Tag archives: people
Nelson Huber came here for one purpose: To make music. For him, music was a sacrament capable of healing us and lifting us out of the ordinary and into the sublime. The term sui generis – in a class by himself – does not even begin to describe him. He tells the story of his […]
Lawrence (Larry) Wayne Kelly passed away surrounded by family at the age of 80 at Keck Hospital in Los Angeles on August 31, 2022. Larry courageously battled serious medical issues over the past year, and his tremendous light and spirit lives on for all who knew him. Larry was born to Gerald and Sally Kelly […]
Natalie Myerson passed away peacefully at her home in Santa Barbara on September 19, 2022. She was 102. Born Natalie Salter in Chelsea, Massachusetts, she grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts with her parents and three older brothers. The Salter family often summered at a family home on Cape Cod. Natalie graduated from Goucher College in […]
Santa Barbara Foundation names their 79th Persons of the Year as Ginger Salazar and Katina Zaninovich. Salazar, who is from Lompoc and has lived in Montecito for the past 17 years, has served on the board of Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara. Currently, she is on the […]
When I started this column, I knew essentially what I wanted to do. For new endeavors, what you want to do is largely defined by what you can do. And for me, that meant speaking to, about, and for Montecito’s young alumni. Along the way, I learned that good newspapers strike a balance between the […]
If one thing is true about Santa Barbara, it’s that our young people have a world-class entrepreneurial spirit. Sisters Aaliyah and Bella Rubio are no exception. Starting as a way to escape pandemic boredom, Aaliyah (14) and Bella (12) dreamt up the Youth Makers Market as a space for the young people of Santa Barbara […]
It was easy to get swept up in the liminal space of lockdown. Who can appreciate this more than the high school students who were asked to pivot from hour-to-hour classes to the vacuum of a stay-at-home education? With this country’s competitive college admissions space, our high school students are masters of the micro-scheduled and […]
On a recent Santa Barbara spring morning, with early clouds with a chill in the air, Dr. Deborah Smilovitz Foster and I sat down together at Pierre Lafond in Montecito. The red umbrellas were up in anticipation of the sun’s appearance as we sipped our tea and chatted. It soon became apparent that I was […]
The pantheon of male American writers is a grab bag. Terkel, Mailer, Hamill, Hemingway — these tough guys and their generally hormonal prose are almost a literary brand. Plimpton — with his willowy erudition, patrician accent, and Paris Review creds — runs with another herd. Our Joe Donnelly is a third species, as evidenced by […]
A 2007 study from the Community College Journal of Research and Practice noted that 87% of students surveyed were experiencing moderate to high levels of stress. To cope, students reported enjoying exercise and talking to friends, but cited that they would often use alcohol, cigarettes, and hard drugs to self-medicate. Given our understanding of the […]
The air smells like printer ink and young people around the country are biting their nails. It’s that time of the year again: Admissions Season. If there’s one thing I have learned from studying abroad, it’s that Americans truly have some cultural quirks. One of those cute little oddities is the way we handle college […]
The iconic multilevel campus of the historic Santa Barbara High School was my destination to meet James Claffey, English teacher extraordinaire. An instructor at the Visual Arts and Design Academy (VADA) division of the school he was highly recommended by a most reliable source: one of his students! In an attempt to make a timely […]
What’s an ancient, mindful practice people have engaged in all throughout time to help focus on the present, relax, and unwind when the threads of life get knotted? Correct: Embroidery! In past generations, the traditional sewing-art was a common, peaceful, and pleasant pastime most females knew how to do. The slow, meditative, and artistic stitching […]
“I was twelve years old when I decided I needed to change the world.” Olivia Seltzer, an 18-year-old Santa Barbara local, was shocked and scared by the results of the 2016 election and by what that meant for her and her peers. While attending Santa Barbara Junior High, many of Seltzer’s friends came from families […]
When I first heard the term “Dirtrider,” I imagined something á la Mel Gibson in Mad Max. But far from being chrome and oil junkies as we might associate with the apocalyptic franchise, Dirtriders are the lean, green worker bees of the Isla Vista Compost Collective. Founded in 2017, the Isla Vista Compost Collective (IVCC) […]
DeAnna peacefully passed on the morning of January 30. Her partner of 18 years, Michaela Morgan, was by her side, and their “baby” fox terrier Chanel was at her feet. I have lost the love of my life… We never talked about her passing as we focused on living and celebrating the daily “wins” no […]
Within seconds after arriving at the Montecito Farmers’ Market, the delicate, sweet smell of lavender wafts up to the noses of Friday morning patrons. The aroma pervades the market and leads the shopper to the last stand in the far corner: June Bloom Lavender. Melissa Broughton, known as the “Lavender Lady” by locals, stands over […]
Whether Miramar Beach and Montecito or the University of Montana in Missoula, 22-year-old Will Borghesani is here to tell us that each new destination has its own special qualities and charm. The MUS, Marymount, and Cate alum is now a final-year college student with sights on law school. But before he takes the plunge into […]
A good teacher can be the difference between a great year and a not-so-great one. This is the tried-and-true knowledge that every student understands. In this week’s letter, 23-year-old Nathan Alvarez reflects on the path, people, and programs that encouraged his career in science. Since finding his true north, a fascination with the world of engineering, […]
I’m tired of this right brain, left brain nonsense. First, we have to address that this “creative self” and “logical self” segregation is a complete fiction. But it’s doubly misguided when used as propaganda in the wildly artificial arts-science divide; humanities scholars must be analytical, and science people must be creative. Here to serve as […]
