of Neighborhood Commissioners. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa appointed him last year.

   "We're sitting on a road map of possibilities," Epperhart said. "I'm 80 percent happy with the way (the councils) turned out. You can't be 100 percent. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But even in the bad times, we were moving in the right direction."

   Why do I feel disappointed by the departure of these veterans?

   Over the years, I've witnessed what they've done.  As the treasurer, Stinson was an absolute treasure. Many of us seeking funds for help with projects in San Pedro are also volunteers and did not understand the process. Step by step, Stinson guided many to receive the funds his council awarded, including a $5,000 award to run afterschool programs at Dana Middle School.

   In another heated battle, Stinson and Horton went to bat for a neighborhood protesting the building of a new 7-11 at 1831 South Pacific Avenue. Residents there worried that they already had enough liquor stores in and didn't want any more alcohol sales. The two board members physically counted every bar and store that sold liquor. Coastal sided with the neighbors.

   Former Councilwoman Janice Hahn, however, disagreed and allowed the 7-11 development with a clause that the store could not sell liquor for the first year.

   Although they didn't succeed at everything,  my point is that these veterans -- and the hundreds sitting on these councils that work as hard as these three and others did deserve a big thank you for taking on such role.  It's not easy. It's not always fun. And the meetings often are  tedious.

   But for those who have delved into council posts trying to make what we all want -- our community to be in a better place-- I salute you.

San Pedro High College Counseler

Despite only a few hours a week to get students off to college, Valerie Armstrong helps hundreds of kids make it to the next educational level.

Local Hero Valerie Armstrong -- A Part Time College Counselor at San Pedro High --- Guides Hundreds of Students To A Higher Education Despite Severe Budget Cuts

She Is A Woman You and Your College Bound Child Want to Meet 

By Diana L. Chapman

   My son burst through our door a few weeks back and shouted:  "Mom. Mom. You won't believe what Mrs. Armstrong did. She helped me with everything, getting my transcripts, just everything."

   I wasn't surprised having come to know Valerie Armstrong over the past few years and witnessing her sturdy dedication to numerous students going through the gauntlet of competitive college applications.

   With only two hours a day slotted to the once full-time college and career counseling post, she somehow manages to aid dozens of students while also juggling two other part time jobs at San Pedro High. She also serves as a work experience coordinator and a Title One Coordinator.

   She sums her college counseling job up this way:

"The job is either the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat during college acceptances in March, "she said. "You'll see a kid who only wants to go to UCLA and doesn't get in.  And that's the hardest part. Sometimes it's heart wrenching."

   Filled with advice for students and parents (who are also welcome to meet with Armstrong) she starts out with this important suggestion: Ninth graders should step into her office as soon as possible to understand all the requirements needed to go to university. Otherwise, it may be too late and they are at risk for not making the A-G requirements -- what classes are required by colleges.

   Often seniors and juniors show up having dropped math after two years -- all that's needed to graduate from high school. However, four years of math are required or recommended by many universities, including the UC system.

   In addition, students often forget they received a D or F in their ninth grade or sophomore years. Those grades have to be made up in order to get into most four year colleges and by then, there's little time for make-ups.

  Students in all grade levels, should come and meet with her as soon as possible.

  "It starts from the moment they get here," Armstrong says. "I recommend to them to get all As and Bs. What I'm noticing is a lack of interest in the 9th grade. So I'll ask them if they want to go to a four-year college. Parents can call me or make an appointment or e-mail me anytime."

   Armstrong advises students on timelines, scholarships, applications, letters of reference, financial aid, what classes are necessary (called A-G)  to become competitive and encourages them not to just be participants in clubs, but to find a leadership roles in the programs they're involved in.

   "Don't be a stranger," she often tells kids once they drop in for information. To get an appointment with her, all students have to do is sign up on a sheet hanging on her office door so she can summon them from the classroom.

   Her frequent student visitors rave about the efforts she put in for them and others.

   "During the time I spent applying for college, I was in her room everyday with a different question," said 17-year-old Jazmin Ruiz, who received a full ride to UC Berkeley. "Her experience with the process made it astronomically easier, bearable and less stressful. I am truly grateful for the time she dedicated to helping me."

   Armstrong inspired her, said 17-year-old Rita Marquez who will be attending Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

   "I can truly say that I owe a lot of my success to Ms. Armstrong," Marquez explained who became a college peer college counselor under Armstrong's tutelage. "She is really a wonderful person...who dedicates so much her time to our students and she's always there whenever I need anything."

   But she's also there for parents.

   When my husband and I realized we couldn't financially afford the schools Ryan got into, we steered him toward community colleges . The choice was narrowed between El Camino and Santa Monica.

   It was the same financial plight Jeanine Eldar found herself in after her son, Korey, was accepted to seven universities.

   "Valerie Armstrong is an unsung hero, who really deserves some public recognition," the older Eldar explained who added she frequently consulted with the counselor.  "It was Valerie's assistance that helped guide our very difficult decision to turn down numerous University of California and California state schools in favor of going to El Camino since it made more financial sense to attend there for two years."

   The solution:  Armstrong encouraged both teens to enroll in the Honors Transfer Program at El Camino. This set of students receive a priority in getting classes, the counselor said. Some consider it like attending a mini-UC on the crowded campus.

Both were accepted. Transferring to the honors program, she said, avoids "excessive student loans" and cuts college expenses in half, she said.

   "I first met her during the second semester of 11th grade and ever since she has always kept me up to date on the variety of opportunities," said 17-year-old Elizabeth Do who became a peer college counselor and will attend UCLA.  "She definitely knows her information, but if she doesn't she'll call and ask. I've been able to observe her dedication in inspiring seniors to seek a higher education."

   Armstrong said she enjoys her job and even when she knows a student is unlikely to get to their "dream school," she encourages them to apply anyway.

   "I never tell my students not to apply for their dream school, but also apply to your back-up schools," Armstrong said. "My motto is apply for the dream school and see what happens...You just never know."

White Point Nature Preserve

Assistant Nauturalist Laurie Morgan describes how the Tongva, the native inhabitants, celebrated by dancing and stomping.

 White Point Nature Center Becomes a Great Teacher in the Eyes of Young Wilmington Students Thanks to A Children's Author/Illustrator

By Diana L. Chapman

   They squealed when they saw big lizards. Stood in awe watching soaring kestrels and red-tailed hawks.  And didn't want to quit watching a stink bug crawling across the dusty earth.

   Exploring the hills and golden grasses of White Point's Nature Park , Wilmington's Gulf Street Elementary students roamed the hillsides of the 102-acre site last week, some saying they'd never been to a nature park before.

   "We saw a lot of animals today," said 10-year-old Luke Nunez. "We saw a dove, a red-tailed hawk, a beetle and snails."

   Fernanda Juarez, 10, added: "I liked when we climbed the mountain. All the kids were so tired. I liked when we smelled lilac and turned it into soap. I've never been (to a nature park) before."

   The Palos Verdes Land Conservancy -- the caretaker of the San Pedro nature preserve -- provided a team of naturalists to  guide the children where they learned what early inhabitants, the Tongva, used as resources. 

  If a person touched stinging nettle, the Tongva used the backside of leaves from a mug wort plant to sooth it. Or if someone was ailing from a stomach ache, toyon bark was used to ease the pain.

  One naturalist, Holly Gray, showed the children how to make  soap using the California lilac by dipping it into a buck of water and rubbing the plant in their hands. It became foamy with a clean scent.

A student smells the scent of California lilac.

  Enthusiastic assistant naturalist Laurie Morgan gave a lively description how the  Tongva enjoyed celebrating life.  The American Indians, she said, stomped the grounds to dance and celebrate. She began stomping and encouraged the kids to stomp too.

  "Imagine the drums," Morgan told the students about the Tongva. "It's so fun. They had a song and dance for everything. They celebrated everything."

    In addition, the students did a scavenger hunt in the hillsides that taught them about nature and provided them "with a bucket of clues," to figure out a word the naturalists were seeking  -- solar.

  The overarching theme for children is to teach them to become stewards of the land and cherish the environment, said the conservancy's education director, Siegrun Storer.

Students gather around a bucket to make California lilac soap.

   "We are first and foremost trying to expose students to open space in order to foster and appreciate it," said Storer who added she's working toward providing more White Point educational tours in the future.

   The tour was a $250 gift to 50 students from Gulf elementary. Children's author-illustrator E.G. (Elisabeth) Ryan read at the school.  Impressed with the school's cleanliness, the teachers and the student's polite behavior during her reading, she offered the school a gift.

   She wanted the students to enjoy the preserve, where she often teaches her own children, twin boys, Maximillian, and Nick, 8, and Alexa Rose, 4.

Chilren's Author/Illustrator Gone Wild

Children's author/illustrator sheds light on her books to students at Gulf Elementary School in Wilmington.

Children's Author and Illustrator Brings Bursts of Wild Family Color To Her Work And Kids Like It; In Fact, They Really Like It

By Diana L. Chapman

   With an unusual past as a senior defense analyst for the U.S. government, E.G. Ryan (her pen name) never thought she'd give up her post -- a job where she was able to "fly all over the world."

   Even when she learned she was pregnant with twins, Elisabeth Ryan kept working.

  "I was traveling to Guam, Singapore, Japan, Germany," explained the nearly six foot,  blond. "I was pregnant and miserable. I never thought I'd be that mom who would stay at home completely. But the day I saw them (the twins), they came six weeks premature and that changed everything.

    "Here were these helpless creatures and I couldn't bear to be without them."

   The arrival Nick and Maximillian (Max), now 8, and the later arrival of 4-year-old Alexa Rose all with the last name Ryan-Shirley, sparked her imagination and brought back her old flame she carried for years -- writing and drawing.  At the age of six, she wrote and illustrated her first book.

   Now six books later with a boatload of ideas percolating, the incessant doodler--with a crazy- fun San Pedro household spinning in peacock blues and furious fuchsia colors-- the author-illustrator says she had no idea her children would change her path.  They gave her endless, adventurous antics -- a  bounty of material for her books.

   "They are my books," Ryan explained. "Without them, I would not have had any children's stories. Without them, I'd still be working for the government. They are so close to my heart."

   Her wild, bright tales include Spunky the Dog and Foxy the Cat --characters that appear in all her books. The books often feature animals at their home such as frogs and ants and each has a charming tale even parents will greatly  appreciate.

  Most have a gentle message without boxing kids on the head -- and gives parents another way to teach children to get out and play, clean up their rooms and enjoy life.

   In Spunky the Dog, Spunky gets mad and mean and the more mean he gets, the more green spots show up on his body. He deserts his family and continues on his own mean journey -- until he realizes he doesn't like being mean anymore. He returns home to see if his family still wants him.

   Ideas often materialize in Ryan's daily life. Her first book, Moon Balloons-- spun from a day when the two-year-old blond, curly-top boys at the time, clutched balloons their mom had given them.

   Nick accidentally let go of a balloon and as he watched it float to the sky he began "flipping out." He began screaming and crying with Max immediately following suit with shared "pangs of sympathy," the author said.

  To quiet them, she had to think quick.

 "I said: 'Don't worry. Don't worry.  It's going up to help hold up the moon.' "

  The twins immediately calmed down.

   One of my favorites is the Collect-Its about "a good, but messy little girl" named Alexa Rose who never cleans her room or puts anything away. But when things like her toothbrush begin to vanish she soon learns two mysterious, but good creatures live in a room beneath her.

   Their job: to collect things not wanted or used. (My own mother would have loved this book for me!) "

 "We collect things we find on the floor," the Collect-Its explain to Alexa Rose. "Things you do not want, need, or things you just plain ignore."

   The author's ambling into the publishing industry hit some rock hard objections. Some told her she shouldn't write and illustrate her own books. She needed to pick one or the other and of course, there were no promises of publication.

   Refusing to give up, the harried and busy mother of three, decided to publish the first set on her own and at one of her first events at the Corner Store in San Pedro, Ryan sold 200 books in one day. Foxy the Cat, Spunky the Dog, The Dreamies, Moon Balloons and the Collect-Its jumped out the door. The Good Foodies is available now too.

   "I see (they like the books) from the response I get from the children, from the parents, from the educators," Ryan explained, who added she does the work because "I want more niceness in the world. I want kindness."

   What she knew, Ryan said, was what publishers didn't; children loved her stories. She began going to read in classes across the Palos Verdes Peninsula and Los Angeles Unified schools and could tell by the "looks on their faces," that the children were riveted.

   "I love your stories," Luke Nunez, 10, wrote to the author. "The colors, animals, the drawings. I like your imagination."

Ryan with her twins, Max and Nick, and her daughter Alexa Rose showing off the author's books at their favorite haunt, the Corner Store.

   Her untamed illustrations -- that suck up cloaks of staggering color -- likely is one of the biggest attractions to her books. The combustion of colors welded with intense detail immediately snag the children's attention.  All six books are drenched in shades such as  mustard yellows, streaks of lime greens, splatters of ruby-reds and teal blues.

   A seventh and eighth book, The Green Thumb, and Bully-Bites are scheduled to come out later this year.

   Ryan uses her own childhood as well. Intrigued by her tall height, other students razzed her asking her the same question over and over again.

  "They'd say: "You are so tall. Do you play basketball?"

  With a sharp retort, Ryan would say: "You are so small. Do you play miniature golf?"

   Wanting to see for myself if kids really enjoyed her work, Ryan kindly came to Gulf Street Elementary School in Wilmington and read to first graders who stared at the storyteller with big eyes and sat as though frozen. They didn't make a peep,they were so fascinated.

   The author then moved to a group of 4th graders who -- even though were older -- passionately loved her stories. I picked this class since I'd been conducting writer's workshops there and wanted to see what the students thought.

   They were asked to write about Ryan's work.

   "I like how she writes about her family in her book and her animals," wrote 4th grader, Johnathan Benavidez. "I couldn't believe when she said she had frogs. That is very cool. I like how she wrote about her daughter and how her room was dirty."

   Wrote Hannah Marie Martinez, 10: "I liked her books because she uses a lot of color and designs. I liked all her books and I want to read the others. I think she will write a lot more books. I love Spunky."

   The author also has written three novels: SOS 999, Letter 16 and Irish Eyes, two of which will be published by the end of the year.

   "I just love it," Ryan said of writing. "I have a zillion ideas. I have whole stories in my head. My life is like a purse. It doesn't matter how big it is. It's always full."

   Working on her illustrations often doesn't start until her kids are in bed, the house is straightened up and then she writes and draws often not going to bed not until 2:30 in the morning. Each illustration takes about 14 hours to complete.

   Her children are also given ample opportunities to doodle and draw. Ryan wants to give them the creative freedom she had as a young girl.

   Mostly she recalls her childhood days as glorious. Ryan (the daughter of one of Rancho Palos Verdes' founding fathers, Robert Ryan) lived in Europe  for several years of her young life.

    But she also spent many wondrous years growing up in the golden brush areas of Abalone Cove. There was no doubt where her family was going to land. They moved to San Pedro.

   "I love this whole area," she said. "It's a hidden gem."
   In her ongoing journey to pump out books and visit schools, Ryan generously leaves behind a set of her books for the school library.

    Niels Goerrissen , a father of three and the fourth grade teacher at Gulf Elementary who hosted the author's visit, said he too was enticed by Ryan's work.

   "She read three of her books and the students very much enjoyed them," he said."Each book had a strong theme that I identified with. Meeting real authors is awesome. Students (are now) asking their teacher to write? Are you kidding? Absolutely awesome."

E.G.Ryan's books can be purchased at Amazon.com, The Corner Store and Rok'n' Ell Boutique, both in San Pedro, and through http://www.EGRyan.com.