Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 28, 2012

5

AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY

Mountain Views News Saturday July 28, 2012

“What’s Going On?” 

News and Views from Joan Schmidt

METRO LAUNCHES LATE-NIGHT 
WEEKEND SERVICE ON ALL METRO 
RAIL LINES AND THE METRO 

ORANGE LINE 

Supervisor and MTA Chairman Michael D. Antonovich; Art 
Leahy, Metro CEO; Pasadena Councilman Chris Holden; Steve 
Mulheim, President & CEO of Old Pasadena Management; 
Michael deLeon, General Manager, Paseo Colorado; Jeff Loeb, 
Associate General Manager, Paseo Colorado

 LOS ANGELES COUNTY—Supervisor and MTA Chairman Michael 
D. Antonovich joined community leaders and local businesses at the 
Gold Line Memorial Station in Pasadena to announce the expanded 
late-night weekend service on all Metro Rail lines throughout Los Angeles 
County and the Metro Orange Line busway in the San Fernando 
Valley. 

“One of the most frequent requests we receive is to extend Metro rail 
service past midnight on weekends to afford our residents a reliable 
transit option to visit culture and entertainment venues throughout the 
county,” said Antonovich. “Starting today, the Metro Blue, Red, Green, 
Gold, Orange, Purple and Expo lines will operate until 2 a.m. on Friday 
and Saturday nights. The Orange Line will run up until 2:40 a.m. to 
accommodate the transfer of patrons from the Metro Red Line at the 
North Hollywood Station.” 


HONORING A FALLEN HERO:

ARCADIA PD MOTOR OFFICER/ARCADIA FD ASSISTANT CHIEF,

ALBERT EDWARD MATTHIES 

 Shortly before midnight, July 18, 1926, Officer Albert Matthies was doing patrol accompanied 
by his friend, Leo Bartolina. At the intersection of Foothill and Northview, Arcadia, they 
noticed a suspicious vehicle. When Officer Matthies walked toward the car to question them, 
he was shot. He later died at 12:07 AM, July 19, 1927. At the time, the three perpetrators 
escaped, but they were caught a few days later. They were found guilty and sentenced to jail. 
One died there and the other two died shortly after their release.

 At the time of his death, Officer Matthies left a wife and two young daughters; Zora, who was 6, and Minnie, 4. 
Besides being a Motor Deputy for Arcadia Police Department, he also was Assistant Fire Chief; the two agencies 
were actually one at that time! 

 In 2007, at the 80th anniversary of his death, a special Ceremony of Remembrance was held for Officer 
Matthies. Last year this was done again at the site of his death. When Officer Matthies was laid to rest at Live 
Oak Cemetery, a simple ground level marker was put in. Members of Arcadia Police Officers Association and 
Arcadia Firefighters Association felt that this was not appropriate; that a better headstone/memorial was needed 
for Officer Matthies’ ultimate sacrifice. A joint effort, begun two years ago by these two fine Associations 
accomplished this great feat. 

 Minnie is deceased, but Officer Matthies’ daughter Zora Kristrukek is well and attended Thursday’s ceremony. 
Also present were current Arcadia Police Chief Bob Guthrie, retired Police Chiefs Bob Sanderson and Neal 
Johnson, and many officers. The Master of Ceremonies was Arcadia Police Officer Joe Jurman, and the Honor 
Guard was Officer Bob Rajewski. Representing the Fire Department were Fire Chief Tony Trabbie, Deputy Chief 
Kurt Norwood and Battalion Chief Barry Spriggs, Honor Guard Engineer Drew Pryor, Bagpipe Player, Captain 
Dave Hutcheson and several firemen. From the City of Arcadia were Mayor Bob Harbicht and City Manager 
Dominic Lazzaretto; Jack Orswell also attended.

 Arcadia Police Chaplain R.C. Reyes performed the Invocation at the beginning of the ceremony and Benediction 
at the end. Officer Jurman gave an account of how Officer Matthies had lost his life. The Honor Guard was on 
either side of the podium and then walked to the new headstone for the unveiling ceremony. It brought tears to 
everyone’s eyes- the headstone is made of beautiful black granite with Office Matthies’ picture on it. There are 
the insignia of both the Arcadia Police Department and Arcadia Fire Department on each side of the picture; the 
inscription acknowledges Matthies was a World War I Vet. The inscription at the base of the monument reads, 
Officer Matthies made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty and in service to the city of Arcadia. You will 
not be forgotten.” Part of the ceremony included Fire Captain Hutcheson playing the bagpipes. It was beautiful.

 After the ceremony, there was a reception. It was great to visit with Zora, who thought this was something 
“really special”. She remembers her dad as a “big, happy man.” I also spent time with Zora’s daughter, Roxana 
Perez, and granddaughter, Sheryl Straub. Roxana was “very impressed with the memorial and ceremony…it was 
very toughing.” 

 For over sixty years, Zora has lived in the same house in Duarte, not two blocks from my home! I mentioned 
an old friend, Joan Peck, who was confined to a wheelchair, but took two buses to work in Santa Fe Springs! Zora 
and her family knew exactly whom I meant, and wondered how she was. I explained that she is well, but at the 
Country Villa in Arcadia! It is a small world.

 I cannot say enough for the Arcadia Police Officers Association and Arcadia Firefighters Association to 
plan such a special tribute. Sheryl, Officer Matthies’ great-granddaughter was so overwhelmed at the beautiful 
ceremony and headstone, and couldn’t wait till all family members could see it.


THE STUDY OF WILD FOODS

SEEKING THE PATH OF PRACTICAL 
ECOLOGY By Christoper Nyerges

[Nyerges is the director of the School of Self-reliance, and author of “How To 
Survive Anywhere,” and other books. He can be reached at Box 41834, Eagle 
Rock, CA 90041, or www.ChristopherNyerges.com]

During nearly every weekend 
for the past 30+ years, I have 
been out on the trail, teaching 
students of all ages how to identity 
edible wild plants and how 
to use them for food. On a recent 
Saturday, we were exploring 
a section of Pasadena’s Arroyo 
Seco. Our class carefully 
collected bits of lamb’s quarter, 
wild radish, chickweed, and 
hedge mustard which we turned 
into a salad. We also mixed the 
flower heads of wild buckwheat 
with wheat flour and made biscuits. 
From the oak trees, we 
collected and processed the 
acorns, and eventually made 
acorn pancakes.

I was only a teenager when I 
was wondering what I should be 
doing with my life, and wondering 
how local indigenous cultures 
lived. So I studied botany 
in high school and college, and 
understudied with Dr. Leonid 
Enari at the L.A. County Arboretum. 
I actively studied mycology 
with the Los Angeles Mycological 
Association for years.

I always felt that the knowledge 
of ethnobotany was a major key 
to understanding how native 
cultures survived, and it’s also 
a key to understanding what we 
should all be doing today. This 
is why I am not a proponent of 
front lawns. I prefer to grow 
fruit trees, vegetables, and wild 
plants in the front lawn area, so 
that little patch of green is productive 
and healthful. I share 
the details of what we did with 
our front lawn (and other ways 
of “living lightly in the city”) 
in the book that Dolores and 
I authored, “Extreme Simplicity: 
Homesteading in the City.” 
[You can get it on Amazon]

LEARNING ABOUT WILD 
FOODS

The best way to learn about wild 
plants is to see them first-hand, 
in the field, with an expert. 
Never eat a wild plant that you 
haven’t positively identified, 
and remember that there are no 
shortcuts. 

So what wild foods are available 
in our yards and fields?

Recently, during our Wild Food 
walks, we have been collecting 
the following for their salads 
and cooked dishes: Curly dock, 
watercress, lamb’s quarter, mustard, 
wild radish, nettle, nasturtium, 
and mallow. Soon we’ll 
be collecting purslane. Most of 
these can be prepared raw or 
cooked, and many are now finding 
their way into local farmers 
markets.

One of my favorite wild foods is 
the fruit of the carob tree. There 
are tens of thousands of carob 
trees in the Southland, and the 
ripe brown fruits can be simply 
wiped clean and eaten. This is 
the perfect survival food. It is 
rich in calcium and B vitamins, 
it tastes good, you don’t have to 
cook it, and it lasts for years.

 The Department of Agriculture 
tells us that some of the most 
nutritious plants are wild ones. 
Dandelion is richer in beta-carotene 
than carrots. Purslane is 
the richest plant source of Omega-
3 fatty acids. Curly dock is 
one of the richest sources of 
vitamin A. Lambs quarter, so 
common in the urban areas, is a 
spinach relative that is arguably 
nature’s best mineral tablet. Using 
wild food is not only a way 
to prepare for the emergencies, 
but it’s also a way to create free 
and nutritious meals.

Recent WILD FOOD COOKING 
WORKSHOP Menu

SALAD

“Wood Stump Salad”

Salad consisted of equal parts 
chickweed, wild radish, hedge 
mustard, and one tomato. Trader 
Joe’s Italian dressing

SOUP “Screaming at the Dawn”

Finely chopped greens of wild 
radish, hedge mustard, mallow, 
with quinoa seed, were cooked 
in miso broth.

GREENS 

“Viking Wake-Me-Up”

Only tender tops of nettles were 
collected, and they were boiled 
with no seasoning. They were 
delicious, like buttered greens. 

EGG DISH 

“Return to Childhood”

In a cast iron skillet, we cooked 
wild radish and lambs quarter 
greens until they were nearly 
done. Then we added eggs, and 
cooked like an omelette.

ACORN: “Tongva Memories”

Processed acorn flour (with 
tannic acid removed), mixed 
half and half with wheat flour. 
The flour was then formed into 
small loaves and cooked on 
soapstone slab.

Reduced!