Hub Bub template (Nov 02, 2021)

Downey and Warren High Schools came, everyone wearing masks. They pledged allegiance and sang with us, and they even dusted our ceiling – more about that later.

“You will remember this Friday night game for the rest of your lives,” said Dr. John Garcia. Dr. John is not only Superintendent of Schools but a player, an alumnus of Downy High who played his heart out that night when he was a senior. “I can recall my last game I played exactly,” he said. “We scored two touchdowns but lost by two points, a two-point after touchdown conversion.”

Is this a grudge match, or a love fest? It’s Spirit Week, the days preceding the Big Game, the intra-city rivalry, Downey versus Warren. But instead of dividing the city, the game has always unified it.

The teams and the schools show such respect for each other, that it’s the talk of the country. And it’s a highlight for Rotary Club of Downey each year, to invite representatives of both schools to have a luncheon with us and share the excitement.

“It’s a great and shining moment,” said Garcia, “so live it, take ownership of it, the fellowship, the camaraderie, the rivalry. You will treasure it for the rest of your lives.”

Spirits were high, and the room was filled, with twelve tables that were each set for about six, as a special distancing measure. Dan Fox wore his navy and gold Warren letter jacket, and so did Will Medina. I wore my son Jeff’s crimson and white Downey sophomore jacket. It is so old that Allen Layne was the football coach back then. Dan and I wore also wore them in 2018, see below.

Lorine and Dan in 2018

Chef Alfredo‘s workers were busy refilling the buffet table with more bowls of salad, pasta, and especially the chicken parmesan with the Viking red tomato sauce. Unfortunately, there are few dark blue items in the meat and vegetable line.

Before the program started I had the opportunity to talk with the coaches of both schools. Warren’s head coach Kevin Pearson, and the line, defensive, offensive, special plays coaches, were gathered at one table, all optimistic about their chances. Warren is ranked # 11 by the Los Angeles Times in the Southern California prep school scene.

“You have one unusually outstanding player this year,” I said to Defensive Coach Adam, “6-foot-6 junior Nicholaus Iamaleava. How do you coach a kid like that, who already has so many skills?” “Playing football with a team is a process,” said Adam, and “you have to break it down, and practice the fundamentals.”

I asked all the coaches to sign the book for the Children’s Room of the Library, and they willingly passed it around. Then I went across the room to where Downy High coaches were seated at a table with Downey Principal Tom Houts.

I said to Jack Williams, head coach, “Downey is 7-0 in the San Gabriel League, and you’ve won games by 40, 50, 60 points so far this season. And with a beaming face, Coach said, “and we’re going to win this one.” “They have one star player,” I said, “Do you plan to key on him?” “Yeah, their quarterback,” said the coach, “We’re going to stop him,” And everyone signed the book for the Library.

Dr. John had said that the two schools look forward to the Rotary lunch, because they rarely get a chance to see the other team and coaches. This breaking bread together reinforces the unusual nature of this rivalry. It’s intense, but it’s not one of enmity. The schools share the community. As Warren coach said, "We’re here at a special time and place, in Downey. And yet there are people in Arizona, and New York, who are with us in spirit. You never forget.”

A stunning statue of a running back topped the trophy that both schools were fighting for. Over the years, 65, as Dr. John said, both schools have their names engraved there about an equal number of times “This will be my 30th game,” said Principal Houts.

Both schools introduced their student body officers, and pep leaders, and players from each team rose and were introduced. Dressed in casual clothes and without their pads and helmets and the streaks of black under their eyes that protect them from night light glare, they didn’t look that scary.

The cheer squads came to the center of the room, the girls wearing short tunics instead of the box-pleated skirts I remember. Holding tinseled pompoms, Warren’s cheerleaders rolled the “r’s in “Warren” like a big bear growling.

And then Downey’s cheerleaders came up, and that included a young man in white flannels and sweater, but he did not have pompoms.

His role became apparent: he held up one of the cheerleaders, balancing her on his upraised hands. And when she raised her arms, her crimson and gold pompoms brushed the Rio Hondo banquet room ceiling. I don’t know how it looked from the front, but from close-up on the side, it was spectacular. They both were smiling.

In 2013 Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law making cheerleading an official high school sport in California. This step is about equity and respect for athletes who engage in some of the most dangerous activities on our school campuses.

The game is on Friday evening at Downey’s Allen Layne Stadium. And the Downey Educational Opportunity Foundation raises money by selling a deluxe package that includes a pre-dinner, special parking and mid-field seats. So the students win in the end.

LATE ADD: The Downey- Warren game on Friday night was played on cable TV and as the BSW announcers said, “This game is as good as advertised. And an amazing atmosphere here.”

The game started with a surprise on-sides kickoff from Downey to Warren. The Bears took the ball and marched down the field for their first touchdown. The Vikings fought back, but were not able to contain Warren quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Warren’s four touchdowns and a 2-point conversion beat Downey’s two touchdowns, a point after, and a field goal, making the final score 26-16, and Warren took home the San Gabriel Valley League trophy for the fourth straight time. As Dr. John had said, “Take a couple of minutes to know that you are in a special place and time. And School District. It will never come again.”

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LATER ADD: Patricia Megallon notified us that our longest serving member, of 73 years, Angelo Cardono, died this week. Angelo was an expert aviator, flying himself around the country on business trips, and served on the County’s Airport Commission for many years.

Angelo told me that although he was born in Providence, Rhode Island, when he volunteered for the Navy in World War II at age 17 he was sent to the Pacific Theatre of War. When he was mustered out on the West Coast, he decided to stay, and made his home in Downey. By age 21 he had established his jewelry-making business, and Cesar Mattei sponsored him in Rotary.

He was also known for his wry sense of humor, as you can see in this story that I wrote about him for the Hubbub in 2012.

JEWELS BY ANGELO

Posted by Dan Fox

on May 01, 2012

By Lorine Parks

For his much looked-forward-to program on trends in jewelry, Angelo Cardono discussed an often over-looked product, the home-grown American gem stones found right in the United States.

First though, since Angelo has given this enjoyable program many times over the years, he reminisced about how the approach to it has changed. At first it was all about jewelry for the wife, as all Rotarians were men. Now it is safer and politically gender-correct to speak of adornment for the “significant other, ” and for female fellow Rotarians. In fact, many Rotarians brought their “significant others” to hear Angelo speak.

The program was originally presented on Secretary’s Day, but that name too has changed and now it is for the Executive Administrative Assistant. But as Shakespeare would say, “A diamond by any other name would shine as bright.” The beautiful gems in their artistic settings have not changed. And Angelo gets a kick out of bringing the jewelry to the Rotary meetings in small brown paper bags. He watches it with an eagle eye, though.

Angelo, a highly respected person in the fine jewelry world, long ago coined the phrase, “Jewelry is the badge that society awards itself, for recognition of the important events in life.” Jewelry in that connotation is not a luxury, but a form of respect for milestones achieved: think of Super Bowl championship rings and the Miss Downey crown (which Angelo designed), as well as graduation and anniversary presents.

“Jewels by Angelo” his company’s name, may be seen as prizes on “The Price is Right” television show, although Angelo says he has never watched the program. “Jewels by Angelo” can only be bought from a retail dealer, not directly from Angelo.

“Gemstone” can mean more than the “big four,” diamond, sapphire, ruby, emerald. According to Angelo, there is no such thing as a “semi-precious” stone. All stones are precious. And they don’t have to come from all over the world, like Kimberly in South Africa for diamonds or Myanmar (Burma) for rubies, or sapphires from Ceylon, and emeralds from Colombia.

Here in the United States we have tourmalines, light green and red ones from San Diego; fire opals in Arizona and Nevada; turquoise mined in Arizona and New Mexico; industrial diamonds in Arkansas; and, in the riverbeds of the southeast, freshwater pearls. As Angelo described the process, you make a bead from a clam shell and insert it inside an oyster’s shell, and that “mindless creature, a bivalve that just lies there taking in plankton, will spew out nacre” when its plump tender body is irritated. Voila, a pearl.

A new jewel Angelo chose to model for us is the sunstone, found in lava flows in Oregon. Pale yellow to bright orange, it is a volcanically formed kind of feldspar, and when viewed from certain angles it has a brilliant spangled appearance. The optical effect is due to inclusions of red copper in the form of minute scales. It has a vitreous luster, is transparent to translucent, and is the official gemstone of Oregon. On the Mohs hardness scale, it is 6.-7.2, making it harder than turquoise and opal, but more easily scratched than amethyst or any of the “Big Four.” It can be faceted or polished as a cabochon.

Angelo’s models, Rotarians all, then stood and walked around the room, showing his designs. Mary Stauffer was wearing a long double strand necklace of yellow polished sunstones with baroque fresh water pearls also in sunny yellow.

Heather Conwell wore a double strand of pinkish beads and pearls, and an intricate ring.

One of Bill Kirkwood’s visiting daughters, Jennifer, wore a fill-in-neckline necklace with sun stones and then baroque pearls shaped like leaves and butterflies and rings of sun stones.

Angelo concluded by quoting H. Stern, the fabulous Brazilian jeweler known as “the king of the colored stones,” who insisted they be called “precious colored stones.” “There is no such thing as a semi-precious gem,” he said, “any more than there is a semi-pregnant woman or a semi-honest man.”