1000th Headstone Milestone

 Altadena “Good Cemeterians” to Mark 1,000th-Headstone Milestone 

Time/Date: 8:00 a.m. -1 p.m., June 29, 2024 

Location: Mountain View Cemetery, Altadena, CA 

Contact: René Amy [email protected] 

Altadena’s own group of “Good Cemeterians” will celebrate cleaning their 1,000th headstone with a special cleaning session on Saturday, June 29 – and the public is invited to attend, help clean headstones, and then enjoy a pizza, cake, and ice cream party in Altadena’s historic Mountain View Cemetery. 

The headstone of one of Altadena’s founders, Frederick J. Woodbury, has been selected as the commemorative milestone headstone, since the volunteer group cleaned their 1,000th headstone months ago. “Captain Fred was a volunteer Union U.S. Civil War vet, and we’ve focused on military vets, young children, and loves lost too soon, since we began our efforts a couple of years ago,” said René Amy, the group’s leader. “We’ve received confirmation that descendants of his will be on hand, thereby tying the past to the present.” 

The group has received a groundswell of recent support from local organizations, including the Altadena Rotary Club, the Altadena Chamber of Commerce, the Pasadena Cemetery Association, Altadena Heritage, the Altadena Historical Society, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, and the Christmas Tree Lane Association. 

“Our little undertaking (pun fully intended) has seen tremendous support from Altadenans, and we’re extremely grateful,” said Amy, a longtime community activist who launched the small group of local volunteers that has met in the Cemetery nearly every month for over two years to clean headstones. “Reaching our 1,000th headstone milestone is pretty amazing, but thanks to these donor groups, we’ve been able to purchase a 55-gallon drum of the specialized cleaner used on headstones, which is really a dream come true!” 

Keith Brown, part of the family that’s run the Cemetery for six generations, had nothing but praise for the volunteers. “Their dedication to maintaining and preserving our community’s history and heritage is truly remarkable, and we are deeply appreciative of all of their efforts.” 

Dawn Digrius Smith, president of the Altadena Rotary Club, also praised the volunteers. “Rotarians are all about service above self, and this little group certainly demonstrates that principle. We’re proud to support their efforts, especially in honoring our country’s military veterans.” The local volunteer group has cleaned several hundred markers of military vets in the Cemetery, including well over 100 Union U.S. Civil War veterans. 

Judy Matthews, president of the Altadena Chamber of Commerce, focused on the business of the cemetery – which is the oldest business in the eclectic community. “Cecil Bryan, who designed and built 

the famous Mausoleum at Mountain View, was the Chamber’s fourth president, so our group has deep roots in the cemetery – and with this being the centenary of the Chamber’s founding, supporting these events is a natural!” The historic mausoleum and cemetery have both served as locations in myriad movies and television productions. 

Scott Wardlaw, president of the Christmas Tree Lane Association, pointed out that Captain Frederick J. Woodbury, who, along with his brother, founded Altadena, is among the over 700 Union Civil War veterans buried in the Cemetery. “Many folks don’t realize that Captain Woodbury’s tree-lined driveway is what’s now known as Christmas Tree Lane, ” Wardlaw observed. “We’re proud to help support keeping markers like his cleaned!” 

Steve Rodriguez, president of the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, said “It’s all about what Eagles do: We’re people helping people, bottom line.” 

The special event will begin at 8 a.m. and conclude after lunch. 

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