Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 38

The Arizona Republic SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2004 B7 of the week: Peoria woman vanishes from home There were no headlines in July from a visit with family members in Arkansas. Her husband called police five days later to report her missing. 1989 when Pamela Summary V( I a 1 gator in an unsuccessful attempt to track her down. According to another theory, one that is- offered by Page's parents, brothers and sisters, she most likely was killed. They said she would not drop out of sight deliberately.

Police said that during her trip to Arkansas, Page spoke positively about her 12-year marriage and discussed plans to open a second video store. Investigator William Laing, a Peoria police major-felony detective. What bothers him most about this case "Here is a woman who was of Page's home in 1991. "Because the equipment was so old and fragile, the process is going to take a long time to complete," Laing said. Coming Saturday Nineteen years after a woman was found murdered in a vacant lot adjacent to Trevor Browne High School, Phoenix police are still looking for her killer.

Brent Whiting The Republic is teaming with law enforcement investigators to highlight a cold case every Saturday in Local. Readers with information about this case should e-mail police or call Silent Witness (1-800-343-TIPS). very close to her family, yet she disappears without a trace. It was something that was totally out of character for her." How you can help Contact Laing at WilliamL peoriaaz.com or (623) 773-7051. New technology's role in this case Laing said that ground-penetrating radar, a technology developed after Page's disappearance, was used in 1995 in an unsuccessful body search.

He said forensic experts now are using new computer technology to search for clues on a computer and 5'4-inch floppy discs obtained during a search Page, 32, a Peoria resident, simply vanished from her home. It wasn't until September 1990, after family members had stepped forward to voice their concerns, that The Arizona Republic published a story about her disappearance. When and where Page was last seen on July 22, 1989. She had just returned Was she the victim of foul play? Or did Page walk away to a new life? Those are questions that soon emerged in this unsolved mystery. According to one theory, Page simply walked away, taking her pet dachshund and a few suitcases of clothes, shoes, cosmetics and mementos from her home in the 6700 block of West Shangri-La Road If so, she left behind her husband, her car and a video-rental business she operated The fate of Pamela Page is one of the main concerns of Peoria's William Laing.

in Glendale. Her husband, who obtained a divorce later that year, claimed she also walked off with $60,000 in family savings. He also denied any involvement in her disappearance and said he hired a private investi Big trees source of forest quarrel tm.e mm 1,111 1 f. I ft I Difference and cake made by helpers 80 projects aid disadvantaged By Lindscy Collom The Arizona Republic It was the "nicest" birthday present 77-year-old Maxine Williams ever received. On Saturday, about 20 volunteers primed and painted the exterior of Williams' south Phoenix home as part of the llth-annual Make A Difference Serve-A-Thon.

It was a task that hadn't been done at Williams' home in 12 years. A retired widow, Wil that it was not necessary to cut the large trees in most areas to achieve the project's goals, said Taylor McKinnon, forest conservation program manager for the trust. "I don't know why they're seeking to cut trees when the (analysis) said they don't need to," McKinnon said. Frederick said forest officials concluded that, in some cases, it is necessary to remove larger ponderosa pines in order to increase protection for even older pine trees. The trust had been working with other groups and the Forest Service through the nationally acclaimed Greater Flagstaff Forests Partnerships.

In announcing the decision on how the Woody Ridge Project will proceed, District Ranger Gene Waldrip wrote that 637 acres of forest land would be at risk of crown fires if the larger trees are all left standing. Those trees form a dense canopy that could erupt in crown-burning fire, and many of those trees are near Arizona 89A, where the chance of human-caused fires is greater than in the forest's interior. By Mary Jo Pitzl The Arizona Republic An effort to make forest-planning actions more collaborative and less confrontational has collapsed over a dispute about whether to cut large trees. The Grand Canyon Trust announced Friday that it was dropping its support for a forest project southwest of Flagstaff. The Woody Ridge Project aims to thin out trees on 8,500 of those acres, as well as take other actions to reduce the density and fire danger in the Coconino National Forest.

The project is on the vulnerable southwest side of Flagstaff, said Ken Frederick, public-affairs officer for the Peaks Ranger District in the Coconino National Forest. Wind patterns are strongest from the southwest, he said, making it imperative to protect that side of the community against fire. The Grand Canyon Trust objects to the. Forest Service's plans to cut trees that are larger than 16 inches in diameter. The agency's own environmental analysis showed Rob SchumacherThe Arizona Republic High school students Eric Zavala and Lizzette Lopez conduct online research during a human genetics class at South Mountain Community College.

Teens, older students pursue genetic codes South Mountain College class is hands-on 'Da Ya Think I'm ology and honors biology in the mornings. At the community college, as an adjunct professor, he teaches Biology 241 in the afternoon. Five of Ludeke's students, including Zavala, are from the charter high school. They are mixed in with adult college students, many of whom are nurses or lawyers. The two groups are using advanced technologies from medicine and science to learn about concepts underlying cloning.

The older group serves in a mentoring capacity while the high school students offer their savvy computer skills to the project, Ludeke said. And if the students' research experiments are successful, their findings could one day be published in a scholarly journal, contributing to the body of knowledge related to genetics. 'CSI: Miami' fan Eric, a junior at the AAEC charter school, aspires to be a criminology major and serve as a forensic specialist. He is a fan of the television show CSI: Miami. "I feel like we are breaking barriers for people in the future," he said.

"We will create a lab manual for them to follow. It's exciting stuff." Reach the reporter at betty.reidarizona republic.com or (602) 444-8049. By Betty Reid The Arizona Republic Eric Zavala wonders about diabetes. The family of the South Mountain teenager, who attends the Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center charter school, has battled the disease in each generation. A favorite uncle died a year ago.

A grandmother lost a limb as a result of the disease. It launched Zavala on a life's mission to solve the mystery of how human genes, especially the code for diabetes, operate within a body. "I'll figure out everything I can about diabetes," Eric said. The 17-year-old found a perfect way to do that: a human genetics class at South Mountain Community College called Biology 241. The class uses advanced technology resources from the University of San Diego's Bioinformatics Laboratory and a supercomputer system linked to the federally funded Human Genome Project.

Finding the code Before he begins to study diabetes, Eric must study the genetics of other diseases, such as sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis. Students identify chromosomes tied to the diseases and then find the code of a gene that causes the disease. More convenient for Eric is "I feel like we are breaking barriers for people. We will create a lab manual for them to follow. It's exciting stuff." Eric Zavala Student in a human genetics class that Kenneth Ludeke, his charter high school teacher at Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center who also teaches Biology 241 at the community college.

Ludeke, to simplify his work with students, explains the research project in this manner: "Let's say the gene for sickle cell anemia is a Mercedes. You want to know how to open up that car. "You know there are several keys on the desk; those keys for the car are called the primers. "The primers allow us to attach a code; the code starts the formation of the gene and ends the formation of the gene. I can grow my machine." "If I get the right key, I can operate that car and find what it can do and can't do.

Likewise, I also can open that gene and see how it operates." Ludeke, who is science chairman at the charter school, teaches chemistry, bi liams said she simply couldn't afford to maintain the exterior of her brick home, whose pink paint with white trim had flaked and cracked over the years. Workers began scraping chipped paint and taping off windows around 8 a.m. Four hours and gallons of paint later, the house sported a tan body with white trim. It was the clean look Williams was hoping for, she said. After the cleanup, volunteers presented Williams with a cake.

Her birthday was Friday. "I really think it's a blessing for me," she said. "This is about the nicest birthday present I've ever had." Williams' home was one of 80 Serve-A-Thon projects in Maricopa County on Saturday. About 4,000 corporate, civic and individual volunteers participated in service projects that included neighborhood cleanups, beautifying schools in low-income areas and hosting carnivals for disadvantaged children. Before the Serve-A-Thon, workers collected pledges for their day of service with a goal of raising at least $25 each.

Volunteers raised more than $170,000, said Alison Rapping, president and CEO of Make A Difference. Proceeds will fund a year's worth of the organization's projects. Several miles north of Williams' home, about 10 volunteers scrubbed and buffed the kitchen of the Andre House, a Catholic facility that serves the homeless and poor of central Phoenix. Its dining facility dishes out about 600 meals every night. "It's easy to get behind," said 46-year-old Mike Lueken, one of eight staff members at Andre House.

"Kitchen stains, blotches of chili floating through the air. It builds up after a while." So volunteers and a dozen children from Andre House's Los Niflos program, where local kids participate in a variety of activities every Saturday, spent the morning washing walls, scrubbing basins and making the steel tops shine. The work was done in time for Andre House's evening supper offering of goulash. "These are dedicated workers," project leader Lisa Ormsby said. "Normally, if you say, 'We're going to deep nobody does that at home." Volunteer Nancy Ott, 53, of Phoenix, said the intensive clean was a lot of work, but rewarding nonetheless.

"It's immaculate," Ott said. "I can't believe the differ A y- At '12 'w Deirdre HamillThe Arizona Republic Veteran British singer Rod Stewart performs hits from his rocking past as well as his more recent treatments of American standards Saturday night at Glendale Arena as part of his "From Maggie May to Great American Song-book Tour." For a full concert review and slide show, go to azcentral.com. Singing high praises to Coward done to perfection Theater review Oh, Coward! Reviewed Friday at Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe Phoenix. Continues through April 11.

(602)256-6995. restores him to his proper place as a rival of Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers and Cole Porter. Particularly Porter. The revue's finest moment comes in the segment showcasing new lyrics Coward wrote for Porter's Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love). Coward's are much better.

Better yet are the contemporary lyrics provided by Goldstein and his stars. Everyone from Britney Spears to President Bush comes in for a riotous lambasting. You think you've heard all the good Bob Dole jokes? Just wait. Reach the reporter at (602) 444-8947. Coward's love songs are more conventional, if prettily melodic.

Hindsight lends these tunes an added poignancy. Coward spent much of his career as a closeted gay. His ballads are less about romance than bittersweet odes to a love that never found its way. Sad, perhaps, but Goldstein never lets the party get maudlin. There's a music hall segment that's highly risible, a creative dance sequence that involves tap, the Charleston and a sultry tango and, best of all, Lauris' encapsulation of Coward's 1920s musical, The Coconut Girl, in which she plays all the parts.

Most theatergoers know little of Coward. Oh, Coward! Lauris is exceptional. Her voice is lovely and she has a sly sense of humor. That's ready made for Coward, whose lyrics play innocently for the family trade but, with only a change in inflection, can be quite naughty in the cabarets. Coward, of course, is the true star here.

His comic songs are as witty and cruel as ever. Oh, Coward! boasts numerous examples of these gems, including Why Do the Wrong People Don't Put Your Daughter On the Stage, Mrs. Worthington, The Stately Homes of England and I've Been to a Marvelous Party and Mad Dogs and Englishmen, both brilliantly performed by Anders. By Kyle Lawson The Arizona Republic Oh, Coward! Oh, heavenly musical. You think the critic praises too much? Get on down to the Herberger Theater Center.

Arizona Theatre Company's latest production doesn't need anyone to flack for it. The revue of Noel Coward's music is done to perfection, beginning with the luscious sets and costumes, continuing with director David Ira Goldstein's clever bits of business and ending with three sock performances from Mark Anders, Carl J. Danielsen and Anna Lauris. Anders and Danielsen come bearing their pasts before them. The pair co-starred in 2 Pianos, 4 Hands, one of ATC's greatest hits.

In that show, they were charming, funny and great pianists. They have lost none of it, although who knew Danielsen was such a fine dancer? Maybe it's due to Lauris. She would bring out the tango in any male. ence. Reach the reporter at lindsey.collomarizonarepublic or (602) 444-7983..