This year’s honorees have been friends for many years and they have much in common: 

 

They both grew up in the Los Feliz area and both graduated from John Marshall High. They met and married men who were best friends. And, they both joined the league in the 70s. As they say in the movies, here’s the back story:

 

When he was young, Ron Beaton sold newspapers at the corner of Griffith Park and Los Feliz. He kept his money close by, in a cigar box. But, one day, a kid came along on a bike, grabbed the box and took off. 

 

Steven Dewey - - who happened to be riding by on his own bike - - chased the culprit but couldn’t catch up.

 

He returned to talk to Ron, which is when they discovered they were neighbors. Both went to King Junior High and Marshall High and they became close friends.

 

Ron introduced Steven to Patsy when all three were at King. And, after Ron met Carolyn, the four friends double dated.

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Patsy attended USC along with Steven, who had already served in the Marine Corps and worked for his father at Dewey Pest Control. (Steven took over the business in 1977.)

 

After Patsy graduated, she began teaching at Third Street School in Los Angeles while Steven finished his education. 

 

When her children were young, she took on another job, modeling for designers in the garment district. In the afternoons, she taught English as a Second Language at Glendale College to Cuban refugees.

 

Patsy retired from teaching when the two couples purchased adjoining lots in Cabo and she was in charge of building the Dewey house.

 

She was invited to join Oakmont League in 1972; she was sponsored by several women she knew from Glendale Juniors, a support group for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. 

 

As a former model, she was a valuable addition to our fashion shows. One year stands out in particular, the year she and Linda Malmquist and Gail Bugliosi made the table decorations. The threesome were soon out on Ethel Street, picking up Magnolia leaves which they took home and sprayed gold for centerpieces.

 

For many years, she also did the decorations for the league’s annual Christmas party at Beckhams in Pasadena.

 

 Patsy and Carolyn chaired the Ways and Means party at the hillside home of Fran Buchanan in 2010. 

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She also served on several committees, often with Carolyn, and as auditor one year.  

 

After her husband passed away, she took over the family business, leaving her with little time for social groups. But she continues to be deeply involved in supporting higher education; not just through her generosity to Oakmont’s scholarship program, but also through other venues, including Swim With Mike and the Wrigley Institute. She was one of the first members of the Friends of the USC Libraries and was honored by USC with an Alumni Award two years ago.

 

The league has been an important part of her life. “I’ve made the most wonderful friends.”  She is very appreciative of her fellow members’ support during difficult times in her life. “It’s a great group and I’m deeply honored by this recognition.”

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Carolyn and her family moved to Glendale in 1957 and she attended Glendale College, planning to transfer to UCLA, but things changed when she was a named a princess in the Miss Glendale competition and later rode in the Rose Parade. 

 

She soon began working for TV Guide magazine in Hollywood and there she met Ron, who worked at a nearby rock and roll station and had served in both the Marine Reserves and the Army. 

 

Carolyn was a Catalina swimsuit model and also modeled at the 1960 Democratic Convention in Los Angeles. 

 

She and Ron had three children by 1972 when they purchased their Rossmoyne home. Two years later, she was invited to join Oakmont. Carolyn was very familiar with the league, as her aunt, Ursula Gudelman, was a founding member. 

 

In those days, an invitation to join was a carefully guarded secret, so when she discovered a champagne glass - with OL inscribed on it - on the front step of her home, she was thrilled. Patsy was a sponsor. Another was Lucy Yarrick, who had a gardening show on KIEV with her husband Burnell. 

 

Marguerite Camphouse was president that year and Carolyn attended a new members tea at the home of Jane Phillips.

 

Within a year, she was on President Pat Avery’s board. She gave birth to her fourth child in ‘78, but continued to serve. 

 

She also joined Mannequins, which met monthly at Pike’s Verdugo Oaks and also held an annual fashion show there. One year, she and Becci Neville served as Mannequins co-chairs and moved the fashion show to the Sheraton Universal, with Mannequins modeling. 

 

In later years, they used professional models, but Mannequins continued to model at our October meeting, a tradition which continued for many years.

 

In 2012, she and co-chair Lynn Dittrick decorated the Sheraton Universal Hotel with cherry blossoms and Eiffel Tower vases. 

 

She also served as the league’s program chair, often enlisting people she met through Ron’s father, who purchased KIEV in 1961. 

 

Carolyn has held nearly every office except president. With four children and her husband’s busy schedule at KIEV, plus traveling, she couldn’t take on that commitment. She is also a long time member of Las Candelas, which seeks to improve the lives of vulnerable children.

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Being a member of Oakmont for 47 years has been a great pleasure for Carolyn. “So many special women are members of this wonderful group. We all have an interest in giving back to our community.“

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