Bill Robles, Courtroom Artist Extraordinaire

Thursday, October 6^th, 7:00 p.m.

The 1970 Charles Manson trial launched Bill Robles career as a television news courtroom artist, followed by the high-profile trials of Patricia Hearst, John DeLorean, the Hillside Strangler, Rodney King. O.J. Simpson, the Unabomber, Oklahoma City bombers Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the Menendez Brothers, Robert Blake, Michael Jackson, Donald and Shelly Sterling and mostly recently, Led Zeppelin.  When the media has been locked out of high-profile trials, Bill Robles has been there to give us the picture, with all the context, action and emotion in color.

Through 44 years, Mr. Robles has mastered the art of on-the-spot illustrating, working for a strict and unyielding taskmaster:  television news.  He has said, “I love courtroom illustrating… the immediacy… working feverishly… the adrenaline gets going and suddenly it’s over, on the satellite and around the world.”

In 1981 Bill Robles was selected by NASA to be on site to document the first four space shuttle missions, which is one of his favorite assignments.  He has been nominated for an Emmy, received a gold medal from the Los Angeles Art Directors Club for his coverage of the Manson trial, and three gold medals from the Broadcast Designers Associations.  In 2003 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Los Angeles Society of Illustrators.  A native of Los Angeles, Bill Robles now resides in Brentwood.  He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Art Center College of Design where he also taught illustration for five years.  He currently teaches drawing at Los Angeles Trade Technical College.

Mr. Robles is also one of the subjects of The Illustrated Courtroom:  50 Years of Court Art by Elizabeth Williams and Sue Russell, a book whose cover art by Robles shows Charles Mansion lunging toward the bench during his trial.  As one might imagine, there are a few stories behind each illustration. 

Don’t miss this very special evening at Crowell Public Library on Thursday, October 6^th in the Library’s Barth Community Room.

The Four Pathways to a Fulfilling Life

Four Wednesdays: Oct 5, 12, 19, 26 - 7:00 p.m.

This series of four free lectures by Dr. Thomas Tam will center on “Life Fulfillment,” which can only begin when one is willing to dedicate oneself and embrace the concept of “good look,” “good health,” and “good mood.”  The lectures will put the spotlight on how mindfulness and happenstances are intertwined in our daily lives; how thoughts profoundly affect mood and behavior; with techniques we can employ to modify our thinking, and in the process, change our lifestyle and habits, and how to utilize these acquired skills to attain a healthier and happier life. 

Some techniques and specific approaches will be demonstrated during class, and participation of attendees is highly encouraged. Various assignments will also be suggested to help augment some of these very important concepts under discussion.  Information and lecture materials used and discussed are based on contemporary scientific research and quotations from various cultural classics, respected philosophers and time-honored wisdoms. Together, they will form a solid platform that will enable attendees to interpret, challenge and confront the insurmountable demands of modern day society in a reasonable and realistic manner. 

Thomas Tam, M.D. is President of the Chinese American Foundation for Education and an Emeritus Clinical Associate Professor, OB-GYN at the USC School of Medicine.  In a long and distinguished career, he has been the Medical Director for the Los Angeles Chinatown Family Planning Clinic, Chief of Staff at the Garfield Medical Center as well as Chairman of their Education Committee.

Come to Crowell Public Library and be inspired to live a healthier and happier life. 

The Vexing Problem of Global Warming: Can We Pay For It?

Thursday, September 22^nd, 7:00 p.m.

Despite misinformation spread by contrarians, man-made climate change is very real, very evident and looming very large.  But the situation isn’t hopeless and we’re still very much in the driver’s seat, should we decide to take control.  Robert Haw, an engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will illustrate current manifestations of climate change in easily understood terms, such as sea level rise, ocean acidification, flooding and droughts, a changing balance among plants and animals, and the ways in which these changes affect everyone.  These accumulating climate stresses especially hurt those less fortunate, both here and around the world, and our children.

Moreover, Haw will show that on the economics side of climate change, if we take control now, the transition to a clean-energy economy is not only affordable, it’s also a job-creator and a GDP-booster.  This plan is called Carbon Fee and Dividend.  Find out more about this proposal and how it might help preserve a safe operating space on Earth for humanity on Thursday, September 22^nd at Crowell Public Library. A question and answer period will follow the presentation, including a discussion of follow-up actions that you can take. 

A physicist by training and a graduate of Stanford University, Robert Haw has been employed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for 25 years as a navigation engineer on exploration missions across the solar system. He's currently working on SMAP, an Earth-orbiting spacecraft designed to monitor soil moisture levels around the planet.  In 2012 Robert co-founded the Pasadena Foothills chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby, an organization exclusively devoted to building the political will for a livable planet.  He has spoken frequently in Congressional offices to elected representatives and to public audiences in the Foothill communities about a practical and non-partisan solution to the climate crisis.  The crisis is already too big for individual actions alone to make any difference in solving it.  So how shall we respond, collectively?  

Come learn how to pay for the clean-energy transition and pay ourselves at the same time!