Innocent looks aid the deception as this fox squirrel scampers across the green lawns of the University of La Verne.

by Jason D. Cox
photography by Danielle Navarro

At first we thought they were friends. They gave us joy, and we gave them protection. We invited them to share our food and our land more than 100 years ago. Today, truces and treaties are off the table. Today, we must defend ourselves against the invasion.

The Eastern fox squirrel, an eastern United States native, was introduced to Southern California in 1904. Civil War and Spanish-American War veterans returned from areas like Kentucky and Tennessee to settle at the Veterans’ Home in West Los Angeles. After having served their country, they brought with them the squirrels, which they had taken to keeping as pets; though some speculate they were also kept for potential meals. According to a June 2011 blog by Lila Higgins, a manager at the Natural History Museum of L.A. County, the squirrels were later released by an “overzealous hospital administrator.” This administrator saw that the veterans were feeding the squirrels their table scraps and, finding such practices to be a misuse of government support, let the furry creatures free.

Since the fox squirrel did not immigrate to this area on its own and appears to be dominating a region to which it is not native, the species can technically be categorized as a non-native invasive species. Often times, invaders beat out native species in competition for resources or have a negative effect on the environment. According to federal law, La Verne biology professor Randy Good says, a species is considered invasive only if it causes human health problems, agriculture or property damage or biodiversity damage. “Biodiversity damage is more of a gray area,” Good says. “It has to be demonstrated that another species in the native ecosystem is being beat out for food or some other resource.”

Fox squirrels have a reddish tinge to their coloring and usually are 18 inches to 27 inches long. They have sharp claws to help with climbing and are omnivorous, meaning they will eat just about anything. They will feed on acorns, fungi, various beds of growth, nuts, a variety of fruits, including avocados. This broad diet makes these squirrels an especially inconvenient invader for a gardener. Creatures rarely follow the rules as strictly as scientists desire. For instance, many herbivores are protein-deficient and some have been observed turning carnivorous. So it goes with this squirrel as well. They are opportunists and have been known to sometimes raid birds’ nests and search out other red meat sources. Lacking resources such as food can often be a driving factor that moves an invasive species to another ecosystem, as the fox squirrel has now invaded La Verne and surrounding areas.

Jay Jones, ULV professor of biology, recalls the early 1990s when he was working at La Verne and does not recall there being any squirrels, gray or red, in the area. Today, he has observed the apparent influx and has noted the peculiar, if not obnoxious, eating habits of the fox squirrels. “Perhaps it is because they are unfamiliar with the food sources available in the area,” Jones says, “but I’ve seen several of these squirrels take an unripe piece of fruit from a tree, take one bite, and throw it down on the ground.” This could be seen as an example of these squirrels familiarizing themselves with the local food sources, but Jones notices something else that indicates the fox squirrel may be struggling with a kind of learning curve. “They don’t just do this once and then move on,” he says, “They will stay at one tree and continue eating the same fruit over and over again, always taking a bite and dropping it.”

Good adds this population increase must be due to lack of limiting factors. It could be a lack of predators or immunity to a disease that would normally curb the squirrel population. He recounts the story of when he and his wife were visiting the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens in Claremont, an area that is preserved similar to how it would have existed 150 years ago. While enjoying the garden, there arose a commotion from a short distance away—a violent squealing coming from ground level and squawking coming from the tree line. Upon further investigation, Good found a fox squirrel with a baby rabbit in its mouth. It seems the squirrel had stolen the bunny out of its den, and the commotion was the sound of the mother rabbit and even a blue jay attacking the squirrel, trying to free the bunny from the squirrel’s cruel grasp. “Squirrels are opportunists,” Good says, “They will eat meat. They don’t just bury nuts.”

Nuttin’ stands in their way

According to studies conducted by faculty and students on the La Verne campus, fewer gray squirrels are observed on campus every year. “This correlation does not necessarily indicate a cause-and-effect,” Jeffery Burkhart, La Verne professor of biology says. “I don’t think the fox squirrels are replacing the gray squirrels—they may just move them up into the mountains.”

Tom Scott, University of California at Riverside biology professor, agrees that the gray squirrels probably were driven out by the fox squirrels. “Gray squirrels are basically inhabitants of higher elevations, of conifers and oak woodlands,” Scott says. “La Verne is a little low in elevation for gray squirrels to be there naturally.” He says that the presence of fox squirrels is not by chance. The urbanization of these areas, the exotic fruit trees that accompany this development all bring with them these voracious critters. “They’re here because we give them the resources,” he says. “In a normal environment their food might be limited, but less so in an urban setting.” This abundance of exotic fruit and garden-grown vegetables is enough to keep a squirrel population fat and happy and is at the very least a contributing factor to this fox squirrel influx.

Hit the road, rodent

As for how to deal with these invaders, there are some eco-friendly solutions and some that are less-friendly. In Claremont, the gardeners at Farmscape Gardens, an urban farming company that provides organic-method maintenance to more than 80 gardens in the Los Angeles area, has dealt with squirrels. “At one garden where we saw the worst damage, we put in cages to cover the raised beds,” Farmscape co-owner Weston Westenborg says. “At others, we’ve used an organic chili-based powder that was moderately effective.” Westenborg notes that squirrels tend to leave larger plants alone, so he recommends established starts or physical barriers to protect young plants.

The state of California’s solution is effective and also quite final. It is against the law for a homeowner in California to trap a wild animal without permission from all neighbors within a 150-yard radius. Even after getting that permission, relocation of the invasive species is not an option, as it would have a detrimental effect on the local ecosystem. Scott speaks strongly against the relocation of invasive species, saying that catching a creature and releasing it somewhere unfamiliar is basically the same as killing it. “It just happens slowly through disease, predators, safety and other factors.” The potential is there for spreading disease. “There are a lot of things that are carried by mammals that are shared, and an animal can pick up and then transport it to this new place,” Scott says. People should think carefully about euthanasia, but if they’re moving an animal, they should make sure it’s not sick before dropping it somewhere else. “Transporting wildlife is not doing the moral thing, and people should think about it hard before doing it,” Tom says, “You wouldn’t drop a kid off at Skid Row.”

Given the inconvenience that squirrels have become, dropping them off at Skid Row could be an appealing option. Regardless, it appears the red fox squirrel is here to stay. The new status quo will have to adapt to this change, just as the squirrels must adjust to suburban life.

Tree hugger for a moment, a red fox squirrel makes itself comfortable as it looks down on scurrying University of La Verne students.

Humane Euthanasia?

Catch a squirrel? The action recommended by the state is humane euthanasia. In an article published June 20 2011, Los Angeles Times reporter Steve Lopez interviewed Rebecca Dmytryk of Wild Rescue, a nonprofit organization dedicated to wildlife preservation. When Lopez asked Dmytryk to describe “humane euthanasia,” she answered that you could shoot it or use “blunt trauma to the head.”

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Proudly holding the flag that graced his father’s funeral, Tim Morrison is reminded of his father’s tribute to America while serving as a Marine Sergeant fighting in WWII. Tim displays his father’s flag in his home’s front window.

by Elsie Ramos
photography by Candice Salazar

Before the mile and half parade begins, men, women, children and war veterans bow their heads, say a prayer, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, and end with a “Hoo-rah!” It is not the typical way to start a city parade, but it is when Tim Morrison is leading it. With his hands steady but his heart racing, Tim kick starts his 2005 Wild Glide Harley to life, and soon his engine beat is joined by the rumble of 70 more. “Get us fired up; we’re gonna roll in two,” he shouts. Tim, wearing his leather biker cut and an American flag bandana on his head, is leading the San Dimas Parade for the first time. His black Harley holds the biggest American flag—four feet by six feet; therefore, he rides in front. The bikes roll out of the parking lot, two at time, with “Wild Thing” blaring in the background.

Tim is not just a biker; he is a cowboy, a kayaker, a patriot and a University of La Verne alumnus. All those labels take a back seat to the one he finds most important: the label of being American. “The hat I like wearing the most is anything with the red, white and blue.”

He is the son of a Marine Sergeant who fought in WWII and a Lieutenant Navy nurse; his stepson Scott is serving in the Army and stationed in Washington. Tim’s dad was the beloved city of Claremont chief of police from 1958 to 1971 and designed the original police patch, which Tim wears on his biker vest. “I love my country and respect the armed forces, but I wish we’d just kick some ass and get the hell out of there,” Tim says. “They’re old enough to come home in body bags, but not old enough to have a drink.” Tim never served in the Armed Forces—the Vietnam war ended just before he became draft eligible. That was a war he says was more political than anything else. Even so, his father advised him to go to college first and then, if he still felt like he wanted to serve, to enlist afterwards. Regarding present day wars, he says, “If they would let me take the place of one of those 19-year-olds so he can come home, I would.”

His patriotism really kicked into gear in 2004 when he heard of an atheist’s petition to remove the phrase “one nation under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance. Tim says that it bothered him that someone would want to change something that has been the same for so long. “A lot of people don’t have it in here [points to his chest] to respect and honor our flag.”

He enlists now in a different way, volunteering his time to honor those who have served. He gives some of his time to The Patriot Guard, an organization of motorcycle riders who lead funeral processions for veterans. Their mission, stated in their website, is to “show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families and their communities, and to shield the mourning family and their friends from interruptions created by any protester or group of protesters.”

They help prevent hecklers, like those from the Westboro Baptist Church in Arkansas, who protest and interrupt the funerals of soldiers with derogatory language. “We’ll link arms and sing Yankee Doodle Dandy if we have to,” Tim says. “It usually doesn’t get that far. They see a bunch of motorcyclists, and they just turn around. I do what I can to honor all of our past, present and future heroes.” Tim has shepherded 12 funerals. At each one, he has been given a dog tag with the soldier’s name, age and Armed Forces branch of service. The dog tags hang on his outside front door porch hook—a place of honor at Tim’s house. The ages of the fallen soldiers range from teenagers to men and women in their 30s. Tim says that his most memorable experience as a Patriot Guard was when he helped take a fallen soldier out of a plane at Ontario International Airport. “To carry a casket, draped in our flag [his words are momentarily blocked by emotion; he takes a breath and continues]; carrying one of our own was an honor and a privilege that most citizens will never get to experience.” The first funeral procession he took part in also had a profound effect on him. “I wasn’t mentally prepared for what happens.” He says the emotion that is felt throughout the funeral is something that cannot be described.

Fourth of July rumble

Tim dedicates much planning time toward La Verne’s Fourth of July parade. When he first started volunteering, he helped organize the neighborhood floats. Six years ago, he went to Jeannette Vagnozzi, La Verne city treasurer and fellow parade volunteer, and asked her whether the organizers could somehow involve motorcycles. Jeannette says the first year they were able to recruit 51 Harleys, each sporting a different huge state flag. It was colorful and a talked-about entry. It was also doomed to be a one-time thing because the constant stopping, waiting and starting that comes with a parade was overheating the Harleys’ air-cooled engines. That is when Tim came up with the idea to have the motorcycles lead as a parade prelude. Before launching the parade, the riders gather for a patriotic presentation staged by La Verne’s children. Then, accompanied by a low flying Army Huey, Chinook or Black Hawk (Tim always delivers the near impossible), the Harleys, staged at Bonita High School, roar down D Street at slow speed, individual flags stiffened in their wake.

The parade’s start is an extraordinary tradition born in the mind of Tim Morrison, a person who always brings a high level of adventure to his ideas. “He brings such excitement to the committee,” Jeannette says. “It’s always a bigger and more exciting idea with Tim.” Since that first year, the Harley presence has increased from 51 bikes to more than 200. Each bike carries a state flag, an American flag or a flag from a different branch of the military. All flags range from four by six to three by five feet. The riders come from throughout the Western states with their own flags or flags that Tim provides. “He has an excitement and a zeal. He thinks about it all year long,” Jeannette says. “He’s very dedicated to our military and our country and has become a staple in our community. He’s very, very passionate about national pride, and the flag means a lot to him.”

Tim says that the parade has gained so much recognition throughout the biker community that riders have to be turned away. The parade has a limit of 200 bikes, but Tim says if he could he would have 2,000. “Word just gets out. I can’t say ‘no’ to anybody, and if I have to take myself out of it I will. I can have just as much fun in my front yard with Sharon [his wife]. I know what I’ve done.”

Tim does not just have adventures on two wheels; he also has them on the rapids. His passion for saddling up in his kayak and riding America’s wildest rivers began at the University of La Verne. As an undergraduate, he enrolled in a beginner’s watercraft class at La Verne with legendary Coach Roland “Ort” Ortmayer as his instructor. Tim immediately excelled. When Ort saw his potential, he told him to pursue kayaking further. “He told me that he had done all he could for me, and that I should find someone with more expertise,” Tim says. That is when he met International Whitewater Hall of Famer Tom Johnson at Kernville, Calif., and began competing nationally at a high level. Tim says he lived out of a tent and would go out every day to train, even in the winter. He competed from Wisconsin to Montana to Oregon. In his first race in the expert class, Tim finished in the top 10 with his parents there to watch. Tim says he had dreams of going to the Olympics and came very close, but things just never panned out for him. Later, he became a professional master river guide for Orange Torpedo Trips, specializing in the Salmon River.

Tim’s list of recreational accomplishments doesn’t end with kayaking, as he placed second in the Yellowstone Triathlon; a mere 18 seconds out of first place. The triathlon includes running, biking and kayaking. And even though it is not current, Tim earned an instrument flight rules (IFR) private pilot’s license. In all he does, he is very competitive. When his step-son’s friends challenged him to a biking race in the local mountains, he beat them by several minutes. “Scott warned them not to tempt me,” he says. “At 56, I can still hold my own.”

His fondest recreational interest is the rodeo. He finds it to be the most American. Most boys dream of wearing the cowboy hat and roping cattle, and that’s exactly what Tim does as an adult. “I think cowboy is definitely the most American hat you can wear,“ he says. In 1995, he roped his first steer on his first horse, Dynamite. He has had two other horses since then, Rusty and Alice, the latter named after his mother. For Tim, being a cowboy doesn’t mean just roping cattle, it also means teaching a dance class. The city of La Verne asked him to help teach a tap dancing class, and Tim agreed. He incorporated roping into the girls dance. Hanging from a frame in his garage is a hand written note of gratitude from the girls that reads, “You roped your way into our hearts. Thanks for your time and patience.”

Tim’s days at the University of La Verne were full of adventures and practical jokes. When construction cones were found at the top of the Dailey Theatre, everyone looked at him. “Administration came up to me and said, ‘We’re not accusing you, but if anyone knows how to get them down, we know you do,’” Tim recalls. Taking advantage of independent study opportunities, he would make up his own classes and go out into the wilderness for weeks at a time and gain academic credit. He earned his pilot’s license while taking a La Verne independent study “Theory and Practice of Aviation” class. His University of La Verne studies culminated with a master’s of arts teaching degree.

His greatest influences at La Verne to be Coach Ortmayer. “He was my coach, mentor, teacher and friend. Ort let me be me. He saved me from myself.” Ort encouraged Tim to take classes that would develop character, not just make him a smarter person. He says that part of his wanting to honor war veterans came from values Ortmayer taught him. “He always told me that the time to honor people is when they’re here, not when they’re gone. That’s where part of my drive to help people comes from.”

When he is not engaged in an adventure, Tim spends his time at home with his wife of 13 years and their handful of animals. He proposed to his wife in an unconventional but thoughtful way. He put together a photo album of all the adventures they had together and with friends. He showed her that he may not have all the riches in the world but no one was going to make her happier than he would. At the end of the photo album was an indent where he placed the ring, with a handwritten phrase above it: “Here’s your ring; will you marry me?” “I wouldn’t believe anything he says,” Sharon shouts from the laundry room. “If that’s not confidence then I don’t know what is,” Tim says.

His house and yard are a great representation of himself—patriotic and eccentric. Just beyond the red and blue hand printed white picket fence, Rosie, the life-size plastic cow stands prominently in the front yard garden. Wind chimes hang on the front and back yard porches, the latter of which Tim constructed. In the backyard, under an orange tree and in a kiddy pool, is a plastic, camouflage painted, Army-hat-wearing brontosaurus. Fifty-one state flags are rolled up and stacked against the garage. His yard becomes a theme park exhibition for the holidays. At Christmas, a full size sled with Santa is strung from the Third Street deodar trees. At Halloween, he matches the over the top zaniness of his Third Street neighbors. But it is on the Fourth of July and Veterans Day when Tim’s front yard has no equal. His 50 state flags plus special flags commemorating 911, along with the patriotic display of a huge American flag, have won the Fourth of July decorating award many times. He has received many plaques and awards over the years, including a 2007 city of La Verne proclamation honoring his valuable civic contributions. The La Verne City Council, in a special Feb. 6, 2012, ceremony, presented Tim with its Jack Huntington “Pride of La Verne“ award. His mother Alice and sister Kathleen were proudly at his side.

Despite earning the highest respect from city leadership, Tim says that’s not what gets him up in the morning. “Getting a certificate is cool, but it’s not what motivates me. I do all that I do because that’s just who Tim is.”

Shared love passes between Tim Morrison and Bubba, Tim’s constant companion, at his Third Street La Verne home.

Patriotism on display

Known for exhibiting the best decorated house in La Verne for several years running during the Fourth of July city contest, Tim Morrison’s front yard never falls short of entertainment during all holidays. For significant patriotic events, large 50 state and American flags are posted around the perimeter of his yard. A white picket fence is covered with red and blue children’s handprints. A 20-foot flag pole holds court front and center. Tim’s friends often give him eccentric pieces for his collection. One such gift, a lifesize plastic cow, perpetually resides on his front lawn.

On his front porch are trappings of his life as a cowboy, patriot guard, river guide and University of La Verne alumnus.

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The Bradford House was built in 1908 by John A. Larimer. He and his wife resided there until 1926.

by Rachel D. Creagan
photography by Denisse Leung

During La Verne’s early orchard days, their foundations were built to last, with attention to detail and the use of custom craftsman techniques. Today, many are being meticulously restored and stand as historical silos. The La Verne Historical Society, with the city, is officially recognizing 23 (and counting) of these historically significant homes built between 1880 and 1930 by placing bronze markers streetside that tell the stories they have to tell.

The Larimer house

“The first thing you need to realize about an old home is that you don’t own the house as much as the house owns you,” says Sherry Best, owner of the La Verne historical house that she and husband John are in the middle of restoring. John and Sherry live in a 1908 light pink farmhouse that once was centered in the heart of a massive orange grove on Bradford Street, above Foothill Boulevard. Its bronze marker states that original owner and builder John A. Larimer managed the Richards Orange Grove on Garey Avenue, one of the largest in the area. John Larimer came to Lordsburg from Tennessee in 1891 and married Suzie Zug of San Dimas in 1900. The family lived in the home until 1926. Since, the house has served as a single-family household with certain characteristics modified from its original look.

The house front presents a Victorian facade. Pink and green fish-scaled shingles accent the second floor open-air deck. The lower porch holds delicate white-spindled woodwork that complements the etched glass and wood front door. However, this is not originally a victorian home but a craftsman style home. A previous owner added the porch. A craftsman home is one built according to plans published by Gustav Stickley, an iconic figure in the Arts and Crafts movement. Eventually, the Bests plan to restore the porch to its original appearance. When they purchased the home 10 years ago, there was much repair work to be done. Under the Mills Act, passed to encourage property owners to preserve California’s dwindling legacy of historic buildings, the couple was rewarded with lower property taxes. They say the money saved is dwarfed by the money being put back into the house.

Refinished oak floors of the grand room beacon your entrance. Originally, the open area was split as a front parlor and a back room, but during a 1920s remodel, it became one large room. The house back was added then; part of the house now sits on a concrete slab while the rest covers the basement. An upstairs bedroom was turned into a bathroom, and the Bests believe this is when the fireplace was added. “We like uncovering how things were,” says Sherry. They have become detectives in figuring out the original look. “If we don’t remember what our past is, we can’t really appreciate our present,” says Sherry. “The American public is trained to believe that everything has to be done immediately, and that faster and newer is better,” she says. A principle of good restoration is that “when you own an old home, you must live with it and work with it slowly,” says Sherry. “People make mistakes when they jump in and try to get everything done immediately, but it’s a process,” adds John.

Finding restoration work experts committed to the couple’s ideal of using original materials was a big challenge. They are restoring the stairs and upstairs hallway, which requires precision. “We waited until we found the right people who were going to treat the materials right and try to integrate resources so it looks as it did,” says Sherry. A wood restoration expert has stripped off the layers of painted wood, conditioning it to its original luster. They have plans for a plasterer to scrape and skim the ceilings that are currently a textured Spanish-style. They have hired a carpenter to build a built-in bookcase; a paperhanger will re-paper the walls with embossed, paintable wallpaper. This will give the walls a pressed-tin appearance, appropriate to the time. Once completed, the Douglas Fur wood floors will be refinished. Sherry notes that the original owners floored the downstairs with the harder, more expensive wood where company gathered and used less expensive wood upstairs in the bedrooms.

They wanted an authentic historic backyard look that also met their backyard farming interests. Chickens supply them with fresh eggs and roam through an array of fruit trees. Sherry is known for her delicious fruit jams from these trees. Vegetable plants are in abundance and supply most of their needs. The modern era creeps in with an outdoor light system, installed for entertainment purposes. A sprinkler system and a wrought iron fence lines the house. It is a sensable balance: capturing the past while making sure everything is sustainable for the future.

John, grew up in an old home in Pasadena. He works as a housing consultant for the homeless and mentally ill in Los Angeles and owns Cost Plus Mattress with his brother in La Verne. Sherry grew up in an old home in Whittier and works as a professor at Cal State Los Angeles, teaching in the division of special education counseling. Ten years in, they say they are only half way done with their planned work. One must enjoy the journey, they say.

The Johnson house

A newspaper clipping marked May 11, 1911, states the California Craftsman home on Magnolia Avenue, adjacent to Kuns Park, was designed and built by James Melvin Johnson at the same time and on the same block as Henry L. Kuns’ home. Johnson owned the Lordsburg garage and machine shop and maintained streets for the city of Lordsburg. He married Ora Lamb Kuns, youngest daughter of Henry, in 1906. They met at Lordsburg Academy, now the University of La Verne, in 1902. The couple and their three young daughters moved into the home on Sept. 3, 1911. Though they only lived there four years before moving to Chino in 1915, the home remains to be called the “Johnson House.”

The Clinton DeWhitt family moved in next. They sold it to citrus rancher William D. Somerville in 1920. Somerville managed the “Evergreen Ranch” in La Verne. He left the area in 1928 and rented the house out to college students until 1933, when he sold the house for $2,200 to R.O. Bell, who owned a feed business on D Street. Bell began to refurbish the now rundown residence before selling it to William Smythe, a retired painter from San Dimas, in 1942. Smythe installed a floor furnace in the front entrance that same year. The Smythe family, who raised chickens and sold eggs, sold the house to David and Terri Sardeson in 1980. Spring 1982, Steve Albrigo, a mechanical engineer, bought the property for $121,000 and is the current owner. Steve and wife Paula treat their home with love, dedication and admiration, as they reflect on their continuing restoration journey.

The couple share a love for the character of old homes, with no need to modernize. “If you’re going to buy an old home, then plan to take care of it,” says Paula. Steve, an incredible craftsman himself, started work on the house by installing a new roof and house fan. He re-plastered the water damaged ceilings, replaced the broken ropes that work the double hung windows and planted backyard fruit trees. Since old homes supply little storage space, in the late 1980s, a large linen closet was built in the upstairs hall. Downstairs, iron-rods lie across the entrances of the living and dining rooms, showing where heavy drapes once hung to keep the downstairs rooms warm. Today, one still hangs over the staircase during the cold winter months. At night, the drape is opened so heat can rise and warm the upstairs rooms. Old houses tend to be drafty and cold in the winter while hot and musty on summer days. Ingenuity must be used to offset this; hence the curtains and also warm day window venting strategies.

In 2003, the wood floors were refinished. Many paint layers were stripped from the ceiling woodwork, the banister in the upstairs hall, along with a bookcase and wood storage bench in the living room. They worked with a wood refinisher, who re-stained the old, new, and damaged wood to match the original color. The following year, they rebuilt the mantle in the living room to its original look by exactly replacing damaged hearth tiles with handcrafted tiles. The wallpaper, light switches and light fixtures all reflect the original period. Old California Lantern, a company that specializes in custom period light fixtures, provided the replicas.

The sinking north front porch floor and steps were reconstructed in 2010. The crumbling stone column was rebuilt, with each stone put back in its original space. Two new steel and wooden columns were added to the south porch for extra support for the second floor, along with two new support pilasters. The house was repainted and re-roofed in early 2011. Still awaiting restoration is the kitchen, which they plan to accomplish in 2012. The couple recently re-landscaped their yard with all California native plants, the result of careful research at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens in Claremont. “We see the restoration process as a labor of love,” says Paula. The house exudes a feeling of value. “It is almost a feeling of honor to be able to take care of a home that has withstood all the years and people,” she says.

Arliss Johnson, youngest son of the original owner, visited the Albrigos. Though he did not live in the house, being born 13 years after his family’s move, he did provide them with the family history. Writing in a letter to the Albrigos, he said he could feel his mother’s imprint on the house design, “utilitarian but friendly and comfortable.” He talked of many fond memories at his grandfather’s house down the street, and how the park across the street (Kuns Park) was his favorite place to play. In that park, trees planted by his grandfather Henry Kuns stand as some of the oldest trees in the city of La Verne.

On Nov. 13, 2011, the couple held a 100th birthday party for their home. Guided home and garden tours were offered. In addition, guests were invited to enjoy birthday cake and refreshments on the back patio. Landscape design specialist Joel Shaffer was there to answer questions about the landscape design, along with a Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens representative, who answered questions about the native plants. Honorary guests Ruth Ora Johnson and Kathleen Johnson, granddaughters of James M. Johnson, attended the celebration.

Historical marker program

The La Verne Historical Society conducts research on La Verne’s structures to determine whether they meet approval standards, following the submission of an application by the homeowners. The home must be maintained true to its original crafting. If the home passes muster, Galen Beery, president of the Historical Society, forwards to the city a proposed marker draft for its final review.

Self-selected homeowners invest tens of thousands of dollars in their restoration. Yet, old homes are not for every one. They were built without much storage space. Kitchens were bare essential work areas. Electrical outlets were limited to one plug per room. Air conditioning was non-existent, as was viable insulation.

Nevertheless, old homeowners find great joy in being connected with history. The homes connect them to the past, and remind all of a lost but now rediscovered way of life.

A streetside bronze marker captures the historical significance of the home. The $150 marker cost is divided between the homeowner, the Historical Society and the city of La Verne. It was installed August 2011.

John and Sherry Best, owners of the Bradford House, enjoy spending time together in their breakfast nook, their favorite room. From here, they enjoy a view of their garden where they grow vegetables and breed chickens.

Bronze marker homes

• 2236 Third St., David Blickenstaff Home, 1912

• 2380 Third St., Isaac Eikenberry House, 1912

• 2341 Third St., Dr. Frank Shirk Home, 1910

• 2478 Bonita Ave., Hortense Lear Home, 1921

• 2259 Third St., The McClellan House, 1909

• 2309 Third St., The Bowman Home, 1927

• 2553 Magnolia, The Lomeli Adobe, 1957

• 2141 Sixth St., Hazel Snoke Home, 1890

• 2449 Magnolia, Henry L. Kuns Home, 1911

• 2308 Third St., The Huck Residence, 1900

• 2446 Park Ave., The Overholtzer Home, 1914

• 1655 Fifth St., Durward-Bowers Home, 1914

• 2417 Magnolia, J.M. Johnson Home, 1911

• 2219 Third St., The Neher-Vaniman Home, 1907

• 1622 Bonita Ave., The Inman Conety Home, 1912

• 2607 Sedalia, The Meredith Home, 1887

• 2369 Third St., The Moomaw House, 1911

• 2040 Second St., The Hanawalt House, 1908

• 2610 Bonita Ave., Harvey Hanawalt House, 1906

• 2210 Bonita Ave., The Hauch Residence, 1913-14

• 2368 Third St., The Brandt House, 1922

• 3949 Bradford St. John A. Larimer 1908

For more information about historically marked homes, visit www.lavernehistoricalsociety.org.

The J.M. Johnson House was built in 1911 at the same time as Johnson’s grandfather, Henry L. Kuns, built his home at the north end of the same block on Magnolia Avenue.

Keepers of a legacy, Steve and Paula Albrigo take pride in their 100-year old craftsman home.

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