Mountain Views News          Saturday, September 19, 2015

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, September 19, 2015 

Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis

SIERRA MADRE POLICE BLOTTER

During the week of Sunday, September 6th, to Sunday, September 13th, 
the Sierra Madre Police Department responded to approximately 250 calls 
for service. 

Tuesday, September 8th 

At 7:30 am, Sierra Madre Police responded to the 500 Block of West 
Sierra Madre Blvd regarding a stolen vehicle. Upon arrival, the victim 
informed Officers that the night before at around 9 pm, he parked and 
secured his vehicle on the street in front of his residence. The following 
morning he came out to discover his vehicle was missing. The man was 
in possession of all keys to the vehicle, and reported that there was no 
broken glass in the area that he last left his car. The vehicle was described 
as a blue, four-door Honda Civic with a silver metal patch on the front 
right bumper. This case has been forwarded to the Detective Bureau. 

Wednesday, September 9th 

At 8:31 pm, Sierra Madre Police responded to the 90 Block of West Bonita 
Avenue regarding a possible prowler. The victim stated that 20 minutes 
prior, she and her young son were in her bedroom when they heard 
noises outside her window. The victim’s son got on the floor and looked 
under the windows blinds and reported seeing someone. He stated that 
as soon as he looked outside, the pant legs moved back from the window 
and headed toward the front of the house. Officers walked the perimeter 
of the home and were unable to locate any further evidence. This case 
has been forwarded to the Detective Bureau. 

Thursday, September 10th 

At 4:32 pm, Sierra Madre Police responded to the 300 Block of 300 
Ramona Avenue regarding a residential burglary. Upon arrival, the 
victims informed Officers that they left the home at around 6:30 am, 
locking and securing windows and doors. When they arrived home at 
around 4:10, they noticed a bedroom light was on. When they went to 
investigate, they discovered the sliding glass door was smashed and the 
dresser and drawers had been rummaged through, as well as the master 
bedroom. The estimated value of stolen property was set at $500. This 
case has been forwarded to the Detective Bureau. 

Friday, September 11th 

At 9:83 am, Sierra Madre Police responded to the station lobby to take 
a report regarding a theft. Officers were informed by the victim that the 
day before at around 11 am, she parked her vehicle in her garage on the 
30 block of West Montecito Avenue. The victim stated she left her garage 
door open and her car unlocked overnight, and the next morning she 
discovered it had been rummaged through and her GPS and her vehicle 
registration were missing. This case has been forwarded to the Detective 
Bureau. 

 At 2:44 pm, Sierra Madre Police responded to the station lobby 
to take a report regarding a vandalism report. The victim informed 
Officers that the apartment complex at the 100 Block of Suffolk Avenue 
was vandalized when someone damaged the mailboxes. He stated 
he was informed by the maintenance employee and when he arrived 
he saw several mailboxes bent, damaged and open with the locking 
mechanisms on the floor below. The residents of the tampered boxes did 
not report anything stolen or missing. This case has been forwarded to 
the Detective Bureau. 

“Respect for self, Respect for 
others, Respect for the world.”

Gooden School Motto

One of our favorite places 
to walk in Sierra Madre is 
anywhere near Ascension 
Church and the Gooden School. 
We have enjoyed exceptionally 
nice moments there; i.e., the 
wine and cheese and Chamber 
Orchestra afternoon a while 
back; meeting with the fourth 
graders who were in charge of 
the garden a couple of years ago, 
admiring their cold frame boxes 
filled with Italian eggplant and 
fabulous tomatoes. There was 
yellow squash, watermelons still 
on the vine, and a pomegranate 
tree, with a good dozen 
pomegranates hanging from the 
branches. 

 When good friend Sharon 
Pevsner invited us to come to the 
Dedication of The Kelly Watson 
Reading Garden and Blessing of 
the Renewed Classrooms there 
last Sunday we were thrilled. 
What a lovely event this was, 
with Rev. Michael Bamberger 
(Rector of Church of the Ascension), Rev. Michael Cooper (Chaplain, 
The Gooden School) and Thomas, a very serious young altar boy 
and holy water bearer, blessing the classrooms which are home to 
Kindergarteners through third graders. Ribbons were cut by Emma 
and Natalie Watson, daughters of Kelly and Alan Watson, opening 
the new Reading Garden and refurbished rooms. The classrooms 
were gloriously cool, bright and friendly with windows overlooking 
flowers and trees. Can’t you just see these little people learning 
wonderful things... like reading!

 The Reading Garden is right outside these new rooms and is a spot 
tailor-made for a peaceful moment or two with a good book. Kelly 
Watson, as it says on our program, was “throughout her entire life, 
a passionate reader. She enjoyed not only the intellectual stimulation 
of a good book, but the respite it could provide from an otherwise 
hectic life. This new reading garden honors her well-lived life, and 
is dedicated to provide to everyone in this community a chance to 
have a moment, however brief, of breathing space....” Kelly Watson 
left her family, this community and the Gooden School, which she 
loved, in 2014. “Kelly always believed that even serious things, like 
dealing with cancer, are better with a dose of humor and moments 
to reflect.” There are benches painted bright blue, covered with 
whimsical animals, birds, bees, fish, sea horses – radiating pure joy, 
right in front of the garden. Kelly was my youngest daughter’s age.

 And, speaking of our daughter, Crissy, our Texas girl, she did her 
Kindergarten there at Ascension School, when Kindergarten was in 
the house next door to the church, or maybe a house away, starting 
in 1974. Her teacher, Mrs. Deuchers (spelled wrong, I’m sure) was a 
wonderful woman and my best friend, Jeannette Crocker, was the 
Kindergarten chef, creating a delicious meal for these little people 
every day. All of our encounters with Ascension and the Gooden 
School have been covered with, wrapped ‘round with kindness. 
Crissy had run across the street on July 19th of 1974 and very nearly 
stepped into heaven after a car hit her, spending ten days in a coma 
at Arcadia Methodist. Our own George Maurer, a paramedic at that 
time, and another dear man, scooped our little girl up off the street 
and transported her to the hospital. She celebrated her birthday there, 
we watched Richard Nixon resign the Presidency there, and she spent 
most of August learning to 
walk, slowly, haltingly again. 
We decided, John and I, that 
she had to go to Kindergarten, 
even though she was still so 
broken. Mrs. Deuchers and 
all the children in her very 
small class, were kind to her. 
She spent her first semester 
just sitting and watching, but 
kindness and love covered her. 
She was included, although 
she was unable to do much 
of anything. By the second 
semester, she was doing better 
and she finished Kindergarten 
in style, just like everyone else. I 
am filled, as I write these words, 
with gratitude; first for the fact 
that God preserved her life, 
and secondly for the Ascension 
School Kindergarten, where 
she was covered in, protected 
by, and wrapped ‘round in kindness. If you have a moment to stop 
by Ascension and the Kelly Watson Reading Garden, do it. Sit on the 
blue bench, take a breath, and let your heart fill with gratitude. You’ll 
be glad you did.

 

 My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

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

An excellent wedding gift and teachers would love it, too!


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