COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
The summer was a time of vacations, recuperations, and birthday celebrations. It also marked the passing of three of our AAUW members: Mary Ellen Mead, Irene Diaz, and Vicki Marshall.
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Happy Birthday to Yvette Rawlinson, Honorary Lifetime Member, who celebrates her 97th birthday on August 27, 2025. Her friend Ann Topjon visited and reports that Yvette keeps up with the news of the branch, but does not have email. Her daughter said she would love to receive birthday cards in the mail.
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Get well wishes to Lisbeth Solberg, who was in the hospital with appendicitis. She was treated and sent home on August 14, waiting to clear the infection; she may have to go back for surgery. She is not feeling well, so please no phone calls.
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Cathy Arriola was hospitalized with a heart attack, moved to rehab, and hopefully comes home this week. She says she really could use your thoughts and prayers. Get well soon, Cathy.
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Barbara Gile remembers Mary Ellen Mead: “My good friend Mary Ellen Mead passed away on August 7, 2025. She was 98 years young on her birthday, June 7th. She had been declining slowly over the last several years and then declining more steadily since falling and breaking her hip in March 2024. She had been on hospice care since then.
Mary Ellen was one of the first AAUW Las Distinguidas Awardees in 1967 and was known for her creative jewelry that she donated for many fundraisers. Mary Ellen and her husband Orin were part of the Bridge group and golf players who were a dependable part of previous AAUW Branch activities.
Mary Ellen spent her early years in Japan as her father was part of stationed military. She graduated from Stanford University, where she met Orin. After having five children, she returned to Claremont Colleges for a master’s degree. She was very proud of her career as a stockbroker.
I remember Mary Ellen as my big sister when we developed an AAUW Project called ”Care Giving for Adults.” We bonded as friends with Fay Weber, who used her parents as models for our videotape. It was also a good experience because our husbands played golf together.
Mary Ellen’s daughter, Tyra Ferlatte, announced she would be sending a write-up and information later. Her information is: (415) 847-2605 and tyra.ferlatte@gmail.com
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Andrea Bellamy shared this sad news: “It is with a very heavy heart that I have to inform you that my dear friend Irene Diaz has passed away. She joined last year. She believed in our mission. Condolence cards can be sent to her cousin, Karen Reyes, 9216 Kate Rd. Pico Rivera, CA 90660. Thank you for your support.”
Vicki Marshall passed away on August 6, 2025, at the age of 109 years. She was a member of AAUW for many years, and many of us remember her daughter Geri, who brought her to events including International Concerns, Dining for Dollars, and many other community events. Geri passed away in 2023, and Vicki moved away to live with her son, Bruce. An email went out to everyone with a copy of her obituary.
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Karen van der Baan discovered it’s a Small World! “About 7:30 PM I was browsing in a gift shop in the Seattle airport when I saw someone who looked familiar. It was Ann Topjon who was doing what I was – killing time! It turned out that my husband Frank and I had the same delayed flight back to LAX as she did. We realized a great option would be to share an Uber back to Whittier. While waiting, the 3 of us went to P.F. Chang’s at the airport for dinner which was provided by Alaska Airlines due to the delay of six hours… Our delayed arrival time into Los Angeles was approximately 1:15 AM. By the time we got to Whittier it was 2:30 AM! It was a much better journey home by sharing our time and ride with Ann!! “
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Travel notes from Mandy Knight: “The trip billed as the “Best of Scandinavia” really was. From July 9th through the 18th, we traveled by plane, bus, boat and train (and even a funicular for good measure!) throughout Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Stockholm held the delights of a canal cruise and trips to the Vasa (if you do not know the history of the museum and the remarkable ship they built the museum to house, you must google) and ABBA museums. We embarked on a 330-mile ride from Stockholm to Oslo, Norway, watching the changing landscapes of Scandinavia unfold—-lakes, pine forests, rolling farmland and country villages. It was lovely. Arriving at our hotel in Oslo we found that we were just adjacent to a fabulous teeming square and the beautiful opera house. How is that for location? After visiting the beautiful Vigeland Sculpture Park and the Royal Palace, we boarded a train to Myrdal, a remote mountain village 3000 feet above sea level, where we boarded the Flam Railway. We were awed by the remarkable route winding down the steep mountainsides, past cascading waterfalls, deep ravines and darling villages before reaching its final destination, the fjord side village of Flam. A short bus ride back up the mountain took us to the Stalheim Hotel, our stop for the night. This hotel has a storied history; during WWII, it was occupied by the Nazis, where they had a visual down the entire valley (there are still bunkers to be visited) and where they brought Norwegian women with the intent of race purification. Leaving this beautiful perch, we boarded a boat that sailed us down the Sognefjord and Naeroyfjord Fjords (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). For 3 hours, we saw one magnificent waterfall after another…simply spectacular! Next stop was the charming small maritime town of Bergen, known for its brightly colored wooden houses and bustling fishing wharf. Flying to Copenhagen was next on the itinerary! Got off the plane and onto a bus for a city tour, which included the famous Little Mermaid sitting just off shore and looking nothing like Ariel! Once again, our hotel made walking to Tivoli Gardens and the Lego store (you all knew they originated in Denmark, right?)….and what would Scandinavia be without a castle or two? The Fredensborg Castle, the summer home of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and her family, was gorgeous from the outside. The Kronborg Castle, on the cliffs of Elsinore above the Baltic Sea, is the legendary home of Hamlet, Shakespeare’s Prince of Denmark, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is simply spectacular both inside and out! Seems like a whirlwind? It was just “the best”!”
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This section includes community news as well as your personal news, tips, and stories. Send me yours so I can include them in our next newsletter. Paula Ocampo, Newsletter Editor, pocampo@aol.com