From the Publisher / Arnold G. York
We all know there are cycles to life and yet, when death comes, it’s always a surprise. In a very short period of time three members of our community have passed on, and Malibu is diminished by the loss. We’ve lost Chris Hasselquist, Al Kaufer and Honey Coatsworth. All were part of our community, all participated in many ways and all leave a void.
In thinking about what to say at a memorial service for Chris Hasselquist this weekend, I began to think about how strange it is that we live our lives as if we could stall death indefinitely. Just go to the gym five times a week, avoid high cholesterol foods, avoid smoking and voila, immortality. Yet we all know it’s not true.
Since the final curtain is inevitable, it’s what you do in between that becomes the measure of your life. It’s your impact on those you love, those you work with, those who need you, those in your community, which becomes the measure of your existence.
Each of the three-Chris, Al and Honey-left, in their own way, indelible marks in our minds and on our town.
It’s hard to forget Chris, this big beefy guy tooling around town in this teeny little Miata sports car, rushing off on Chamber of Commerce business or to fix our computers, sometimes until long past midnight. There were nights Karen and I went to sleep, leaving Chris to finish the job and let himself out. Sadly, we just didn’t know about the personal devils that pursued him, that caused him to end his life so prematurely.
I worked with Al on a number of city projects. He had that kind of crisp analytical intellect that could instantly cut through all the distractions and debris and get to the heart of any matter. And he did it all with a sense of humanity. When you think of what you’d want in a lawyer, and also in a friend, that was Al.
Honey Coatsworth had a different approach with her warm and bubbling personality. Whenever there was a community problem to be solved, she always found a solution. She founded and ran the Artifac Tree, which was the spirit of charity in this town, and extended a helping hand to many. Not only that, I never found myself able to say no to anything Honey needed.
As there are seasons in our lives, there are also seasons in the life of a town, and with the passing of the seasons comes change. Part of that change comes because those who pass on leave a hole to be filled by new people, and in time those new people will leave their mark and impact the way we live.
Change is inevitable, and whether we want it or not it still happens. Some of it’s good. Some, I’m not so sure.
When my kids grew up there was no high school in Malibu. Now it’s the center for an entire new generation.
But some things never change. The sand pile and the slides in the Koss Malibu Country Mart still bring out the parents and the kids every weekend. It’s where I took my kids 30 years ago, and I suspect 30 years from now the children and grandchildren of those kids will be going to the same slides.
Still, we’re going to have to fight to hang on to our way of life. The relaxed lifestyle that is Malibu, which brought most of us here, could easily slip away in too much affluence, in the exit of all the little Mom and Pop shops, in the danger of becoming a very high priced outdoor mall.
I’m an optimist. I believe that people such as Chris, Al and Honey will be followed by a new generation of people, equally committed to their community and prepared to carry on and fill the large gap the three leave behind. And this new generation will continue to maintain Malibu as a very special place.