Women of Larchmont
After Mars, she found a new mission on Earth
By Barbara Sueko McGuire
Few people can say they’ve been among the first on Earth to hear a transmission from Mars, but Polly Estabrook can. As the lead telecommunications systems engineer for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Mars Exploration Rover project, Estabrook oversaw the design and performance of a communications system that made the historic achievement possible. But since retiring in 2022, she’s turned her attention much closer to home, devoting her time to environmental advocacy and community organizing in Larchmont.
Polly Estabrook
“When I left JPL as an electrical engineer, I wanted to work on something that I thought would be very meaningful, and that was climate policy,” she explained. “I’m not a climate scientist, but I can certainly look at the legislation that’s being proposed or talk to our city, state and federal representatives about why we need to address this issue.”
Estabrook described her 34-year career at JPL as “unbelievably fun.” As a federally funded research and development center, she said it was, “the perfect place to be a woman,” and that everyone treated each other with tremendous respect. “There was still a glass ceiling for women, but it was a time of change,” she added. “There was this strong feeling of meritocracy—if you can do it, then you deserve to be given the responsibility.”
Estabrook and her late husband, Dr. Mark DeAntonio, a psychiatrist, moved to Hancock Park in the late 1980s because it was a happy middle ground between his work at UCLA and hers in Pasadena. They loved the diversity of the area and its small-town feel, and she recalls that when they first settled on Van Ness Avenue, Larchmont Boulevard was more of a neighborhood stop than the popular destination it is today.
These days, Estabrook divides her time between the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council and volunteering with the local chapter of HangOutDoGood a grassroots volunteer community. She focuses her efforts in both groups on sustainability. This can look like petitioning the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation to re-evaluate the use of pesticides on public lands, including Robert Burns and Harold Henry parks, as well as spearheading neighborhood cleanups and helping organize Earth Day and “No Despair” eco fairs. Estabrook is passionate about helping people see why change is needed, despite how challenging it may be.
Most recently, the GWNC began working with the Hancock Park Garden Club to help revitalize the grounds of the John C. Fremont Library on Melrose Avenue, including planting a butterfly garden. The group’s work also stretches beyond the neighborhood, including writing letters to state and federal officials—as well as the Bureau of Land Management—to advocate against drilling, mining, and unnecessary construction inside America’s national parks and forests.
For someone who has spent a lifetime thinking about the future—from space exploration to climate policy—it’s perhaps fitting that Estabrook finds hope close to home. While she’s witnessed a lot of change over nearly 40 years, her favorite addition is Larchmont’s farmers market on Wednesdays and Sundays. “I am so happy that we are so lucky that we can support our own farmers. To me, it is hugely important to shop local,” Estabrook said. “I enjoy meeting with the farmers and the whole feeling of the market. You see everybody in the neighborhood out there, and there’s something so special about that.”
Want to get involved? The GWNC’s next committee meeting will take place Thur., Aug. 6, at 6:30 p.m., via Zoom. Visit greaterwilshire.org. And for more information about HODG, visit hangoutdogood.com.
Transforming communities with service
By Helene Seifer
“I don’t think about myself,” Rae Jin said. “I think about others.” Jin’s lifelong commitment to service shows in her work as executive director of the Anderson Munger Family YMCA in Koreatown, and as the newly installed president of the Wilshire Rotary Club.
In college, Jin didn’t have a long-term goal. While finishing her B.A. in business management and kinesiology at CSU Northridge, she sought a job teaching youth dance. One of her professors connected her with the Westside Family YMCA (now the Collins & Katz Family YMCA), where she taught tumbling part-time to young children.
There were no nearby YMCAs on the outskirts of Koreatown when Jin grew up there, having settled in the neighborhood after her family moved from Korea when she was 5. There were few youth enrichment opportunities available to lower-income households, hers included. When she started working at the YMCA, she was amazed by the impact their programs had on the surrounding community. “I fell in love with the Y!” Jin exclaimed. She stayed, working her way up in the organization, and since 2019 has headed the Anderson Munger Family YMCA at 4301 W. Third St. Its motto, “Do good. Be well. Lead change,” also describes Jin’s dedication.
Rae Jin
Jin has been married for 18 years to her high school sweetheart, Sandy Kwan, a systems interface engineer manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Their 10-year-old son Tobias took his first swim lessons at the Munger YMCA. “I am a mother and I see the impact of the Y on children. How can I help them become better versions of themselves?” Jin asked herself. “My parents are seniors and I see what they need. And my peers—what can the Y do to help them navigate parenting?”
“It’s a most challenging and rewarding community at Munger; a diverse, low-income community,” acknowledged Jin. Koreatown has a sizable aging population, so she expanded ways seniors can connect with each other through volunteering, lunches, and presentations. She plans to add mahjong and art clubs by the fall.
The park-poor neighborhood needed places for teens. She implemented free summer memberships for teenagers and a rooftop youth basketball program that has attracted 300 players this year so far.
Jin is also proud of the YMCA’s all-state Model Legislature & Court. High school students meet over four months to work on bills they want to present and get passed by state legislatures, culminating with a weekend in Sacramento. “Many seniors become political science majors,” Jin said including a Larchmont Charter High School graduate who is studying government in college.
“The Y can be nimble,” noted Jin. “We partnered with a community clinic for vaccinations. We provided space when the Red Cross needed blood. During the January 2025 wildfires, the Munger Y became a distribution and donation center. We activated over 2,000 volunteers, got trucks, and made deliveries to Altadena. Every week we provided 14,000 pounds of food.”
Wanting to expand her service, Jin joined the Wilshire Rotary Club, explaining, “The Y impacts locally. Rotary is more impactful.” As its new president, Jin wants to grow the club so they can all do more. “Service to people keeps me going.”
The Rotary Club sponsored six children at the Y this year. “Membership pays for electricity bills. Activities need fundraising. Scholarships need fundraising,” Jin said.
She developed the Summer Soiree, an annual fundraiser that also brings people together to celebrate community.
The fourth annual Summer Soiree will be held on Fri., Aug. 14. The rooftop event will be hosted by Hancock Park resident Chase Campen, former president of the Wilshire Rotary Club, former board chair of the Munger Y and sports columnist for the Chronicle.
June Bilgore will receive the Community Leadership Award (Wilshire) for her tireless advocacy with the Assistance League, the Windsor Square-Hancock Park Historical Society, and the Ebell of Los Angeles. Other honorees are attorney Alex Cha and Athens Services. This year’s fundraising goal is $50,000. Tickets are $150 and include unlimited food and drink.
“The Y transforms communities,” Jin stated. “Every time I walk out the door, I see a child smiling, a mom thanking me for something. Nonprofit work makes me feel good.” Her work makes the community feel good, too.
Anderson Munger Family YMCA; 4301 W. 3rd St.; 213-427-9622; ymcala.org. Summer Soirée information, tickets, and sponsorship opportunities can be found at ymcaLA.org/summersoiree.
Category: People
