FIFTY ONE FAMOUS AND FASCINATING ALTADENANS
New Exhibit at Altadena Historical Society Showcases
Scores of Accomplished Altadenans Then and Now
Fifty famous and fascinating
Altadenans--movie stars, artists, authors, scientists, athletes and more--are highlighted
in a new exhibit at the Altadena Historical Society.
“We’ve had great fun
researching and producing this exhibit,” said Jane Brackman, Society
president. “The trouble has been
choosing those to include, as we have far more than our gallery can
accommodate.”
The show--which opens Monday
Oct. 3--is in both the Historical Society’s gallery and in the lobby of the
Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Drive, just west of the Sheriff’s
Station.
It is open from 9 a.m. to 1
p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, and by appointment for groups and
others, (626) 797-8016. It is free of
charge, but donations toward the Society’s work are welcomed.
“Many of the people featured
are our current neighbors and gave their kind permission for us to include
them, while others have passed on,” Brackman said. “In fact, we didn’t include several Altadena
residents who are major stars in their fields, but cherish the privacy they
have by living here.“
Current or former Altadenans
included in the new exhibit include:
*The Smothers Brothers. Singers, musicians, comedians and television
stars; as boys, Tom and Dick Smothers lived with relatives on Santa Anita
Avenue.
*Noted contemporary authors
Miles Corwin, Naomi Hirahara, Jervey Tervalon and Michelle Huneven; deceased
best-seller Zane Grey.
*Entrepreneur Horace
Dobbins. Dobbins proposed an elevated
bikeway between Pasadena and Los Angeles, some of which was built. His beautiful and innovative home was near
the top of Lincoln Avenue.
*Tennis great Stan Smith, who
trained at the Altadena Town and Country Club, winner of the 1971 U.S. Open and
1972 Wimbledon, and LPGA golfer Mo Martin, winner of the 2014 Women’s British
Open.
*Mary Colter. One of America’s first and most celebrated
female architects, designing and overseeing construction of iconic tourist
attractions and hotels at the Grand Canyon and throughout the Southwest.
*Famed seismologist Charles
Richter; legendary astronomer George Ellery Hale; and brilliant physicist,
exuberant adventurer and best-selling author Richard Feynman.
*Octavia Butler. A science fiction writer who received a
MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant in 1995 and was a PEN Lifetime Achievement
Award winner, Butler’s work is still selling.
*Johnny Otis. Called “The
King of Rock and Roll” and “Godfather of Rhythm and Blues,” he was a singer,
musician, composer, arranger, bandleader, talent scout, disk jockey, record
producer, television show host, artist, author, journalist, minister and impresario.
Society President Jane
Brackman said the most frequent comments overheard from people viewing the
exhibit are “No kidding!,” “Oh, really!!,” and “Come look at this!,” which is
her invitation to the public: “Come look at this!”
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The Altadena Historical Society was founded in 1935
and is a tax-exempt non-profit whose mission is to gather, preserve and present
information about the people, places and events that have shaped the community.
