One has labored long hours over the years, contributing mightily to the success of South Pasadena’s float in Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, and the other has been highly civic-minded, serving on a number of city commissions while lending a hand to a number of organizations in town.
For tickets, go to spsenior.org. The South Pasadena Senior Center is at 1102 Oxley Street in the city.
Together they make a dynamic duo, as they have volunteered over the years, playing a major role in making South Pasadena a better place.
It should come as no surprise that the Senior Citizens’ Foundation of South Pasadena will honor Anita Scott and Glen Duncan on Monday, August 19, from 5 to 7 p.m. They will be recognized during the organization’s third annual Senior Champions Awards at the South Pasadena Senior Center on Oxley Street.
Indeed, they are a pair of senior champions.
Scott is no stranger around the city’s float entry where she diligently spends countless hours annually under a giant work tent behind the War Memorial Building in the 400 block of Fair Oaks Avenue doing any number of tasks, seemingly always with a good spirit and friendly smile.
Her float design – “Still Winning” – was selected to represent the City of South Pasadena in 2015 when the iconic parade that rolls down Colorado Boulevard was given the theme “Inspiring Stories.” As a member of LA Pink Dragons, comprised of breast cancer survivors, the float showcased a pair of dragon boats – human powered watercraft – competing against each other. Team members first gathered in 2003 and continue to hold practices in Long Beach.
Today, her passion to contribute her time to South Pasadena’s float, one of six entries constructed and decorated entirely by volunteers, is a labor of love.
“My greatest satisfaction when working on the float is teaching and encouraging volunteers, particularly young people, in learning new skills and giving them a feeling of appreciation for their community,” she said on the South Pasadena Tournament of Roses (SPTOR) website.
Scott has shown her commitment to making the SPTOR float a traditional prizewinner, especially in recent years, since 2010. She has also contributed to other local charities, especially as a member of the South Pasadena Community Garden.
Duncan, who gets his kicks riding along the historic Route 66, is the author of a book on the well-traveled roadway. He’s also the past president of the California Historical Route 66 Association, which later merged with the Route 66 Foundation, where he once held a board member position.
For 18 years, Duncan was a member and past chair of the South Pasadena Cultural Heritage Commission.
That’s only the start. He served one year, 2014-15, as president of the Oneonta Club, a group that meets monthly in town for dinner, to sing a song or two, and hear speakers from a variety of professional backgrounds.
In addition, Duncan has worked for the South Coast Air Quality Management District in the role as a consultant to Michael Cacciotti, a South Pasadena city councilmember, who is the agency’s current vice chair.
He is also a member and past president of the South Pasadena Preservation Foundation and was a stanch opponent of the 710 Freeway extension at a time when it threatened gutting the city through a proposed a surface route or tunnel, which never came to fruition.
Duncan was among a group known as “freeway fighters” vigorously fending off every attempt, having his voice heard at local, county and state meetings while showing his opposition by walking with other like-minded individuals in South Pasadena’s annual Festival of Balloons Parade on the Fourth of July.
Honored recipients like Scott and Duncan are selected by the Senior Citizen Foundation of South Pasadena board that looks for candidates who are residents, volunteer-driven, and dedicated community supporters.
“We would love to see you at this year’s Senior Champion Awards,” said Alexandria Levitt, president of the Foundation, in a statement. “It will be a wonderful evening honoring these two very special residents.”
