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Meet Your Neighbor
Sylvia Belzer
Sylvia's mother was born in Russia and came to the United States at the age of three. Her father immigrated to the US when he was seventeen from Lithuania. Sylvia was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and lived there until she reached elementary school age when the family relocated to California.
Sylvia, being the baby of the family, had three sisters and one brother, all of whom were much older than her. In high school she enjoyed playing basketball and tennis. After graduation from Manual Arts High in Los Angeles she attended L.A. City College, taking only classes that interested her.
Enlisting in the Navy during WWII, she was eventually stationed at the Naval Operations Base in San Diego. Working intelligence started out to be very interesting but eventually everything was in code, not nearly as exciting.
Sylvia met her husband Phil at the Hollywood Palladium where he was appearing with the Charlie Spivak Orchestra. She noticed a handsome man on the trumpet and was surprised when he came over to introduce himself at intermission by circling her several times and saying "BOO!" Over the next three years they corresponded while she was in the Navy and he was on the road with the band. They married and settled down in Culver City where Sylvia was active in civic and cultural affairs. Phil went into the insurance business but continued to play "gigs". Together they had a daughter, a son and eventually one grandchild.
Sylvia did some singing while in the Navy. Her jazzy style led her to some professional jobs with Phil and the orchestras he played in. She has a deep love of art and was a docent for the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach for many years, receiving her ten year docent pin.
Traveling was a family passion and road trips were the method of choice. The family began taking summer road trips when the children were very young, visiting Mexico, Canada and the National Parks. As the kids grew up, she and Phil began yearly visits to Europe. Every September they would fly to Paris, lease a car, and begin yet another road trip, each time covering new ground going as far as Turkey in their rental car. Spring travels took them to Asia, India, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal and more. They began their driving trips in 1969 and took their last one in 2005. Phil passed away in 2007.
Sylvia went to work for PacBell when her youngest went to high school. Never dreaming she would get the job, she applied for a position in the advertising department, which she knew little about. Good for PacBell that they realized what a diamond in the rough they had and they snatched her up. She worked hard to become a success. She enjoyed the job, especially the people she met and the traveling that was required!
Sylvia has always been an avid walker and gym enthusiast. Most mornings you will find her listening to Jazz on her ipod, working out in the gym at the community center. An art lover, she is fond of both contemporary and the old masters. Reading is on her A-list of activities too, mostly non-fiction. As far as challenges in life she says motherhood was the best. She remembers making a conscious decision at a very young age to BE HAPPY!
She attributes any success she has had to enjoying whatever the challenges that came her way.
Her greatest pleasures...the whole package at the Towers, friends, the bridge club, gin games and the entertainment, and it is close to where her children live.
Her one wish? For her children and granddaughter to live interesting and fulfilling lives.
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Towers Troupers
Stagehands |  | |
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The Board Needs YOU!
If you have time to volunteer for the Towers please contact Chris Dibley in the Administration office at 597-4228. |
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Weekly Activity Schedule
To keep up to date with the Towers activities Click here! The weekly activity schedule is at the bottom of the page and updated weekly. You'll never be in the dark about what's going on at the Towers! If you have any activity requests or suggestions, please contact JoAnn Cramer or Pam Peeler at 949-597-4250. |
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Greetings!
Here is your November Newsletter from the Towers at Laguna Woods Village. We hope you'll find articles of interest and please feel free to forward it on to any of your friends.
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Board News -
The Board accepted four policies after much review. The Lien and Collection policy was approved without comment. With summary of the motorized Wheelchair Policy, the policy was approved. This policy was changed to state that in congested areas, motorized wheelchairs are to be driven at the slowest speed. While traversing the Gallerias, hallways or unpopulated areas, the chairs are to be driven no faster than medium speed.
The Dress Code was discussed. Since dress is a matter of taste and opinion, it is difficult to legislate. A lady dressed in an expensive jogging suit or designer jeans may be more appropriately dressed than someone in a T-shirt and matching slacks or a skirt and mismatched jacket. The Board wishes everyone to be mindful of the Dress Code in the Crystal dining room.This room is for formal dining. Casual, resort clothing is not recommended. The enforcement policy will be that someone not dressed for a formal dinner may be given a copy of the Dress Code. A second or third notice of inappropriate dress will elicit a letter from the Board. Further infractions of the Dress Code may result in a Hearing before the Board and disciplinary action including a monetary penalty. Gentlemen are to wear sport jackets or suit coats and not zippered jackets.
The Pet Policy was discussed. The Board wishes to enforce the six foot leash rule. Longer leashes can be trip hazards. Additionally, with longer leashes, pets' little feet can be run over by motorized wheelchairs or pets can get caught in the automatic elevator doors. Residents may wish to hold pets when using the elevators. We have not had a pet related accident in the Towers, and we certainly do not wish for anyone's pet to be hurt. Please remind your guests of the six foot leash rule.
The Dress Code Policy, Motorized Wheelchair Policy, and the Pet Policy have all been approved by the Board and final copies are available in the library.
The Board approved flu shots to be given in the Towers. There will be no charge for Medicare Plan B participants or for those insured by Aetna. Everyone else must pay $30 and submit a claim to your insurance carrier; or contact your physician for a flu shot. Flu shots will be given in the Rendezvous Room on Thursday, November 3 from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Tower I residents wishing a flu shot should come in the morning; and Tower II residents come in the afternoon. There is no shortage of vaccine, but if you do not have Medicare Plan B or Aetna coverage, plan to pay $30.
During the President's comments Ryna Rothberg announced that the second floor public restrooms are now open. Ms. Rothberg commended Ed Presley and the Maintenance crew for an outstanding job stating that the décor was much better than anticipated. These restrooms are now open for use. Be sure to take a peek at the finished rooms. In addition to the bathrooms, Maintenance created a cozy reading nook on the balcony overlooking the Crystal dining room. This was wasted space with no specific purpose; now it is a cozy spot for reading on a rainy afternoon.
Assistance Alert: If you are a resident who has an alert system to call for help if you fall or are incapacitated in some way, please do not use the Reception Desk as the first responder. Although Staff is here 24 hours a day at the Reception Desk, they cannot be used as the first responder for your caller alert system. There are liability issues for Mutual Fifty. No individual resident is allowed to have the Reception Desk as the first call when your assistance alert goes off. If you have arranged for the first call to go to the Reception Desk, you must change your arrangements.
Thanksgiving Day Dinner: Start making your plans! The dining rooms will open at 4:00 p.m. for two seatings on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24. The first seating will be at 4:00 and the second seating at 5:30 p.m. Purchase your guest tickets at the Reception Desk and notify Guckenheimer for your dinner reservations. Guckenheimer staff needs to know the number of early diners versus late diners and they need to know the total number they will be planning for dinner. The menu will be a full Thanksgiving dinner with all of the trimmings plus the regular menu. Only one entrée per person please!
The new Guest dinner tickets will go on sale November 1. The old dinner tickets will only be used until January 1, 2012. Please plan accordingly. Make your dinner reservations now and purchase your tickets after November 1.
Landscaping: Some of you have noticed that the grass in the loop directly in front of the Towers is dead. The crew is re-landscaping this area with bushes, color and decorative rocks. This area will be visibly appealing and will conserve water as the bushes use less water than turf. |
Ladies, Your room is ready!
(Guys, yours is too!)
Thirty years of service to the Laguna Woods Towers has enabled Ed Presley (Building Engineering Supervisor) to be creative in ways he may never have imagined. His latest bit of design magic has turned the second floor restrooms and landing into dramatic salons and loft area.
The newly remodeled lavatories are a flawless meld of color and style. Upon first entering, your eye is immediately drawn to the postage stamp sized tiles circling the room. These small tiles, the color of heavily creamed coffee, twinkle with randomly placed translucent glass tiles of the same size. As you widen your gaze you detect a subtle difference in color on the large ceramic tiles covering the floor and lower wall, the tone on tone swirling grays float together almost unnoticed in their simplicity. The dark slate ceiling and backsplash highlight the brushed nickel of the vanity mirror frame and leads your eye directly to the black stippled stall doors. Nestled in the far corner, below a lighted drop ceiling, the granite countertop and brushed nickel faucet gleam. Pulling the whole look together is the putty colored upper wall, seamlessly blending the various grays, beiges, browns and blacks. Directly outside and overlooking the Crystal Room is the loft area.
 | | The loft area overlooking the Crystal Room |
The cozy shades of red and brown in this area are sure to be a hit with residents. With comfy couches and chairs for reading it will become a favorite of the many bookworms around the building. For those people watchers, imagine a bird's eye view on Italian night. It could be the best seat in the house to enjoy a singer strolling and serenading the diners.
  Ed Presley is a unassuming guy, and he is quick to add that it is the whole maintenance team working together to create these wonderful spaces, and that once in a while, in the course of their daily duties to keep the Towers structurally safe and sound, they get to pretty it up a bit.
 | | Mosaic Tile. |
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Towers Terrors!
Happy Halloween.
Halloween came frightfully early to the Towers of Laguna Woods this year. On Saturday evening, October 29th, the ghoulish (and not so ghoulish) gathered in Lortscher Hall to celebrate All Hallow's Eve senior style.
Years of traveling and collecting come in handy when you need a little razzle dazzle in your costume. There was the tall, lovely blond wearing a hand woven floor length shift from Egypt as well as the raven haired Cleopatra bejeweled in her flowing white toga. A coven of witches descended on the party, one wicked, one scary, one glamorous and one covered from head to toe with a long putty nose and fingers each a foot long. The less diabolical but equally stunning Queen of Halloween appeared in a spider web cape and glittery black and orange crown. Clowns, kittens, a mime and feathered masks delighted those too scared to dress up themselves, even Dale Evans and Judy Garland emerged from the crowd.
Not to be out done, the foreboding fellows of the Towers broke out their disguises in full force. Masquerading men showed up as a mustachioed Orange County Sheriff and a surgeon carrying his own giant hypodermic. Gangsters and their molls rubbed shoulders with Zorro, a mugger, cowboys and Sasquatch.
JoAnn Cramer emceed the costume contest wearing her radioactive spider hat while John Cosgriff, in full Phantom attire, supplied entertainment on stage, enchanting the crowd with his singing and piano playing. Our own Guckenheimer food service supplied Fantasy Fudge and Creepy Cookies while the bar was stocked with Bloody Marys and Ghastly Green Appletinis.
With over 100 in attendance, the annual Towers monster mash was a fun time for all. Scare you next year! |
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Towers Troupers
Behind the Scenes
This November a group of Towers residents, the Towers Troupers, will be performing a stage show reminiscent of the old 'Laugh In' television series. Their variety show dubbed 'Smile In', will be performed live in Lortscher Hall, the sets and backgrounds created solely by the Towers Troupers stagehands. This is no small task, but our troupers are more than able.
With any number of acts from singing and dancing to spoken word, there is a lot of behind the scenes work to be done. Trees need leaves and flowers, cars are built from the ground up, scripts written or re-written and babbling brooks need a touch of shimmer and shine. Even a painted replica of an old time juke box now adorns the stage.
Often writers and set designers go almost unnoticed...after all, it is the actors, dancers and comedians who enhance the scenery, add the subtle nuance and inflection to the written word, but we all know that without a tireless group of painters, pasters, playwrights, costume designers and engineers, those actors, dancers and comedians would not be nearly as dazzling. Here's to the unsung heroes, those who, behind the scenes, set the stage with a little more whimsy for all the rest of us to enjoy. |
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