(Last updated: February 18, 1997)

Sunnyside Convalescent Home
22619 S. Vermont Ave (south of 223rd Street)
Torrance, California

Phone: (310) 618-2117.

She is in room 9E, under her full name Sinforosa Constantino. Visiting Hours are from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM

Jack Wilson, our Club's longtime Treasurer, underwent a knee operation in January and is now at home recuperating and doing well.

c/o GVDC
15433 S Catalina Ave
Gardena, CA 90247

Table of Contents:

November 1996

A number of Club members are going to drive their cars and ride through many South Bay neighborhoods during the last three days of this Campaign, reminding people to vote. The first caravan will leave at Noon on Sunday, November 3rd, from Diana's Mexican & Seafood Restaurant, 15449 S. Western Avenue (North of Redondo Beach Blvd.)_ in Gardena, following our Weekly Breakfast.

Everyone is welcome to join in. Each car will carry a banner or a passenger will hold a sign to remind people to Vote Democratic. We don't hold tight formations -- our cars usually end up strung out. But the effect of a large number of cars carrying banners is to remind the public to vote. We usually try to drive by local Democratic Headquarters to cheer up the volunteers working there. Join in!

August through October 1996

More than 6,000 "Your Neighbor" leaflets have been passed out door-to-door in the past several months, urging citizens to vote the Democratic ticket. This campaign has been very successful -- we've gotten quite a bit of feedback from the voters, who appreciate the "old-fashioned" person-to-person campaigning. We only received TWO negative letters, each disputing a point or two made in the leaflet. One of them actually thought that the Republicans DIDN'T try to cut Medicare! Obviously, the other 6,000 recipients agreed with US!

The Club members who gave up many weeks of their time to pass out the leaflets were Harmon Belcher, Felix Diaz, Bill Mohr and Wilbur Sato. In addition, Harmon Belcher and Larry Duckwald delivered hundreds of Clinton/Gore '96 signs all around the South Bay for our Club. We have in addition mailed almost 3,400 of our Slate Mailers to Democrats on our Big Mailing List.

Many of our Club members are participating in many ways in Democratic Campaigns all around the South Bay and Long Beach areas, and we thank you all. Hopefully, every Gardena Valley Democratic Club member will be sure that EVERYONE she or he knows will have voted by 8:00 PM on Tuesday!

Almost 100% of extreme right-wing groups vote and a large majority of Republicans vote. But the Republican-owned news media has convinced most Democrats that their votes are useless or worse, or that this election is pointless, so most Democrats and liberal Americans DON'T VOTE. As a result, right-wing Republicans have an inordinate voice in our Legislature and in Congress, and our Social Safety-Net that President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated 60 years ago is being dismantled. As are our Education System and our Environmental Protections. If the turnout is just over 50%, as predicted, then each person's vote will in effect DOUBLE!

We can't let this continue! We've got to take back our government and put SANITY back into our legislative processes. Do everything you can to get people to VOTE in these last days!

July 1996 GVDC Video Committee Report

As promised the Gardena Valley Democratic Club Video Committee has been working on a compilation of GVDC produced videos. The compilation has been reduced to one VHS size video tape and lasts about two hours.

Contained on the newly released tape is the 1996 City of Gardena Cinco De Mayo Parade. Item two of the compilation is the 1996 Democratic State Party Convention. This subject does not cover the entire convention. Rather it is from the perspective of the activity of the GVDC and its guests at the GVDC Hospitality Suite at the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown L.A. during the convention. Memory moments include a Victory '96 party held in the GVDC Hospitality Suite for Assemblywoman Debra Bowen and the highlight of the event, keynote speaker Hillary Rodham Clinton speaking on the main convention floor. Mrs. Clinton's speech is presented in its entirety and was recorded using the GVDC Video Committee camera's at the convention.

The last selection on the video is a JFK Dinner which actually occurred at the end of 1995. The dinner focuses on recipient Cliff Holliday who is a 97 year old member of the GVDC. This is a life time achievement award and is inspiring for those of activists who are but youngsters!

How can you obtain a copy? Just attend the weekly club breakfast at Diana's restaurant or attend club meetings held at 7:30PM on the third Monday of each month at the Nakaoka Center near the police station in Gardena. There are six copies in distribution. Members are encouraged to view the video and return it to any GVDC meeting to allow others to enjoy it too.

If you enjoyed the video and would like a copy you may contact Bob Tougas, GVDC Video Committee chair, at Bob2Gas@aol.com. There will be no charge to GVDC members unless demand "goes through the roof." -- I really don't see that happening though. ;-) -- Just purchase a high quality VHS video tape and you will received a 2nd generation quality copy. If you would like either a Hi8 or S-VHS copy you may acquire either by supplying the correct blank video tape. Both Hi8 and S-VHS are broadcast quality.

We are collecting used postage stamps which we turn over to a Veterans' Group in White City, Oregon. Also, please save the postal cancellations with the stamps if possible. The veterans are very appreciative of our stamp donations and are always pleased to receive more.

This has been a longtime Club activity which Terry Kennedy has been mainly responsible for, although many Club members have donated thousands of postage stamps for the veterans. You can bring the stamps to one of our Club's weekly Sunday Breakfasts or regular meetings (see the Calendar). You can also mail the stamps either directly to Terry at his home address (below) or to the Club's official address.

Terry Kennedy
14111 S Mariposa Avenue
Gardena, CA 90247

If you have questions, please e-mail Terry at terryk@beachnet.com. Thanks a lot!

In Memory of . . .

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John Wolcott, a leading Democratic activist in the South Bay who only recently joined our Club, passed away in November 1996. John was a retired United States Army Colonel and was a great advocate of expanding our Clubs onto the Internet. He will be missed. Condolences to his wife Grace and to their family.

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Lula Mae Cryer, a former Club member and the sister of our Club member Nancy Johnson, passed away in November 1996. Lula Mae was a former Vice President of the Centennial & Willowbrook Democratic Club and was an alternate member of the Democratic County Committee. We will miss her. Our condolences to Nancy and to their family.

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Julie Feys, the wife of former Beach Cities Democratic Club President Earl Feys, passed away in November 1996 after a long illness. Julie helped host many Democratic holiday parties. We express our condolences to Earl and to their family.

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Ward Rodgers, a longtime member and leader of our Club, who passed away on June 26th, 1996. Ward had been a union organizer and Democratic activist for many decades. Our condolences to his wife Hazel and to his family and friends.

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Bert Norman, the husband of Carol Norman, who died on April 28th, 1996. Bert and Carol have been Club members for many years, and Carol is currently our Club's 2nd Vice President. Our condolences to Carol and to all of their family.

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Evelyn Wilson, for 49 years the wife of Jack Wilson, our Club's longtime Treasurer, who passed away on April 15th, 1996. Our condolences to Jack and to all their family.

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Councilwoman Betty Ainsworth, the former Mayor of Hawthorne and a longtime leader and member of the Gardena Valley Democratic Club, who passed away on March 20, 1996.

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PAST GVDC NEWSLETTERS:

April 1996: Club Event Videotapes; Battle for Medicare; Initiatives Gathering Signatures.

August 1995: 60th Anniversary of Social Security / 30th Anniversary of Medicare -- photo of FDR signing the Social Security Bill (50K)

<-- National Debts Chart (22K) -- REPUBLICANS Drove UP the DEBT?
<-- Crossword Puzzle (5K). <-- WordSearch Puzzle (4K).
See the end of the lists of clues for the solutions to these puzzles.

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