Telephone Pioneers Of America

More than 150 homeless people got an early Thanksgiving dinner Wednesday in W.O. Hart Park, served up by volunteers from the Telephone Pioneers of America. The homeless come to the park each day to gather around picnic tables and eat a meal organized by local resident Mary McAnena, but once a year the telephone company volunteers take over the duty.

More than 150 homeless people got an early Thanksgiving dinner Wednesday in W.O. Hart Park, served up by volunteers from the Telephone Pioneers of America. The homeless come to the park each day to gather around picnic tables and eat a meal organized by local resident Mary McAnena, but once a year the telephone company volunteers take over the duty.

Norman A. Bennett Jr., a 40-year resident of Ventura County, died Wednesday following a lengthy illness. He was 72. Bennett was born Dec. 4, 1925, in Los Angeles. He served in the Navy during World War II. In 1958, Bennett moved from Los Angeles to Ventura. He worked for Pacific Telephone for 31 years, retiring as a plant engineer in 1982. He was a member of the Telephone Pioneers of America and Ventura Retired Professional and Business Mens Club.

Charles Edward Hootman, a retired telephone company foreman, died Thursday at his home in Ventura after a lengthy illness. He was 79. Hootman was born April 8, 1918, in Rawlins, Wyo., and lived in Ventura County for 75 years. He attended school in Ventura, and in high school met his future wife, Merry. Hootman served in the Army in World War II as a technical sergeant, said Merry Hootman, 80. He came back from Europe and went to work for Pacific Telephone Co. as a PBX foreman, retiring in 1973.

The Los Angeles Equestrian Center, working with an organization that collects toys, clothing, books and other items for Native American children on reservations throughout the West, has set a Dec. 12 deadline to receive donations for a holiday drive. The Red Cloud Indian Society in Irvine is trying to double the 3,400 contributions it received last year. Gifts, wrapped and labeled for a boy or a girl and with the recipient's age, can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A group of community volunteers has helped make a nature trail at Pierce College accessible to people in wheelchairs. The completion of the project, which involved smoothing out the trail's surface, was marked Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony near the school's Winnetka Avenue entrance. The trail, which winds through the school's 15-acre arboretum, was opened in April.

City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute received $250,000, proceeds from the 10th Anniversary "Ride for Hope" Sept. 13. More than 5,000 bikers took to eight routes throughout Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties to raise funds for research. Heading the bike-a-thon were Los Angeles County Sheriff Sherman Block, KABC-TV's Henry Alfaro and Mark Gorski, 1984 Olympic gold medalist in cycling. American Cancer Society's black-tie gala Sept.

The staff at San Diego's Fire Station 18 got some extra helpers Tuesday. Instead of quelling fires, the helpers will be called upon to quell the tears of frightened children that the station's firefighters encounter. The helpers are teddy bears, and the San Diego Fire Department hopes they will provide comfort to child victims in a way that human firefighters cannot.

After the clanking dirty dishes were hauled to the kitchen and after she was introduced to the Telephone Pioneers of America as Liberace's protege, pianist Linda Genteel stepped forth to deliver a few renditions on the 88. But the piano had only 68 keys. Not to worry. Although she is barely 22 years old, this professional has played so many concerts for senior citizens under so many odd circumstances that there is hardly a calamity she has not confronted.

Thirteen-year-old Jeff Crandall went to his first circus Wednesday afternoon. He didn't see the bright lights and flashy colors under the big top. But he didn't miss any of the action. Besides enjoying the booming sounds, fuzzy animals and friendly clowns, Crandall and 49 other blind and severely handicapped students from the Los Angeles-based Foundation for the Junior Blind got to "see" the afternoon Circus Vargas performance in Burbank by tuning in the action on AM radios.