Down to Earth
When George Pla joined the board of the California Science Center 15 years ago, he never envisioned that it would one day lead to him walking in front of the space shuttle Endeavour along Crenshaw Boulevard. But that’s exactly what he did last weekend.
“I joined the Science Center board as an activity in my spare time because I was so excited about all the educational opportunities it provided for children,” said Pla, president and chief executive of L.A.-based engineering firm Cordoba Corp.
After the Science Center won the bid to host the shuttle, Jeff Rudolph, the institution’s chief executive, turned to Pla and asked for his company’s help in planning the ground route for the shuttle from the airport to the center – pro bono, of course.
For 18 months, Cordoba engineers used computer simulations to plot out the path, and all the utilities and trees that would have to be cleared. But things didn’t turn out as planned.
Scores of trees had to be trimmed at the last minute to make way for the space vehicle. The strangest sight for Pla: watching Rudolph and two other Science Center employees lean on one tree just enough to move the branches out of the way to let the shuttle pass.
There was one stretch of Crenshaw where the fit was especially tight, prompting Pla, 63, to walk in front of the shuttle for about two miles.
“It seemed like Godzilla amidst all the businesses along the street,” Pla said. “It was such a surreal scene – never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d ever do something like this.”
Buddha Rising
Julia B. Strickland doesn’t have much time for reflection at the law firm Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP. In addition to steering the firm’s L.A. office as its managing partner, Strickland is a high-powered litigator racking up annual billings of about $15 million from top New York banks.
But she finds one calming influence in front of her face each morning: a statue of Buddha positioned to the side of her bed.
“It’s literally in my sightline when I wake up,” she said. “You just look at it and it sort of tells you there’s something more in the world than the BlackBerry, the conference call and filings.”
Strickland’s Cheviot Hills home is adorned with more than 30 representations of Buddha that she’s collected from places including Cambodia, Thailand and Tibet. The 58-year-old is not a Buddhist but has long had a fascination with the subject. She’s most drawn to those images with a serene presence.
“We all lead very hectic lives both professionally and personally,” she said, “and it’s nice to have some part of your life that’s a sanctuary.”
Staff reporters Howard Fine and Alfred Lee contributed to this column. Page 3 is compiled by Editor Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected]
