Del Smith-’55 National Volleyball Champ sucumbs iat 81

Delbert,  (“D.W.”)  Worsley Smith died October 3, 2010 in Palm Desert at age 81. Del was a close friend of the late Jack Haley and his wife Jeanette, also Seal Beachers Ken and Libby Applegate, Nancy Shook, Madeline McNab, Chi Kredell and Bob “Ole” Olson.

He was born June 12, 1929 in Huntington Park to Delbert & Viola Smith. In the ’30s his folks moved the family to Norwalk.   “D.W.” as his friends called him,  attended local schools including Excelsior High School where he played basketball and other sports but upon graduation he quickly found his way to Belmont Shore and Seal Beach.  An outstanding beach volleyball player he moved up to national prominence and in 1955  was a member of the U.S. National Volleyball Championship team.

He had three brothers, Robert, George, and Donald, all deceased. He is survived by many loving nieces and nephews. Along with volleyball, his favorite sports were surfing, sailing and golf.  “Ole” and Jack Haley both had custom longboards created for their friend.  As a result of his long time spent overseas he came home a champion dart and billiard player.

His entire working career was spent with Douglas Aircraft, then McDonnel-Douglas finally Boeing Aircraft. His first assignment was as a draftsman at age 18. Del worked his way up to Senior Field Services Representative and spent his career traveling the world and living in exotic places like Turkey, Japan, France, England, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Finland, Indonesia and Portugal. At age 72 he faced mandatory retirement and left Boeing after 54 years. At the time he was the longest “hire” in Boeing history.

Del spent the remainder of his days at Palm Desert Greens Country Club playing golf and telling stories of his worldwide travels and reciting (and demonstrating) Ogden Nash limericks.

He touched many hearts with his kindness and GENEROSITY and will be be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Memorial celebration to be determined. Contact wilm@562media.com or 562-244-1116

20 hamburgers at one sitting for Glen Tuttle?

It was his dream and the Seafarer gave hom the way.

Another Founder’s Day fact. Check it out at : http://sbfoundersday.wordpress.com/2010/10/02/20-hamburgers-at-one-sitting/

More Founder’s Day Fare coming up this week.

I think that’s a picture of my Grandmother….?

“In olden days a glimpse of stocking- – was looked on a something  shocking”

. . . But in Seal Beach they just said  heck Anything Goes

go to: http://sbfoundersday.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/a-glimpse-of-stocking/

Come to think of it my Grandpa never would have been caught grabbing the legs of both girls…so that    must have been my Grandmother on the pier!

go to : http://sbfoundersday.wordpress.com/2010/10/01/sunday-on-the-pier-with-kopf/

Leviathans are visiting…have you said “Hello?”

I am of the opinion that whales are people …with a different vocabulary.  Perhaps I do them an injustice because they are such gentle giants if they could…they’d probably choose a planet that better suits their placid nature.

Nevertheless….this year we are seeing them in numbers that most of us don’t remember.

Marine mammal enthusiasts are having rare chances at seeing unusually large number of blue whales dining off our coast.

WUSB asked fellow whale enthusiast, Jerry Rootlieb, if he would keep his eyes (and camera lens) open during his almost daily Pacific peregrinations and lo and behold Matey…look what he brought us!

He caught  a colossally  huge whale just as it broke  the surface  and shot a 15 foot high water spout before dropping down for another bite of the krill….of which a whale eats about four tons a day !

Jerry flies the local waters several times a week. Blue whales often pass through the San Pedro Channel but this big a group has not been seen in recent years. They can weigh up to 150 tons  and grow to over 100 feet in length.

They were nearly extinct in the late 1950’s because of hunting but blue whale hunting was outlawed internationally in 1965 and now there are over 10,000 world wide. 2,000 of them consider the water of our coast as their playground.

They are following  huge schools (also called clouds) of krill into the shallow water four or five miles offshore.

We thank the krill and Rootlieb for bringing us this story.

For more info on whales go to: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/blue-whale.html

Rest Easy – City has taken the risk out of being a city?

The City of Seal Beach is a proud member of the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority (California JPIA); the California JPIA handles the City’s risk management program.

In May of this year, the City Manager asked the California JPIA to perform a comprehensive risk management audit of city operations and on September 30th met with California JPIA representatives and City Department Directors to review the findings and recommendations of the audit.  Bob May, California JPIA’s Senior Risk Consultant, presented a thorough report.

The main principles are to manage risk by transferring the risk to another party, avoiding the risk, reducing the negative effect of the risk, and accepting some or all of the consequences of a particular risk.  “By having such an audit done prospectively, pre-incident or claim, and by implementing the findings, the city can do a better job of making careful choices and help keep risk management a priority”, said City Manager David Carmany.  Follow-up action items will be recommended for funding in next year’s municipal budget.

The California JPIA, as authorized by its joint powers agreement, operates as a membership organization.  More than 120 public agencies with good loss experience and risk management efforts help make California JPIA a success.

A long ago look into space – or is it a future look?

When I was in high school we were told that the Griffith Observatory had a 20 inch telescope.  (I think it was 20″)  but they were building one at Palomar..and had already been working on it for years…that would be 100 inches.

As best I remember astronomers at that time spoke of other galaxies beyond our own Milky Way….but it was still somewhat hypothetical and certainly no one would ever have guessed more than 10,000 galaxies in a very tiny area of the heavens.

Some learned men and women estimated the age of the universe at 500 million years.  Some learned theologists disagreed. Some astronomers believed there were a few other galaxies; other than our Milky Way.

It was all cutting edge stuff in 1950-52 and my parents told me to take it with a grain of salt…

My guess is that in 2060 some teenager is going to go to his/her teacher and ask “How in the world could anyone learn much about the heavens with something as antique as the Hubble  telescope.”

Take a couple of minutes and look at this amazing video.  It makes one humble.

Go to: http://www.flixxy.com/hubble-ultra-deep-field-3d.htm

Take the Founder’s Day Challenge- – Today – -Don’t Wait!

Click on:  http://wp.me/pKe8y-00

THAT’S ALL YOU HAVE TO DO.

Take a look at everything this group has been working on for nearly a year!

This is going to be a wonderful month for our town and bring a lot of money to a wide range of services to help maintain our parks and facilities.  With the state budget getting tighter, we need your generosity more than ever.  Help us make Seal Beach of today just as sweet and as interesting a place to remember as the historic Seal Beach we’ve been celebrating in this blog.

Not only will you be getting a gourmet meal…you’ll have a great dance floor, a great band, and a great group of friends.  A WONDERFUL auction that will include:

-One week stay in a home in Hanalei Bay

-One week stay in an apartment in Hanalei Bay (Rates can be as high as $800 a night!)

http://www.gohawaii.com/kauai/regions-neighborhoods/north-shore/hanalei-town

-Two 3^rd row tickets to South Pacific on October 12 at the Orange County Performing Arts        Center-

(Rated best cast of play in 50 years!)

-Tickets to a Mighty Ducks game

-Mammoth Ski weekend getaway (sleeps 10, usually rents for $400)

-Classic Ukelele

-New golf clubs

-4 rounds of golf at Old Ranch Country Club

-Lessons with Golf Pros at Old Ranch and Navy Base courses

-Dinners and /lunches at local restaurants

-Hand quilted Hawaiian pillows

-Beautifully framed print of Seal Beach Pier by local artist Karen Mikkelson

-Dinner at Old Ranch Country Club

-Surfing lessons with MM Surfing

-Language lessons for travelers

-20 Baskets including with Taste of Seal Beach cards and gift certificates

Once again – – Click on:  http://wp.me/pKe8y-00

If your Dad criticizes your hair…look at how he looked in ’52!

From Michael Dobkins  and Seal Beach Founder’s Day

go to: http://wp.me/pKe8y-lV

Main Street in Seal Beach  has been a favorite subject for photographers throughout its 95 years of history.

Every Monday between now and the end of the Seal Beach Founders Celebration they will  be posting a different image of Main Street.  This week’s Main Street image comes to us from Alan Harbour.

A “Clean” Arrest for Local Cops

by Jan Sledge

Seal Beach police officers should be credited with this year’s “cleanest arrest” last Thursday morning, September 2nd.

Motorists reported a ‘road rage’ incident during the morning rush hour on Pacific Coast Highway wherein the offending driver was alleged to have tried to run down a pedestrian, a violent felony.  Seal Beach officers spotted the suspected driver and car and tried to stop it on Seal Beach Boulevard at PCH.

The driver refused to yield and the chase was on.  The low to moderate paced pursuit traveled through Seal Beach to the freeways, up into Long Beach and several of its neighborhoods; and, back down the I-405 to the freeway adjacent to the SBNWS.  The driver became boxed into the stopped traffic and surrendered peacefully after bringing his car to a stop in the middle of the freeway.  After exiting his car, Seal Beach officers ordered him to raise his arms and expose his waistband (a precaution against readily available firearms).

The driver went us one better!  He stood in the middle of the freeway and stripped naked.  The officers arrested him on a multitude of charges and transported him to the SBPD Detention Center without further incident.  The city is awaiting his lab tests to determine what drugs he may have used to cause his behavior.

Kudos to Corporal Mike Henderson and Officers Eric Tittle and Al Cabrera for a pursuit without injuries or property damage.

Jan Sledge, Executive Assistant to City Manager
City of Seal Beach – 211 Eighth Street, Seal Beach, CA 90740
(562) 431-2527 Ext. 1303

CENTRO C.H.A.’S 14TH ANNUAL NUESTRA IMAGEN AWARDS

Centro CHA stands for Long Beach Community  Hispanic Association.

When: Thursday, September 16 from 6pm-9pm
Where: The Grand Hotel, 4101 E. Willow St., in Long Beach
What: This year’s Nuestra Imagen Awards theme is “Getting Involved: Our Families, Our Community, Our City.”

Extraordinary community leaders will be recognized for their service and excellence in corporate community giving, higher education service, public safety service, community leadership and public service, and public health and youth development services. There  is also a special humanitarian award and presentation for Lifetime Dedication to Fighting Indifference, Intolerance, & Injustice in Long Beach.

Why: At  $75 per person, guests will enjoy an evening filled with cultural music traditional food, and the opportunity to celebrate Hispanic Heritage and network with community  leaders, businesses, and government leaders throughout Long Beach. A special auction will also take place where individuals and businesses can help fund an internship for underprivileged high school students and/or college undergraduates to gain occupational work- readiness skills and receive a meaningful paid work experience.

ABOUT INTERVAL HOUSE
Interval House is a nationally recognized nonprofit domestic violence program offering shelter and comprehensive supportive services to Greater Long Beach and Orange County communities since 1979. Over the last 30 years, Interval House has worked tirelessly to develop innovative programs that have been recognized with over 400 local, regional and national awards, including three Presidential Awards, two Governor’s Awards, and the U.S. Department of Justice Award citing Interval House as a “model” program to the nation. Interval House is unique in the nation for providing comprehensive services in 67 different languages, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including: 24-hour crisis hotlines; emergency shelters and transitional housing; community service centers; counseling; legal, health, children’s and youth programs; leadership development; economic self-sufficiency; and community education.

To learn more about Centro C H A go to:  http://www.centrocha.org/

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