Celebrating 60!

What a Diamond Jubilee! Rossmoor Woman's Club members gathered at the Grand on March 14 to celebrate the club's founding 60 years ago. Champagne flowed, hors d'oeuvres were passed, harpist Jillian Lopez provided lovely background music and dignitaries awarded plaques to the group in recognition of the occasion. Among the highlights:

--Current President Beverly Rigney introduced nine past presidents who attended. They included long-time member Mary Ellen Atkins, who headed the club in 1965-66. Bev later posed with the plaque that bears the names of all past presidents.

--We toasted member Charlotte Robertson's 100th birthday. She joined the club in 1972 and remains a proud member.

--Many members (such as Keiko Nakao, pictured here) wore tiaras and other "diamond" jewelry.

--Among the special invited guests who spoke were California Federation of Women's Clubs President Toby Kahan, Orange District President Mariellen Yarc, Los Alamitos Unified School District Superintendent Sherry Kropp, Los Alamitos News-Enterprise Editor Ted Apodaca, Seal Beach Sun Editor David N. Young and Advertising Account Manager Sue Onyan.

--Incoming president Maggie Paul put together a continuously-playing slide show of photographs documenting the club and its members throughout the years. A fan favorite: Beverly Rigney taking a well-deserved break from her duties with a beer at Ballast Point!

--And another favorite for all: Member Lina LoBasso's cakes -- I counted seven of them. It was deja vu: Lina, a member since 1975, baked the cakes for the club's 50th anniversary, too.

--And now a shout-out to the Anniversary Committee: Bev Rigney, Lorena Barlett, Del Clark, Sue Owen, Maggie Paul, Cindy Regan and your correspondent, Susan Denley.