17-year-old Arcadia High School student Courtney Chou Lee has been named the 91st Rose Queen. Six other young ladies are princesses including another AHS student, Lauren Valenzuela. The Rose Queen and her royal court will reign over the 120th Rose Parade and the 95th Rose Bowl. Article contains some quotes from Courtney Lee's parents, Andrew Lee and Ulanda Lee.
Arcadia High School has been honored with the 2002 BRAVO award for excellence in arts education by the Music Center of Los Angeles. The award recognizes art programs, including music and drama. Notable people Garry Marshall and Gayle Wilson, wife of former California governor Pete Wilson, attended the gala event.
Arcadia Weekly columnists: Susan Motander writes general news, p. 1; Mary K. Riherd writes music news, p. 14; Kevin Awakuni writes general news, p. 19.
Charles Cooper continues his Arcadia city centennial series "Memories of Arcadia" with a story about Arcadia's mayors. A. N. Multer was the first person to be given the title of mayor of Arcadia. City founder Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin was the city's first presiding officer, but he held the title of president of the Board of Trustees. The title of mayor was not adopted until 1927, when the Board of Trustees changed to the City Council. Arcadia will have 4 mayors this year to mark the city's centennial. Each city council member will rotate into the position. More interesting facts: Floretta Lauber was the first woman to serve as mayor. She paved the way for Mary Young, Barbara Kuhn, and Gail Marshall to follow. Other history of mayors is recapped. The first city manager was William J. Richards in 1951, when a charter was adopted. The longest serving city official was City Clerk Christine Van Mannen, who held the job for 32 years. See hard copy in VF Arcadia (City) History.
A chart shows school enrollment numbers from 1998 to 2004. More than 40 percent of the public school districts in California are experiencing declining enrollment. Experts say it is due to a decline in the birth rate and families' migration patterns.
Mary Tillman, mother of former NFL player Pat Tillman, shares her grief and her book "Boots on the Ground by Dusk" at Arcadia Public Library. Pat Tillman was a U.S. Army Ranger killed in action in Afghanistan.