Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, September 12, 2020

3

Mountain Views-News Saturday, September 12, 2020 

WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis

PHYLLIS CHAPMAN HONORED BY CITY OF SIERRA MADRE 

WALK THROUGH MEMORIAL SERVICE TO BE HELD OCTOBER 18, 2020

By Kevin McGuire

 City Council has proclaimed Sunday, September 
13, 2020 as “Phyllis Chapman Day” and designated 
the charitable, spirited citizen and long-time 
resident as “Sierra Madre Historian in Emeritus.”

 Chapman, who died on May 18, 2020 at age 97, 
served Sierra Madre selflessly for decades as a 
volunteer, event planner, fundraiser, campaigner, 
and community advocate. She had a great love 
for the town and often shared her stories and 
historical insight with friends, new acquaintances, 
and to readers across town through the local 
newspapers. To many who knew and loved Phyllis, 
she was considered the unofficial historian of 
Sierra Madre. She was the official Wisteria Vine historian for 30 years. 

 “She was a very impressive individual…she was so dedicated to Sierra Madre,” Mayor John Capoccia 
said after reading the proclamation. Council Member Gene Goss referred to Chapman as “truly an 
amazing person who made incalculable contributions over the course of her life.” 

 “It was always a real treat to be in her presence especially when she was singing, MCing, and doing all 
the things she was good at,” Council Member John Harabedian added. “What she’s done for our city 
says so much…this is well-deserved,” Mayor Pro Tem Rachelle Arzmendi said. 

 Chapman was designated as one of Sierra Madre’s Treasures in 2011, named Citizen of the Year in 1980, 
has a brick at City Hall and was given an Honorary Life Membership at the L.A. County Arboretum. 



 She frequently volunteered and was a docent for school and historical tours, the Wistaria Festival and 
Mt. Wilson Trail Race. She also helped initiate the Sierra Madre Library's Children’s Room and was a 
member of the Civic Club, Women’s Club, Historical Preservation Society, The Garden Club, and The 
Priscilla’s (partial listing). She contributed to Michelle Zack’s 2009 book, A Southern California Story: 
Seeking A Better Life in Sierra Madre, for which she received an acknowledgement.

 Many area clubs, organizations and this publication pushed for this recognition of Phyllis. The hope is 
that others will be inspired by her story and serve in the community with the same spirit and dedication.

 A safely distanced, 'walk through' Memorial/Showcase was originally planned for this Sunday, 
September 13, 2020, however due to the poor air quality from the Bobcat Fire, that event has been 
rescheduled to October 18, 2020 at the Sierra Madre Women's Club from 1-4 pm. 

“Labor Day is a great opportunity to reflect on what you failed to accomplish this summer.”

“I love Labor Day; what other day do you get to celebrate work without actually doing any!”

Maxine

Labor Day in the United States is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. It 
has its origins in the labor union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which 
advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. Unless, 
of course, you happen to be a mother and this particular holiday becomes laughable as meals, 
laundry and the children’s eternal battle cry: “I’m bored! There’s nothing to do here! What is there 
to eat!” rings out endlessly.

Labor Day this particular year is so incredibly hot nobody wants to go outside and there are fires 
all over the place, both of which make the idea of having a barbeque and hanging around outside 
sort of unattractive. In addition to which, ashes are raining down like snow. A far better way to 
spend the day is inside with a good book. 

For many people, including John, my college football loving husband, now residing in heaven, 
it was the start...finally...of the college football season. I made sure we had plenty of Doritos 
and the TV screen was dusted as Labor Day Saturday was an important day. He would be sadly 
disappointed with what’s going on with football these days.

I don’t watch football anymore, but I sure enjoyed all the games John and I watched together. 
When we were first married, I had never taken one look at football beyond going to the games 
at South Pasadena High School, back in the late ‘50’s, to see our Tigers win and sit with my 
boyfriend, John Forsha, and his buddy, Dan Wilshire, as they were the band. John played the 
trumpet and Dan played French horn as I recall. They were great at “Charge!” 

As time went by, I realized I had two choices – have you ever noticed, there are always two 
choices – I could either continue spending all those hours by myself while John rejoiced or wept 
over his team or I could learn to enjoy football. I chose football and was always glad I had made 
that choice as we had many lively conversations about who was playing, what their quarterback 
was doing wrong, what bonehead play had just been run for the seventh time in a row, and much 
woo-hooing over touchdowns. USC was always his first, favorite, and most beloved team, as he 
was a USC graduate, as are our grandsons, Blake and Luke, but we liked a lot of other teams, too. 
Ladies out there, if your sweetie is a football fan, go sit with him when and if football ever gets 
back to normal. You’ll be glad you did. Trust me!

Labor Day weekend is usually a great time to barbeque and a char-broiled burger at halftime is 
pretty close to perfect. We always had potato salad but my grandmother made a macaroni salad 
I’ve been thinking about lately. Here’s her recipe:

Louise’s Macaroni Salad

16 oz. elbow macaroni

2 big dill pickles or 4-5 smaller ones

2 small cans pimentos

2 onions

4 hard boiled eggs

Mayonnaise – the full fat type, not one of the light ones

Celery Salt

Pepper 

Salt Paprika

Boil macaroni till al dente, drain and set aside to cool. Chop pickles, onions, pimento and eggs.

Add seasonings, mayo and mix. Chill overnight to give the flavors time to blend with each other. 
This is really delicious. Give it a try. 

My grandmother, Louise Pitzer Sessions, was born in Virginia, lived part of her childhood 
in Texas before eventually ending up in California with three children, one of whom was my 
mother. Louise considered herself a southern lady and, as such, 
never revealed her age. None of us really knew how old she was, 
but her macaroni salad was terrific. Give it a try when it cools 
off a bit.

Watched the Kentucky Derby Saturday and was delighted to see 
another Bob Baffert horse, Authentic, win. Made me think of 
the 2015 Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah, ridden in 
all three races by Sierra Madre’s own Victor Espinoza (pictured 
here). Something you may not know about Victor, on July 22, 
2018, Espinoza was injured when riding Bobby Abu Dhabi at 
the Del Mar racetrack. He suffered a fractured vertebra but was 
initially expected to make a full recovery. Several weeks after 
the accident, he continued to have trouble shaving, walking 
and getting out of bed, and lacked feeling in his left arm. But on 
January 5, 2019, Espinoza returned to riding at the Santa Anita 
Park. One of the best things about him, he donates ten percent 
of his winnings to City of Hope to support pediatric cancer 
research. Not sure if Victor still lives in Sierra Madre, but I did 
get to meet him and interview him after his Triple Crown victory and he is a really neat guy!

 Stay cool, dear friends and neighbors and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Looking forward to fall, 
pumpkins and cooler weather. Starbucks has Pumpkin Lattes!

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Where you’ll find “Sunrises and Sunflowers Speak Hope”

And “A Tablespoon of Love, A Tablespoon of Laughter”

Both of these books are stuffed with hope and a good recipe or two.

There’s a new Emma Gainsworth Kindle novelette available right this minute:

“Emma’s Intergalactic Institute” 

It’s on Amazon.com and here’s the link: https://amzn.to/3ibKD3Z

If you haven’t read “Emma’s Etouffee Café” you need to! It’s also on Amazon.com, 

You can follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/@playwrightdd


REMEMBRANCES


DOUGLAS ALLAN PETERSON

 Douglas Allan Peterson passed away peacefully, 
surrounded by his family on September 5, 2020. 
Born in 1940 at Huntington Hospital, he was 80 
years old at the time of his passing. He was a first 
generation Swede and a lifelong resident of Sierra 
Madre. Doug married his sweetheart Jeanne on 
June 27, 1964. Their first son, Eric was born in 
1965 and second son Steve in 1967.

 Doug worked as a meat cutter at Alexanders 
Prime Meats in San Gabriel until the early 90’s, 
after which he started a construction company 
with his son Eric. Doug and Jeanne were active 
members of the Sierra Madre community and 
were known for the breakfasts that they served 
before the 4th of July Parade. 

 Doug loved traveling with his wife, family and 
friends. Doug and Jeanne enjoyed many camping

trips in Carlsbad, Carpenteria and Refugio when 
their boys were young with many other families. 
They later traveled through Europe, England, 
Scotland, and all over the United States, Canada 
and Alaska. Doug and Jeanne celebrated their 
30th wedding anniversary at the wedding of their 
son Steve to his wife Charlotte in France. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on a cruise to 
Alaska with their sons, daughters in law, 6 grandchildren, and other beloved family. Doug and Jeanne 
celebrated their honeymoon on Kauai and were lucky enough to return on several occasions with their 
sons, daughters in law and grandkids. He and Jeanne would say, “Their home in Sierra Madre was their 
favorite place in the whole world with Kauai, as their second favorite place.”

 Doug was known for his loyal support of his beloved Green Bay Packers (Go Pack Go!) and the Alabama 
Crimson Tide. Doug and Jeanne were also loyal supporters of their sons’ soccer teams, and could always 
be found cheering on their grandchildren though soccer, football and volleyball. He even was a coach for 
many seasons. He could tell a great joke!

 Doug is survived by his wife Jeanne, their sons Eric (wife Jennifer) and Steve (wife Charlotte),and six 
grandchildren; Johannah, Thamara, Sophie, Owen, Sydney and Faith, and his sister Janet.

 The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made, in Doug’s name to the

American Diabetes Association.


:118765688_312477306726899_7407975519271377065_n.jpg
BETTY LOUISE BURNETT GAGNE

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com

Betty Louise Burnett Gagne, 97, passed away on August 
25, 2020 in Brea, California. She was born in Onarga, 
Illinois on June 7, 1923 to Alva and Minnie Burnett. She 
was one of seven children and is survived by a sister and 
brother. 

 After graduating from Onarga High School in 1943 she 
moved to Chicago with her girlfriends. She worked at 
the Bell & Howell defense factory during World War II 
making cameras and binoculars for the war effort. 

She married Raoul M. Gagne in 1946 and was married 
for 47 years until his death in 1994. Betty is survived 
by 5 children; 18 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, 
and 2 great great-grandchildren. She has one deceased 
granddaughter.

 She lived with her family in Illinois until 1962 when 
they moved to Sierra Madre, California where she lived for 57 years. In 2019 she moved to the Brookdale 
Senior Living apartment in Brea, California to be closer to family.

 Throughout her life she was an avid gardener. Her children remember going around the neighborhood 
in Westmont, Illinois to give away her abundant vegetable harvest. She continued to cultivate beautiful 
gardens and in 1997 her Sierra Madre landscaping was featured in the Pasadena Star News and received 
commendation from the City of Sierra Madre. 

 Betty was very active in the Sierra Madre United Methodist Church choir and other groups within the 
church. Betty would always take her two Shih Tzu dogs, Annie and Maggie, to choir practice with her. She 
was fond of singing solos and duets at the Church. Betty was always thrilled when anyone in her family 
would sing with her in the choir or provide special music at the Church. One of her favorite hymns was 
How Great Thou Art.

 She used her extensive sewing and quilting skills to make pew cushions and the alter dossal for the 
Church. She was active in several Quilt Guilds, earning many honors for her treasured quilts. She was also 
very adept at reupholstering fine furniture. For a number of years she managed a fabric store in Pasadena.

Music was always important to Betty, she played the violin through High School and sang in various choirs. 
She was most proud of her being selected as the best violinist in a High School competition. After moving 
to Sierra Madre she joined the local Sweet Adeline’s Chapter and the P.E.O. singers. Betty was a founding 
member of the Sierra Madre Chorale where she sang for almost 25 years. Betty was part of a combined 
church choir that toured and sang in England.

 Betty and her husband were active Square Dancers for many years. She would even make her own dance 
outfits. She was also active in a bowling league for many years, finally retiring when she reached her early 
nineties.

 She enjoyed camping trips with the family, especially in the National Parks. During their early retirement 
years Betty and Raoul traveled throughout the United States in their RV. They also enjoyed traveling 
throughout Europe.

 Betty was a member of the CI-EP Chapter of the P.E.O. in the San Gabriel valley for many years. 

Graveside services were officiated by Rev. Shin, and held with the immediate family on September 1st at 
Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, where she was laid to rest beside her husband. To leave a condolence 
for the family of Betty Gagne, visit www.rosehills.com/obituaries/whittier-ca/betty-gagne-9328046.

 In lieu of flowers the family asked that donations be made to either the Sierra Madre United Methodist 
Church, 695 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 92014 or the Sierra Madre Chorale, 9929 Woodruff 
Ave., Temple City, CA 91780. A Celebration Of Life will be held at a later date for friends and loved ones.

MY FRIDAY NIGHT COVID APPEITIZER

Pork tenderloin is one of my favorite weeknight proteins. It takes on flavor with ease, cooks 
quickly, and stays tender and juicy no matter how you cook it. There are dozens of ways to cook 
it, but a few essential methods will teach you everything you need to know about cooking this 
Friday night hero.

These two techniques for cooking pork tenderloin — grilling and cooking in the oven. This all 
you need to know about cooking a juicy, flavorful piece of pork.

What Is Pork Tenderloin?

Pork tenderloin is a lean yet tender cut of meat from along 
the backbone of the animal. A single tenderloin cut is 
usually about 1 pound total. But it’s common to find pork 
tenderloin sold in supermarkets in packages of two, for a 
total of 2 to 2 1/2 pounds of meat.

How to Brine & Flavor Pork Tenderloin

While it’s common to find these packages of tenderloin 
pre-seasoned and marinated, we suggest you skip the pre-
seasoned tenderloins and use just a few simple ingredients

For grilling pork tenderloin, we are going to use a grill technique sometimes referred to as zone 
cooking. One area of the grill will be turned to high, while the other will be low or unlit. The 
high-heat area will be used for direct cooking (i.e., getting a crisp crust and char); the low-heat 
area will cook the pork tenderloin to the correct internal temperature over indirect heat.

Know the Difference Between Direct and Indirect Heat

Direct heat will get you great grill marks over a fast flame, while indirect will cook your meat 
evenly without burning. Direct heat means to cook the food directly over the heat source 
(whether charcoal, gas, or wood), while indirect cooking refers to cooking adjacent to the heat 
source.

If you’re cooking with a gas grill, light one side to high or medium-high heat and leave the 
other side unlit. For a charcoal grill, pile the coals on one side of the grill and leave the other 
side empty.

•1 pork tenderloin (1 to 1 1/2 pounds)
•1/4 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
•1 teaspoon kosher salt


4 oz Of Apple cider vinegar 

4 oz 100 % CRANBERRY JUICE

•1/2 teaspoon onion powder
•1/2 teaspoongarlic powder


The cooking time should be about 30 minutes total, you can cheat a little bit by placing in the 
oven for about ten minutes, but otherwise just follow the directions of the non-direct cooking 
method and you should be good!!

REMEMBER: No sauce until meat is cooked.

Join me this Sunday AM for my food show on Go Country 105


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com