Rich Archbold
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Press-Telegram Editor Emeritus, Community Liaison Director, Columnist, Cub Fan
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Articles by Rich Archbold
Rich Archbold: Long Beach Marathon Legacy Runners are a small but sturdy bunch
Long Beach Marathon Legacy Runners may be dwindling — but the ones remaining are a sturdy, determined bunch. Call them crazy or inspirational. They are tenacious, not letting broken bones, advancing age or other health issues keep them from participating in this year’s 2XU Long Beach Marathon, which takes place on Sunday morning, Oct. 11, and will feature 28,000 participants, making it the largest race to date.
Rich Archbold: Long Beach authors write textbook on commercial drones
How can drones be used to help grow corn? That’s just one of the many questions answered in a fascinating new textbook, “Drone Dynamics: The Technology, Science and Piloting of Commercial Drones,” co-authored by Mike Rivard of Long Beach and Tyler Caros of Lakewood.
Rich Archbold: West Coast Motorsports Hall of Fame to induct Grand Prix icons Pook, Michaelian Original
Chris Pook and the late Jim Michaelian, two motorsports icons who turned the Grand Prix of Long Beach into the most prestigious street racing event in the United States, will be inducted into the West Coast Motorsports Hall of Fame’s Heritage Class this week. The induction ceremony will take place on Thursday, Oct. 1, at the South Point Hotel Casino & Spa in Las Vegas.
Rich Archbold: 2 Long Beach community leaders attending prestigious MPA program at Harvard
It’s back-to-school time for two of Long Beach’s community leaders. Uduak Ntuk, president of Long Beach City College’s board of trustees, and Long Beach equity officer Alanah T. Grant have been admitted to the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Mid-Career Masters of Public Administration program.
Rich Archbold column: Christina’s life turns around with help of Pathways
Christina Chavez struggled in high school, suffering from PTSD caused by childhood trauma and poverty, she recalls. And then, in an amazing turnaround, she not only finished high school, but she also earned a college degree and, eventually, a PhD. in molecular biology. Christina, now 34, credits Pathways to Independence with giving her the support and resources to concentrate on her education.
Rich Archbold: Grandparents, enjoy your special day today
Attention, all grandparents! Sunday, Sept. 13, is your special day - but chances are you're not aware of it. You're not alone. More than 90% of adults aren't aware that Sunday is Grandparents Day or that there even is a Grandparents Day. But it's true. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as Grandparents Day, the first one to be celebrated in 1979.
Rich Archbold: Grandparents, enjoy your special day today
Sunday, Sept. 13, is your special day — but chances are you’re not aware of it. More than 90% of adults aren’t aware that Sunday is Grandparents Day or that there even is a Grandparents Day. But it’s true. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as Grandparents Day, the first one to be celebrated in 1979. Grandparents Day was founded by Marian McQuade, an amazing woman who was an elder rights activist living in West Virginia.
Rich Archbold: Lisa Anne Frost lives on in father's heart after 9/11 plane crash
Lisa Anne Frost was getting ready to board United Airlines Flight 175 at Logan International Airport, in Boston, on Sept. 11, 2001. But first, she called her father, who was working in Southern California. "She was so excited about coming home after graduating from Boston University," her father, Tom Frost, said in an interview last week.
Rich Archbold: Lisa Anne Frost lives on in father’s heart after 9/11 plane crash
Lisa Anne Frost was getting ready to board United Airlines Flight 175 at Logan International Airport, in Boston, on Sept. 11, 2001. But first, she called her father, who was working in Southern California. “She was so excited about coming home after graduating from Boston University,” her father, Tom Frost, said in an interview last week.
Rich Archbold: Long Beach soldiers called for memorial sports stadium during WWII
If you had walked out on the morning of Feb. 25, 1945, to pick up the Press-Telegram on your driveway, the front page was, not surprisingly, dominated by World War II news from faraway places — with headlines like, “Yanks driving on Rhine.” But toward the bottom of that front page was something different, a story with a strong Long Beach connection. It was accompanied by a letter signed by 17 local young men who were serving in the Pacific Theater.
Rich Archbold: New Long Beach school superintendent is David v. Goliath
When he was 5 years old, David Zaid, Long Beach’s new public school superintendent, loved reading the story about the battle between David the shepherd boy who bravely defeated the giant warrior Goliath with just a simple slingshot and a stone. “It was my favorite book as a child,” Zaid said last week in an interview in his office. “It changed my life.” It also changed his name. Zaid was born with the first name, Mynason.
Rich Archbold: Mentees now mentoring Long Beach students in CAMEO program
When Rosa Ruiz, Norma Salcedo-Campos and Nohelia Gavarrete were in high school, the thought of them going to college was like a dream. “I knew I wanted to attend college,” Gavarrete said, “but being a first-generation eldest daughter of immigrants, I had no idea how to get there, pay for it and what would happen after.” But then Cameo, the mentoring program of the Assistance League of Long Beach, came into Gavarrete’s life — and turned her dream into a reality.
Dick Miller, legendary lifeguard and community leader, dies at 93
Dick Miller, a legendary Long Beach chief lifeguard who strengthened and protected the city’s rich aquatic history for generations of people, died on Sunday, Aug. 9. He was 93. “Our family was with him at the end,” said Melva Miller, his wife of 71 years. “I held his hand as he passed away in our home.” Her husband, she said, had a stroke on July 16 after an emotional and inspirational dedication of Long Beach’s Junior Lifeguard Facility in honor of him and his longtime friend, Pat Flynn.
Rich Archbold: Popular Gondola Getaway star of new book
One of the most extraordinary things to do in Long Beach is to glide along the canals of Naples Island in a gondola crafted like the original boats in Venice, Italy. It is a special experience that has been enjoyed by thousands since the Gondola Getaway company started 44 years ago, in 1982. The history of the Gondola Getaway is a fascinating story in itself. Some of that history is contained in a book written by David F.
Rich Archbold: Popular Gondola Getaway star of new book
One of the most extraordinary things to do in Long Beach is to glide along the canals of Naples Island in a gondola crafted like the original boats in Venice, Italy. It is a special experience that has been enjoyed by thousands since the Gondola Getaway company started 44 years ago, in 1982. The history of the Gondola Getaway is a fascinating story in itself. Some of that history is contained in a book written by David F.
Rich Archbold: Roxie Belle, forgotten woman in Long Beach, P-T history, remembered in new book Original
At one time in early Long Beach history, Roxie Belle McCord Roberts stood out as publisher of The Telegram, a colorful civic leader, and a popular and outspoken public speaker. She was a trailblazer and played a significant role in helping build Long Beach as it grew into a prominent Southern California city in the 1920s.
Rich Archbold: I'm double lucky on 88th birthday
When I was a little younger - well, actually, a lot younger - I used to think that being 60 years old or so was ancient. Well, on Tuesday, July 7, I celebrated my 88th birthday. So what does that make me? Prehistoric? Archaic? Primeval? I like to think that I am older - but not OLD. Don't call me an old-timer. My perception of "old age" has shifted over time and as the number of candles on my birthday cake increased. I used to be hesitant about giving out my age when I was asked how old I was.
Rich Archbold: I’m double lucky on 88th birthday
When I was a little younger — well, actually, a lot younger — I used to think that being 60 years old or so was ancient. Well, on Tuesday, July 7, I celebrated my 88th birthday. So what does that make me? I like to think that I am older — but not OLD. Don’t call me an old-timer. My perception of “old age” has shifted over time and as the number of candles on my birthday cake increased. I used to be hesitant about giving out my age when I was asked how old I was.
Send-a-Kid-to-Camp: Kids enjoy mountain camps, thanks to P-T readers
Everywhere you looked at beautiful Camp Oakes, high in the San Bernardino Mountains, last week, you could see kids having fun. There were kids canoeing in the lake, hiking on trails, shooting arrows, climbing a giant wall, fishing and, perhaps most exciting, zip lining at the camp, which is 7,400 feet high in the mountains. And at night, there were kids talking and singing around campfires while staring at stunningly shining stars in the sky.
Send-a-Kid-to-Camp: Donors set record for sending kids to camp
All we can say is — wow! The shouts could be heard from the flatlands to the mountains as Press-Telegram readers shattered the record for donations to send kids to summer camps in nearby mountains. The final total for this year’s Send-a-Kid-to-Camp fundraising campaign is $170,774.41, breaking the record of $166,154.70 set in 2024, according to Tom Bray, senior editor for the Southern California News Group’s Los Angeles publications. “Hooray for a record-shattering year!” Bray said.
Rich Archbold: A tip of the Uncle Sam hat to my 1776 ancestor
While enjoying a hamburger, piled high with all the usual fixings, on the Fourth of July, I will marvel that this is already the 250th anniversary since those intrepid colonials signed their name to that venerable document, the Declaration of Independence. If they hadn’t done that, I might be eating that classic British comfort food, beans on toast, instead. Their brave act launched a revolution and formed a new country.
SCNG journalists honored for news coverage by LA Press Club Original
Southern California News Group journalists took home multiples awards from the Los Angeles Press Club’s 68th Annual Southern California Journalism Awards on Sunday, June 28, including for the group’s coverage of the Eaton and Palisades fires.
Rich Archbold: Pat Dixon, Pools of Hope work daily miracles
For 63 years, the Long Beach Pools of Hope has been a daily miracle, improving the lives of thousands of people with illnesses, injuries or disabilities. But there was a time 27 years ago when the warm-water facility in North Long Beach almost closed because of financial difficulties. Coming to the rescue then was Pat Dixon, who was appointed executive director - with the daunting task of finding ways to keep the pools open.
Rich Archbold: Pat Dixon, Pools of Hope work daily miracles
For 63 years, the Long Beach Pools of Hope has been a daily miracle, improving the lives of thousands of people with illnesses, injuries or disabilities. But there was a time 27 years ago when the warm-water facility in North Long Beach almost closed because of financial difficulties. Coming to the rescue then was Pat Dixon, who was appointed executive director — with the daunting task of finding ways to keep the pools open.
Rich Archbold: Professor Zahalea Anderson has risen from the ashes with her martial arts teaching
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Professor Zahalea Anderson was in tears six years ago when her martial arts school in downtown Long Beach was destroyed by fire and vandalism stemming from violence and protests following the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. But she didn’t lose her warrior spirit. Anderson promised to “rise like a phoenix,” referring to the mythological bird that rises from ashes to be reborn. Professor Zahalea Anderson.
Send-a-Kid-to-Camp: Kids excited about going to camp in mountains
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Eight-year-old Ryell can’t wait to go to summer camp in the mountains so he can learn how to swim during the day — and eat marshmallows at night. Nine-year-old Misa is looking forward to staying up all night and talking with friends, including the new ones she plans to meet. Nya, also 9, is eager to go hiking in the great outdoors and sleep in cabins.
Send-a-Kid-to-Camp: Donor remembers her childhood friend from 65 years ago
Amy Block reminisced about a wonderful memory from her childhood while donating to the Press-Telegram's Send-a-Kid-to-Camp fund recently. Block, now 71, recalled a time when she was 6 and living in Merrick, a beautiful hamlet in Long Island, New York, 30 miles east of Manhattan. "My parents, Fran and Herb Block, loved to help people, especially children," Block told me in a phone call last week.
Rich Archbold: Now is the time to join Leadership Long Beach
If you want to make better connections to develop and improve your community leadership skills and shape the future of Long Beach, now is the time to join Leadership Long Beach. The city's premier leadership organization is accepting applications for the class of 2027. The deadline is July 19, with classes beginning Sept. 3. Matt Guardabascio, LLB's executive director, said that, for 37 years, Leadership Long Beach "has been cultivating leaders who make a difference in every corner of the community.
Send-a-Kid-to-Camp: Donor remembers her childhood friend from 65 years ago
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Amy Block reminisced about a wonderful memory from her childhood while donating to the Press-Telegram’s Send-a-Kid-to-Camp fund recently. Block, now 71, recalled a time when she was 6 and living in Merrick, a beautiful hamlet in Long Island, New York, 30 miles east of Manhattan. “My parents, Fran and Herb Block, loved to help people, especially children,” Block told me in a phone call last week.
Rich Archbold: Now is the time to join Leadership Long Beach
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... If you want to make better connections to develop and improve your community leadership skills and shape the future of Long Beach, now is the time to join Leadership Long Beach. The city’s premier leadership organization is accepting applications for the class of 2027. The deadline is July 19, with classes beginning Sept. 3.
Send-a-Kid-to-Camp: Long Beach philanthropists helping to send kids to summer camps
Four Long Beach philanthropists have contributed donations to send more kids to summer camps in nearby mountains. Kevin Peterson, chair of the Long Beach Community Foundation board, and his wife, Jennifer, donated $20,000 to the Send-a-Kid-to-Camp fund started by the Press-Telegram and its sister publication, the Grunion Gazette, in partnership with the Community Foundation. Mike Walter and his wife, Arline, donated $10,000.
Send-a-Kid-to-Camp: Long Beach philanthropists helping to send kids to summer camps
Four Long Beach philanthropists have contributed donations to send more kids to summer camps in nearby mountains. Kevin Peterson, chair of the Long Beach Community Foundation board, and his wife, Jennifer, donated $20,000 to the Send-a-Kid-to-Camp fund started by the Press-Telegram and its sister publication, the Grunion Gazette, in partnership with the Community Foundation. Mike Walter and his wife, Arline, donated $10,000.
Rich Archbold: Frank T. Blair is smiling at fans' support of Coast baseball team
Frank T. Blair has got to be smiling. Blair Field, the baseball stadium named after him, was alive with the roar of 3,000 cheering fans last week when the Long Beach Coast minor league team held its first game at the historic field. That had to be a sweet sound for the man who, as sports editor of the Press-Telegram, campaigned for a first-rate baseball field at Recreation Park in the 1940s and 1950s.
Rich Archbold: Frank T. Blair is smiling at fans' support of Coast baseball team
Frank T. Blair has got to be smiling. Blair Field, the baseball stadium named after him, was alive with the roar of 3,000 cheering fans last week when the Long Beach Coast minor league team held its first game at the historic field. That had to be a sweet sound for the man who, as sports editor of the Press-Telegram, campaigned for a first-rate baseball field at Recreation Park in the 1940s and 1950s.
Send-a-Kid-to-Camp: Long Beach philanthropists helping to send kids to summer camps
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Four Long Beach philanthropists have contributed donations to send more kids to summer camps in nearby mountains. Kevin Peterson, chair of the Long Beach Community Foundation board, and his wife, Jennifer, donated $20,000 to the Send-a-Kid-to-Camp fund started by the Press-Telegram and its sister publication, the Grunion Gazette, in partnership with the Community Foundation. Mike Walter and his wife, Arline, donated $10,000.
Rich Archbold: Frank T. Blair is smiling at fans’ support of Coast baseball team
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Frank T. Blair has got to be smiling. Blair Field, the baseball stadium named after him, was alive with the roar of 3,000 cheering fans last week when the Long Beach Coast minor league team held its first game at the historic field. That had to be a sweet sound for the man who, as sports editor of the Press-Telegram, campaigned for a first-rate baseball field at Recreation Park in the 1940s and 1950s.
Send-a-Kid-to-Camp: Readers match $30,000 goal
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... More kids will enjoy camping in the mountains this summer as Press-Telegram and Grunion Gazette readers matched a $30,000 donation made by philanthropists Frank and Margie Newell.
Send-a-Kid-to-Camp: Frank, Margie Newell challenge readers to donate $30,000 for kids to go to camp
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Long Beach philanthropists Frank and Margie Newell have agreed to contribute $30,000 to the Press-Telegram’s Send-a-Kid-to-Camp fund so more kids can enjoy a week camping in the mountains this summer. That is a very generous donation — but there is a condition attached to the contribution.
Send-a-Kid-to-Camp: Maria Alarcon, 95, remembers her camp days, wants to help kids today
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Maria Alarcon had a difficult childhood, growing up poor in Central Los Angeles in the middle of the Great Depression in the 1930s. “We were very, very poor,” she said. “My father was an immigrant from Mexico. We had very little.” Then a life-changing event happened to Maria. “Somehow, through my school, when I was 11 in 1942, I spent a week in a summer camp in the mountains. I think it was Camp Valyer in the San Gabriel Mountains.
Rich Archbold: Sing your hearts out at Sing-A-Long Beach at Rec Park May 30
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Bring your vocal chords and picnic basket to Long Beach’s Bandshell in Recreation Park May 30 – and get ready for a joyous and fun time. This will be the second annual Sing-a-Long Beach event created by Stan DeWitt, executive director of the Long Beach Youth Chorus, and Mary Barton, a community leader and singer. Last year’s inaugural event was a hit with the audience who enthusiastically sang along – as intended – with all the music played.
Send-a-Kid-to-Camp: Get a drink at Bungalow HB and help send a kid to camp Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Getting a cocktail or mocktail this month will help send kids to a camp in the mountains this summer — if you know where to go. Throughout May, The Bungalow Huntington Beach, 21058 Pacific Coast Highway, will feature special camp-themed drinks, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Press-Telegram’s Send-a-Kid-to-Camp program, according to Deb Fass, chief marketing officer for the Bungalow Hospitality Group.
Send-a-Kid-to-Camp: It’s time to once again help send kids back to the mountains this summer Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... “I’m nervous about going to my first summer camp, but I’m also excited about going to the mountains,” said Sophie,11, of the YMCA of Greater Long Beach. “I can’t wait to go canoeing and seeing the stars at night.” Sophie is like a lot of other kids in Long Beach who are excited about attending their first summer camp in the nearby Southern California mountains.
Rich Archbold: Friends celebrate 25th anniversary of ‘Peanuts’ sculpture by Stan Pawlowski
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Everybody loves Charles Schulz’s Snoopy and Charlie Brown on newspaper comics pages, but what about the 400-pound version of the “Peanuts” characters cast in bronze by Long Beach sculptor Stan Pawlowski? “We love that, too,” said Mary Munk, founder of the Walter Munk Foundation for the Oceans in La Jolla.
Tom Pontac, on of Long Beach Marathon’s ‘Legacy Runners,’ dies at 89
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Tom Pontac, a Legacy Runner who had participated in every Long Beach Marathon since it started in 1982, died earlier this month — just hours before his 90th birthday. Pontac was a fitness wonder. He ran in more than 400 marathons worldwide, many with his wife, Jeanne Haislett. He started the Leisure Leggers running/walking club at Leisure World.
Rich Archbold: The late Jim Michaelian loved endurance car racing Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Jim Michaelian’s love of auto racing began when he was 12 or so, when he learned to drive a car on the back roads of his grandmother’s vineyard in Fresno. As a teenager back at his home in Alhambra, he graduated to driving hot rods. He loved to drive fast while attending UCLA and working at different jobs before starting his career with the Grand Prix of Long Beach in 1975. That love of speed brought him to the attention of local authorities.
Rich Archbold: What will the Grand Prix of Long Beach look like in next 50 years? Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... When Chris Pook came up with his idea in the 1970s to run race cars on the streets of Long Beach, many people thought it was “a crazy idea” that would never work. But Pook, then a young travel agent in downtown Long Beach, had the vision and fortitude to make the first race a reality in 1975.
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