Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, December 26, 2020

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PORTRAITS & FUN 

Mountain View News Saturday, December 26, 2020 

PORTRAIT OF OUR NEIGHBORS By Stuart Tolchin

SUSAN HENDERSON

 Susan Henderson is the owner, publisher, and editor of the Mountain Views News. This is a local newspaper that services the 
extraordinarily diverse communities described on the masthead of the paper: Sierra Madre, Arcadia, Duarte, Monrovia, Pasadena, 
Altadena, South Pasadena and San Marino. As owner, publisher editor, and sometime writer and reporter within the paper she is a 
person connected and aware of the dynamics within all of these communities. She is much more interested in contributing to the 
solidarity of communities rather than creating controversy. The paper is still alive notwithstanding the fact that major revenue sources 
are no longer available. Formerly the major sources of revenue for the paper was primarily its ability to publish legal notices and 
the support of local advertisers. The Covid has resulted in the loss of such sources and has forced Susan to do without formerly paid 
employees. She now does herself what was formerly done by others. She has kept the paper going by relying on private contributions 
and the paper displays a huge heart displaying the names of private contributors under a banner headline entitled A HEARTFELT 
THANK YOU. Susan describes her efforts related to the newspaper as a labor of love.

 She is a 68 year old African-American woman who is a tribute to the term diversity. Her parties formerly held every Fourth of July 
were a collection of people of all political views, races, ages, and sexual identifications. Most of the guests were people very involved 
in the issues affecting their diverse communities. She is a highly disciplined person who makes her own rules and follows them until 
she changes her mind and moves in another direction.

 I learned that Susan’s mother, a nurse in her early life went back to school and graduated from College and obtained a Master’s 
Degree in her sixties, may be a model which may partially explain Susan’s non- stop action. She has been married and divorced a 
few times but manages to keep in touch with former in-laws. Do not jump to the conclusion that she is incapable of maintaining a 
lengthy stable relationship as she and her domestic partner have maintained a loving relationship for 24 years

 After giving birth to her own three children, all of whom have now grown to be like minded community involved citizens, Susan 
travelled the world. She lived in Africa for two years, during which time she resolved to make a greater social contribution.to the 
world. 

Later in life, she and her domestic partner undertook the responsibility for the welfare of two young men from dysfunctional, drug 
involved homes. Later, they adopted these two boys and after one boy had already matured and was out of the house they had 
concerns about their remaining son who was still living at home. These concerns led to the purchase a home in Sierra Madre, an ideal 
'All-American City. He blossomed in Sierra Madre, volunteered at polls 
when he was old enough and worked at the Dominoes Pizza when we 
had one. He even volunteered at the Wistaria Festival! 

 It is her confident belief that she can be of great service that has kept 
Susan going. Through all the turmoil she has faced she has continued 
publishing in Sierra Madre since 2006 and has never missed a week. 
She is the kind of person who inevitably becomes the leader of any 
organization in which she becomes involved. In Sierra Madre, she is 
an Officer and Executive within the Chamber of Commerce and the 
former President for 8 years of the local Kiwanis Service Club, as well as 
a member of The Women's Club, and several other local organizations

. My conversations with her lead me to become more informed and 
involved myself. This is only one reason, among many others, that I can 
positively assert that she is the finest editor-publisher I have ever known 
and that I, like many other Sierra Madreans, am very grateful that she is 
an integral part of this city. 

Note to Stuart - Here are a few pictures for you to cure your curiosity. Santa and I in the 50s; Your neighbor Fred, my son in the 80s at his 
High School Graduation and one of me performing my best job - Being Grandma, with my granddaughter Milania in 2008 while working 
on the paper. Thanks for the compliments and kind words. Happy New Year!


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