Mountain Views News          Saturday, April 11, 2015

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Mountain View News Saturday, April 11, 2015 

REMEMBRANCES

Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side by Deanne Davis


VIRGIL JEROME 
ARCHAMBAULT 

Born May 3, 1930, died April 7, 2015 

 Virgil Archambault passed away 
peacefully in his sleep at home in 
Sierra Madre, April 7th. He had a 
long bout with degenerative heart 
disease, following a quintuple bypass 
in 1988. His wife , Shirley of 60 years 
was at home with him. 

 Virgil was born in Brooks 
Minnesota on May 3, 1930, the eldest 
son of five children to Alberic and 
Regina Archambault. His family 
leased a farm as sharecroppers and 
were devout Catholics in the french 
speaking parish of St. Theresa in 
Terre Bonne Mn. 

 In the fall of 1948, at the age of 18, he 
and the family sold all the livestock 
and farm equipment in an auction, 
and moved to California, settling in 
El Monte in a home built by “Lucky 
Homes” in 1952 for $5,000. He was 
drafted in the same year, during the 
Korean War and served two years in 
the US Army as a heavy equipment 
operator, stationed in Fairbanks, 
Alaska. 

 Upon discharge, after a brief stint 
working for the City of Alhambra, 
Virgil worked more than a year for 
the Santa Fe Railroad inspecting 
rail lines along Route 66 from 
Albuquerque to San Bernandino, 
pulling a 27-foot trailer from rail 
station to station with his new bride, 
Shirley, whom he married in 1955. 

When their first child, Maryanne 
was born in 1956, along the railways, 
he sought more stationary work and 
joined the then Los Angeles Division 
of Highways as a surveyor, forever 
remembering his first day as April 
23, 1956. 

 With a knack for remembering 
dates and numbers, birthdays and 
significant dates he attributed to 
being a surveyor, Virgil went on to 
work for the California Department 
of Transportation Division of 
Highways for 40 years, as a civil 
engineer and eventual Licensed 
Surveyor, rising the ranks from 
surveyor to party chief and eventual 
Chief Civil Engineer/Surveyor Head 
of Right Aways. 

With the rapid growth and 
development throughout Southern 
California in the 50s and 60s ,his 
claim to fame and pride was having 
worked on virtually every freeway in 
SoCal, from the 210, 605, 5 to the 105 
“Century” freeway, which he joked 
took a century to build. 

 He retired in December 1995, 
receiving several plaques and 
commendations including ones from 
then governor of California Evelle 
Younger, and Mayor of Los Angeles 
Sam Yorty. 

 The same year he went to work for 
Cal Trans, Virgil and Shirley bought 
a home and moved to Sierra Madre, 
where he has lived ever since raising a 
family of five children and becoming 
very active at St. Rita’s Catholic 
Church for nearly 60 years. He 
was on the Parish Council, head of 
lecters and became an Extraordinary 
Minister. All five children also 
attended St. Rita’s Elementary 
School. 

 He is survived by his wife and five 
children, Maryanne, Paul, John, 
Monica and Jeanette, who was 
born on is birthday, along with five 
grandchildren. His eldest sister Eloise 
passed away last year in Hesperia and 
he is also survived by two brothers, 
Duane and Allen. His other sister 
Irene passed away in 1982. 

 Funeral Services will be held 
Monday April 13 at Saint Rita 
Catholic Church at 11 am. Viewing 
will be held 2- 4 pm Sunday at Cabot 
and Sons 27 Chestnut Street in 
Pasadena

“THE SIERRA MADRE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, 
a charity singularly devoted to the city of Sierra Madre…
solicits donations to enhance our community by making 
direct grants, large and small, to people and civic 
organizations that might otherwise be overlooked…which 
help make Sierra Madre the unique community that it is.”

Wow, you’re saying! We have a Community Foundation? We do, 
friends and neighbors! We didn’t know anything about it either 
until we saw their table at the Wistaria Festival a few weeks ago. 
There was this lovely woman sitting behind a table with a bunch 
of brochures. She introduced herself as Gina Long and said the 
Community Foundation has been around for years doing all sorts 
of good things. Had an opportunity to chat with Sharon Pevsner, 
who is on the Board of Directors of the Foundation and was 
thrilled to hear all the good stuff they’re involved with here in our 
town.

For instance: The Sierra Madre Community Foundation arranges 
the funds for the Kids Race portion of the Mt. Wilson Trail Race, 
which will be taking place this year on May 30th. The Kids Race is 
free to all children who plan to run up Baldwin and back. You’ll 
remember Simon (pictured) the Rabbit, who got all the kids going 
on their race last year. Kids race for free, get a nifty t-shirt for free 
and a ribbon, too. That’s really cool!

And, speaking of the Mt. Wilson Trail, the Fletcher Fund which 
provides the maintenance and all the tools they need for both 
the Trail and Bailey Canyon is administered by the Community 
Foundation. Grants & Service Recipients include: The landscaping 
project at City Hall which will feature drought-resistant plants; 
Sierra Madre Pool Family Night; the renovation of the Kids Room 
at the Sierra Madre Library; Memorial Park Cannon Renovation, 
July 4th committee’s activities; Sierra Madre School Library eBooks 
purchase; A Summer Concert in the Park and so much more. 

Seriously, the Sierra Madre Community Foundation is one of the 
best kept secrets in town! But we need to change that. I realize 
that Matthew 6:3 tells us that when you give to someone in need, 
“Don’t let your right hand know what your left is doing…” but 
when a community organization is doing as much good stuff 
as ours is, more people need to know about it. And guess what! 
That opportunity is coming our way on Saturday, April 18th from 
3pm – 6 pm at the Long Family Residence, 443 W. Highland Ave., 
right here in town. The Community Foundation will be hosting 
“An Afternoon of Giving And Receiving” and to be sure there are 
hors d’oeuvres and a glass of something good with your name on 
them, Please RSVP! Here’s how: sierramadrefoundation@gmail.
com by April 14th. The community is invited, welcome, wanted 
and will be greeted with much joy. Find out about our Community 
Foundation and maybe even get involved. SMCF would love 
your donations, too, which would be tax-deductible as they are a 
501(c)3 organization.

Did you notice Vicious Dogs has left us? But in their spot there at 
24 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. is a new restaurant. It’s “Citta” and they 
are serving 100% fresh raw organic cold press juices like Energy-
Apple-Lemon-Ginger, or Forever Green-Cucumber-Celery-
Kale-Chard-Parsley-Spinach or The Madre Amare-Watermelon-
Strawberry-Mint. They also specialize in fresh bagels and bagel 
sandwiches. A young lady was eating one which featured salmon 
and I really wanted to take it right out of her hand! They’ve got 
your favorite bagel and juice ready from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 7 days a 
week. Citta, is the creation of our friends Sarah Vielma and Arthur 
Franco, owners of Les Champs Elysses, on Baldwin across from 
Nora Graham’s Sierra Juice Company and Casa Del Rey. Sarah 
and Arthur are also renovating the former children’s clothing store 
down a door or two from Citte. Rumor has it that the menswear 
section of Les Champs Elysses will be moving there. So happy to 
see this storefront coming to life again. 

The weather has been spectacular, the trees and flowers ‘round 
town are also spectacular and our mountains are more beautiful 
than ever. Take a few minutes this week to look around and enjoy 
Sierra Madre’s Spring. Keep hoarding that water!

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

 “Tablespoon of Love, Tablespoon of Laughter” is available there…

 


The Volunteer 
Sierra Madre 4th of 
July Committee is 
seeking nominations 
for the 2015 4th of 
July Parade Grand 
Marshal. 

The Parade will be 
held as always the 
morning of July 4th. 


Parade Grand Marshal Nominees should embody the spirit of Sierra 
Madre, be an active volunteer in any of the local nonprofit organizations 
or in some way contributed to the betterment of Sierra Madre. 
Nominees may be an individual or volunteers or an organization. 
Nominations must be submitted in writing by Thursday, April 
30th and should be sent to the 4th of July Committee, PO Box 
1073 Sierra Madre CA 91025 or emailed to 4thofjulysierramadre@
gmail.com. Nominations should be no more than 1 page but 
at least a paragraph explaining why the honor should be given 
including contributions to the Sierra Madre community. 
Previous Grand Marshals have included 2014 Pat & De Alcorn 
& Hometown Heroes Sierra Madre Search and Rescue, 2013 VFW 
Post 3208 & Hometown Hero Mama Pete; 2012 Nel and Bob Soltz 
(Wistaria Vine owners); 2011 Gayle Bluemel & Hometown Hero 
John Shear; 2010 Lew Wantanabe; 2009 Midge Morash; 2008 Sierra 
Madre Fire Department; 2007 Ward Family (E. Waldo Ward & Sons); 
2006 Judy Webb Martin & Toni Buckner & Hometown Hero Barbara 
Wamboldt; 2005 Police Chief Wayne Bailey; 2004 Doug Berkshire; 
2003 John Grijalva; 2002 Bob Quamstrom; 2001 Ty Gaffney; 2000 Dr. 
Bill White; and 1999 Jim & Barbara Heasley.

 This All-American friends and family event is made possible 
through the wonderful contribution of donors and sponsors. If you’d 
like to help please visit http://sierramadre4thofjuly.com/ or follow us 
on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/4thofJulyInfo.

ALBERT 
BAILEY, JR.

 If you ever heard his laugh or 
ever saw his smile, you would 
remember “Big Al” as his 
grandchildren call him. He was 
a well-known figure in Sierra 
Madre and had developed a fan 
club on his morning walks in 
the foothills. Al had recently 
developed a new set of friends 
at the Hart Park Senior Center 
lunch crowd. 

 Albert (Al) Bailey, Jr. was born 
in Memphis, Tennessee in 1941 
to Irene Bailey and Albert Bailey, 
Sr. He was preceded in death by 
his parents, twin sister, Alberta 
Grey and sisters, Linene Bennett 
and Rosetta Watkins. 

 Al was introduced to Christ at 
an early age and attended Mount 
Moriah Baptist Church. In 1959 
he graduated from Melrose High 
School, where he played the 
saxophone and clarinet in the 
band. Al moved to Pasadena, 
California after his Honorary 
discharge from the US Army in 
1966. 

 On December 1, 1979, Al wed 
his beloved wife, Dominique and 
to this union two sons were born: 
Anthony and Alex.

 Al became the owner of Albert 
Bailey Associated Insurance 
after he entered the Insurance/
Securities business in 1967. He 
was contracted with American 
General Life Ins. Co. and has 
served as President of the 
“Agents’ Top Ten” and recognized 
at numerous company “Top 
Conferences” held in Hawaii and 
throughout the U.S. Al served 
as President of the Pasadena 
Association of Life Underwriters 
and was a qualifying member of 
“The Million Dollar Round Table 
with the National Association for 
over 15 years. 

 Al had a heart for God and the 
Youth. He previously served as 
General Superintendent of the 
Sunday School Department and 
Superintendent of the Youth 
Department at Metropolitan 
Baptist Church where he 
helped to promote Christian 
education. Al had a passion for 
public speaking and reinforced 
this through Christmas and 
Easter pageants. Al extended 
his community involvement 
when he became a member 
of the Altadena Optimist 
Club (Friend of Youth) which 
sponsored a boys’ group home in 
Altadena and spearheaded many 
community projects. He served 
as President in 1986. 

 Al was a long-time member 
of the Martin-Luther King 
Community Coalition (MLK) 
and co-founder of “Day On – 
Not Off”, a School Beautification 
Program benefiting the Pasadena 
Unified School District (PUSD). 
Al was instrumental in getting 
organizations such as The 
Pasadena Tournament of Roses, 
The Hat Restaurant and Sharp 
Seating to partner with MLK 
as it helps the City of Pasadena 
celebrate Dr. Martin Luther 
King, Jr.’s birthday and keep his 
dream alive. Al had a passion 
for Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” 
speech and personally rehearsed 
the performing students for the 
program following the planting. 
Al, also, loved working with the 
Black History Parade Committee 
in securing classic cars and 
driving in the parade.

 Al joined the Pasadena 
Tournament of Roses in 1982 and 
became an Honorary Member in 
2007. He served on 13 different 
committees throughout the years. 
However, his most rewarding 
accomplishment was serving on 
the Band Selection Committee 
and bringing two all-African 
American bands from the Deep 
South to march in the parade. Al 
enlisted community churches to 
feed the youth during their stay 
in Pasadena. 

 Al received “The Community 
Award” as a Community Activist 
at the 28th Ruby McKnight 
Williams Awards Dinner in 
2013. He continued to promote 
youth and Christian education as 
a member of Victory Full Gospel 
Baptist Church. He was a major 
sponsor for over 100 kids for 
their “Spirit Week”, a week-long 
event preparing them for going 
back to school. He was very 
excited and planned to join the 
evangelism program. 

 Al departed this realm on 
March 25, 2015. His home-
going service was held on April 
8, 2015 at Victory Full Gospel 
Baptist Church in Pasadena. 
His internment took place 
the next day at the Veterans 
National Cemetery in Riverside, 
California.

 Al leaves to cherish his memory, 
Dominique, his beloved wife 
of 35 years: three sons, Allan 
T. Bailey (LaDawn) of Upland, 
California; Anthony L. Bailey 
and Alex L. Bailey, Sierra Madre, 
California: one daughter; 
Rochelle M. Bailey-Dixon 
(Frank), Hamden, Connecticut: 
five grandchildren: Allan T. 
Bailey, Jr.; Terrill A. Bailey, 
Ashleigh Z. Bailey, Chancellur K. 
Dixon; Baylee I. Dixon and one 
great-grandson: Azane T. Bailey 
and a host of family and friends. 

Give someone a SMILE for “Big 
Al.”


SIERRA MADRE POLICE BLOTTER

During the week of Sunday, March 29th, to Sunday, April 5th, the Sierra Madre Police Department responded to approximately 323 calls for service.

Tuesday, March 31st 

At 4:18 P.M., Sierra Madre Police Department responded to the 80 block of Vista Circle in regards to the use of another’s personal identification. The 
victim advised officers that an unknown suspect used the victim’s personal identification information to open several accounts with different cell phone 
companies, and that she received letters in the mail regarding the cell phone accounts. The victim did not give anyone permission to open any accounts 
with the different cell phone providers, using her personal information. This case has been forwarded to the Detectives Bureau. 

Wednesday, April 1st 

At 8:15 A.M., Sierra Madre Police responded to the 700 block of West Manzanita Avenue, regarding a theft. Upon arrival, the victim informed the 
Officers that when he arrived home from work (the previous day), he left his bicycle unlocked in the carport, next to his neighbor’s vehicle. The victim 
stated that the next morning, he walked to the carport to get his bicycle ready for work, and discovered that it had been stolen. He also observed that 
the driver’s-side door of his neighbor’s car was open and unattended. Officers contacted the victim of the open vehicle, and she stated that she walked 
by her vehicle and didn’t remember seeing her car door open. The victim stated that her GPS device was stolen from her vehicle. Officers observed no 
evidence of forced entry, and the victim was adamant that her vehicle was locked when she last left it. 

 At 9:04 A.M., Sierra Madre Police responded to a call of found property on the 200 block of South Michillinda Avenue. The reporting party advised 
the Officers of a magazine with an address from the 700 block of West Manzanita Avenue. Officers conducted a follow-up at the address, and the victim 
was advised of her recovered black handbag containing a magazine with her name, along with other forms of identification. The victim stated that she 
left her purse in her car that was locked and secured. Officers observed that the victim’s window had been smashed, and located a rock inside of the 
vehicle that was used for the forced entry. 

Thursday, April 2nd 

At 1:51 P.M., Sierra Madre Police responded to the 100 block of Monterey Lane, regarding a fraudulent scam investigation. Upon arrival, Officers were 
advised that the victim was contacted telephonically by a male caller who identified himself as an IRS agent. The caller told the victim that she owed in 
$4,500.00 in unpaid taxes, and that the IRS would send agents to her home and arrest her if she did not comply and immediately pay the money in full. 
This case has been forwarded to the Detectives Bureau. 

 At 2:31 P.M., Sierra Madre Police responded to the station lobby regarding a fraudulent scam investigation. The victim informed Officers that at 
about 12:00 P.M., he received a phone call from what he believed to be the U.S. Treasury Department. The caller identified himself as a U.S. Treasury 
Federal Agent, and told the victim that he owed back taxes from 2011. The suspect threatened the victim stating there was an arrest warrant for him if 
he did not comply and pay the outstanding balance of $4,845.96, immediately. This case has been forwarded to the Detectives Bureau. 

Thursday and Friday April 2nd and 3rd.

The Police Department received at least 100 calls of the fraudulent IRS – Department of Treasury Scam. The callers left messages both in person and on 
answering machines. The majority of the reports to the Police Department were informational to help with the investigation. Sierra Madre Police are 
working with both the FBI and the Department of Treasury regarding these incidents. The Police Department reminds the Community that request 
for money with the threat of being arrested is a FRAUD. No government agency deploy any of these types of tactics, even though they sound official 
and use common law enforcement jargon.