EXHIBIT MISSION

The main intention of this exhibit is to highlight past news articles, which range from education to social issues. Utilizing the resources given to us by the Lanterman Research Center, we bring a diverse perspective and an analytical examination of current versus older issues of the Valley Sun.

ABOUT THIS EXHIBIT

The curators of The La Cañada Valley Sun: A Capsule of Community were members of the Lanterman Research Internship Program during the summer of 2023. They spent a month working with the collection of historic local newspapers which are preserved by the Lanterman House Archives. The interns each chose articles from two different issues of the Valley Sun to include in this exhibition.

Valley SUn History

The newspaper was started by Dixi Gail Hall on April 3, 1946, who originally named the paper the La Cañada Valley Sun. It was purchased by his printer, Arno Peet, in 1948, who then sold it to Joe DuPlain in 1949. DuPlain published the paper for the next thirty years before selling it to Jerry Bean in 1989. The publication remained locally owned until 2005, when it was bought by the Los Angeles Times. In 2020, the paper was purchased by the Outlook Newspaper Group who renamed it The La Cañada Flintridge Outlook Valley Sun. Current owner and publisher Charlie Plowman got his start in the newspaper business as a sportswriter for the La Cañada Valley Sun.  

 The Valley Sun aimed to reflect what was important to the community, including various articles covering clubs, education, sports, religion, and local businesses. Through the years, the Valley Sun has stayed true to remaining independent and publishing strictly local affairs.

In the small city of La Cañada, the town put continued emphasis on the importance of education within the community. The September 4, 1946 issue of the Valley Sun documented how the School Board approved of the new architectural additions to La Cañada Elementary. The expansion of the school system reflected the era of tremendous population growth in La Cañada, post World War II. Valley Sun reporting included exact locations of school bus stop en route to Marshall Junior High and Elliot Junior High. La Cañada junior and senior high school students attended Pasadena schools as La Cañada Unified District was not yet founded.  

The September 6, 1956 issue featured an advertisement for Jewel’s Jewel Cooke, a jewelry store located in Glendale. The La Cañada Valley Sun focused heavily on advertisements targeting women of all ages. Advertisements geared towards weddings and engagements were popular features.

In the September 22, 1966 issue, the Valley Sun profiled the La Cañada High School Football team in order to foster community spirit. It was the start of the school year and the sports section was one of the leading topics in the September issues. Seen through the captions reading, “Cross-town foe” and “Spartan-Falcon Clash,” it is evident that the valley rivalry was in full swing—no different than what exists today.

The early covers of the Valley Sun were always something to look forward to. Before the Los Angeles Times bought the Valley Sun in 2005, the covers of the newspaper displayed large images, often including Rose Queens, football games, and weather. After the change of ownership, the Valley Sun stopped including covers to their papers. Instead, they dove right into the articles, similar to a traditional newspaper.

What may be viewed as controversial at the time, the September 4, 1986 issue of the Valley Sun documented the official closing of La Cañada High School’s designated smoking area. The smoking area was set in place in 1978 in attempt to remove individuals from smoking in the restrooms. The School Board approved and passed this policy. By 1986, due to the new state legislation, smoking areas on high school campuses were prohibited, marking the end of this area devoted to smokers. 

The September 12, 1996 issue included an ad for residential realtor named Trudy McKay. In contrast to the Valley Sun’s early 1940s issues that had a lot of advertisements targeting women, the late 1990s featured advertisements with women having careers such as real estate. Real estate advertisements have always been a prominent source of revenue for the Valley Sun.

In the September 8, 2006 Valley Sun there is an evident change in the content of the papers, most notably in regards to the community’s interest in crime. The paper dedicated an entire column to this topic, using it also as a means to create a safer community. This issue contains an article about a robber arrested on September 5. He was dubbed the “Band-Aid Bandit” because of the band-aids he used to disguise his face—a story many would have been eager to read.

“During this past month of Interning at the Lanterman House, I learned more about community newspapers than I ever knew. Before the Internship I hardly ever picked up a local newspaper, but after all the research we did about the Valley Sun, and all the interviews we put together, I realized how local papers are able to bring communities together.“

—Sophia Hovhannisyan

“As a summer intern for the Lanterman House I was able to learn the fundamentals on conducting an oral history and how to write a compelling article based on the resources provided. Through this experience I was able to dive head first into the process of journalism and develop advanced  research skills. Not only this, I was able to get a closer look at my hometown of La Cañada and discover the origins as well as the social life.”

—Kiera Horne