ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Ellen Calomiris and Steve Iverson of Rancho Los Cerritos provided a great amount of assistance, including reviewing drafts of the book and searching out and scanning photographs. I also want to thank the Long Beach Historical Society, especially Julie Bartolotto, Tim Friden, and Ashley Franks-McGill, for assistance in finding photographs. I am particularly indebted to members of the Vignes family, who gladly shared information, especially Ellen Collins, who had enough faith in me to send me her original photographs for scanning. Margaret Wilkinson Mahannah has lovingly preserved a history of her years at Los Cerritos and shared her collection with me. James G. Craig Jr. assisted in identifying photographs and connecting me with old-timers from the neighborhood. My husband John’s photographic skills were instrumental is getting good photographs of homes featured in this book. The Neighbors of Los Cerritos, a loose collection of residents dedicated to making the rancho known to all neighborhood residents, was part of the inspiration for the creation of this book. Begun by Patrick Murphy in 2004, the group hosts events to introduce the rancho to Los Cerritos residents. In 2006, the Neighbors organized a centennial celebration for the Los Cerritos neighborhood. Neighbors were urged to share old photographs. To ensure that the efforts and photographs collected were made available to the widest audience, this book has been prepared. All author royalties will accrue to the Rancho Los Cerritos, whose continued support is vital for our community. Finally, Loretta Berner, a local historian who grew up on the McGill, Smith, Malhardt bean ranch, was the first person I interviewed about Los Cerritos history. She happily shared the results of her previous research with me. She wanted the history of this neighborhood to be preserved and a book written, and she passed that desire on to me. Images provided by the Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Site are labeled RLC; those from the Historical Society of Long Beach are labeled HSLB; images from Virginia Country Club are labeled VCC; and those from Los Cerritos School are identified by LCS.

Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are courtesy of the author.