Longtime Arcadia resident Larry Stewart, a Los Angeles sportswriter for more than 50 years, was our Rotary Club luncheon keynote guest speaker on Feb. 4 at Matt Denny’s. Stewart came to L.A. from the Central Valley in 1969 to go to work for the old L.A. Herald Examiner, where he served as that newspaper’s assistant sports editor from 1974-78. He then switched to the L.A. Times, where he was best known for his sports TV-Radio column. Stewart, who has lived in Arcadia since 1978, currently writes part-time for the Southern California News Group, a chain of 11 suburban papers that includes the Pasadena Star-News and San Gabriel Valley Tribune. At the Feb. 4 luncheon, Stewart, besides talking about his long career and providing anecdotes on many of the biggest names in sports, also did a book signing. He recently published his memoirs, titled “My Up-Close View: Personal Stories from a Longtime Sports TV-Radio Columnist.” A recent kudo response Stewart received via snail mail from Vin Scully was shown at the luncheon. What Stewart forgot to announce is that he is scheduled to return April 8 and he will give a pop quiz on information in his book, with an undetermined prize going to the quiz winner. If you were not able to purchase a book at the Feb. 4 luncheon, the book can be ordered via Amazon. Stewart recommends the paperback edition with color photos that sells for $25.99. Or you can contact Stewart directly via email at elstewarte@aol.com. Stewart says Elstewarte was his nickname at the L.A. Times, where he was considered el mejor, which translates to The Best.

By Larry Stewart and posted by Dave Totten