Repairing a headstone
On Saturday, June 29, Altadena’s own group of “Good Cemeterians” will celebrate cleaning their 1,000th headstone with a special cleaning session – and the public is invited to attend, help clean headstones, and then enjoy a pizza, cake, and ice cream party in Altadena’s historic Mountain View Cemetery.
By News Desk
The headstone of one of Altadena’s founders, Frederick J. Woodbury, has been selected as the commemorative milestone headstone. “Captain Fred was a volunteer Union U.S. Civil War vet, and we’ve focused on military vets, young children, and loves lost too soon, since we began our efforts a couple of years ago,” said René Amy, the group’s leader. “We’ve received confirmation that descendants of his will be on hand, thereby tying the past to the present.”
The group has received a groundswell of recent support from local organizations, including the Altadena Rotary Club, Altadena Chamber of Commerce, Pasadena Cemetery Association, Altadena Heritage, Altadena Historical Society, Fraternal Order of Eagles, and Christmas Tree Lane Association.
“Our little undertaking (pun fully intended) has seen tremendous support from Altadenans, and we’re extremely grateful,” said Amy, a longtime community activist who launched the group of local volunteers that has met in the Cemetery nearly every month for over two years to clean headstones. “Reaching our 1,000th headstone milestone is pretty amazing, but thanks to these donor groups, we’ve been able to purchase a 55-gallon drum of the specialized cleaner used on headstones!”
Keith Brown, part of the family that’s run the Cemetery for six generations, had nothing but praise for the volunteers. “Their dedication to maintaining and preserving our community’s history and heritage is truly remarkable, and we are deeply appreciative of all of their efforts.”
Dawn Digrius Smith, president of the Altadena Rotary Club, also praised the volunteers. “Rotarians are all about service above self, and this little group certainly demonstrates that principle. We’re proud to support their efforts, especially in honoring our country’s military veterans.”
Judy Matthews, president of the Altadena Chamber of Commerce, said that the cemetery is the oldest business in the community. “Cecil Bryan, who designed and built the famous Mausoleum at Mountain View, was the Chamber’s fourth president, so our group has deep roots in the cemetery – and with this being the centenary of the Chamber’s founding, supporting these events is a natural!”
Scott Wardlaw, president of the Christmas Tree Lane Association, pointed out that Captain Frederick J. Woodbury, who founded Altadena, is among the over 700 Union Civil War veterans buried in the Cemetery. ” Captain Woodbury’s tree-lined driveway is what’s now known as Christmas Tree Lane, ” Wardlaw observed.
Steve Rodriguez, president of the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, said “It’s all about what Eagles do: We’re people helping people, bottom line.”
The special event will begin at 8:00 am and conclude after lunch.
Saturday, June 29 8:00 am Location Mountain View Cemetery 2400 N. Fair Oaks Avenue Altadena, CA 91001
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