Long-time resident J. Lyle Cunningham, Arcadia Citizen of the Year in 1983 and former president of the Arcadia Rotary Club, died on December 15th at Methodist Hospital of natural causes. He was 82. Mr. Cunningham was actively involved in the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce, the Arcadia Red Cross, the Church of the Good Shepherd and Arcadians for Arcadia.
Arcadia teachers are eligible for mini-grants of $100-300 under a program being implemented by the Arcadia Rotary Club. The program will provide funds to district teachers for special projects beginning in February. All teachers, from kindergarten to 12th grade, are eligible to apply.
First Avenue Junior High has been nominated as a 1990 California Distinguished School by the State Department of Education. First Avenue will be one of six schools in Los Angeles County to be so nominated.
The Arcadia School Board accepted $26,365 in state funding to prevent alcohol and drug use among elementary school students. The money, available on 1/0/90, is being allocated under the Comprehensive Alcohol and Drug Prevention Education Program (CADPE), targeting 4th, 5th, and 6th graders in every district in California.
Arcadia High School students accepted a third-place trophy for their performance in the 40th Los Angeles County Academic Decathlon. The third-place award is for the North Los Angeles County region. Countywide, Arcadia ranked ninth, compared with its fourth-place finish in 1988.
Last year, Foothills Junior High students raised $800 for the Peace Corps to go to Lamotrek Atoll, Micronesia, an island in the South Pacific. The Peace Corps Partnership Program allows American schools, clubs and organizations to fund small projects, typically less than $1500. The money will be used to construct a basketball court.
Susan Clavey, the mother of Tanya Clavey (the 16-year old girl who died following a 400-foot plunge off the Santa Anita Canyon Road) asked the Arcadia City Council to close the road's gate at dusk to prevent further fatalities. The gate, normally locked at 10 PM, was unlocked when the accident occurred at 10:15 PM.
The 1989 Arcadia Tournament of Roses Royal Court includes Jenny Chan, a Cal Poly Pomona freshman; Kathleen Lecher, a Maranatha High School senior; Jennifer Worsley, 16, Elyse Douglas, 17 and Tricia Stonecipher, an Arcadia High School senior.
The Arcadia Unified School District again ranked among the top 10% of statewide districts in the latest California Assessment Program (CAP) results. CAP scores were based on tests given to 3rd and 6th grade students last May in math, reading, and writing as well as tests given to 8th-graders in reading, math, history and science.
The Los Angeles County Commission on School District Organization voted 9-0 to deny Sierra Madre's petition to join the Arcadia School District. The matter will go to the state Board of Education, which may take 3-4 months to make a decision.
The 76 members of the Arcadia Fire Department raised $14,521 for victims of the Bay Area earthquake by giving up one shift of paid vacation time each. The money will be donated to Santa Cruz County through the Arcadia chapter of the American Red Cross.
The Arcadia Police Department's non-emergency business telephone numbers have been changed to the following: Front desk, 570-5150; Administrative offices, 574-5178; Investigation division, 574-5160. The change is due to the switch to Pacific Bell Centrex System which gives priority to emergency services in the event of an emergency.
Five young women were chosen for the Arcadia royal court to represent Arcadia in the Tournament of Roses. All Arcadia residents, they are: Jenny Chen, 18; Elyse Douglas, 17; Kathleen Lechler, 17; Tricia Stonecipher, 17; and Jennifer Worsley, 16. One will be chosen to be Queen at the Coronation Ball on December 9.
The Arcadia City Council approved a 6% hike in building fees, such as building permits, conditional use permits, and request for modifications. The increase, set for November 17, will be used to offset the 6% salary hike that city employees received in the 1989-90 budget.
About 1500 people went to a hearing before the county Commission on School District Organization to discuss the possible transfer of Sierra Madre schools from the Pasadena Unified School District to the Arcadia Unified School District. The hearing is the first step in a long process that involves approval by the state Board of Education and local voters before an area can transfer to another school district.
Robert Shortell, 80, attended the World of Poetry's fifth annual convention in Washington, D.C., where he was honored with a Golden Poet Award. Shortell was a history and social studies teacher and sometime coach at Arcadia High School for 21 years.
The Automobile Club of Southern California will relocate its Temple City and Monrovia offices to its new facility at 420 East Huntington Drive, Arcadia, beginning October 16.