Dear Editor,
Betty O’Meara lived in the Big Rock area of Malibu for over 55 years, many with her late husband, David, overlooking the ocean. Betty was such a sweet, warm human being. She tragically died recently, at the age of 94, in her home, all alone, during the horrific Palisades Fire (presumably, she refused to be evacuated by the first responders).
Betty touched the lives of so many people in our small town, always with a warm smile and with pleasant things to say. After David passed away in 1993 at the age of only 64, Betty remained in their Big Rock home alone, always entertaining friends and neighbors. Every time we’d visit Betty, we saw David’s hat and coat, prominently displayed on her dining room table, as if he just came home from work. Over the years, she never moved those items, honoring her late husband.
Every Christmas, Betty would send her friends beautiful 3×5 handmade greeting cards. These unique artistic creations included a beautifully hand-painted colorful image of a nature scene by Betty, and a Japanese saying, in her own hand,along the side of each card. She completed the card with a small, rubber-stamped symbol in the corner. These very personalized annual greeting cards were wonderful and elegant, not unlike those that would be found in high-endfashionable art studios.
Betty’s wonderful husband purchased a one-screen movie house, the Malibu Cinema, in 1972. This became their source of income. Back then, the movie house was literally the only show in town, as there wasn’t any TV reception in Malibu, cable was more than a decade away, and, 1972 predated VHS tapes and their rental stores, such as the Wherehouse and Blockbuster, by 12 years. Only the wealthy few had the budget to afford the installation of huge, 20-foot wide satellite dish antennas, with the ability to remotely rotate them in search of the limited satellite feeds. These massive antennas weren’t even available until 1979. And, all this predated DirecTV by 22 years.
So, if anyone, including the Hollywood celebrities, as well as the rich and famous, wanted to see a movie, their only choice was to see what was showing that week at David’s one-screen, Malibu Cinema. He charged $5 per person, including the famous celebrities — a sparse few of whom had the audacity to demand that they shouldn’t have to pay,since their film was showing at the time. “It’s $5 for everyone; I have to make a living,” was his justifiable response!
The Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, next to the movie house, became an informal gathering place for an eclectic group of locals, informally led by David, which included tow-truck drivers, scientists, writers, realtors, and grocery store clerks, to name a few.
The gals that served the popcorn were also a diversified group of teens. One young teen, Lisa-Ann Gershwin, becomeclose friends with David, who, along with Betty, became her mentors in life. Lisa was absolutely brilliant, a diamond in the rough, who, through the O’Mearas’ encouragement over the years, became a reknowned marine biologist. Sheearned a Ph.D in integrative biology at UC Berkeley on a full scholarship, then awarded a prestigious Fulbright Fellowship, and obtained her second Ph.D in marine biology at the James Cook University in North Queensland, Australia. Currently living in Australia, she has published two highly successful reference textbooks on jellyfish, and is currently an international expert in the study of this venomous class of marine life.
Lisa attributes her success, in large part, to her times with David and Betty, who played key roles of loving surrogate parents during her tumultuous, formative years.
David’s friends at the pizza parlor also filled in when his movie counter kids didn’t show up for work. We graciously assisted with the popcorn and candy sales, soft drinks, and even collecting tickets from the customers, as David went upstairs to run the film projector. We did this for fun, to help maintain and support his movie house. One time, when I was collecting tickets, a 20-year old Pepperdine student actually recognized me. It turned out that, as an HRL lab physicist and a Pepperdine adjunct professor, the school paper, The Graphic, did a story about me, including a photo of me in my laser lab. The student was obviously confused, asking me why a prominent Pepperdine professor and scientist was collecting tickets at a theater. I was actually speechless for once in my life. David approached me, put his arm on my shoulder and responded to the student, “You don’t think we’d hire just anyone to collect tickets?”
Denise and I really miss Betty and David, as do so many other Malibu neighbors and friends. May they both rest in peace together.
David and Denise Pepper, Malibu