The Weekly Newspaper of Torrance
Herald Publications - Torrance, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 8, No. 1 - January 4, 2018
Inside
This Issue
Calendar of Events.............3
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................2
Classifieds............................6
Crossword/Sudoku.............6
Legals....................................7
Police Briefs........................3
Politically Speaking............2
Real Estate...........................8
Sports....................................3
Weekend
Forecast
Torrance Wins Mayor’s Trophy!
The City of Torrance, won the Mayor’s Trophy at Pasadena’s annual Rose Parade. Preparations for the float were sent in, before the parade. Shown: Volunteers and 2018 members of the Torrance Rose Float
Association Debbie Vaca, Melissa de la Vara and Roseanne Villalobos stand in front of the Torrance float. West High School student Irene Tsay’s contest entry won and the theme of the contest was: “No Seed
Goes Unnoticed”. The idea behind it was how something so small can create something so beautiful. More photos inside on page: 5. Information provided by Roseanne Villalobos and photos by Betsy Maerker.
2017 in Torrance: Year in Review
By TerriAnn Ferren
Detroit, Michigan--went into the Air Force
TerriAnn in Torrance
after working a year and a half for the Ford
That’s it--2017 has just been tucked away
Motor Company and followed a calling into
and the history of another year is in the
the ministry. Councilman Herring attended
books. This past year I had the opportunity
Morehouse College and later attained a Masters
of writing numerous columns concerning
of Divinity from the Interdenominational
activities, people, places and celebrations
Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia. He
throughout the city of Torrance.
later obtained his Doctorate of Ministry from
In January, we honored Dr. Martin Luther
the Southern California School of Ministry.
King’s birthday by speaking with actor, writer,
Always being involved with community
producer and playwright Ted Lange, who
service since he was a small boy, it is no
knew Dr. King’s eldest daughter Yolanda,
surprise Milton Herring became a councilman
who died in 2007 and is one of only two
for the city of Torrance. “So, somewhere
people I know who had met Coretta Scott
King. Later in the year, we discovered that
Torrance Councilman Milton S. Herring
had met Dr. Martin Luther King when he
was a child.
On January 20, Hal Holbrook entertained
us at the James Armstrong Theatre as Mark
Twain…and later, former Mayor Frank Scotto
reminded us of Torrance’s rural roots. He
grew up on a rabbit farm—yes, a farm in
Torrance where his family raised rabbits at
237th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. “It
was a different time than we live in today.
I was growing up on a farm and we had
literally thousands of rabbits. Next door
was a chicken ranch, so there was a lot of
agriculture,” said Scotto.
And who can forget the huge celebration
on January 26th at Torrance High School for
what would have been Louis Zamperini’s
100th birthday? Attending the celebration were
Louis Zamperini’s son and daughter, Luke
Zamperini and Cynthia Zamperini-Garris,
who along with teachers and students spelled
out “LZ 100” on the steps of the high school
near the Senior Patio. That event made me
wonder if Louis was looking down, smiling
at what would have been his 100th year.
With February being Black History Month,
I visited with Councilman Herring I and
learned that this remarkable man--born in
Birmingham, Alabama and who grew up in
along the line, my parents always worked to
make the community better than when they
arrived,” he said.
In a column in March, I discovered
Torrance residents love their pets and when
I asked citizens about their four-legged or
two-legged friends, it was no surprise most
think of them as members of the family.
Lisa Johnson told me, “I never want to
live without animals.” With four miniature
donkeys--Emmy Lou, Bell Star, Santino
and Mario--along with 25 chickens, some
ducks and a rabbit, I remember telling Lisa
there is little danger of her living without
pets. She and her husband Gary have a
barnyard menagerie.
St. Patrick’s Day confirmed the fact that
most believe they are Irish--at least on March
17--and the evening meal most assuredly
consists of corned beef and cabbage. What
surprised me was when I found out we here
in the United States celebrate St. Patrick’s
Day with much more fervor and pomp than
the Irish in Ireland!
We in Torrance support and are proud
of our policemen and firemen. So much
so, we celebrated the Fourth Annual Police
Department Awards & Appreciation
Luncheon in March, and the Second Annual
Fire Department Appreciation and Awards
Luncheon in April. Both events were very
well attended and policemen and firemen were
honored for going above and well beyond
the call of duty as they were recognized for
their actions.
Passover and Easter in the spring reminded
us all that the year was zipping along
rapidly. In May, Louis Zamperini’s very
special leather bomber jacket was returned
to the Torrance Historical Society and Museum
located on Post Avenue in downtown
Torrance after being on display at Whiteman
Air Force Base in Missouri during the
AFGSC (Air Force Global Command Senior
Leader Conference) Commanding Officer’s
Heritage Dinner Gala (where the theme was
Heritage of Great American Airmen). Yes,
our hometown hero Louis Zamperini was
honored for his incredible bravery. During
this very special gala event in Missouri,
the Zamperini Warrior Award was unveiled
(funded by WWII 307th Bomb Group generation).
The leather bomber jacket is on
display at the museum and I have to say it
is one of the coolest things--on a par with,
say, Steve McQueen.
Also in May, Torrance was the recipient
of a very special honor from the American
Rose Society. Mayor Patrick J. Furey
formally accepted “The City of Torrance
Rose” from the American Rose Society on
April 18. Our special rose is a mini-flora,
orange/pink-color rose. This rose takes its
place along with our city tree, the Cork Oak
(Quercus Suber), and our city flower, the
Hybrid Delphinium (Ajacia).
We also were carried along with our
magical Dodgers all summer long, cheering
them on toward the pennant. It was a summer
of hope and dreams. Never mind we
didn’t end with a World Series title, but
we had a glorious run! And there is always
next year!
Gracing the James Armstrong Theatre
in September was the legendary Melissa
Manchester, who entertained the audience
See TerriAnn in Torrance, page 4
Friday
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Saturday
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Sunday
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