Page 2 July 23, 2020 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
It is with profound sadness
and grief to share that we lost
our beloved Irma Kessler (age
52) suddenly on Friday, July 17
to natural causes. Irma was a
devoted wife to Greg and mother
to Nikolas (ESHS 2010) and
Cierra (ESHS 2017). Irma lived
her life with passion, love, joy
and generosity to her family and
many many friends. She was with
her family in Atlanta the day of
her passing and spent the morning doing what
she loved..... fishing with Greg, Nikolas and
Cierra on a beautiful lake.
Born to Ruben and Irma Najarro, she graduated
from Hawthorne High School in 1986
before attending Cal State Long Beach. Irma
married the love of her life, Greg in 1992.
Irma and Greg moved to El Segundo in 1991
to raise their family and immediately became
very active in the community.
Irma was a devoted Teacher Assistant at Center
Street and Special Education Aid at El Segundo
Middle School for 7 years. Prior to that she
worked for several physical therapy and chiropractic
practices. Always active in the kid’s
sports, she was an avid parent booster and
supporter of El Segundo’s soccer,
softball, hockey and football
programs. Her passion continued
supporting Nikolas as he played
football at Cal Lutheran and Cierra
who plays softball at Marymount
California University. They never
missed one game, ever. Because
of her devotion to her family
and friends, she will always be
remembered for her love of life,
compassion, and generosity for
others. These are just some of the reasons why
she will be missed everyday.
Irma is survived by her husband Greg, son
Nikolas, daughter Cierra, father Ruben Najarro,
brother, Ruben (Alecia) Najarro, sister, Rosanna
(Roger) Molieri, a nephew, many adoring
nieces, great nieces, and many many friends
who adore her. Irma was recently predeceased
by her mother, Irma and niece, Jessica.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations
be made to either the Lupus Society
of LA (Lupusla.org) or Learning Disabilities
Foundation (LDAAmerica.org/LDA chapters/
California). A beach sunset memorial is being
planned where safe distancing will be observed
and masks required. •
Your Neighborhood Therapist
The Jewelry Source
337 Main St. El Segundo. 310-322-7110
www.jewelrysourceUSA.com
©2007
Dear Neighborhood Therapist,
My job performance review is next week, and
I am dreading it. My boss has said I “lead with
empathy,” but she did not mean it as a compliment.
She was explicit that she expected me to be
harder on the team I manage and prioritize my
own needs over theirs more often. I don’t think
I can do that: a lot of my team members are
vulnerable both financially and emotionally,
especially in a pandemic. I am afraid I’ll get a
bad review because I’m too “nice.” How should
I think about how to handle this situation?
- Too Nice, El Segundo
Dear Too Nice,
As you well know, almost every organization
and every person claims to value kindness. But
that claim does not make it true. Organizations,
especially, appreciate kindness. They encourage
it. But they do not value it in the sense of assigning
a monetary or other worth to it. And because
that is the case, kindness is often expendable,
somewhere down on the “nice to have” list.
The same is often true with people. Everywhere
from the schoolyard to the sales team to the
boardroom to government, we see that people who
are unkind to others sometimes hold positions
of power. Perhaps this is part of why so often, kind-
ness is mistaken for weakness or powerlessness.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Here’s why:
People, who are kind, often get sandwiched,
trying to protect the less powerful from the
impulses of the more powerful. I see this
every week in the people I meet with: there
is a heavy price for being nice.
I suspect you know this already - or at the
very least, you feel it - because you are quite
literally “taking one for the team” as your boss
tries to pressure them, through you. People
do not always realize when they are choosing
kindness, but that is exactly what you have
done so far. And in this case - as is far too
common - it is coming at a cost. That requires
a great deal of strength, indeed.
I am not saying, “stay strong and keep taking
it for the team.” Each circumstance is different.
Even if you are the most considerate person
on earth, it’s not always worth it. So that is
the question you have to answer: what is the
price that your commitment to kindness is
asking you to pay, and is it worth it?
And while we’re at it, remember it’s not just a
commitment to kindness or decency that carries
a price. So does any commitment to support a
value or a lifestyle that may be different from
others in your community. Being different, or
outspoken, or even quiet - these are not signs
of weakness. It’s just the opposite.
Good luck with your review. No matter how
it goes moving forward, the people who work
on your team are better off for having you,
even if they may never know it.
Please write to tom@tomandrecounseling.com
or text to 310.776.5299 with questions about
handling what is affecting your life, your family,
the community or the world. Tom Andre is
a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
(LMFT119254). The information in this column is
for educational purposes only and nothing herein
should be construed as professional advice or
the formation of a therapeutic relationship. •
Bill Field from front page
made friends with Bill Coffman, a fellow organ
enthusiast, and together they purchased the
Mighty Wurlitzer built in the 1920s. In 1968
The Fox West Coast Theater chain was disposing
of all the instruments they had at that
time. The West Coast Theater in Long Beach
had the largest and the most intact collection
of vintage instruments, including the cherished
Wurlitzer. So the two Bills made the necessary
contacts and ended up purchasing their prized
organ for $2000.
Now that they had their Mighty Wurlitzer,
they needed to set it up. Luckily, they knew
the right people who worked for the Wurlitzer
Company to help reassemble the behemoth
instrument. Initially, they set the Mighty
Wurlitzer up at relative’s studio, but they had
bigger plans for their treasured instrument.
They saw a newspaper ad for a ‘theatre for
rent’ in El Segundo. What they found at 140
Richmond Street couldn’t have been more
perfect. This former theatre, which was built
in 1921 and the community’s only theatre
house, had also been home to a community
center, storage building, and used as a church
over the years. It was on the perfect tree-lined
street in an ideal vintage building and was just
what they envisioned.
After making some well-needed modifications
and remodeling the inside of The Old Town
Music Hall, it was transformed back to its 1921
elegance, beauty, and glory. Thanks to Bill
Field and Bill Coffman’s vision, it transcends
patrons of the theatre back to the silent picture
era with its royal carpeting, ornate moldings,
oversized chandeliers, and the Mighty Wurlitzer
sitting center stage behind the thick golden
curtains. Part of Field’s vision, for his theater,
was re-creating an early American tradition of
spending an afternoon or evening at the movies
set in the 1920s and 1930s.
For nearly fifty years, the Old Town Music
Hall has been the home for silent movies, ragtime
concerts, and grand organ performances, all
because of Bill Field. At each show, audiences
experience a pipe organ medley followed by a
sing-along, short comedy, and a feature film.
It didn’t matter whether Casablanca or It’s a
Wonderful Life came to life on the theatre’s
screen or silent films. For instance, Charlie
Chaplin’s ‘Gold Rush’ transformed on screen,
Field was at the keyboard serenading visitors
with whimsical song renditions of the period.
The Mighty Wurlitzer transformed Field’s
passion into a magical moment for those in
attendance. He became this fun-loving uncle
of the music world as he playfully put together
tunes from yesteryear. Instead of keeping the
organ’s mechanics enclosed as some theaters
do, Field used glow-in-the-dark paint and black
lights to show off its insides. With Field in
charge, the mallets on stage danced, hitting
chimes and drums of all sizes transform the
Bill Field sitting at his vintage Mighty Wurlitzer was the co-founder
and proprietor of the Old Town Music Hall for more than 50 years
room into a musical fantasy world that brings
its visitors into heavenly bliss. The Mighty
Wurlitzer does everything from thunder sounds
to gongs, to rain and it’s all controlled from
the seat of the man in charge, Bill Field.
To those who knew Bill Field, they’ll remember
the light-hearted and good-natured
person who was a friend to all with his humor
and generosity. He also mentored young artists
and volunteers at The Old Town Music Hall
to learn the operation of an organ and the way
the music business operates.
In the final months of Field’s life, the pandemic
forced the closure of The Old Town
Music Hall. But Field was confident that the
lights to his dream theatre would someday
be relit. Sadly, when the theatre’s elaborate
chandeliers come to life again, Bill’s smiling
face will be missing but not his legacy. Bill
Field is playing to a heavenly audience now
as we wait for his Mighty Wurlitzer to come
back to life with one he has mentored at its
keys. Thank you, Bill, your vision and music
will play on for generations to come. •
Bill Field is flanked by Edward Torres, on the left, a mentored student of Bill, and James Moll on his right, a long time volunteer at
The Old Town Music Hall.
Obituaries
Irma J Kessler
The El Segundo Herald
wants to sincerely thank
all the advertisers that are sticking
with us, during this difficult time.
XOXO
XOXO
XOXO
XOXO