The Thistle - Saint Andrew`s Society of Los Angeles

the
Pay your 2014
Membership
Dues online via
PayPal or mail
with your check
to the Treasurer
today.
Regular Annual
Membership $45
Out of State $22.50
Life $450
Membership Dues are
payable annually on
January 1 each year. Annual
dues are the Society’s
regular source of income.
We rely upon timely
remittance of dues to meet
our standing operational
expenses. In return for the
modest membership dues
members receive special
rates for the various Society
events throughout the year,
a regular newsletter, and
participation in one of the
oldest (established 1930)
and most respected Scottish
organizations in California.
Please also consider a
donation to the Society. We
are a 501 (c) 3 registered
organization and as such
your gift is tax deductible
as a charitable donation.
Thanks to all of you
who continue to support us
in the many and unique
ways you do.
s
t
i
l
e
h
t
re
. And
t
S
The
w Society of Los
Ang
ele
s
March 2014
a message from Ian J, Skone-Rees, FSA Scot, President.
am delighted to be serving as
your newly elected President
and I am looking forward to
working with our talented
Board in the coming months.
Those of you who attended our
Annual General Meeting in
February will already know that
the Society is the beneficiary of a
significant financial bequest from the estate of John
and Barbara Grant. John Grant served as Society
President 1975/1976. His wife Barbara, passed away last
year following a brief illness. The Grants were proud of
their Scottish heritage and were staunch supporters of
our St. Andrew’s Society. I recall attending one of my
first St. Andrew’s events at Barbara’s home in June
2007, when she generously hosted our annual Garden
Party. This bequest has launched our Society into a
new era that opens up an abundance of opportunities
for us to enhance the Society’s visibility, further
promote Scottish culture, and increase our charitable
support. Needless to say our fortune brings with it
increased responsibility and I and your Board will be
working hard to ensure the Grant’s love of Scotland and
all she represents is properly reflected in all we do.
January 25, saw another hugely successful Burns
Dinner held for the second year at the Altadena Town &
Country Club. More than 120 members and guests
I
enjoyed the evening highlighted by Lynn Ferguson’s
Address To A Haggis. We were also privileged to
welcome the newly installed British Consul General,
Chris O’Connor and his wife Martha.
Our Society is not in any way political but it would
be foolish to ignore the debate currently taking place
in the UK regarding Scottish independence. Scots
resident in Scotland will make an historic decision just
seven months from now whether they will remain part
of the UK or go it alone – a momentous decision.
We are now well into the new year and I and your
Board are busy planning our annual events, and some
new ones, so please keep an eye on your mailbox and
the Society website (www.saintandrewsla.org) so you
don’t miss out on the fun.
I and your Board bear the responsibility of guiding
the Society and making sure our mission is properly
executed but we need your help and I encourage each
of you to contact me or a Board member if you would
like to help us out by contributing your time and your
skills, or if you have an issue or suggestion you would
like to bring to our attention.
Best wishes to you all. Slainte!
Contact Ian Skone-Rees
via email at: [email protected] or [email protected]
In Gear
McLaren
he McLaren motor car
company is named after
Scottish New Zealander Bruce
McLaren. As a Formula 1 Grand
Prix driver he was recognized as
one of the most talented of his
era. He died tragically at 32 but
T
Please see McLaren, page 6
2
t h e
t h i s t l e
m a r c h
2 0 1 4
St. Andrew’s Day 2013
President
Ian J. Skone-Rees, FSA Scot
Vice President
Norman Auslander
Treasurer
David Moffett
Secretary
Pamela Lowry Marbell
Board of Trustees
John E. Lowry, FSA Scot**
J. D. “Dave” Macpherson*
Patrick Moffett
Eileen B. Skone-Rees
Steve Tom
Dr. David Warburton, OBE
*Immediate Past president
**Past president
nce again we gathered at
Spumante restaurant in
North Hollywood for our
annual dinner in recognition
of Scotland’s patron saint, St.
Andrew.
More than 70 members and
guests enjoyed the piping of
Society piper Cindi McIntosh and
a variety of reels and strathspeys
piped over the Society’s own
sound system. The food once
again garnered rave reviews and
the filet mignon and selection of
single malts were talked about
O
for many weeks following the
event. This was the fifth year our
celebratory dinner was held at
Spumante (a restaurant your
editor and wife have been
patronizing for close on 30 years)
but if the numbers keep rising
our host will have to extend the
premises or we will have to find a
new venue – not a bad challenge
to have to face I suppose.
Top left: Cindi McIntosh, Pamela Lowry Marbell,
and Mary Brown.
Above: Kenneth McKinnon, Ian Skone-Rees, and
Rod Shreckengost.
Society Piper
Cindi McIntosh
The Thistle is the official
publication of the Saint Andrew’s
Society of Los Angeles. It is
published four times a year.
Deadline for each issue is the
first day of March, June,
September
&
December.
Submit articles, photographs,
and address changes to the
editor at: [email protected].
Flowers of
the Forest
Barbara B. Grant,
San Francisco 1921
Los Angeles 2013
or
The Editor
Saint Andrew’s Society, Los Angeles
3836 Goodland Avenue
Studio City, CA 91604
www.saintandrewsla.org
The
publisher
accepts
no
responsibility for the opinions
expressed, accuracy of information,
or similarity of names submitted by
authors.
CONTRIBUTORS
Ian J. Skone-Rees, FSA Scot
PUBLISHER
EDITOR AND GRAPHIC DESIGN
Ian J. Skone-Rees
PHOTOGRAPHY
Olivia Kwan
David Moffett
Ian J. Skone-Rees
Barbara Bissinger Grant
“Winter’s
bitter chill
softens As
the world
awakes
Spring is
coming
soon.”
Long-time Society member
Barbara Grant passed away
peacefully after a brief illness.
Her generosity, compassion, and
support will truly be missed by
her many wonderful friends.
L-R: Leslie Warburton; Dr. David Warburton, OBE; Dr. Roberta Williams
Committees
As with most societies and
clubs the bulk of the Society’s
organizational burden falls on
a small cadre of committed
members willing to take on the
responsibility of planning and
execution. Our events require
an attention to detail involving
among other things, venue,
invitations, and entertainment.
We are also evaluating new
events and programmes that
will attract new members and
appeal to their interests. The
skills required for this work are
varied and include creativity,
public relations, and advertising.
If you would like to be more
involved in the Society by
serving on a committee please
contact me or one of the Board
members, your contribution is
needed.
3
S t .
A n d r e w ’ s
S o c i e t y
o f
L o s
A n g e l e s
The Scottish-American Connection
The Scots were a valuable addition to a developing world.
Their past experience of working in the harsh conditions of rural
Scotland, combined with their hard-working uncompromising
upbringing, made them an ideal people to help build America in
its formative years.
The Scottish emigrants of the 18th Century were an educated
group due to the Scottish Reformation, which had stressed the
need for education, so every Scot could read the Bible.
Education has always played an important part in Scottish
society, and these Scots played a crucial role in the early
development of the New World. Most headmasters of the
schools in the new colonies south of New York were Scottish or
of Scottish ancestry. These establishments were fundamental in
the education of America's future leaders; both Thomas
Jefferson's and John Rutledge's tutors were Scottish
immigrants.
In this continuing series of articles we will introduce Scots
or persons of Scottish descent who have left their indelible
mark on the American landscape – Ed.
Alan Cumming, OBE, 1965 –
os Angeles has long been
regarded as the
entertainment capital of the
world and in this Oscar season it
seems appropriate to recognize a
member of the entertainment
industry who continues to stamp
his indelible and unique Scottish
mark on the landscape.
Alan was born in Aberfeldy,
Perthshire, January 27, 1965. His family lived nearby in Dunkeld,
where his father, Alex, was a forester for Atholl Estate. The family
(Alex, mother Mary, big brother Tom and Alan) moved to Fassfern
near Fort William soon after, before moving to the east coast of
Scotland in 1969 where Alan's dad took up the position of Head
Forester of Panmure Estate, and it was here Alan grew up. In
September 1982 he began a three-year course at the Royal Scottish
Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. He graduated in 1985
with a B.A. (Dramatic Studies) and awards for verse speaking and
direction.
L
Alan Cumming recently completed the Broadway run of the
National Theatre of Scotland's production of Macbeth, for which
he won the Broadway.com and Broadwayworld.com Best Actor
awards, the Critics' Award for Theatre in Scotland and a Broadway
League Performance of Distinction nomination. He was also
recently honored by the Mayor of NYC with a Made in NY award
for his cultural contributions to his adopted home city.
He is currently shooting season 5 of the CBS hit drama The
Good Wife for which he has been nominated for multiple Emmy,
SAG, Critics' Choice and Satellite awards. He also stars as Austen
Clarke opposite Lisa Kudrow in Showtime's Web Therapy and is
the host of Masterpiece Mystery on PBS.
He voices Gutsy Smurf in Smurfs 2, in cinemas now, and
received five Best Actor awards on the film festival circuit for Any
Day Now which is opening around the globe throughout 2013.
His most recent recordings include The Head That Wears A
Crown, a CD of Shakespeare speeches, and the narration of
Armistead Maupin's Babycakes, one of the many audiobooks he
has performed. He received the prestigious Audie Award for Male
Performance of the Year in 2010. He has also released an album of
songs, I Bought A Blue Car Today, which won him a Bistro Award.
He recently appeared in Jay Z's video Picasso Baby and will
soon be seen in Maladies with James Franco.
He continues to be an activist for gay rights and education
and has received many awards for his work including most
recently honors from Bailey House, the Matthew Shephard
Foundation, The LGBT Task Force, The Trevor Project and AmFAR .
He was awarded an OBE (Officer of the British Empire) for his work
in the arts and civil rights by the Queen in 2009 and has also
received both the Great Scot and Icon of Scotland awards
He was named one of the three most fun people in show
business by Time magazine!
4
t h e
t h i s t l e
m a r c h
2 0 1 4
www.saintandrewsla.org
Mission Statement
Calendar of Events
April 6, 2014
Tartan Day Dinner
Tam O’Shanter Inn
Details on the website at:
www.saintandrewsla.org
June 22, 2014
Annual Garden Party
Sportsmen’s Lodge
Studio City
Details on the website at:
www.saintandrewsla.org
he Society’s mission statement has been updated and adopted
by the Board at the recent AGM. The change was made to more
accurately reflect the stated corporate aims of the Society as
written in its bylaws.
T
The purpose of the Society is to promote Scottish history,
traditions, and culture by developing educational and
charitable undertakings that nurture relations between the
Society, the people of Los Angeles, and the community at
large.
October 10–12, 2014
Seaside Highland
Games
Seaside Park, Ventura County
Fairgrounds,
10 W. Harbor Blvd. Ventura
Details on the website or
contact John Lowry:
[email protected]
BritWeek Celebrates
Scottish Heritage
in Santa Monica
On The Third Street Promenade
October 26, 2014
Kirkin’ O’The Tartans
Beverly Hills Presbyterian Ch.
For information contact
Chuck Robertson:
[email protected]
November, 2014
St. Andrew’s Day
Dinner
Location and date TBA For
information contact Ian
Skone-Rees: [email protected]
January, 2015
Robert Burns Supper
Altadena Town & Country Club
2290 Country Club Drive,
Altadena, CA 91001
For more society information
and news log on to:
www.saintandrewsla.org
Website Update
oin us May 3 & 4 to celebrate
Scottish Heritage, Tradition,
Innovation, and Entertainment.
J
The BritWeek-Santa Monica
Festival takes over 3 blocks of the
buzzing Third Street Promenade
to host a celebration of all things
British, including Music, Food,
Dance, Children’s activities and
much more.
The BritWeek festival is in
partnership with Downtown
Santa Monica and attracts over
120,000 people and generates
millions of media impressions.
BritWeek was founded in
2007 by the TV producer Nigel
Lythgoe (American Idol, So You
Think You Can Dance) and the
British Consul General. It was
established as a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization with a
mission to celebrate and
highlight the importance of the
creative fusion between the UK
and California.
BritWeek has expanded to
include 46 events across Los
Angeles in 2013 which are
attended by more than 200,000
people, ranging from red carpet
events, to music festivals to
fashion shows and generated
over 500 million media
impressions.
The Society website
continues to develop,
becoming an even more
useful resource for us all.
Those of you who regularly
login to the site are a testimony to
its ease of use and value as an
informational source. All
scheduled Society events are
listed by date and linked to an
expansive description, including
how to reserve tickets. The
membership area allows
prospective members to download
and print a membership
application form, or if more
convenient to complete the form
online. Payment may be made
through PayPal for new
memberships or to renew an
existing annual membership.
The Useful Links page lists a
wealth of sources for Scottish
information, including news from
The Scotsman or BBC Scotland,
links to other Scottish
organizations such as the
Scottish-American Military
Society, and the Celtic Arts Center.
Whatever your Scottish interests
this page gathers together some
of the most entertaining and
helpful sources available
anywhere. Don’t forget we also
have a Facebook page which is
guaranteed to keep you informed
with Scots goings on!
www.saintandrewsla.org
5
w w w . s a i n t a n d r e w s l a . o r g
Burns Dinner January 25, 2014
More photographs from Burns Dinner 2014 are online at www.saintandrewsla.org
6
t h e
t h i s t l e
m a r c h
2 0 1 4
Poets’ Corner
Poets’ Corner is the name given to a section of
the South Transept of Westminster Abbey due to
the number of poets, playwrights, and writers
now buried and commemorated there, including
Scotland’s own Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott,
Thomas Campbell, and Robert Adam.
www.saintandrewsla.org
McLaren, from page 1
his name endures on leading Grand
Prix and exotic road cars.
The company's first car was the
McLaren F1, a sports car that would
accelerate from 0–60 miles per hour
(0–97 km/h) in 3 seconds.
Such A Parcel Of
Rogues In A Nation
Robert Burns, 1791
Fareweel to a' our Scottish fame,
Fareweel our ancient glory;
Fareweel ev'n to the Scottish name,
Sae fam'd in martial story.
Now Sark rins over Solway sands,
An' Tweed rins to the ocean,
To mark where England's province stands
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!
What force or guile could not subdue,
Thro' many warlike ages,
Is wrought now by a coward few,
For hireling traitor's wages.
The English stell we could disdain,
Secure in valour's station;
But English gold has been our bane
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!
The F1 was a three-seat coupe with
the driver situated in the middle of the
car. The car was designed by Gordon
Murray, who also designed competitive
formula one race cars for McLaren. The
6,064 cc (370.0 cu in) V12 engine,
which produces 618 bhp (461 kW; 627
PS), was designed and built by BMW.
Production of the original F1 began
in 1992. The LM model was then
introduced in 1995, followed by the GT
model in 1997. The GTR was built from
1995 through 1997. Production of the
McLaren F1 drew to a close in May 1998,
with a total production of 100 cars.
Variants produced were 64 F1 (street
car), 5 LM, 3 GT, 9 GTR95, 9 GTR96 and
10 GTR97.
The McLaren F1 GTR was developed
from the F1 road car, and proved highly
effective in the four hour GT races in
1995, its first season of racing. The Le
Mans 24 Hours that year was to be
McLaren's first attempt at the world's
most prestigious endurance race.
McLaren decided to update the 001
chassis–the original test car–and enter
it to augment the five customer cars
that had been running all season. It
was this car, piloted by former Formula
One racers JJ Lehto and Yannick Dalmas
and experienced Japanese driver
Masanori Sekiya that took the
chequered flag after a race full of
drama. McLaren F1 GTRs finished 1st,
3rd, 4th, 5th and 13th.
The F1 held the record for the fastest
production car until 2005, with an
independently measured top speed of
242.97 mph (391.02 km/h) at the
Volkswagen Ehra-Lessien track in 1998.
It has a 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) time of
3.2 seconds. This has been bettered by
the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, and the SSC
Ultimate Aero TT. However, the F1 is
naturally aspirated while the CCX,
Veyron and SSC Aero are not.
O would, or I had seen the day
That Treason thus could sell us,
My auld grey head had lien in clay,
Wi' Bruce and loyal Wallace!
But pith and power, till my last hour,
I'll mak this declaration;
We're bought and sold for English gold
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!
Bruce McLaren, 1962 German Grand Prix