Lou Piltz: A Man That Contributed So Much to the Community
Lou Piltz, former La Mirada City Councilmember and Mayor recently passed away. Lou was loved by the community.
Here is a little snippet Lou sent the La Mirada Blog last year, providing his insight to early La Mirada that will appear in the La Mirada history book, “Reflections From McNally’s Mirror,” being released in June of this year:
In 1957 when Hiram's Market opened, I had to drive from Long Beach to La Mirada over 2 lane asphalt roads , about 12 miles, as manager of the new market. There was very little housing in between and lots of dairies and open space. The new store was in the La Mirada Shopping Center, where some of the signs indicated Bonds Men’s Store and May Company. The street called Rosecrans was a two lane street separated by a dirt strip in the center. A lot of construction was occurring for Ohrbach’s, Newberry’s, and Barker Brothers. When I became more involved in the area, it was not a city yet; The City of La Mirada was incorporated in March 1960. I decided to purchase a home in the City in 1964. I instructed the real estate company, because I was becoming more involved with the city, I wished to be located in the city. Guess what? They sold me a home that was right in the middle of an area called Mitchell’s Island-the only area excluded from the last city incorporation election, because of the negative votes of the first election. I wondered why City Hall was across the street and I wasn't in the city? It was an island surrounded by the City of La Mirada. After my discovery I proceeded to organize a move to annex our area to the city, and we were successful!
-Lou Piltz
Here are some accolades from Gene Gleason, longtime La Mirada local attorney and Kiwanis Club member who grew up in La Mirada:
From the time I was a first or second grade child in the early 1960’s turning in empty glass soda bottles at the Hiram Market in the old La Mirada Mall to store manager Lou Piltz, I have learned many life lessons from him, especially from how he treated other people. Those lessons include:
- Laugh at yourself: Who has not seen Lou acting like a child, telling self deprecating jokes or stories? We could all benefit by not taking ourselves too seriously and being able to laugh at ourselves. How many times I can recall seeing a Key Club member from La Mirada High School not sure how to react when their mayor balanced a spoon on his nose at a breakfast meeting or when Lou gave them lessons on how to flip “panny-cakes”at a fundraiser!
-Smile - even when that may be the opposite of what you want to do. It takes so little effort and so many people need to see a smile.
-Serve others because it is the right thing to do, not out of a desire for recognition for yourself.
-Be alert to the needs of others. We are called to be the eyes and ears of our community looking for those in need.
-Sincerity- when you ask “How are you doing?” Lou was not just “making talk.” When he asked how you were doing, he honestly wanted to know how you were doing. How little effort it takes to be sincere and care about your fellow man.
-One of the prices of truly caring is that you feel disappointment- Lou had a difficult time hiding it when someone let him down, when they did not measure up to what they should do. The hurt/disappointment would show-that was because he cared.
-I can picture him shaking his head from side to side and or rolling his eyes upward when something like that happened, as if to say “You can do better than that.”
-Stability-Love of Family. Lou was justifiably proud of his wife Sylvia, his children and his grandchildren. There was never any question about Lou's dedication to his family or his family's love for him
Kids Will Scramble for Treats at Annual La Mirada Easter Egg Hunt
La Mirada~Easter is here! Bring your family and join us for the City of La Mirada's Annual Easter Event this Saturday, March 30 from 9 to 11 a.m. at La Mirada Regional Park.
Come enjoy a fun morning filled with games, crafts, music, balloon artists, bounce houses, and a petting zoo. Capture the fun with a special photo with the Easter Bunny, available for a nominal fee.
For children ages 10 and under, be sure to bring your Easter basket for the Easter Egg Hunt at 10:15 a.m. Egg Hunt areas will be separated by age and participants should arrive at their age group's designated Egg Hunt area 15 minutes prior to the event start time.
Children and their parents can also enjoy a pancake breakfast hosted by the La Mirada Kiwanis Club, available for a small fee.
Immediately following the Easter Event, the 6th Annual La Mirada Kiwanis Club Derby Duck Race will be held at Splash!
The race will start approximately at 11 a.m. with $2,500, $1,000, and other prizes up for grabs.
For more information on the duck race visit HERE.
For more information, please call the Community Services Department at (562) 943-7277.
Sarega and Deal Take Oath of Office
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OATH OF OFFICE – La Mirada City Councilmembers Pauline Deal and Andrew Sarega are administered their Oath of Office by City Clerk Anne Haraksin last week. The Councilmembers were elected on March 5. Councilmember Deal was elected to her first full term on the City Council after being appointed to fill a vacancy in 2011. She previously served on the Norwalk La Mirada Unified School District Board of Education for nearly 16 years. A police officer in Orange County, Councilmember Sarega was educated in local schools, and is serving in public office for the first time. There first meeting is Tuesday, March at 6:30. |
You Could Win Big at La Mirada Derby Duck Fundraiser
Annual Event Saturday Begins Immediately After City Easter Egg Hunt at Splash!
La Mirada~A $2500 cash prize awaits the grand prize winner at the 6th Annual "Going Quackers for Kids" Derby Duck Race Saturday, March 30th at Splash! Regional Aquatics Center beginning at 11 a.m.
Other cash prizes include: $1000 for 1st; $200 for second and third and $100 for all ducks that place fourth through eighth. Dozens of other prizes will also be given away.
The event will follow the City of La Mirada's Easter Egg Hunt festivities which are scheduled to start at 8 a.m. at Regional Park.
Duck entrants will make there way around the Splash! lazy river with winners being plucked out of the water by volunteers from the Kiwanis Club of La Mirada, who are sponsoring the event.
The club will also be serving their famous pancake breakfast beginning at 8 a.m. before the Egg Hunt at Regional.
Ducks are $5 each or you can purchase a "Quack Pack" of six ducks for $25 and get a duck free (5 + 1).
Adopt your duck today! Time is running out! Duck adoptions are available online HERE.
Business sponsorships are still available for the event. All sponsors will have at have at least one duck in special sponsor race which is determined by sponsorship level.
For more information call (714) 670-0186.
La Mirada Bids Goodbye to Legends at Oxman Memorial and Piltz Funeral
La Mirada~Two well-known La Mirada community members have passed recently and the community will say goodbye today.
Jerome "Mr." Oxman passed away at 97 on February 22nd at his home after a battle with prostate cancer and a recent stroke.
Oxman founded Oxman's Surplus retail store in 1961 at the corner of Rosecrans and Valley View Avenues after his mail-order business shipping surplus items, took off.
There will be a memorial, ceremony and a celebration of Mr. O's life today beginning at 2 p.m. at Oxman's Surplus, 14128 Rosecrans Avenue. Light refreshments will be served.
Lou Piltz, former councilman and three-time Mayor passed away this past Wednesday.
He helped former councilman Wil Simendinger on his campaign in the late seventies and it peaked his political interest. He was appointed to city council in 1978 when the late Wayne Grisham ran for Congress and created a vacant seat. Piltz then served three additional four-year terms.
He was the grand opening manager for the new Hiram’s supermarket in La Mirada in 1956 and managed it for many years when it eventually became Lucky Stores.
Also, in 1966, he and his wife owned and operated the Orange Julius in the same center for six years. The community hub provided many jobs for La Mirada High School students at the time.
However, many remember Piltz for his activity after retirement. He was active in many community organizations including the Kiwanis Club of La Mirada and the La Mirada chapter of Meals-on-Wheels, among many others.
Piltz was not just a member of these many groups, but an active one, serving as chairman and organizer of countless committee’s and events.
Piltz’s funeral begins today at 2 p.m. at Hillside Memorial Park & Mortuary, 6001 W. Centinela Avenue in Los Angeles.
Annual Free La Mirada Symphony POPS Concert Slated for April 6th
La Mirada~The La Mirada Symphony continues its Golden Anniversary season with the POPS “Celebration of the Song” concert April 6, 2013, 3 pm at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
Music Director Robert Frelly of Chapman University will conduct Broadway favorites, including South Pacific, Oklahoma, and West Side Story. Admission and parking is free. A $5 donation is suggested.
An evening performance at 8 pm will be expanded as a Gala Fundraiser Concert featuring Broadway star, Susan Egan. Tickets are being sold for the evening Gala through the La Mirada Theatre Box Office. The La Mirada Theatre is located at 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada. For more information visit LaMiradaSymphony.com or call 714-420-0262.
Get Up Close & Personal With New Onstage Series at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
LIMITED ENGAGEMENT OF “SPRING AWAKENING” TO BEGIN MARCH 21, 2013 AT LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS!
La Mirada~La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts is thrilled to present the Tony Award-winning musical sensation, Spring Awakening, book and lyrics by Steven Sater, music by Duncan Sheik, based on the play by Frank Wedekind, musical direction by John Glaudini, choreography by Dana Solimando and directed by Brian Kite.
It’s Germany, 1891. The beautiful young Wendla explores her body and asks her mother where babies come from. Elsewhere, the brilliant and fearless young Melchior defends his buddy Moritz -- a boy so traumatized by puberty he can’t concentrate on anything. One afternoon in the woods, Wendla and Melchior discover a desire unlike anything they’ve ever felt.
Spring Awakening explores the confusion and desperation that ensue when the onrushing tide of hormones meets the ignorance of children and celebrates the unforgettable journey from youth to adulthood with a power, poignancy, and passion that you will never forget.
World War II Veteran; Beloved La Mirada Community Figure Dies at 97
OBITUARY
Founder of Oxman’s Surplus Created One of the Largest Military Surplus Stores in the Nation
La Mirada~Jerome Oxman, World War II Veteran and founder of Oxman’s Surplus passed away February 22 at his home in Buena Park after a battle with prostate cancer and a recent stoke. He was 97.
Mr. Oxman was laid to rest February 26th at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar during a private ceremony.
During WWII he served in the United States Army-in Iran-as part of the Persian Gulf Command.
After the war, he wed Miriam Averbook of Superior, Wisconsin on June 14, 1947 and they were married over 65 years.
That year they visited California on their honeymoon and never returned, with Jerome first getting a job at Palley’s Surplus in Vernon, California.
Mr.”O,” as he is commonly known by family and friends, founded Oxman’s in 1961 after he convinced the former owner of the “Big A” property to let him use the old auto service garages on the property, located at Rosecrans and Valley View Avenues, to operate a mail-order business that would ship military “surplus.”
He bid strategically at government surplus auctions and the military and aircraft that he sold and shipped got so much attention that Mr. “O” had to open the doors to the public, and Oxman’s Surplus was born.
Today, Oxman’s, now encompasses the garages and the adjacent 7,500 square foot building and has long been considered one of the most extensive surplus stores in the nation.
In 2010, after 49 years, Oxman’s changed their main entrance from the back of the store to the front, and also opened up a 2,000 square foot museum displaying hundreds of pieces of military memorabilia from Mr. “O’s” collection. The museum is free of charge and also includes a brand new Mess Tent Café, where patrons can
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| Jerome and Miriam Oxman appeared at the 3rd Annual La Mirada Blog Fest this past August |
snack and watch some military TV.
Oxman was very active in the La Mirada community over the years. He is past president of the La Mirada Chamber of Commerce, board member of the La Mirada Meals-on-Wheels, and a La Mirada Little League sponsor for over fifty years.
There will be a Memorial Service and a celebration of Mr. “O’s” life on Sunday March 24th, 2013 at the store located at 14128 Rosecrans Avenue, beginning at 2:00 p.m. Please RSVP by March 22nd if you would like to attend this public event.
Oxman is survived by his wife, Miriam, sons Brian, Murray, and Jason; and sister Renee Oxman and four grandchildren.
Final Unofficial La Mirada City Council Results
FINAL UNOFFICIAL RESULTS FROM CITY HALL FOR 2013 CITY COUNCIL RACE:
Pauline Deal 1,903
Andrew Sarega 1,451
Steve Keithly 1,440
Gabe Garcia 980
Randy Gary 795
BREAKING: Ballot Counting Process at City Hall Ongoing
NEW UPDATED NUMBERS:
Deal 1,710, Keithly 1,316, Saregs 1,304, Garcia, 867, Gray, 735
Remaining ballots not yet counted, absentees dropped at polling places and provisionals, now being counted.
