EL SEGUNDO HERALD June 10, 2021 Page 3
cars he’s most interested in.
The second reason, he says, is because model
cars are a more affordable way to collect such
an expensive item. “You know, we’re not all
Jay Leno,” he laughs, “We don’t have the
funding or the space to assemble a collection
of a hundred real cars, but we can, through
diecast models, approximate that experience.”
As for his collection, Strong estimates that
he has about six or seven hundred models in
his possession at this time. The cars that attract
him the most tend to be Porsches and classic
Japanese cars.
For the last five years, he has emceed an
event called the Japanese Classic Car Show
in Long Beach, which is the largest show for
vintage Japanese cars in North America. He
also participates in an event called Radwood,
which takes place all over the country, and
invites guests to celebrate the culture of the
80s and 90s, both in culture and in cars.
A couple of years ago, lamenting with a fellow
car enthusiast from Northern California about
the lack of model car events in the wake of so
many real car events, Strong decided to make
his own. The first Diecast Cars & Coffee was
hosted in El Segundo, just before the pandemic,
at the Automobile Driving Museum. Though
Covid threw off plans for 2021, Strong plans
to bring it back for 2022. The event hosted
vendors, collectors, and enthusiasts alike, who
all gathered to buy, trade, compare, and enjoy
all things model cars.
Asked where his enthusiasm for such a niche
hobby comes from, Strong says, “That is the
question. Why does anyone have an enthusiasm
for what they do? I have asked myself
this question countless times: why am I a car
guy?” His answer? Cars found him when he
was young, and he’s been interested ever since.
Strong describes collecting as an innate drive
to acquire and curate. Your items, he says, tell
a story. About history, about achievement, and
about you. A collection, be it model cars or
Pokémon cards, tells the world your tastes and
interests and shows how much you love it.
Interested in starting your own model car
collection? Strong has some advice. First, he
recommends narrowing down and focusing
on what you want to collect. Is it a certain
type, brand, or era of a car? Secondly, he
warns you to be realistic about your space.
Miniature though they are, a sizable collection
can take up space quickly. Finally, he says to
never buy a model car thinking that you’re
going to make money on it. As his collection
has grown, he’s focused less on quantity
and more on quality, buying more precise
models that are more specific to his interests.
Currently, Strong drives a 1989 Toyota Cargo
Van, about which he says, “It’s one of those things–
very few people would know that it’s cool. But
the people who know that it’s cool, they really
know it’s cool.” Had he the option, his dream
car would be a 1973 Porsche 911 RS 2.7, often
considered one of the best road cars of all time.
Strong hopes to grow his business, expand
his event, and continue to get to know the
car enthusiast community of El Segundo and
Southern California. •
Entertainment
They’re graduating.
And they think they
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Congratulations to the Class of 2021!
Wishing each of you the very best in your bright future.
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Obituaries
Karen Lucille Thompson
Sept. 12, 1953 to May 22, 2021
Eagles Have Historic Season
By Gregg McMullin
The El Segundo High School’s girl’s soccer
and lacrosse teams, as well as the boy’s basketball
team, made historic runs this season.
The soccer team won its first CIF Southern
Section championship and advanced to its first
CIF Southern California Regional championship.
The lacrosse team won the program’s
first league championship and advanced to
the first ever CIF Southern Section Division
2 playoffs. The swim team qualified eight
swimmers and did well at the CIF finals.
Soccer Team Establishes Itself
During Historic Run
When the referee sounded the whistle ending
the CIF Southern California Regional Championship
game, the agony and tears streaming
down the faces of the El Segundo Eagles were
evident. The Eagles had just been defeated
by San Dimas 5-2, the very same team they
had defeated 2-1 in the CIF Southern Section
Division 4 Championship game.
The road to the CIF Southern California
Regional Championship game started with a
matchup with Escondido’s Classical Academy.
The game was a defensive-minded affair; the
Eagles prevailed 1-0. The Caimans came
into the game 23-3 and had an 18-game win
streak on their way to capturing the CIF San
Diego Section Division IV Championship.
The Caimans defense has been stellar all
season long, having given up just 21 goals. El
Segundo pressured deep, but Caiman goalie
Isabella Trask and her back line thwarted
eleven shots on goal in the first half alone.
The second half was much of the same, but
the teams held their stout defense intact. The
game was scoreless and went into the twominute
stoppage time. The Eagles reversed
the field and found their opportunity well
into stoppage time. Ciera ‘Kiki’ Doggett
received a pass from Chelsie Charles from
the touchline and scored the game’s only goal.
The Eagles advanced to the semi-finals to
face the Exeter Monarchs, the CIF Central
Section Division IV champions. The Monarchs
made the 190-mile trip only to make
the return trip even longer when the Eagles
defeated them 4-0.
Karen Lucille Thompson; age 67, Inglewood,
CA. 90303, passed peacefully in her
sleep at home on May 22, 2021. Born in
Los Angeles, CA on September 12, 1953 to
Ruth & Eugene Thompson. She was preceded
in death by both her parents. Karen married
Jody Lee Wallace (Born April 10, 1960). They
were married on May 9, 2000 and remained
together for 21 years.
Karen is survived by her son, Mark Eugene
Edington and her grand-daughter Katherine
Edington. Karen was cremated and there were
no services held (at her request). Memorials
are suggested to Calvery Chapel LAX. •
See Eagles, page 4
In Breaking Boundaries, David Attenborough
Begs Us To Trust Science, Again
By Morgan Rojas for Cinemacy
Sir David Attenborough is back with another
troubling but ultimately inspiring documentary
about the climate crisis and how we must,
must, believe the science if we are to stop
hurling towards total irreversible destruction.
Not a light watch, but a necessary one.
Directed by John Clay, Breaking Boundaries:
The Science of Our Planet, now streaming on
Netflix, is another important addition to the
Attenborough school of life.
There can never be too many climate crisis
documentaries. Why? Because we haven’t
solved the problem yet. Until then, I expect
to see more films focused on this universally
important issue with each one getting more
serious than the next. In Breaking Boundaries,
most of the information is relayed to us
by world-renowned scientist Professor Johan
Rockström. Throughout its 75-minute runtime,
the film takes us on a journey of discovery of
the 9 planetary boundaries we must maintain
to keep our planet thriving at optimum capacity
and protect Earth’s life support system.
It feels like more of a scare tactic approach
than a whimsical visual journey but maybe
cold, hard facts are what some people need
to truly pay attention.
If you’re expecting another Attenborough
film with animals galore, you may be disappointed
with Breaking Boundaries. Instead of
primates, director Jon Clay focuses more on
the people who have studied and researched
the Earth’s ecosystem for years. Interviews
with scientists and scholars are conducted in
a stereotypical talking heads style, and almost
half of the film feels comprised of computergenerated
graphics and TED-talk charts. We
do see evidence of global warming in nature;
from melting ice caps in Greenland to burned
carcasses of animals in Australia’s forests,
there are still plenty of shocking imagery to
absorb here.
Typically, Attenborough documentaries are
so impactful because of the stunning visuals
that act alongside the narration. However,
Breaking Boundaries lacks the imagery we’ve
come to expect from past films and almost
makes it seem like this would have been a
good podcast instead. The facts are terrifying:
We’ve already lost about 20% of the Amazon,
Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet, courtesy Netflix.
See Film Review, page 6
Patrick Strong from front page
Patrick Strong car collection.