Foothills Sentry - January 2025

Page 13 Foothills Sentry JANUARY 2025 PIANO INSTRUCTION Your home. Learn music you love. 20yrs exp. BA music/ child development. (949) 637- 8208 Thekeyboardlady.com FOR RENT Furnished 3,600 sq ft Villa Park home, 4 Bedrooms, Triple Garage, Pool. Please supply 3 references. $10K a month. Short term rentals available late August & September. Please call 657 604-9617 CLASSIFIEDS INVESTMENTS TAXES ARCHITECTS ARCHITECTS Coalescent Design Group Bruce Spielbuehler, Architect Additions, Remodels &Major Renovations Garages, ADU/Granny Units, Pool Houses 22343 La Palma Ave # 124, Yorba Linda, CA 92887 714-624-3692 www.coalescent-design-group.com Vicki Gray, left, Learning Center team leader, showing Gretchen Whisler how to use the Center computer to discover new information about Tustin area family history. David Knox, left, and Roger Egge Learning Center provides community resources for family research By Guy Ball The Vivien Owen Learning Center at the Tustin Area Mu- seum provides a new community resource for family research and historical discovery. The Center is supported by donors and the Tustin Area Historical Society. Created in honor of one of the founders of the Society, Vivien Owen, museum team leader Vicki Gray has been working with fel- low historical researchers Tim Zierer and Tom Pulley to build a large inventory of data, including census records, business direc- tories, school records, voter re- cords, and more to allow families to research the history of recent ancestors as well as to learn more about the community as far back as the late 1800s. “The purpose of the Learn- ing Center is to preserve Tustin and North Tustin history,” noted Vicki Gray, “and we want to share it with today's and future generations.” These volunteers have created over 90 files to date on early Tu- stin area families – with more on the way. Information on veterans has been collected into lists of Civil War, Spanish-American, and World War II veterans from Tustin. A WW I veteran list is currently being researched. A “memory” folder includes autobiographical articles writ- ten or based on interviews about people’s lives during the early days of Tustin. Information on existing historic homes in both the city and North Tustin is be- ing researched and collected to be shared. Agriculture, businesses, and Thomas Wright, left, with his 7.3-pound rainbow trout, was the grand prize winner at the Irvine Lake Fish- ing Derby sponsored by Supervisor Don Wagner, right, Dec. 7. This year’s derby, with reportedly the largest turnout to date, featured blind bogey drawings, prizes and food trucks. The event was the third annual derby hosted by Wagner, with the assistance of OC Parks. From left, Kelley Martinez, Lynn Butler, Seth Lawrence, El Roy (aka Alex Flores), Rose Cunningham, Linda Lawrence and Jennifer Weerheim Elks turned elves give Christmas baskets By Bill Neessen The Orange Elks Lodge #1475 Christmas Basket Program aims to assist our community by donat- ing Christmas Baskets to families in need. The goal, as in past years, is to hand out 200 Christmas Bas- kets (boxes) to families in need with young children, in hopes of making the season a little more magical. The program begins a week prior, collecting food and toys. Then, on a Thursday, 14 members assembled the 200 boxes. The fol- lowing day, the lodge prepared an Italian dinner for the 70 Elks and family members who helped pack the 200 boxes with food items. On Saturday morning, over 40 Or- ange Elks, family members and friends handed out food boxes, toys, a $25 gift card and dog and cat food/treats during the drive- through event. The donations for this great event came from our Lodge mem- bers and our community partners Grocery Outlet, the OC Food Bank and SpoofDawgs to the Res- cue, which provided bags for the pets. A total of 16 bikes, 4 tricy- cles and toys for each age group of boys and girls and coloring books and crayons were provided by our Drug Awareness Committee. The Lodge extends a big “thank you” to the City of Orange for use of the city hall parking lot, and to the Orange Police Department who assisted with traffic control. Old guys on the block rock the golf course Fish were biting at Irvine Lake Usually, a club tournament at Tustin Ranch Golf Course isn’t likely to make headlines, but this year’s October event was won by a couple of guys who stand out, Roger Egge and Dave Knox. What’s special about these “Old Guys on the Block” as they call themselves, isn’t necessar- ily their prowess with a club and ball, it’s the friendship they redis- covered after decades away on their own life journeys. The pair of North Tustin kids grew up across the street from each other, and although there was a two-year age difference, they bonded over street football, whiffle ball, basketball and every other sport they could play. early developments, as Tustin moved from a rural to an urban environment, are being docu- mented in their records. Most recently, they added local historian Tom Pulley’s stories of 21 packing houses serving the Tu- stin Area and have identified the crate labels they used – and have pictures of many. Members and visitors will also be able to access Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com, to research their own family roots. The Learning Center is located inside the Tustin Area Museum at 395 El Camino Real in Old Town Tustin. Contact Vicki Gray via email at grayva@aol.com to set up an appointment. Or call the Tustin Area Museum at (714) 731-5701 to leave your contact information for Vicki. While Knox remained in Tu- stin, eventually graduating from Foothill High School, Egge and his family moved away after he completed middle school in 1975, seemingly ending the friendship. However, several years ago, the pair were reintroduced through a mutual friend in the golfing com- munity, giving them the opportu- nity to rekindle their friendship. Back on the course, Egge and Knox, now 63 and 65 respective- ly, won the Member Guest title with a total of three under par for two days. “Winning the tournament is a thrill, but winning together with someone you have known for so long is super special,” says Egge.