Mildred Wedding
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Card to Crusons
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The Artists Barn, that Lawrence worked at until it closed during World War II, when he left to work for Douglas Aircraft.
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Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

Lawrence Hinckley was the oldest of Ira and Kate Hinckley's two children, born in 1900, four years before his sister, Hattie Mae. His artistic talents were manifested early and while his parents might have preferred him going into a more steady line of work, he enrolled in the newly opened Otis Art institute in Los Angeles. Over the next few years he plied his craft in Santa Barbara and Ojai.

In June of 1936 at the Fillmore Presbyterian Church, Lawrence married Mildred Coombs of Santa Paula. Mildred was a reporter and columnist for the Santa Paula Chronicle. She continued to write columns for the Chronicle through at least 1945.

At first they lived in a small beach house, but Mildred knew this was not practical for the long term. One day while visiting Mom and Dad Hinckley (Ira and Kate), she noticed a derelict barn on the two acres the Hinckley's owned off First St. The idea struck her that the barn could be converted into a home and studio. Her enthusiasm for the idea carried the day and by the fall, the newlyweds had a new home and Fillmore had an art gallery. The gallery would open on November 21, 1936 and be a landmark on Bard Street in Fillmore until 1961. Throughout its run, internationally known artists would visit the gallery as well as regular tourist buses which would stop on their way between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.
During World War II, they essentially closed the Artists' Barn and Lawrence went to work for Douglas Aircraft heading a team or artists who did charts and technical drawings.

After the war, the Artists' Barn was again a Mecca for artists and art lovers but the Hinckley's expanded into ceramics. Some of the items were purely decorative, while others were also practical items like spoon rests or scissor holders.
One unusual item they made was Fundo the Elephant who was commissioned by the Republican's Women's Club of Santa Barbara. As Mildred Hinckley in her book "The Artists Barn", "The result was a cuddly little elephant about six inches long and half as high, with a tummy fat enough to hold a lot of dimes and quarters. His name was "Fundo"…On his white back was printed in red and blue, "Peace, Prosperity, and G.O.P." Production of Fundo had just started then President Eisenhower suffered a heart attack. The Club requested that Fundo be sent to the President in the hospital. Lawrence personally decorated on, adding the usual inscription "For Ike" and "Get Well Soon." I wrapped Ike's Fundo and mailed it to the hospital.

Mildred went on to write, "On the morning of November 11, Lawrence was downtown and stopped in a café for a cup of coffee….When he opened the Los Angeles Examiner and started reading the lead story under a double column headline he nearly spilled his drink. It read in part, " ...... all during his illness, it was revealed, [President Eisenhower] has been persuading visitors to his eighth-floor hospital room to put something into his personally sponsored kitty, an elephant made of crockery with a slot for the deposit of money….."

All the while the Artists' Barn was operating, Lawrence continued to paint and draw. Many local homes and businesses displayed his art work. He was especially know for his landscapes and for portraits of colorful characters.

In 1961 the Artists' Barn finally closed. Lawrence continued his painting and Mildred became even more involved than she had been with the Church of Religious Science. She was the founding minister of the Fillmore Church of Religious Science and was pivotal in the construction of their building on River Street. In recognition for her work she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Religious Science International.

Lawrence passed away in 1987 and Mildred in 1995. They were survived by their son, William, who is a professor of education and two grandchildren. The Artists' Barn was sold and is now a private home.

If you would like to see some of Lawrence's artwork, please visit the Hinckley House at the Fillmore Historical Museum when we reopen. A few of the Artists' Barn ceramics are for a sale in the Museum Gift Shop.

Naya Marie Rivera

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On Wednesday, July 8th 33-year-old Los Angeles actress Naya Marie Rivera rented a boat at the lake Wednesday afternoon and went for an excursion with her four-year-old son. The boat was found drifting in the northern portion of the lake with the child alone and asleep onboard. Rivera’s son told investigators that he and his mother had been swimming in the lake, and he got back in the boat, but Rivera did not.

Approximately 50 sheriff’s personnel, along with a helicopter, boat crews, divers, and unmanned aerial vehicles searched the lake for five hours Wednesday evening, but Rivera could not be found. The entire shoreline and surface of the lake were thoroughly searched. Divers also searched under water in the area where the boat had last been seen. However, there was no sign of Rivera. The search was suspended at 10:00 pm Wednesday night due to zero visibility in the water and dangerous conditions for the divers.

The search resumed Thursday morning with divers experiencing less than one foot of visibility in the water in daylight. The difficult conditions have made the recovery operation a very slow process. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is assisting in the search with divers and sonar equipment. Approximately 100 personnel are participating in the mission on Thursday, including resources from neighboring counties and the United States Coast Guard. Investigators believe Rivera drowned in what appears to be a tragic accident.

The search continued until the morning of July 13, when a body was recovered at Lake Priu. Later that day the Ventura Medical Examiner released the following statement:

The body of a woman found in Lake Piru on Monday July 13, 2020 has been confirmed as Naya Marie Rivera. The cause of death is drowning, and the manner of death is accident.

Naya Marie Rivera, Age 33
Date of Pronouncement: 7/13/2020
Cause of Death: Drowning
Manner of Death: Accident
On the morning of July 13, the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office was notified that the body of a woman believed to be 33-year-old Naya Marie Rivera was recovered from the waters of Lake Piru in Ventura County, California. The circumstances and visual characteristics all indicated that the body was that of Naya Rivera and the identity has been confirmed by dental comparison. The body has been x-rayed and a full autopsy has been performed. The autopsy findings are consistent with a drowning and the condition of the body is consistent with the time that she was submerged. No traumatic injuries or disease processes were identified at autopsy. There is no indication from the investigation or examination that drugs or alcohol played a role in the decedent's death, but specimens will be submitted for toxicology testing.

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Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley has officially started their summer program at all of their sites, including the Fillmore and Piru clubhouses. “It is with great excitement that I can share with you that all of our clubs are open in Santa Paula, Fillmore and Piru,” said CEO Jan Marholin. According to Marholin, the organization has spent over $20,000 for sanitizing supplies (courtesy of some specific grants) in all of the facilities for the safety of both staff and club members. In addition, all clubhouses are following rigid guidelines set by both CDC and Ventura County Public Health, and in doing so, they have implemented a strict ratio of 10 youth to one staff member, thus, reducing their total onsite capacity. Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley is committed to continuing to support the youth in our community through this challenging time. There are still a few open spots left in our summer program, visits www.bgCLUBscv.org to register online.

Written by Nancy Rodriguez Hernandez, Engagement & Marketing Coordinator.

Update on Reopening of Fillmore USD Schools
July 8, 2020

Dear Fillmore USD Families,
The purpose of this communication is to provide information to district families about ongoing actions to prepare for the reopening of schools in Fall 2020.

Thank you to all those families who took the time to complete the reopening survey. Your feedback is invaluable as we develop a plan to reopen our schools, keep students and staff safe, and ensure that student learning and development continues.

Reopening Schools Survey Results
As of 8:00 AM July 8th, we received 806 responses to our survey with submissions representing 1,487 students from every school site in the district. District families were asked to consider their support for three reopening models: In-Person Instruction, Distance or At-Home Learning and Hybrid or Blended Learning. Based on the results, our community responses have prioritized Distance or At-Home Learning, then Hybrid or Blended Learning and lastly In-Person Instruction. We are encouraged all families to complete the reopening survey which will remained open until Monday, July 13, 2020 to continue to allow our families the opportunity to provide feedback.

In-Person Instruction: 28.1% of families indicated that they would be very likely to support In-Person Instruction and 20.3% indicated somewhat likely, but 30.5% indicated they would be very unlikely to support it and an additional 12.6% said somewhat unlikely.

Distance or At-Home Learning: 47.5% of families indicated that they would be very likely to support Distance or At-Home Learning and 26.1% indicated somewhat likely, with only 10.5% indicated they would be very unlikely to support it and 8.3% said somewhat unlikely.

Hybrid or Blended Learning: 35.2% of families indicated that they would be very likely to support Hybrid or Blended Learning and 29.1% indicated somewhat likely, but 19.0% indicated they would be very unlikely to support it and an additional 8.4% said somewhat unlikely.

Ready to Commit to Distance or At-Home Learning?
If your family is ready to commit to Distance or At-Home Learning for the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year due to the current COVID-19 circumstances, please complete the information below. A representative from the district will be reaching out to you to confirm your selection.

District Owned Devices for Distance or At-Home Learning
We are pleased to share that all students in Transitional Kindergarten through second grade will be provided with a district owned Apple iPad to support distance learning efforts. Information on requesting a device and deployment will be provided in the coming weeks.

In Spring 2020, students in 2™ grade were provided a district owned iPad device (if requested). All students who received an iPad last spring will continue to use the device as 3" graders. However, all students in grades 4 —12 will use district owned laptops for their distance or at-home learning.

Information on COVID-19
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the following to protect yourself from Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19):

- Wash your hands often

- Avoid close contact

- Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others

- Cover coughs and sneezes

- Clean and disinfect

- Monitor Your Health Daily

In closing, the work to reopen schools will include many changes to our daily routines.
Adopting the new routines outlined above by the Centers for Disease Control will be central to preserving health and safety for each of us and our loved ones. All of us can do our part to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Sincerely,
Adrian E. Palazuelos, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Fillmore Unified