Mountain Views News          Saturday, September 10, 2011

CERT (cont. from pg. 1)

neighbors and your 
neighborhood in an 
emergency situation.

CERT is a positive and 
realistic approach to 
emergency and disaster 
situations where citizens 
may initially be on their 
own and their actions can 
make a difference. While 
people respond to others in 
need without the training, 
one goal of the CERT 
program is to help them do 
so effectively and efficiently 
without placing themselves 
in unnecessary danger. In 
the CERT training, citizens 
learn to:

· manage utilities and put out 
small fires,

· treat three medical killers by 
opening airways, controlling 
bleeding and treating for 
shock,

· provide basic medical aid,

· search for and rescue 
victims safely, 

· organize themselves and 
spontaneous volunteers to 
be effective, 

· and collect disaster 
intelligence to support first 
responder efforts.

HOW DO I JOIN?

CERT members receive 17 
½ hours (one day a week 
for seven weeks) of initial 
training. The 7-week course 
is followed by refresher 
drills and ongoing training 
provided through Sierra 
Madre CERT and other local 
agencies. CERT is provided 
free of charge within the 
county of Los Angeles to 
anyone 18 and over.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO 
PREPARE?

You certainly don’t have to 
be CERT trained to help in 
an emergency. Preparedness 
is the best resource to help 
yourself, your family, your 
neighbors and your beloved 
furry friends. Just a few 
simple steps can dramatically 
reduce your dependence on 
emergency services in the 
event of a disaster:

· Water: one gallon per 
person per day for three 
weeks

· Food: at least a three week 
supply of non-perishable 
food, plus a can opener

· Extra water and food for 
your pets

· Prescription medication

· Blankets, clothing and 
sturdy shoes for each 
family member

· Baby items, such as extra 
formula and diapers

· Special items for seniors 
or people with disabilities

· Small hygiene kits for 
your family, including 
toothbrush and toothpaste

· List of allergies to any 
drug or food (especially 
antibiotics)

· Battery powered or hand-
crank radio

· Flashlight and extra 
batteries

· First aid kit

· Whistle to signal for help

· Wrench or pliers to turn 
off utilities

· Pocket knife

· Emergency cash in small 
denominations; quarters 
for public pay phones

· Paper cups, paper plates, 
plastic utensils and paper 
towels

· Copies of important 
documents such as birth 
certificates, insurance 
policies, passports, etc.

· Photos of family members 
and pets for identification 
purposes

· List of emergency point-
of-contact phone numbers 
(out of state preferable)

· Extra keys to your house

. Extra toilet paper, shovel 
for digging a latrine

 

You may be asking yourself 
why a family would require 
three weeks of food, water 
and medication. Since 
Sierra Madre is north of all 
freeways and can potentially 
have no access to medical or 
rescue facilities in the event 
of a wide-spread disaster, 
residents need to prepare for 
weeks, not just days.

We encourage all resident 
to please prepare by having 
emergency kits readily 
available at their home and 
in their cars. You may also 
continue the effort by taking 
emergency first aid and 
CPR/AED classes at your 
local Red Cross. Please help 
us help you! Because in the 
event of a major emergency, 
you are your families’ first 
responder!

For more information, you 
may visit the following 
websites:

www.fema.gov

www.ready.gov

www.cert-la.com

Join us on Facebook 
at Facebook.com/
SierraMadreCERT

Or e-mail us at 
sierramadrecert@yahoo.
com

EPH KONIGSBERG 

(continued from page 1)

He was also Sierra Madre’s 
Older American of the year in 
2008. 

 A founding member of Sierra 
Madre Community Foundation, 
he also served as a Library 
Board member, a member 
of the Sierra Madre Historical 
Preservation Society, Past 
President of the Sierra Madre 
Kiwanis Club and is “the guy 
who had the great idea to underground 
the utilities up on 
North Baldwin,” 

 Eph moved to Sierra Madre 
shortly after graduating from 
USC in 1959, and within a 
couple years began getting involved. 
He sat on three commissions 
to establish a tree ordinance, 
one of the only people 
appointed to serve on all three 
commissions. The first two attempts 
failed, but on the third 
try, with the help of Konigsberg 
and local landscaper Lew 
Watanabe, the commission put 
together an ordinance that the 
City Council could approve.

 Konigsberg stayed involved in 
many facets of the community. 
“I’ve been big in Libraries all 
my life, worked in them, even 
as a kid in the Philippines,” said 
Konigsberg in a 2008 interview 
with Bill Coburn. “Our national 
library was underneath 
the Legislature…I still have a 
book here which I bought separately, 
that I first read there, 
called ‘The Vagabond Journey 
Around the World,’ a good 
book by the way…I joined the 
Friends of the Library, and I 
think I became a life member 
almost right away…” 

 In addition, Konigsberg 
served 4 full terms plus a partial 
on the Library Board of 
Trustees, including three terms 
as Chair.

 But Eph may best be remembered 
for proposing that the 
City administration set up an 
ad hoc committee to underground 
the utilities on Baldwin 
Ave.something that many residents 
today take for granted. 
When asked what was the most 
under-rated accomplishment 
of his time in office, former 
Mayor Doug Hayes stated that 
“The most under-rated accomplishment 
that stands out in my 
mind was the under grounding 
of the utilities on North Baldwin 
Avenue. 
People in 
town don’t 
notice it 
anymore because 
they 
are gone, 
but Baldwin 
Avenue 
north of 
Montecito 
and all the 
way to Carter 
was lined 
with big 
ugly utility 
poles. There 
were many 
who were 
involved 
with that 
process and 
it was a huge 
bundle of 
paperwork 
that was required 
to 
get them 
removed and to get the phone, 
electric and cable companies 
to cooperate and get the work 
done. I, personally, had very little 
to do with it, but those who 
toughed out the process did 
wonders for our town. It made 
a huge difference in the way 
our town looks…There were a 
lot of unsung heroes who took 
years to get that completed. It’s 
hard to imagine that they were 
there not that long ago. That 
was a big improvement that 
now gets overlooked.” Konigsberg 
was one of the leaders on 
that “unsung” committee, and 
is proud that when the downtown 
was revamped, the powers 
that be chose to use the 
same light standards that his 
committee had chosen some 
years ago.

 Eph was also involved with 
the City’s first attempt at being 
named an All-America City. 
“The big thing about Sierra 
Madre is that much civic activity 
has been run by older, retired 
folks. Not the All-America 
City. I was in some of their 
committee meetings…and 
to my great delight, a whole 
bunch of young people were 
interested….they did this, they 
did that, and at that point I sort 
of bowed out. I was in the first 
thing, but on the second one 
I sort of bowed out, because 
these kids had much more energy 
than I did, bright ideas…I 
think the future, never mind 
the arguments we have today, 
the future of Sierra Madre is 
going to be just fine with those 
young kids. They’re great…”

 Eph, an engineer by profession, 
started his own company, 
Pasadena based Konigsberg Instruments, 
Inc., which engages 
in biomedical and human instrumentation. 
The company 
celebrated its 40th year in business 
in 2007 and still operates 
today. Among its products, 
Konigsberg developed the instrumentation 
which helps define 
Gastroesophogeal Reflux 
Disease, and he holds patents 
on two other products that he 
invented.

 Eph Konigsberg is survived 
by five children, Robert (Bob), 
Katie, and Jerry, and adopted 
daughters, Sandy Andrews and 
Karenia Kaminski. A Memorial 
Service is planned for early 
October.

 S. Henderson/MVNews 
Excerpts also taken from Bill 
Coburn’s 2008 Older American 
Of The Year interview. 
You can read the full interview, 
which includes the 
story of Eph’s early childhood 
by going to www.sierramadrenews.
net. 

Photos by Bill Coburn 

 


3

Mountain Views-News Saturday, September 10, 2011 

Remembrances


CELEBRATING 80 YEARS: At Thursday’s Chamber of Commerce mixer, Mayor John Buchanan 
presented a proclamation from the City to the SM Historical Preservation Society 
recognizing the Society “on their 80th anniversary serving the community of Sierra Madre.” 
Also pictured: Gurdon Miller, president of the SMHPS, past president Dane Lenton, and Sierra 
Madre historian Phyllis Chapman. Photo by Bill Coburn


A tribute to my friend, 

RICH 
GREENHALGH

by Diane Sands

 Rich died the other day at the 
age of 63. We didn’t know he 
was sick or that he had been in 
the hospital on a ventilator for 
about a month. This was the 
way he and his wife, Anna, had 
always handled their 33 years 
of married life; depending on 
each other and not forcing any 
of their difficult times onto any 
of their friends. 

 Our base of friends exchanged 
emails on a sporadic basis, and 
phone calls as the occasion or 
need for knowledge persisted. 
We knew how to reach each 
other if we needed someone or 
something.

 It was common to not talk to, 
or hear from, Rich for weeks 
at a time. He was a busy man, 
involved in his home life with 
his wonderful wife and the many 
interests he had – his church, 
movies, computers, technology, 
their cats, and so much more. 
It must have been just before 
he went in the hospital that 
my husband and I got a phone 
call from him. “Hellooo,” said 
that voice that persists even 
now in my head. Rich’s voice 
was such that you knew who 
it was immediately – warm, 
questioning, mischievous. My 
husband even heard it in a 
dream last night. It will stay 
with me for a very long time, 
and I know I will miss hearing 
it.

 On that phone call we talked 
about common issues with 
our back ailments; I had 
been through surgery and he 
contemplated doing surgery, 
so we always compared notes. 
We shared the latest on our 
common love of our felines, 
and laughed at the monster 
size of our brother cats – both 
huge, orange, long haired beasts 
that were always scared. We 
agreed that we needed to get 
together for a meal – we had 
been wanting to invite them 
over to see the rehabbed inside 
of our house – and that it had 
been too long. Then Rich and 
my husband started yakking 
about televisions – Rich was in 
the market for a new one and 
knew my husband had done 
some research recently – and 
about Laser Disc players – both 
of them were of the Beta/Laser 
Disc gene pool and my husband 
needed some advice about some 
connection or wire. He knew 
Rich was the guy to go to for the 
4-1-1.

 Rich and Anna started up and 
owned Consolidated Media 
Services (CMS) in Pasadena, a 
well-respected professional E-6 
photo lab from the days when 
people used slide film to capture 
what is now recorded on digital 
files. They started the company 
in a bathroom in their Arcadia 
townhome in the 1970s, moved 
to a building in Pasadena in 
the 1980s, and then to a larger 
Pasadena location in 1993, 
finally selling the company 
in the early 2000s. Anna was 
retiring after a long tenure 
with her “regular” job (she also 
worked evenings at CMS), and 
Rich wanted to spend more 
time with her and pursue some 
of his other interests. 

 We first met Rich and Anna 
when my husband, who is a 
photographer, started using 
CMS for his film processing. 
Our friendship grew over the 
years. In 1995, laid off from 
a job, due to my company in 
Monrovia closing, I began 
working at CMS, handling 
customer service during the 
day shift. We were a close-knit 
group at the lab, many of us still 
friends today. We still laugh 
about Rich handing out a safety 
“quiz” about climbing and the 
correct use of ladders (not 
using office chairs, especially 
with wheels on them), and 
then watching him step up on 
a rolling chair to change a light 
bulb. When Rich would refer 
to “Wally” and the “Beaver,” the 
younger employees would stare 
at him. “Are we just getting 
old?” he would ask me, and it 
became our inside joke, shared 
for years, even over email. 

 Come birthday time, and 
another year notched on the 
belt, it was always fun to talk 
about “Leave it to Beaver.”

Rich and I stayed good friends 
over the years, even when I left 
his employ. 

 Rich’s other great passion, 
besides his love for Anna, 
was movies! A room in their 
home was converted to a home 
theatre, and many of us would 
be treated to the latest and 
greatest movies. Rich, never 
content to just show a movie, 
would combine it with cartoons, 
short subjects, documentaries 
– anything that coordinated 
with the main event. We were 
treated to personalized, printed 
programs, and Anna would 
provide wonderful snacks and 
food. A long holiday weekend 
was the perfect excuse for a 
movie event, and Rich attracted 
friends from out of town and 
from out of the country. The 
men would talk about the latest 
in technology – much of which 
Rich had – and the women 
would sit with Anna and chat 
about more girlie things. I don’t 
think I will ever experience 
any holiday again without 
remembering those events.

 And now my dear friend 
Rich is gone. As I mentioned, 
Rich enjoyed his time with his 
church and had a strong faith, 
having no doubts about the 
splendors of what he absolutely 
knew he would find when he 
left this world. Thus, I like to 
think of him presenting God 
with the program for the movies 
he’ll be showing tonight, neatly 
coordinating the appropriate 
short subjects and cartoons 
to fill out the show. I know 
he is probably having great 
discussions about projection 
quality and aspect ratios, all the 
while with a feline or two on or 
near his lap. And when he talks 
about the “Beav,” those around 
him will know who he means.

 Our community of friends 
will make sure we keep watch 
over Anna, as much as her 
independent spirit will let us, 
and we will all mourn the loss 
of our friend for a very long 
time. The force that was Rich 
Greenhalgh will not fade away 
gently, and our memories will 
be infused with the goodness he 
had within him. I will miss his 
calls, his emails with pictures 
of cats and dogs being adorable 
(especially cats!), his insistence 
that everyone should have a 
kitty (even our friend Gerald), 
the movie extravaganzas, his 
voice…

 But most of all, I will simply 
miss my friend Rich. 


Sierra Madre Police Blotter

During the week of Sunday, August 28th, to Saturday September 3rd, the Sierra Madre 
Police Department responded to approximately 281 calls for service. See crimereports.com 
for updated information. 

Sunday, August 28th:

8:12 PM- DUI Alcohol/Drugs, Santa Anita Ave and Grandview Ave. An officer stopped a 
20-year old El Monte motorist for a Vehicle Code violation and determined that the driver 
was under the influence of alcohol. The driver was arrested and transported to Pasadena 
Police Department for booking. 

Monday, August 29th:

12:12 AM- Attempted Residential Burglary, 100 blk. W. Laurel Ave. Unknown suspect(s) 
attempted to make entry into a residence using a paperclip. No entry was made. 

Friday, September 2nd:

8:15 AM – Possession of Paraphernalia, 600 blk. Auburn Ave. Officers arrested a 49-
year old Perris motorist for an outstanding warrant from Monrovia P.D. and narcotics 
paraphernalia. 

10:03 AM- Residential Burglary, 300 blk. N. Auburn Ave. This case involves an unknown 
suspect(s) entering an unlocked garage door and removing a blue easy up and an RC 
X-cellerator gas car. 

6:03 PM- Use Another’s Personal Identification to Obtain Credit/Etc. This case involves 
an unknown subject(s) opening multiple accounts in different cities using the victim’s 
personal information.