Profiles
Mary Sandoe. Bobbie Jean Hill. Floy Biggs. Abby Pascua. These four women have guided Claremont nonprofit AgingNext since its inception 50 years ago.
“Having the Courage … to imagine possibilities, to move forward, to persevere, and to show up and speak up.” That’s the theme for this year’s Claremont Graduate University commencement. It’s also the way that keynote speaker and honorary doctorate recipient Jennifer Freyd approaches life.
If you rarely review the Claremont Courier staff box on page 5, it would be hard to tell what Skylar Anderson’s and Grace Felschundneff’s responsibilities are for the newspaper and website. Yet, they have two of the most important jobs in the newsroom.
When Nancy Sassaman finished up six grueling rounds of chemotherapy in 2003, she felt so weak she couldn’t open a jar. Now, with her cancer long in the rear-view mirror, the 75-year-old is a medal-winning powerlifter who can deadlift nearly twice her body weight.
March 28 was a joyous day for House of Ruth. The Pomona nonprofit that provides aid to victims of domestic violence welcomed the community back to its office with a ribbon cutting and open house, signaling the end of a long road to reopen after a 2023 car accident damaged nearly half the 12,000-square foot building, making a significant portion uninhabitable.
Los Angeles is famously teeming with great guitarists of every stripe, but when you separate out those who are also master songwriters and compelling performers, the pool gets much less congested. Among these rare few are Rick Shea and Tony Gilkyson, veteran singer-songwriters and guitarists who have teamed up for what amounts to an artistry rich “two-fer” show at the Folk Music Center, 220 Yale Ave., Claremont, on Saturday, March 23. Photo/courtesy of Rick Shea
Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but that’s no reason to stop thinking about matters of the heart, because February is American Heart Month.
Pomona College hosts a free and open to the public 6 p.m. documentary screening of “Deep Listening: The Story of Pauline Oliveros,” followed by a director Q&A, at Rose Hills Theatre on Thursday, February 29. Directed by Daniel Weintraub, “Deep Listening” follows the life of the late Pauline Oliveros, a queer American composer, musician, feminist, and humanitarian. Weintraub was first introduced to Oliveros through a neighbor and instantly knew he wanted to share her story. Photo/courtesy of Pomona College
When the Courier first met Jakob Vanderaa in 2013 he was an aspiring 12-year-old mountaineer who had conquered all of the tallest peaks in Southern California and set his sights on Mount Whitney, which at 14,505 feet, is the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States.
Ken Gonzales-Day, 58 and Scripps College’s Fletcher Jones Chair in Art, is currently balancing two spotlights, one shining from the Claremont Lewis Museum of Art and the other from The Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, where the art and photography professor is being double featured.
Internationally acclaimed poet and essayist Roger Reeves, 43, said he’s not really feeling like a celebrity this week despite Claremont Graduate University rolling out the red carpet for him. Don’t get him wrong though, he’s still enjoying the star treatment as an honored guest of the college, complete with a welcome ceremony Monday.
On Sunday, December 3, Walter’s Restaurant owners the Ghafarshad family will host a celebration of their 50 years of advancing the gastronomy, art, culture, and community of Claremont.
Eduardo Acevedo recently entered his second week as the new principal at Sumner Danbury Elementary School in charge of Danbury programs. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
When Kendall Johnson got a phone call from the Chancellor’s office of New York City’s Department of Education just before 7 a.m. on September 11, 2001, he didn’t yet know the twin towers had been hit. But that’s exactly why the head of student services was reaching out. “We don’t know what to do,” she said, describing the huge plume of smoke she could see over lower Manhattan while telling him to turn on his TV.
When Carmen Flores and Tatiana Guerrero learned the City of Claremont aimed to name the couple its 2023 honored group and wanted them to be part of next week’s Fourth of July parade, their first reaction was puzzlement.
On the Fourth of July, Indian Hill Boulevard will be center stage for Claremont’s celebration of American independence. Look for Courier columnist John Neiuber leading the pack as the parade’s grand marshal.
Claremont resident Raul Rodriguez is the city’s 2023 honored citizen and will be celebrated as he makes his way through the Fourth of July parade route, which begins at Memorial Park at 10 a.m. Tuesday.