Elks Lodge

Stan Germain was just 21 years old when he joined Elks Lodge No. 1289 in March 1949. Germain said he was on a construction crew at the time. “My whole crew joined together. We all graduated from high school in 1945 or thereabouts.” “I was pretty young,” he added. Germain was working for Welker Construction along with his friend Don Welker Jr. They had attended Hoover High School together, and he ended up going to work for his friend's father, Don Welker Sr. “There was quite a group of us, six of us out of the crew, that joined the lodge.

Los Altos Auxiliary members gathered recently at the beautifully renovated home of Susan and Steven Peterman for their annual holiday party and to celebrate a year of fundraising success on behalf of the boys, ages 6 to 17, in residential care at Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services' El Nido campus. The auxiliary's efforts will culminate later this month, when members will deliver Target gift cards, homemade cookies and holiday cards to each of the boys. Hathaway-Sycamores President and Chief Executive William Martone thanked the auxiliary for its continued support.

Alex Coolman GLENDALE -- Joe Mandoky, the man spearheading the effort to recall Mayor Gus Gomez, will begin his second signature-gathering effort today. Mandoky seeks to collect about 150 signatures on the "notice of intent to recall" that must be served on an elected official in order to begin the recall process. The first notice of intent, which Mandoky gave to Gomez April 24, was recently rejected by the city clerk because of a problem with its wording.

It was just before 7 p.m. and Venice resident Ramon Kang had already consumed 10 Coors Lite beers inside the dimly lit bar at the Elks Lodge. After three hours of drinking, his blood alcohol level was at .12 and police officials were now ready to test his motor skills. Kang, 36, was instructed to walk nine steps with his heel touching his toe, but spectators quickly spotted his missteps, including staring at his toes and stalling on his next move. “What alcohol does is it impairs your judgment,” he said.

Shawna Saperstein Galassi, Enjoy! GLENDALE -- We all seem to have those moments when we yearn for the soothing solace of comfort food but aren't in the mood to cook it ourselves. For those of us who are not big fans of diners or cafeteria food, there aren't many options at such times. Though few people know about it, the Elks Lodge in Glendale has been quietly serving up home-cooked alternatives to nonmembers, as well as members, every Friday night for more than 30 years.

A chance to dance on St. Paddy's Day The Irish Center of Southern California will have its 13th annual St. Patrick's Day dinner dance at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday at the Hilton Glendale Hotel, 100 Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with entertainment that includes Des Regan's Irish-American Showband, Cleary School of Irish Dance, L.A. Set Dancers and Bagpipers. Tickets are $60. For reservations, call (626) 337-0075. Republican group to hold forum The Glendale Workshop Republican Women Federated will host a candidates' forum for the City Council, school and college board elections at 10:30 a.m. on March 19 at the Elks Lodge, 120 E. Colorado Blvd.

The Glendale-Foothill Division of the California Retired Teachers' Association will have its monthly luncheon meeting at noon on April 3 at the Elks Lodge, 120 E. Colorado St., Glendale. Social time begins at 11:30, and lunch follows at noon. The cost is $11, and reservations can be made at 841-1460. Deadline for reservations is March 30. All retired educators and administrators are welcomed. The luncheon program entertainment will feature The Energizers, a barbershop quartet, to help celebrate the 100th birthday of Gertrude Ness.

Tim Willert DOWNTOWN -- Students from each of Glendale's four middle schools presented their winning projects on Americanism at a luncheon sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Glendale. Mark Landig and Ann Pantaleon (Roosevelt Middle School), Daniel Adams and Rachel Levy (Rosemont), Punar Sikka and Ani Kazaryan (Toll) and Erika Solomon and Lizzie Wade (Wilson) were selected from more than 500 entries. Winners received $50 plus a certificate from Rep. James Rogan (R-Glendale)

Jackson Bell They might not pick up paychecks for their work at the Glendale Police Department, but that doesn't mean the department's reserve officers aren't appreciated. Several received various awards Thursday night at the Glendale Elks Lodge. The reserves, who are trained as police officers, have other jobs but give up their free time to help out with patrol, investigations and other areas of the department. "They are special volunteers who are asked to go out and fight crime," said Officer Mike Glassick, coordinator of the reserve program.

Buck Wargo GLENDALE -- A district manager for the Gas Company has joined the growing field in the race for the City Council. Tony Tartaglia, 36, announced his candidacy Thursday morning during a breakfast at the Elks Lodge. More than 80 people attended, he said. Tartaglia said his job has brought him into contact with many cities, and that he can join the council with a lot of expertise and experience of what works and what doesn't work in cities.

The Glendale Homeowners Coordinating Council held a forum on Feb. 20 at the First Congregational Church of Glendale featuring candidates running in the April 2 city elections. Participating candidates were Rick Barnes, Jefferson Black, Sam Engel, Laura Friedman, Aram Kazazian, Roland Kedikian, Mike Mohill, Herbert Molano, Ara Najarian and Zareh Sinanyan. For more than two hours the candidates answered questions posed by moderator Jason Wells, managing news editor of the Glendale News-Press, and the audience.

A beautiful woman and the life of the party. Loving wife, mother, grandmother and dear friend to so many. Burbank resident and volunteer in the community. Preceded in death by her parents, Eva and Jack Schulman; and son, Geno Murphy. She will be painfully missed by husband, Gene Murphy; Sister, Dottie and Al Weiner; children Rory and John Shaw, Vicki and John Penna, Debbie and Dan Stivers, Michael Murphy; grandchildren William, Brittany, Allison, Ashley M., Evelyn, Rebecca, Ashley P. and Kristen; great-grandson Preston.

Los Altos Auxiliary members gathered recently at the beautifully renovated home of Susan and Steven Peterman for their annual holiday party and to celebrate a year of fundraising success on behalf of the boys, ages 6 to 17, in residential care at Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services' El Nido campus. The auxiliary's efforts will culminate later this month, when members will deliver Target gift cards, homemade cookies and holiday cards to each of the boys. Hathaway-Sycamores President and Chief Executive William Martone thanked the auxiliary for its continued support.

It was just before 7 p.m. and Venice resident Ramon Kang had already consumed 10 Coors Lite beers inside the dimly lit bar at the Elks Lodge. After three hours of drinking, his blood alcohol level was at .12 and police officials were now ready to test his motor skills. Kang, 36, was instructed to walk nine steps with his heel touching his toe, but spectators quickly spotted his missteps, including staring at his toes and stalling on his next move. “What alcohol does is it impairs your judgment,” he said.

The men clustered on the makeshift platform in the accompanying photograph are taking part in an ages-old ritual: the laying of a cornerstone. The cornerstone is the first block set in place in the foundation of a new building. This cornerstone, laid on August 11, 1917, marked the start of a new home for Elks Lodge No. 1289. The lodge was founded in 1912 when a group of local men got together. These were all men who had belonged to Elks lodges back in their former hometowns.

Stan Germain was just 21 years old when he joined Elks Lodge No. 1289 in March 1949. Germain said he was on a construction crew at the time. “My whole crew joined together. We all graduated from high school in 1945 or thereabouts.” “I was pretty young,” he added. Germain was working for Welker Construction along with his friend Don Welker Jr. They had attended Hoover High School together, and he ended up going to work for his friend's father, Don Welker Sr. “There was quite a group of us, six of us out of the crew, that joined the lodge.

Founded in 1946 and growing strong with 89 members, the Women's Civic League continues to make its presence felt in Glendale. Thursday's luncheon meeting at the Elks Lodge was no exception. Speaker Sheriff Lee Baca started the league's new year with a bang. And President Lynda Burns couldn't have been more pleased. Baca more than held his own in front of his knowledgeable audience. But with a USC doctorate in public administration, this top cop knows his business. He also flew all night from Israel to make sure he didn't miss this speaking engagement.

Three accomplished women well-represented the Glendale Soroptimists’ “Live Your Dream” theme at the 12th annual Accolades Luncheon at the Glendale Hilton. These “dreamers” were presented with awards, certificates and their tables’ centerpieces of spring flowers on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, with nary a shamrock or glass of Guinness present. Soroptimist President Liz Mirzaian welcomed her audience of approximately 70 members and guests. Preceding the luncheon, Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian offered greetings from the city.

Juniors High Tea benefits children The La Crescenta Woman's Club Juniors had their annual elegant High Tea on May 8 to benefit Operation Smiles, a nonprofit medical group that serves children who were born with facial deformities such as cleft palates. A chocolate fountain, with a variety of fruits for dipping, and traditional English sandwiches were among the tasty offerings. New member Wendy Smith , a professional singer, crooned a few tunes while guests were arriving.

It took Mark Brandhurst four years to build his 1927 Model T Ford, and when he was finished he took it on its maiden ride to Glendale for a car show Sunday. The show, a charity event sponsored by the Glendale Elks Lodge, drew about 500 people and 105 cars, organizers said. Brandhurst’s was one of them, and he described the drive from Valencia to Glendale in the vintage car using one word. “Bumpy,” he said. While his and other vehicles on display may not compare with newer models in terms of driving comfort, they were the main attraction Sunday as visitors and car owners admired them, Brandhurst said.