We love L.A. L.A.S. is Tustin, Riverside, Ventura, and wherever you are. LAST keeps you connected to greater Los Angeles and your community. Listen on LAS 8,000, or go online to LASD.com.

Hey, it's just me, Paula Poundstone, and I'm coming to Glendale for a special live taping, co-presented by LAIS and Martin Media.

It's February 8th at the Alex Theater.

Tickets at lais.com slash events.

See you there.

The first time I met Charlie, he towered over me like a well-groomed giant,

wearing a suit and a tie.

I was just a kid, and his daughter daughter, Claudia and I were best friends. Claudia and I spent a lot of time together, and I soon

became an honorary family member, a position I still hold today.

We lived for sleepovers, and they were magical at her house.

Claudia's parents, Charlie and Dolores, would throw the most amazing cocktail parties.

Claudia and I would sneak out of bed and sit at the top of the stairs and watch the

guests dancing below. The women were cocktail dresses in rainbow tool, and the men were so

elegant in their tuxedos and black suits. Charlie slowly became like a second dad, and he would often sit me down and talk to me about life and its lessons

and about the choices we face as we pursue our dreams.

Everything in life is experienced.

If you haven't experienced something likely, you don't know how to handle it.

That's Charlie today.

Charlie has had a remarkable life.

He was an aerospace pioneer.

He was an engineer on the Apollo program,

someone whose work helped America land on the moon. He would tell me about how

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