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Newsletter of the Rancho Los Alamitos Volunteer Service Council

Co-editors Doug Cox and Roxanne Patmor

November 2024

VSC Perspectives

Doug Cox, VSC President

November marks that resolutely virtuous time of the year when it's traditional to honor, well, traditions. 

There's the green bean casserole tradition, the inflatable turkeys on the lawn tradition, the reruns of "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" tradition, and the far-too-early promos for the reruns of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" tradition. 

If you're a local, there's also the gamely slogging past the Naples holiday homes in the shoreline darkness, fortified by, uhm, hot chocolate tradition.

At Rancho Los Alamitos, where we marinate year-round in multicultural traditions, this is a good time to honor our tradition to pause and reflect on the many things for which volunteers and staff are sincerely grateful. Ours is a bountiful feast:

• I'm grateful for the livestock folks who keep Preston afoot and the donkey loud.

• I'm grateful for Jesse Herrera's boundless sense of humor and David Quinn's gift for storytelling.

• I'm grateful for Gunnar Thordason's zen-like patience with the pampas grass.

• I'm grateful for Judy Watanabe's wry cheerfulness as she opens up the Museum Store, and I'm grateful for Kathy Manuel-Martinez's straight-out-of-1930s-Hollywood-searchlight-bright smile.

• I'm grateful to Joanne Locnikar and Jan Weirzbicki for their heroic work in keeping the Volunteer Room library alive at a time when historical and contextual knowledge doesn't always seem to be as respected as in times past.

And I'm grateful for the dozens and dozens and dozens of volunteers, staff, interns, board members, and supporters who trundle up the hill all year long, shouldering their immense store of priceless institutional knowledge that ultimately becomes our shared contemporary Rancho traditions in ways both great and small. 

Pass the green bean casserole, please.

Historical Site Curator Pamela Young Lee is our special guest for this year's VSC holiday celebration.

Pam volunteered to play a game she calls "Stump the Curator." We can ask her questions about the RLA site and its collection and she will tell us what she knows. If there's something she can't answer, the questioner has "stumped the curator."

Thanks to Janice Wellsteed's inspired idea, several volunteers are making recipes from the California Rancho Cooking cookbook. Among the anticipated dishes are carne asada, guacamole, breakfast chorizo and eggs, rancho-style beans, stacked enchilada pie, and wedding cake cookies.

An event you don't want to miss and a great way to celebrate the holiday with our fellow volunteers!

Mark Sosa's 3D digital twin of the ranch house and business office gives virtual access to visitors who might otherwise be unable to visit these spaces.

Joy created "before and after" photos that show how the site has changed over time.

Kristin Cecil, RLA's Site Rental Coordinator, arranged for a local Model T club to bring their beautifully restored cars to RLA for a meeting.

It's easy to imagine any one of these cars bringing visitors or deliveries to Rancho Los Alamitos.

Photos by RLA Restoration Specialist David Quinn

Volunteer Tom Taylor was asked if the sugar beets he and head gardener Jesse Herrera are raising could be used as props at this year's Rancho Voices event. Tom said that Jesse picked the last one and he was going to use it to create clay sugar beets in Leisure World's ceramics workshop.

Photo on the left is Tom's artistic work in progress. On the right is Jesse with the season's last sugar beet. Tom has a local farmer's sugar beet crop lined up as a plan B for props.

We thank Tom for his dedication to this year's Rancho Voices event taking place on December 5 and 6 from 4 to 8 pm. If you'd like to volunteer on either day, please reach out to Steve Squire or Margarete Villalobos.

Volunteer Spotlight

Mary Ann Cullen

Top: Mary Ann with intern Joy Kadowaki.

Left: Mary Ann in Wales and with youngest daughter Chrissy

Middle: "Just another day at RLA" and with oldest daughter Jen

Above: Mary Ann with Mark, her hubby and travel companion.

Employee Spotlight

Merinelle Marchione

Merinelle Marchione is a familiar face to many at the Rancho. We see her helping out with various projects from fundraising to putting together beautiful buffets for special events.

Can you share a bit about yourself? Where you grew up, where you went to school, things that interest you? Your family?

Sure! I’m a Lakewood/Long Beach native, born and raised. After graduating from Lakewood High, I received my Associates from Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena and eventually my Bachelor’s in Sociology from UCLA- go Bruins! Shortly after graduating from UCLA, I married my husband Luca and we have three beautiful kids- Enzo, 8, Matteo, 4, and Catalina 2. I’m sure you’ve seen them around at some point visiting with Preston or participating in our Cool Crafts events.

When I’m not here at the Rancho, I’m hanging with my family and continuing to build my Amazon business, Lina e Mama which I started with little Catalina. 

What drew you to working at Rancho? 

Honestly, I had never heard of the Rancho until I saw a job posting looking for an Administrative Assistant. I grew up in the area all my life, but like everyone else, had never heard of or been to the Rancho.

I visited for the first time with my husband and Enzo before my interview and instantly fell in love! It’s so peaceful here and the energy in the gardens is so healing. It is definitely a different and welcomed change of pace from the events industry. I interviewed with Pamela Seager and Pam Lee and the rest is history! I have been at the Rancho for 7 ½ years and it continues to bring me so much joy.  

What parts of your job do you enjoy most? 

Events, and all things creative and food-related, which is great now that I’m in Development. I get to put those skills to good use and help the Rancho fundraise. I also love working with our volunteers and staff. There are so many amazing and friendly folks here. Such a great environment so many interesting conversations to be had!  

You’ve been a caterer. Can you tell us about that and times you’ve brought those skills to Rancho events? 

Cooking, events and the food industry have always been a passion of mine. I received my degree in culinary arts right out of high school and it was such a fun and special time. I “staged” (interned) with The Patina Restaurant Group and eventually got hired on with them full-time. I’ve worked in their various restaurants at The Hollywood Bowl and The San Francisco Opera House.

Eventually, I started working for a boutique catering company, Taste of Pace, out of downtown LA as their Catering Manager, managing intimate dinners to large-scale productions of 1500+ guests. I’ve done events for high-profile clients such as Netflix, Dom Perignon, Food Network, and the LA Opera, just to name a few.

The food industry has taught me so much - hard work, grueling hours, logistics, troubleshooting and working with a variety of different people. It has also instilled in me the importance of team work and an “all hands-on deck” attitude which I bring to the Rancho in the various hats that I wear. 

Do you have a favorite spot at the Rancho to spend time?

I’ve always loved the Oleander Walk and Native Garden. The Oleander Walk is always so quiet and beautiful, especially when you walk down that long pathway with just a little sunlight coming through. I feel like not many guests find their way down there. And the Native Garden - I mean, who doesn’t love the Native Garden?! Listening to the stream as you walk through will always be special. 

Separate from your job at RLA, what’s your ideal way to spend a day away from work? 

Taking a nap! Or even just a quiet, lazy day at home to myself. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s such a good recharge. 

What else would you like us to know about you? 

I may only be on site a few times a week now and up in the “tower”, but I miss greeting everyone and seeing your smiling faces!

I’ve switched one of my in-office days to when we are open to the public, so I am hoping to see everyone more often. There are so many new faces that I haven’t officially met yet and I’m sure they have no clue who I am! But I am here working in the background. If you see me around- please say hello! 

Leadership Spotlight

Director of Parks, Recreation, and Marine

Brent Dennis

Brent Dennis is the city's Director of Parks, Recreation, and Marine, which serves the community with programs and services offered at 166 parks with 26 community centers, two historical sites (including this one), six miles of beaches, and animal care services. If he looks familiar, you may have seen him at the Cottonwood Awards Luncheon or on his other visits to the Rancho. We ae pleased to have the chance to get to know him better!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Where you grew up? Your path to Director of Long Beach Parks, Recreation, and Marine? What kinds of things do you like to do outside of the job? Hobbies, interests? 

I grew up in Northwest Ohio’s small farm town of Edgerton, btw, the 1959 Single A State Basketball Champions as the town’s claim to fame. I attended The Ohio State University and graduated cum laude with a Bachelors in Landscape Architecture. 

My career path to Long Beach included a number of municipal parks and recreation departments, along with non-profit botanical gardens, arboreta, and sculpture gardens in cities of Columbus, Ohio; Grand Rapids, Michigan, San Francisco and Anaheim, California; and Tucson, Arizona. 

I keep my life in balance through gardening and art, often donating original paintings to support area organizations’ fundraising efforts such as Silent Auctions. As a parks director and landscape architect, my favorite holiday is Arbor Day and I maintain an annual tradition of planting trees with area school kids and reading Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax. I have planted a tree on the first day on the job of every new leadership position.

You oversee some of the city’s most important assets: its recreation programs, parks, community centers, and beaches. Can you give some insights about how you keep up with the needs of the community?

I actively support all of our Department community events by in-person attendance and appreciation; enjoying speaking opportunities at Friends groups, civic organizations, garden clubs, career exploration events at area schools, etc. Very much a “people person”, keeping an open door policy for co-workers, and constantly developing positive relationships with community leaders and park advocates.

Long Beach consistently wins awards for its parks and recreational programs. What do the awards tell us about PRM’s mission and the dedication of its employees? 

Professional recognition at the local, state, and national levels are a clear reflection of the standards of quality of programs, facilities and special events the Department maintains as a shared team goal.

As a landscape architect, when you walk through the gardens, what do you notice about the design and the plants and trees that fill the gardens? 

The beauty of this special place is that you honestly forget you are in the heart of a busy, noisy, hectic pace of a vibrant metropolitan city. Our eyes need beauty and it abounds throughout Rancho Los Alamitos.

You recently hosted a meeting for the L.A. County Parks & Rec Board of Director at the Rancho. That was quite an honor for the Rancho. Can you tell us what you wanted them to see and know about the site? 

Of the bounty of Long Beach parks, beachfront, and recreational facilities options for hosting an important collegial group of parks and recreation leaders, the choice of Rancho Los Alamitos was the first place I considered. It was wonderful to hear the many compliments of the historic rancho and beautiful gardens. Many new eyes were opened to this special place. As a group, we also enjoyed a very informative overview of the LA28 Olympics as our program.

What message would you like to give to the Rancho’s volunteers?

I continue to be very appreciative of the amazing contributions of the volunteers’ time, skills, and passion for the mission of Rancho Los Alamitos. We contributed some of the luncheon sandwiches and cookies to the volunteers as a sign of our appreciation.

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?

I seem to be known as the “Father of Pickleball” thanks to my leadership in responding to Long Beach’s biggest unmet recreational need and advancing an array of new facilities to accommodate the growing interest in pickleball in the City. 

Also known for my referral of our Department responsible for Parks, Recreation, Marine, and Animal Care Services as the “Department of Fun and Furry Friends!”.

Brent, as a VIP emcee, introduces a story at the Historical Society's 2024 Cemetery Tour. Photo courtesy of Kayte Deioma

Happily for the Rancho, one of Brent's beautiful paintings hangs outside the Executive Director's office.

In November 1977, Joan Hotchkis (Katharine Bixby Hotchkis' daughter) wrote about the Bixby's Thanksgiving holiday as part of a work she called The Bixby Girls. In it, Joan describes arriving at the ranch for the festivities and fondly recalls a day filled with relatives and family traditions.

Joan described the Thanksgiving meal, including the cups of soup, turkey, vegetables, cranberry sauce, and gravy that were served to the guests. She explained the food was merely an overture to the main event: uncorking the champagne. Fred gave a shake to each bottle to ensure a loud and explosive pop. Then, as he poured, the foamy bubbles flowed down the sides of the hollow-stemmed champagne flutes.

Left: From RLA's archive, 1938, Hotchkis children, Joan, John, Katharine, Preston Jr.

Right: This year's dining room table set for the Thanksgiving feast