HAPPY NEW YEAR! 


SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2015

VOLUME 9 NO. 52

SIERRA MADRE RESIDENT AND CIVIC 
LEADER, NAN HATHAWAY CARLTON 
PASSES AWAY

March 27, 1933 to December 21, 2015

 Nan Hathaway was 
born in Chicago, Illinois 
to Alice Johnstone 
Hathaway and Elnathan 
Maurice Hathaway. Nan 
moved to Sierra Madre 
with her mother when 
she was five years old in 
1938. Nan was a lifelong 
resident of Sierra Madre. 

 Nan attended Sierra 
Madre Elementary 
School, Wilson Junior 
High School and 
Pasadena High School. 
(The high school was part 
of what was then the 4 year Pasadena Junior College.) While a high 
school student she rode the Sierra Madre Rose Parade float.

 Nan married Gerald (Jerry) Brian Carlton on February 12, 1953, 
and they moved to the Sierra Madre Canyon. They had three kids by 
1957: Steve, Sheri, and Suzi. In 1960 they all moved to the house that 
Nan would live in for the rest of her life raising their kids. During this 
period Nan’s young siblings Bert, Jesse, and Maggie moved in with 
Nan and Jerry, and stayed though high school. 

 Nan loved her small town, Sierra Madre. She was a community 
volunteer starting as a young mother: she and Jerry taught Sunday 
school and ran the church youth group when her kids were young. Her 
volunteer career started with youth issues and continued into other 
areas. She was active in the Sierra Madre Elementary School PTA, 
Little League, Girls Softball, and the Sierra Madre Athletic Association. 
Nan was one of 
the founders and 
first managers 
of Girls Softball. 
She started the 
league with other 
parents because 
in those days the 
girls were not 
allowed to play in 
Little League. 

 Nan and 
Jerry were 
interested in the 
environment 
around them; 
both were early 
members of the 

MAILBOXES VANDALIZED IN 
SIERRA MADRE

ART DECO WEEK BEGINS

Rose Float Association Enters Final Stages 
of Construction; Volunteers Needed 
December 26th through December 31st!

Fron The Sierra Madre Poiice Department:

At 7:00 am (12/19), a Sierra Madre resident living in the 400 
block of N. Canon went out for a morning walk and noticed that 
his mailbox had been tampered with and mail had possibly been 
stolen. Shortly thereafter, residents living in the north/east part 
of town found that their mailboxes had also been tampered with. 
At this point it appears that approximately 30 mailboxes were 
tampered with and the incident occurred overnight between 
Friday, December 18, 2015 and Saturday, December 19, 2015.

 If you have information on mailbox vandalism, call the Sierra 
Madre Police Department to report it. Your cooperation helps 
apprehend violators. The Sierra Madre Police Department will 
be working with the local Postal Inspector on this investigation. 
Director of Public Safety, Chief Larry Giannone, wants to 
remind the residents that identity theft is one of the fastest 
growing crimes in the United States. One of the prime ways in 
which these Identity Theft suspects obtain personal information 
is by stealing mail and your personal mail can be a gold mine 
to determined criminals. Homeowners should consider 
replacing old outdated mailboxes with ones that have a locking 
mechanism.

 Anyone who has information or saw any suspicious activity last 
evening in the north east portion of Sierra Madre should contact 
the Sierra Madre Police Department at (626) 355-1414.


As the time winds down, the Sierra Madre Rose Float Association is 
calling for ‘all hands on deck’ to help with the completion of the 2016 
Rose Parade entry, “Rollin’ On The River’ (below). Above volunteers 
review components of one of the birds before it is attached. Anyone 
interested in volunteering should contact the SMRFA at volunteer@
smrosefloat.org.

CAPOCCIA, HARABEDIAN 
TO SEEK REELECTION

 
Earlier this week, Mayor 
John Capoccia and Former 
Mayor and Councilman John 
Harabedian announced their 
intent to run for a second 
term on the Sierra Madre City 
Council.

 “We’ve accomplished a lot 
over the last four years, but 
there’s much to be done. I 
feel that we have the right 
team with my fellow council 
members to follow through 
with implementation of the 
General Plan to maintain our 
unique village atmosphere, get 
our City on a solid financial 
footing, secure our long-term 
water supply, and address our 
neglected infrastructure.”, said 
Capoccia in his press release.

 Harabedian also cited the 
many accomplishments that 
have been achieved during 
his term on the council. “It’s 
been an honor to serve Sierra 
Madre over the past four 
years,” Harabedian stated. 
“During that time, we have 
made great strides in solving 
some of the real challenges 
facing the City– including our 
budget and water issues – and 
I believe we need experienced 
leadership over the next four 
years to finish the job. He can 
be reached at jharabedian@
cityofsierramadre.com

 The nomination period for 
two four-year Council seats 
began December 21, 2015, and 
closes on January 15, 2016. 

The “Float Departure Ceremony “ will commence at 4:30 PM, 
December 31, with the float leaving the barn at 4:45 PM to arrive 
at Kersting Court by 5:10 PM. We plan to depart from Kersting 
Court at 5:30 PM. The float will return to Kersting Court after 
Post Parade ends at 5:00 PM on Sunday, January 3, and will remain 
there until 5:00 PM January 4th.

Continued on Page 3


SIERRA MADRE’S 2015 CANDLELIGHT WALK

NOMINATE THE CITIZEN OF THE YEAR!

Story and Photo by By Bill Coburn

 On Sunday evening at 7ish pm, the 44th Candlelight 
procession took place down Baldwin Ave. to Kersting 
Court. There the statue of the baby Jesus was placed in 
the manger of the creche by Jesus and Mary (portrayed 
by children from Sierra Madre Congregational Church), 
and members of the clergy from local churches read 
scripture and led the crowd in Christmas carols and 
hymns. 

 Father Richard Krekelberg of St. Rita Catholic 
Church welcomed the crowd on the steps of his parish, 
and once everyone had caroled their way down Baldwin 
Ave., the other members of the clergy participated in the 
readings. The participants included Pastor Briant Cuffy 
of Bethany Church of Sierra Madre, Father Michael 
Bamberger and deacon Ed Sniecienski fo the Episcopal 
Church of the Ascension, Pastors Gavin Ortlund and 
John Stothers of Sierra Madre Congregational Church, 
Father Bruno D’Souza CO of Mater Dolorosa Passionist 
Retreat Center, The Rev. Sangman Shin of Sierra Madre 
United Methodist Church, Monsignor Krekelberg and 
Deacon John Hull os St. Rita, and the Rev. Cynthia W. 
Crowell of Trinity Presbyterian Church.

 Music was provided by the Pasadena City College 
Faculty Brass, and Peter Vecchio led the crowd in song.

History of the Candlelight Walk

 The first Candlelight Procession was in 1971. In 
1970, Pastor Bob Vander Zaag of Bethany Church 
had held a holiday concert in Kersting Court, with the 
church choir on risers singing hymns and carols for the 
people shopping in the local shops. In a conversation 
shortly thereafter with Rev. Richard Anderson of 
Congregational Church, Vander Zaag suggested 
that as nice as the concert had been, it might be even 
better if local pastors gathered their parishioners in 
a procession through town. Starting at St. Rita’s and 
walking down to Kersting Court was suggested, and 
agreed upon, and Fr. Gara’s parishioners were added 
to the mix.

 Interestingly, there’s some back history that makes 
the evening even more special. Back in about 1918 
or so, some members of Congregational Church 
had split with the Church, forming Bethany Church 
and for many years, things weren’t always real 
friendly between the two churches. Shortly after Rev. 
Anderson’s arrival at Congregational Church, the 
two churches had a mass of reconciliation, and over 
time, Pastor Vander Zaag and Rev. Anderson became 
very good friends. The Candlelight Procession, which 
was started shortly after the mass of reconciliation, is 
undoubtedly one of the factors that, in the Christmas 
tradition of old friends coming together after a long 
separation, helped the two churches to set aside their 
differences and work together with their common 
goal of serving Christ.

 The Sierra Madre Chamber of Commerce is seeking 
nominations for the 2015 Citizen of the Year. To be 
eligible, a person must be a resident of Sierra Madre. The 
accomplishment(s) or project(s) for which they are being 
nominated must have been of benefit to the community 
of Sierra Madre and its citizens during 2015. They must 
have served without remuneration on the project for which 
they are being nominated, and members of the Chamber 
of Commerce Board of Directors are not eligible.

 If you would like to nominate someone, nomination 
forms are available at www.sierramadrechamber.com.

 You can also pick up nomination forms at the Chamber 
office, City Hall, the Library, and the Recreation Center. 
Completed forms should be mailed to the Sierra Madre 
Chamber of Commerce, 19 Suffolk Ave., Ste. A, Sierra 
Madre, 91024 by January 4, 2016. 

 The winner will be selected by members of the Chamber 
Board and will be honored at the annual ceremony to be 
held in January 30, 2016. 

 

CALENDAR Pg. 2

SIERRA MADRE NEWS

 Pg. 3


SAN GABRIEL VALLEY

 Pg. 5

PASADENA/ALTADENA

 Pg. 6

ARCADIA NEWS Pg. 7 
MONROVIA/DUARTE Pg. 7

TICKETS TO THE 46TH ANNUAL WINE 
AND CUISINE TASTING BENEFIT ON 
SALE NOW

The event will be held on Friday evening, February 19, 
2016, from 7:00-9:30pm at Alverno’s historic Villa del 
Sol d’Oro, located at 200 N. Michillinda Avenue, Sierra 
Madre, and will be an elegant affair featuring more than 
two dozen vintners providing superb wines and local 
restaurants offering creative food and desserts.

 Tickets to the premier event are $80 and allow early 
admission at 6:00 pm. Those at the premier event will 
enjoy a variety of wines from Giesen Wines, New 
Zealand, and delectable hors d’oeuvres from local 
Pasadena restaurateur and award winning chef, Claud 
Beltran of Claud & Co. Catering, The Eatery, and 
Bacchus’ Kitchen. A chance to win a very unique wine 
basket will be offered again this year. Tickets to the main 
event are $60 and provide admission at 7:00 pm. Both 
will be on sale, beginning mid-December, at the Sierra 
Madre Public Library, The Bottle Shop, Savor the Flavor, 
and Arnold’s Frontier Hardware & Gifts, as well as 
currently on line at https://www.eventbrite.com.

The Benefit is sponsored by the Friends of the Sierra 
Madre Library, an all-volunteer organization dedicated 
to supporting our community Library. All funds 
received from this event support the Sierra Madre 
Library. For more information about the event or Friends 
of the Sierra Madre Library visit our website at www.
sierramadrelibraryfriends.org

EDUCATION & YOUTH

 Pg. 8

BEST FRIENDS

 Pg. 9

HEALTHY & WEALTH

 Pg. 10

THE GOOD LIFE

 Pg. 11

FOOD & ARTS

 Pg. 12

THE WORLD AROUND US

 Pg. 13

OPINION

 Pg. 14

LEGAL

NOTICES Pg. 15

F.Y.I. Pg. 18