Suzan Filipek
Suzan Filipek's Latest Posts

Pomp, circumstance is back, in person
Graduation season is here, and unlike recent years when the pandemic curbed ceremonies to socially distanced virtual and drive-by events, this year’s graduates will be flipping their tassels live before moving on to the next stages of their lives. Here are some of our area schools’ graduation ceremony plans: Episcopal School of Los Angeles will […]

Beloved coach to retire from Pilgrim after 40-year run
A much-loved sports coach at Pilgrim School, Mike Sarafian, is retiring after 46 years at the kindergarten-through-12th-grade school. He will be celebrated at the Alumni Reunion Celebration Aug. 20 at 4 p.m. on the campus. Alumni, students, faculty, parents, friends and family are invited. Tickets will go on sale on the school website in July: […]

Landworth / DeBolske have a building partnership with a view
Architects Philip DeBolske and Lisa Landworth have transformed homes in Miracle Mile, Hancock Park and throughout the city and beyond. They’ve also created new homes from the ground up, often for repeat clients. “For a lot of clients, we’ve become the family architect,” notes Landworth. ADUs (accessory dwelling units) have become increasingly popular since zoning […]

George Epstein, 95; he was a winner at poker, and at life
I met George Epstein in 2013 when he was teaching his favorite game to a crowded room of poker players at the Claude Pepper Senior Center. He also taught engineering courses at UCLA and for NASA, and he developed military defense systems for the Air Force, Navy and Army. But on this day his poker […]

Favorite pieces find new life at Alakazam Upholstery & Drapery
Rosie Fortunat has had her share of challenges. First there was the dot-com crash in the 2000s, and then, more recently, the pandemic struck. But luckily for us, both times she rose from the ashes at her Alakazam Upholstery & Drapery. As head of the firm, she carries bundles of fabric and textile samples to […]

LAPD says crime is on the upswing; stay vigilant
On a recent Sunday afternoon, two men were walking on Larchmont Boulevard when an SUV pulled up and two suspects got out and pulled a gun. The victims were held up at gunpoint, and then the suspects drove off in the dark-colored vehicle, according to Det. M. Flores of the LAPD Wilshire Division. The victims […]