Former restaurateur and great-grandmother celebrates 100th birthday
Huntington Beach resident Lynette H. Rausch celebrated her 100th birthday recently surrounded by friends and family, including her last surviving sibling, Lee, 94, who came from Seattle, and daughter Linda from Massachusetts.
"It is a blessing to be celebrating my 100th birthday with my family and friends and look forward to many more birthdays to come," Rausch said.
Rausch was born on the family farm in Walhalla, North Dakota. Her family focused on wheat farming, and all five siblings were involved in the operation.
In 1944, Lynette and her sister Armonde headed to California, where she met and married Edward. Together they raised three children: Ken, Denise and Linda. Edward died in 2004.
Back in 1946, newlyweds Lynette and Edward founded Edward's Steak House in Los Angeles; she was the waitress and he was the cook. The original restaurant had just 12 stools at a counter and two tables. Through decades of dedication and hard work, the restaurant grew to two successful locations serving generations of loyal customers.
"My late husband and I were part of the American dream - hard work, dedication, provide for your family and the many people that made Edward's Steak House special," she said.
A devoted participant in her Long Beach community, Rausch volunteered for decades in the St. Mary's Hospital Foundation, St. Bartholomew Catholic Church Women's Council, and actively assisted in distributing meals to the less fortunate.
Rausch enjoys her family of three children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She now lives in Huntington Beach. Happy birthday!
- Submitted by Ken Rausch
A student at Troy High School in Fullerton came in second in the USA Biolympiad (USABO) National Finals.
Cloris Shi earned the silver medal after competing with 11,900 students from 690 schools in 44 states and 25 international schools registered in the nationwide high school competition.
During the 10 days of the USABO National Finals, students participated in intensive theoretical and practical tutorials. The teens studied with leading U.S. biologists in the fields of cellular and molecular biology, plant anatomy and physiology, animal anatomy and physiology, genetics and evolution, ecology, ethology, and biosystematics. USABO Director Kathy Frame mentored the scholars.
Shi, who says she finds biology fascinating, is a four-time USABO semifinalist, three-time AIME qualifier and six-time National Science Olympiad medalist. She conducts neuroscience research at UC Santa Barbara and hosts science fun nights for local students.
As an alumna of the Iowa Young Writers' Studio and winner of a Scholastic National Medal in poetry, Shi also serves as an editor-in-chief of Polyphony Lit, an international literary journal with more than 300 student editors and contributors from 71 countries and all 50 U.S. states.
Shi enjoys writing, running, jamming out to Taylor Swift, and listening to her favorite podcast, Matter of Opinion.
- Submitted by Tom Flavell
Wally and Shirley Mullin attended prom nearly six decades ago at St. Ann's Catholic School in Los Angeles. They recently relived those magical moments when the Park Plaza senior living community in Orange hosted its own senior prom for residents.
The evening was filled with dancing, snapping photos at the photo booth, and the crowning of prom king and queen. Wally and Shirley, forever dance partners, created yet another cherished memory together.
Wally still recalls the first prom he and Shirley attended.
"I love telling stories about that prom night," he said. "Everyone was driving wildly that night. I decided to do the same and ran a red light. Unfortunately, I was the only one who got pulled over. Shirley felt bad and offered to pay for the ticket."
The couple married during her senior year of high school in 1965. They have five children, 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
- Submitted by Carly Herbert