SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2016

VOLUME 10 NO. 13

FORMER MOUNTAIN VIEWS 
NEWS COLUMNIST, 

PAT BIRDSALL DIES

 
The Mountain Views News and Sierra Madre community lost a 
great friend on Monday when Pat Birdsall passed away on March 
20, 2016 at the age of 72, after a long battle with complications from 
COPD.

 Born Patrcia Sharon McGill in Brooklyn New York October 4, 
1943 she was the only child of Robert and Madline McGill. 

Pat moved to Southern California with her family in 1952 where 
they resided in Altadena California. A graduate of Muir High 
School class of 1961, she first moved to Sierra Madre in the late 60’s 
and in 1971 moved into the home on Mountain Trail where she 
lived for the next 45 years. She worked in banking for many years 
before retiring early in the late eighties. 

 Pat was very passionate when it came to the environment and 
wildlife. She was also very passionate about issues in Sierra Madre. 
She loved Sierra Madre and being part of the community. She was 
a member of the Kiwanas of Sierra Madre and President of the 
Senior Club. She was also a Senior Community Commissioner.

 Many may not have always seen eye to eye with Pat, but friend or 
foe she had the respect of this community for being herself!

 Known as a ‘fighter’ for the Senior Center getting a make over 
(“The Cinderella Project” as she called it); a fighter against the 
development at 1 Carter; an advocate for getting property fences 
that were “wildlife friendly” and much more. She was a constant at 
city consul meetings. 

 Pat wrote several columns for the Mountain Views News including 
“Senor Moments” and “Birdseye View”. 

 Pat is survived by her Son Christopher McGill, Daughter in law 
Annette Pizzo-McGill and Grandson Tully McGill. She will be 
cremated and a viewing/celebration will be held on Wednesday 
March30, 2016 from 4pm – 8pm at Douglass & Zook, 600 E. 
Foothill Blvd., Monrovia, CA. 91016. In lieu of flowers please make 
donations to The Pasadena Humane Society/ASPCA. 

ELECTION DAY IS ONLY A FEW 
WEEKS AWAY 

Don’t miss your chance to vote in the next municipal election taking 
place on April 12, 2016. If you are a new voter, or recently 
moved and need to re-register, you must submit your voter registration 
before Monday, March 28, 2016. If you miss the deadline, 
you may still register at the polls to vote in the next election.

The City of Sierra Madre has created a voter guide to help you stay 
informed before you cast your ballot, http://www.cityofsierramadre.
com/cityhall/elections. Check back often as new information 
about the election will be added periodically. 


DON’T MISS THE 
ANNUAL 

EASTER EGG 
HUNT THIS 
SATURDAY IN 
MEMORIAL 
PARK! 

The hunt starts at 10:00AM sharp. The event is free 
and participants are encouraged to arrive early.


SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE - POSSIBLE 
ATTEMPTED ABDUCTION

A WONDERFUL LIFE AT EASTER 
by Craig Hakola

 On Tuesday, March 22, 2016, at approximately 3:15pm, a 14-year 
old student was walking home westbound on Grandview Ave from 
St. Rita’s School. The student said a white van, (unknown model) 
drove up next to her while she was on the sidewalk. The student 
said a male (perhaps White or Hispanic) opened the passenger 
side door of the van and pointed his finger behind her, towards a 
nearby house, asking the student “Is that your jacket on the roof” or 
“is that a jacket on the roof”. This suspicious behavior by the man 
frightened the student, who took off running from the location. 
When the student looked back, she saw the white van make a 
U- turn (east bound on Grandview) and then proceed north on 
Baldwin Ave. Once the student was home, the student called her 
mother who notified St. Rita’s School, who in turn called the Sierra 
Madre Police Department.

Anyone with any information to this incident or a similar incident 
should contact the Sierra Madre Police Department at 626.355.1414. 
The SMPD is working in conjunction with St. Rita’s School to make 
ensure the correct information is provided to the community.

 
Each Easter, my mind 
wanders back to the 
place of a lonely hill 
where a wooden cross 
was raised some 2,000 
years ago. I believe it 
to be the most horrific 
thought I should 
ever encounter, and if 
not for the triumph of 
the resurrection and 
the testimony of that 
empty tomb, my every 
tear would contain the 
idea of how Jesus was 
destroyed.

This Easter, I would like 
to write about a man 
who gave the world 
kindness, and when he 
came upon the impenetrable 
places of the 
heart, his words flourished in such strength they rolled the rocks 
away. 

I must admit that I am out of step with the seasons as the man I 
ponder carries the considerations of Christmas. 

In the Christmas classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” the beloved hero 
of the story, George Bailey, steals our heart in so many eloquent 
ways. I see a number of shared traits in George Bailey and Dr. Philip 
Martin Carlson, otherwise known as “Phil,” who passed away 
from cancer on December 28, 2015. 

Before becoming a doctor, Phil was a full time minister in Sierra 
Madre, but he wasn’t the type of man who could passively watch 
suffering and his disdain, for passive inaction compelled Pastor 
Carlson to meditate on what else he could do to help those who 
were in pain. 

After years of standing alongside grieving families in the responsibility 
of a minister, Pastor Carlson decided to apply to USC Medical 
School where he was accepted. 

Even after his move into the medical field, Phil was not fully dismissed 
from the life of a minister, as he remained a popular substitute 
for the local preachers of his community. His sermons were 
emotionally stirring and characterized by the manner in which he 
analyzed, and then explained in his own actions. The strict standard 
of behavior he so desperately sought for in his own life, was 
modified by mercy when he began to describe others. His belief in 
self-assessment developed an extraordinary diagnosis of his own 
condition, and a heightened sense of grace in his sermons. Phil was 
not the manner of man to squander a single moment of sympathy 
on himself. He saved the elegance of those ideas for us. He had a 
habit of hesitating in those thoughtful moments of reflection as he 
spoke from the pulpit, and then he would paint pictures of gratitude 
in the careful color of his words. 

The last sermon I heard Dr. Carlson deliver was about our duties 
to charity, and our obligations of supporting others. He punctuated 
this powerful sermon with an extraordinary example from his 
own life.

A young woman with whom Dr. Carlson frequently spoke, asked 
him if she could speak with him privately. She began by telling 
Dr. Carlson that she was pregnant, and then went on to say that 
after much consideration, she had decided to abort her child. In 
a candid revelation of sadness, she communicated to Dr. Carlson 
that she knew not one person of decency in her family, and being 
incapable of caring for the child, the most sensible solution to her 
problem was to end her pregnancy. The experience of her life had 
conditioned her to believe that a nobler deed was achieved by ending 
this child’s life than to allow her child to set foot in a world of 
sorrow.

In a decided sense of concern, Dr. Carlson delicately spoke to the 
girl:

“I am going to ask you to do something courageous here and have 
this child, and if you cannot find a suitable family to adopt the 
child, my family will welcome your baby.”

The girl could not believe what she was hearing, and she became so 
emotionally affected by Dr. Carlson’s commitment to her, that the 
all of those obstructions that haunted her mind were melted in the 
miracle of that moment. 

Phil moved to the center of the pulpit and jokingly said: 

“Now all I had to do was to go home and inform my wife about the 
potential addition to our family,” which (cont. on page 3)

ARCADIA VEHICLE PURSUIT -

RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY ARREST

 On Friday, March 25, 2016, at approximately 8:55 P.M., Arcadia 
Police Officers were dispatched to the 200 block of Monte Place in 
regards to a suspicious vehicle parked on the driveway of a residence, 
with a male black subject standing by it. The vehicle then 
left the location and was last seen southbound on Highland Oaks 
Drive. Responding Arcadia Police Officers located the suspicious 
vehicle, occupied by a male black subject, getting onto the 210 Freeway 
eastbound on ramp and attempted to stop it. The vehicle failed 
to yield and a pursuit ensued on the freeway. California Highway 
Patrol ultimately took over the pursuit and apprehended the driver 
in the city of Westmont. Arcadia Police Officers then took custody 
of the suspect.

 The investigation revealed a residential burglary had occurred in 
the 200 block of Monte Place. A police scanner and stolen property 
from the residence were located inside of the suspect 
vehicle. Suspect Steve Gainer, age 32, of Paramount, 
was arrested for Penal Code 459-Residential Burglary 
and California Vehicle Code 2800.2-Felony Evading. 
He is being held in custody at the Arcadia City Jail on 
$125,000 bail.

 Anyone with information about this is encouraged 
to contact Arcadia PD at 626-574-5151 or ANONYMOUSLY, 
call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-
TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to 
CRIMES (274637).

Dr. Phil Carlson passed away on 
December 28, 2015

Inside this week: 


CALENDAR Pg. 2

SIERRA MADRE NEWS

 Pg. 3

PASADENA/ALTADENA

 Pg. 6


ARCADIA NEWS Pg. 7 
MONROVIA/DUARTE Pg. 7

EDUCATION & YOUTH

 Pg. 8

HEALTHY & FOOD

 Pg. 9

THE GOOD LIFE

 Pg. 10

THE ARTS

 Pg. 11

THE WORLD AROUND US Pg. 12

BEST FRIENDS

 Pg. 13

BUSINES NEWS & TRENDS

 Pg. 13

OPINION

 Pg. 14

LETTER TO THE EDITOR 
Pg. 14

ELECTION NOTICES 
Pgs. 2 and 12

LEGAL NOTICES 
Pg. 16