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401The newspaper with the hillside slant • Friday, April 8, 2016 • $1.00

Page A3: GlenviewElementary’s annualRead-a-Thon has sadmessage about state’spublic education.

Page A6: Bringing Backthe Natives Garden Tourin the East Bay keeps afocus on conservation.

Police reports.............................A2Opinion.......................................A8Obituaries ..................................A9

Sports......................................... B1Crossword..................................B2Classifieds..................................B4

INDEX

Like the Montclarionat Facebook.com/Montclarion

MONTCLARION ON FACEBOOKPrior: Artist/teacher AmandaLockwood paints butterflies,scenery on new Gateway Mural inMontclair. PAGE A6

INSIDE

By Laura CaseyCorrespondent

OAKLAND — Tempersflared at a March 31 meeting inMontclair over the recent spikein noise coming from aircraftoverhead.

Some people yelled “Make itstop!” and some cursed undertheir breath. The majority ofthe standing-room-only crowdat the Montclair PresbyterianChurch wanted answers froman Oakland airport officialwho generally couldn’t providethem.

The problem of increased jetnoise all over the country hasto do with the Federal AviationAdministration’s (FAA) newNextGen program, rolled out in

2014, which uses highly preciseGPS technology to optimize air-space to reduce delays, increaseairport capacity, save time and

fuel costs and free up new air-space for commercial and mili-tary drones. The result is air-planes are directed by the FAA

to be funneled into narrowercorridors and fly lower.

Kristi McKenney, assistantdirector of air travel for thePort of Oakland, which runs theOakland International Airport,said the Bay Area’s new flightpatterns have been in placesince March 2015. Oakland resi-dents, and the particularly vo-cal residents of Montclair, saidthe noise has been “unbearable”

Emotions high at jet noise meetingFYIResidents can complain about noise in their neighborhoods online atwww.flyquietoak.com at www.flysfo.com/community-environment/noise-abatement. They can contact the Oakland Airport NoiseManagement Program at 510-563-6463 or at OAKNoiseProgram@PortOakland.comPeople can attend a quarterly Oakland airport noise forum at the Portof Oakland board room, 530 Water St., Second Floor, Oakland. The nextmeeting is at 6:30 p.m. April 20.

Most in crowd complain,want answers about extraflights over Oakland hills

Montclair

By Maggie SharpeCorrespondent

OAKLAND — André Pres-ton has run the Adventure Timeafter-school sports program atMontclair Elementary Schoolfor the past 27 years — and hasinfluenced thousands of younglives along the way.

“André has taught an en-tire generation of kids aboutsportsmanship, how to competewhether you win or lose and

just the sheer joy of physicalactivity,” said Roland De Wolk,whose two grown sons playedsports with Preston and stillgo back to the school to visithim. “André is a great guy andan unsung hero of Oakland.Over and over again, I’ve seenhim resolve difficult situationsand help troubled kids, not justthrough sports but homeworkand artwork as well. It’s peoplelike him that make this worldturn.”

Margaret Hesson, who hasbeen Montclair Elementary’sAdventure Time on-site direc-tor for six years, said Preston is

‘Unsung hero’ Preston hasinfluenced thousands ofstudents’ lives since 1980s

Coach’s lessons far-reaching

Montclair Elementary

By Mike McGreehanCorrespondent

PIEDMONT — Robert “Bob”Wesley DeBolt and his late wife,Dorothy, made it their missionin life to help as many childrenas they possibly could, whetheras biological parents, steppar-

ents or adoptive parents, astheir nationally renowned fam-ily ultimately grew to 20 chil-dren.

The DeBolts also encour-aged other adults to adoptchildren, especially those withspecial needs. To that end, theyfounded Adopt A Special Kid

(AASK), which in 2015 becamepart of Lilliput Children’s Ser-vices.

Bob DeBolt, an acclaimedpublic speaker, recipient of nu-merous awards and honorarydegrees, recognized by the U.S.Congress and four presidentsand once appointed by Presi-dent Jimmy Carter to the Presi-dent’s Committee on Youth andFamilies, died Jan. 24 in El Ca-jon at age 84.

Bob DeBolt recalled as adoption advocate‘Father of Year’ recognizedby four presidents; film onfamily’s kids won Oscar

FYIDonations in Robert DeBolt’s

name can be made to LilliputChildren’s Services. Go to Lilliput.org or call 916-678-7254.

Remembrance

STAFF ARCHIVES

Dorothy and Bob Debolt appear October 1977 with grandmother andchildren.

MAGGIE SHARPE/FOR BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

Montclair Elementary School Adventure Time basketball players are,front row, from left: Brandon McCoy Jr., Soliya Solomon, Max Hamilton,Avery Saechao, Matthew Chernak, Quincy Washington, Ian Ondricekand Dakota Dickson; back row: William Cope, Casey Dunning-Sorey,Isaiah Sundqvist-Smith, Kasey Kazliner, Noah Kileen, Patrick Tully, SeanSweeney, Evan Garrison, Sophia Jayasekera and Lily Malone. Standingis coach André Preston.

By Marta YamamotoCorrespondent

PIEDMONT — Homes are a reflection of whowe are and how we live our lives, each one indi-vidualized and revealing a distinct story about wholives there.

On April 29-30, five distinctive homes, witha sixth as part of a VIP package, will open their

doors for the 28th Annual Heart of the Home Tour.Tourgoers will be invited to experience and dis-cover varied architecture, furnishings and décor,much like a treasure hunt full of ideas and flair.

CSL’s annual Heart of the Home Tourto benefit at-risk kids is April 29-30

FYIWhat: 28th annual Heart of the Home Tour;proceeds will benefit various groups serving at-riskchildrenWhen: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 29-30Tickets: advance, $45 tour only, $55 tour pluslunch; day of tour, $50 tour only, $62 tour pluslunch; VIP ticket package, $125; 510-338-4521,ChildrensSupportLeague.org.2015 nonprofit recipients: http://wehelpkids.org/?page_id=2190For volunteering information: http://wehelpkids.org/?page_id=397

HOMES IN SPOTLIGHT

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TREVE JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY

Top photo, the view from the rear window ofthe kitchen of a Prairie-style family house onManchester Drive in Upper Rockridge. The ownershave created a broad house with overhanging eavesand gently sloping rooflines. Above, the second-floor office of an English Tudor Revival home onMargarido Drive.

See DeBolt on Page 7

See Noise on Page 9

See Preston on Page 9See Homes on Page 9

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To place an Obituary notice in the newspaperplease go to www.bayareaobits.com

or call us at 510-293-2627.

Obituaries &In Memoriams

Michael Edward Dixonof El Cerrito, CA, aged 56,global adventurer, cher-ished family member andstellar Chevron alchemistfor 35 years, passed awayon March 25, 2016. He issurvived by his motherErnestine Brooks, daughtersNicole and Corinne Dixon,and siblings Venise Dixon-Melancon, William Brooks,Damond Dixon, and PamelaDixon-Williams.Donations in Michael’s

memory may be sent tothe Breast Cancer ResearchFund or the NationalMultiple Sclerosis Society.Please see Michael Dixon’sFacebook Memorial Pagefor details.

Michael DixonEl Cerrito, CA

Robert Leland Lustig, 90,of Montclair, passed awaypeacefully at Alta BatesHospital, Berkeley, onMarch 23, 2016. Bob wasborn in Oakland, CA andlived in Northern Californiaall his life. He was prede-ceased by his beloved wifeMuriel in 2015, and he issurvived by his sister-in-lawArlene Greer, and manynieces and nephews.He was a proud World

War II veteran, serving inthe Philippines with the 6thArmy Corps of Engineers.He was one of the *rsttroops to land in Japan af-ter the war ended in 1945.He obtained a BA degreein art and architecture fromthe University of California,Berkeley in 1949, and be-came a licensed architectin 1958. He worked con-tinuously in that *eld all hislife. He was a gifted watercolorist and he sketchedportraits of countless ac-quaintances throughout hislife.Bob and Muriel traveled

extensively and he spoke1uent Spanish and Italianthat he put to good useduring their frequent tripsto Europe and Mexico. Anavid learner and voraciousreader, Bob will long beremembered for his loveof conversation and sharpsense of humor. Bob madefriends easily and he willbe deeply missed by hismany friends and his ex-tended family.Bob’s ashes will be scat-tered in San Francisco Bay.A memorial service willbe held, date and locationto be determined. In lieuof 1owers the family sug-gests a donation in Bob’sname to the charity of yourchoice.

Robert LustigResident of Oakland

since this past October.Bruce Whetstone, a

member of the Save OurSkies organization de-veloped to address thisproblem, said he’s noticedroaring airplanes above hisMontclair home for a fewmonths.

“We haven’t been out onour patio much because ofthe weather lately, but thetimes we do go out, it’s like,‘Where are all these planes

coming from?’ ” he said.“I’ve never seen this manyplanes before.”

Whetstone and his part-ner, Terry Griffith, said thatextra insulation and double-pane windows don’t helpreduce the airplane noise,which rouses them fromsleep.

“The noise is still com-ing through, and it wakeshim up in the middle of thenight,” Griffith said.

Rockridge resident Ju-dith Giardina said airplanenoise is also a problem inher neighborhood. She saidshe has always had a nice,

quiet backyard but that ithas changed in the past fewmonths.

“I expect some planesfrom time to time but notlike this,” she said. “It is an-noying.”

Aviation expert HarveyHartmann and Vice MayorAnnie Campbell Washing-ton joined McKenney fromthe Port of Oakland at atable as person after personstepped up to a microphoneand complained about thenoise.

One woman from TrestleGlen reported she counted60 aircraft passing directly

over her home in a three-hour time period. Anotherspeaker asked the panelwhat is being done rightnow to stop this noise prob-lem. Still another asked if heshould sell his home beforethe problem becomes well-known.

The only answers camefrom McKenney, who saidshe is in touch with officialsfrom the FAA and was go-ing to talk about this meet-ing with them. Still, she saidshe has no control over theway planes are flown to theOakland International Air-port — the airport is simply

a hub for airline traffic. Al-though someone from theFAA was in the audience,the person did not speakbecause of litigation pend-ing against the FAA due tothis issue. Some audiencemembers shouted that theyshould get in on the litiga-tion.

Max Chen, a congres-sional aide to U.S. Rep. Bar-bara Lee, D-Oakland, saidLee is co-sponsoring twopieces of legislation, HR3384 and HR 3965, to quietthe skies.

Whetstone , who is alsoa pilot, told the crowd that

after studying the bills, hefound they have about a2 percent chance of pass-ing.

McKenney said the air-port has an entire depart-ment set up to receive com-plaints about noise and saidthe number of complaintshas gone up significantly inthe past several months. ASan Francisco InternationalAirport official said the air-port received about 15,000complaints in 2014 and morethan 500,000 complaints in2015, since NextGen wasimplemented.

NoiseContinued from Page 1

a big part of the commu-nity.

“Parents sign their kidsup just to be with André,even when they don’t needthe after-school care,” saidHesson, adding that thereare some 250 students inAdventure Time at Mont-clair, including about 70 inPreston’s sports programs.

Lily Malone, a fourth-year student at MontclairElementary, said she’ssigned up for all the sportsthat Preston offers — foot-ball, baseball, basketballand soccer — but especiallylikes soccer and football.

“He’s really good at be-ing a coach because he’skind if someone gets hurtand makes them feel betterso that they can keep play-ing,” said Malone, who alsoattends Preston’s summercamps at Roberts Park inthe Oakland hills. “I likethe way he lets girls doall the things that boys do— he treats boys and girlsequally.”

Quincy Washington, 9,

a third-grader at Mont-clair Elementary and son ofOakland’s Vice Mayor andDistrict 4 CouncilmemberAnnie Campbell Washing-ton, said basketball is hisfavorite sport.

“I get excited to playbasketball with the team af-ter school. André makes itfun and easy to learn a newsport,” Washington said.

Preston was born in Chi-cago on April 8, 1962 — “thesame year Ringo joined theBeatles.”

His family moved firstto New York and then toOakland when Preston was12 and settled in the LakeMerritt neighborhood. Hegraduated from WestlakeMiddle School and BerkeleyHigh, earning a track-and-field athletic scholarshipto Morehouse College inAtlanta, Georgia, where hemajored in art. Preston saidsports has always been inhis blood.

“As a child, I wouldgather all the local kids andorganize teams and gamesagainst kids in other neigh-borhoods,” said Preston,who taught at a Montessorischool in Oakland before ac-cepting the job at Montclair

Elementary in 1989.“They were looking for

someone who could team-teach and was musical, ar-tistic and sports-minded.I interviewed for the joband was hired on the spot,”Preston said.

The popular sportscoach is also a talented mu-sician who plays drums andsings with various Bay Areabands, including SambaFunk, which will performThursday in an interactiveassembly at Montclair El-ementary.

“We also perform duringthe school’s annual OtterWalk walk-a-thon,” Prestonsaid. “We play everythingfrom dance music to classi-cal and soul.”

Preston is also workingon a three-part multimediacomic book series, the firstof which is entitled “Wel-come to the YOUniverse.”He’s taken his love of illus-tration and comic books tostudents at Montclair Ele-mentary, where he started acomic book club earlier thisyear, teaching drawing, col-oring and storytelling. TonyDe Wolk is 28 but continuesto incorporate the lessonshe learned from Preston

into his daily life.“I started at Adventure

Time in kindergarten andcontinued though my entiretime at Montclair Elemen-tary,” said De Wolk, add-ing that a group from hisAdventure Time days stillmeets up every Saturdayto play flag football. “Andréhelped me with homework,he mediated fights — andhe gave me my due when Ibroke the rules. His curricu-lum can’t be found in a text-book, but the results of histeaching can be seen in thethousands of students hetaught. I would say André isa bona fide superhero.”

Lily Malone’s father,Christopher, is a single par-ent who feels anxious thathe has to leave his daughterat school and in after-schoolcare for long hours eachday.

“My child spends 10 hourson campus each school day,four under André’s care,”Christopher Malone said.“Without André’s involve-ment in my daughter’s dailyextracurricular life, run-ning four seasons of sportsprograms, my daughter andI would likely be lesser peo-ple, and I would be much

more stressed over the longhours my daughter spendsaway from me. André is ablessing.”

Preston said that thebottom line is respect.

“Respect for yourself,for each other, for the en-vironment, for adults andteachers and for the gameand the equipment,” saidPreston, adding that he wasbrought up “old-school” inwhich “if you mess up, youclean up.”

“If conflict arises, wewant kids to understandhow it happened, to preventit happening again,” Pres-

ton said. “We want kids towalk away from any conflictas friends.”

Vice Mayor CampbellWashington agrees.

“In a world where ev-eryone is screaming at chil-dren as if they are playingpro ball, it’s refreshing thatAndré doesn’t obsess abouthow good the kids are,” shesaid. “He just wants them toplay, and he’s great at get-ting kids in the game. As aparent, I deeply appreciateand admire André’s abilityto cultivate a love of sportsand positive experiences forall the kids he coaches.”

PrestonContinued from Page 1

The tour is sponsored byChildren’s Support Leagueof the East Bay (CSL), anorganization that raisesmoney for agencies thatserve at-risk children inAlameda and Contra Costacounties. Since 1986, thisdedicated, all-volunteergroup has provided theseagencies with more than$3.3 million in grants.

“I think our tour standsout because of the breadthof architecture styles andusing the entire house;people get to go in and geta deeper peek at all of thesebeautiful homes we have,”said Stacy Mattson, tourco-chair. “I think we runthe tour very well; we’rejust sort of a well-oiled ma-chine.”

There’s much to do ontour day with PiedmontCommunity Center as thesite of a pop-up boutiquewith more than 30 artisanvendors; Doc’s Classics andEl Sur food trucks; and araffle tantalizing with morethan 100 prizes.

This year’s homes runthe gamut from period,where owners serve asstewards to accuracy ofdesign and details; to re-figured and contemporary,where footprint and floorplan have been created tomeet the owners’ needs.

In Piedmont on HighlandAvenue, a 100-year-old Ital-ianate villa was originallybuilt for a concert pianistwho built a ballroom andthen the rest of the housebehind it.

“The owners haveworked to make the livingroom, really of grand pro-portions, well used with acentral seating area. Theyopened a passageway to thekitchen and installed a spi-ral staircase to downstairs,opening the space visually,”said Patricia Forsyth, whohandles tour publicity. “Up-stairs, tourgoers will see theoriginal, 100-year-old stairsand bedrooms.”

Another Piedmonthome, a 1920 Tudor man-sion on La Salle Avenue,was designed by ChesterMiller and Carl Warneke,well known for their classic

Tudors with their formallook, plasterwork rosettes,spacious formal rooms,archways and leaded glasswindows. A recently addednew garage and breezeway,creates an enclosed court-yard and privacy from thestreet in a seamless mannerthat appears as if part of theoriginal design.

An English Tudor Re-vival in Upper Rockridgeon Margarido Drive wasoriginally built in 1936 forCharles Morse. The housefeatures many best-of-Tudor features includinghalf-timbering, a slate roof,copper gutters, iron, wood-and-brick decorative detailsand lots of dark-stainedmoldings. It has a wonder-ful guest flow through thegrand yet comfortable pub-lic rooms.

“Having a strong devo-tion to the authenticity ofthe house, when redoingthe kitchen, the ownersfound craftsmen who couldreplicate pieces of hard-ware and light fixtures ofthat period,” Forsyth said.“They kept counters in thesame location, the originalwindows and retained theoriginal butler’s pantry.”

The owners of a Prai-rie-style family house onManchester Drive in UpperRockridge took the house,which was rebuilt afterthe Oakland firestorm in1991, and kept its footprintbut rearranged the roomsand removed walls to geta layout that suits theirlifestyle. They’ve createda broad house with over-hanging eaves and gentlysloping rooflines. The homeis furnished in a HollywoodRegency style that comple-ments the owners’ contem-porary art collection.

A stylish indoor-outdoorcontemporary home withenergy-efficient systemsand sustainable-use materi-als was completed in 2014on Acacia Avenue in Up-per Rockridge on a lot thathad sat empty since the 1991Oakland firestorm.

“The indoor spaces con-tain wall-size expanses ofglass and glass doorwaysthat stack to the marginsof the room making the liv-ing and dining rooms com-pletely open to outdoors,”Forsyth said. “Light entersthe house from all four

sides, setting off their col-lection of New Wave con-temporary art.”

A sixth home is part ofthe VIP package, limitedto 100 guests. The packageincludes an exclusive VIPkickoff party on April 28;breakfast and speaker Nico-las Bernardi of Munchery ata historic Piedmont Victo-rian on April 29; a VIP raf-fle drawing, the five-hometour and lunch at PiedmontCommunity Center, 711Highland Ave. The tour ispartly dependent on themore than 250 volunteers,and CSL is still filling thisneed.

“We couldn’t do the tourwithout all the volunteerswho help us. Most directtourgoers through the

homes, offer information,answer questions, act asanother set of eyes for se-curity,” Mattson said. “Oth-ers help man raffle tickets,work at boutique. They’reeligible for discounted tick-ets and a special docentraffle prize.”

Last year, CSL raised$130,000 with 96 percent ofthe funds going directly to16 agencies serving at-riskchildren. They’d like theproceeds from this year’sHeart of the Home Tour totop that amount. Havingbeen described by manytourgoers as the best hometour in the East Bay, thatmay be the case, thus rais-ing even more funds for at-risk children.

HomesContinued from Page 1

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