S A N TA M O N I C A
REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY smmirror.com
October 07 – October 13, 2022 Volume CLXI, Issue 165
INSIDE
Grading the School Board PAGE 9
Madame Wu, Famed Santa Monica Restaurateur, Dies at 106 Restaurateur begind Madame Wu’s Garden passes away September 19 By Dolores Quintana Sylvia Wu, born Sylvia Cheng, was much better known as restauranteur Madame Wu to her customers at her restaurant Madame Wu’s Garden, located in Santa Monica on Wilshire Boulevard. She died at the age of 106 on September 19, as reported by The Associated Press. Wu opened her famed Hollywood hotspot Madame Wu’s Garden in 1959 which was an industry favorite for four decades. The restaurant’s decor was that of a pagoda with a koi fountain, jade statues and a waterfall and Wu would wear a long silk gown as she took to-go orders on the phone and greeted her famous guests according to AP. The reason that Wu became a restaurant owner was that she was appalled by the prevalence of restaurants that served fake Asian cuisine. Indeed, the popularity of restaurants that served chop suey really upset her. Wu said to USA Today, as quoted by AP, “Chop suey everywhere. All you see are
chop suey houses.” At Madam Wu’s Garden, more traditional Asian dishes were served. According to the Los Angeles Times, Mae West’s favorite was the cold melon soup, Paul Newman and Gregory Peck liked the crab puffs and shrimp toast and Princess Grace was a fan of the restaurant’s Peking Duck. Wu was born on Oct. 24, 1915, her family lived in Jiujiang, near Shangai and Wu learned to cook by observing the maids who cooked for her family according to AP. She took an ocean liner during World War II to the United States. She said, as quoted by “I don’t know how I had the courage. I had no family in America. The trip took 40 days, and because of the war there was a blackout all the way.” She met and married chemist King Yan Wu and were married for 67 years. King Yan Wu died in 2011. They are survived by two sons and many grandchildren. Wu worked for charitable causes and focused on working to help the City of Hope cancer center after their daughter Loretta died of cancer. Talk show host and media mogul Merv Griffin said of Sylvia Wu, as quoted by AP, “Everybody in this town knows Madame Wu. One of the dearest, sweetest, most elegant women I’ve ever known.”
Photo: Los Angeles Public Library (Facebook) Madame Wu, Jack Benny and his wife, Mary Livingstone (right) are pictured at Madame Wu’s Garden in 1974.
Man Charged for Setting Fires Behind Seven Santa Monica Businesses John Dean Thomason faces seven counts of arson By Sam Catanzaro A man faces charges for seven counts of arson for setting fires behind several Santa Monica businesses. On September 26, 2022, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office filed seven counts of Arson against John Dean Thomason, a 51-year-old homeless male. This comes after Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) detectives were assigned to investigate several recent arson incidents in the city. “Detectives reviewed the reports, evidence, and several hours of video surveillance footage
and were able to link Thomason to at least seven separate incidents,” the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) said. According to the SMPD, on September 25, 2022, while working patrol, the detective assigned to investigate these arsons located Thomason on the 1200 block of Euclid and arrested him on the following cases: • 08/27/22 at 5:30 PM - Fire set behind 1227 4th Street (St. Augustine Church) • 08/27/22 at 5:33 PM - Fire set behind 1245 4th Street (St. Peter Coptic Church) • 08/27/22 at 5:39 PM - Fire set behind 1338 5th Street (Dog PPL) • 09/01/22 at 12:32 PM - Fire set behind 1630 12th Street (Radical Media) • 09/01/22 at 12:33 PM - Fire set behind 1652 12th Street (Caliber Collision) • 09/02/22 at 10:47 AM - Fire set behind 1547 6th Street • 09/02/22 at 10:55 AM - Fire set behind
1530 5th Street (Silvercrest Senior Citizen Apt) The case was submitted to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Bureau of Specialized Prosecution Arson and Explosives Target Crimes Division. The DA’s office filled all 7 counts against Thomason. Thomason is currently being held in the Men’s Central Jail in Downtown Los Angeles on a 350,000 bond. He is next due to appear in court on October 19. This marks the third time Thomason has been arrested this year. According to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Inmate Information Center, Thomason was arrested and later released on citation on two separate occasions in June and July for misdemeanors committed. In both cases, he was arrested by officers from the LASD Transit Services Bureau
Photo: Santa Monica Police Department John Dean Thomason.