BEYOND THE VILLAGE - PATTI LA MARR - The Pasadena Village

Patti has been a longtime resident of Altadena. She was inspired to join The Village by members Lucinda Haagenson and Karen Bagnard and embraced membership at the end of October. As with so many of us, she grew tired of being stuck at home during the pandemic. Even though she has participated in Zoom activities, she still looks forward to and enjoys being among people. She joined the Pasadena Village to meet new people and to become involved in a new community. As an Altadena resident, she enjoys the Foothills Neighborhood gatherings, and she also likes going to “Meet me at the Village” and TGIF (Thank Goodness it’s Friday) dine outs. “I’m so enjoying my new experiences with the Pasadena Village. There are so many opportunities to meet new people, explore new ideas and become involved with the community through volunteering.”

Patti began working with AT&T years ago, and stayed with it as it became Pacific Bell, and then through its various business configurations. She began by working in Directory Assistance and performed many different jobs including office clerk, special services test technician, and even took a telephone pole climbing class.

Patti has been a volunteer with the Pasadena Playhouse for 30 years. Her tasks include ushering and volunteering in the Playhouse Archives. She is now a Board member of Friends of the Pasadena Playhouse. She also volunteered at Daz-E, the thrift store in Altadena which is in the shopping center below Altadena Drive on Lake Ave. The income generated by Daz-E supports scholarships for California women’s education. She also is a member of P.E.O. which also supports women’s education. And shortly before the pandemic she became a member of the Altadena Fraternal Order of Eagles.

Working in the Pasadena Playhouse archives made Patti more aware of the need to preserve important events for history. In addition to her volunteer involvement, Patti works as a consultant for “Forever.com”, which is a system for organizing and maintaining stories of people’s lives and memories in photos, audio files, and video files. A person can purchase digital storage for a lifetime and beyond so that future generations will always have access to the major moments of past generations. Patti’s particular job is to assist individuals as they organize their files. She is also available to take on large organization projects (for a fee), although she is happy to provide a free consultation for anyone wanting to learn more. Explains Patti, “I can relate to the need to preserve evidence of our life and times for generations to come.” She is always glad to answer questions and give suggestions and is willing to put on a workshop that will demonstrate the process of organizing photos for personal enjoyment and/or leaving a photo legacy.

One of Patti’s favorite quotes comes from William Wordsworth, “The best portion of a good man’s life is the little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.” Patti is an example of other Pasadena Village members who, after a lifetime of working at a career, are still eager to participate in the community, learn new skills, and contribute to the future. You might run into Patti at a Village event. Be sure and introduce yourself. And ask her how she happened to climb a telephone pole.

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