Longtime commissioner dies April 2

Richard Woolard helped usher in Calabasas cityhood



Woolard

Woolard

Calabasas lost one of its longtime city commissioners last week with the passing of Richard Woolard.

Woolard, who was in his late 80s and died due to undisclosed health issues, also played an active role on the cityhood committee that engineered the incorporation of Calabasas in 1991.

Ellen Pangarliotis served on the cityhood committee and several other governmental bodies with Woolard.

“He was very bright, and had a wonderful sense of humor,” Pangarliotis said. “He had a many faceted personality, and nobody had a bad word to say about him.”

Woolard was a member of the city’s first planning commission. He was appointed in 1992 and remained on the panel until 1999. He also served on the Calabasas Public Safety Commission for 13 years, starting in 2002.

His most visible contribution to the city is his work on the Art in Public Places Committee, a group that is responsible for ensuring that development projects either feature some sort of artistic project, or else contribute to a city fund that can purchase art to be placed somewhere else.

IN SERVICE—Richard Woolard, top left, is with Calabasas City Manager Gary Lysik and other municipal officials. Woolard, who died April 2, served on the city’s planning and public safety commissions. Courtesy of City of Calabasas

IN SERVICE—Richard Woolard, top left, is with Calabasas City Manager Gary Lysik and other municipal officials. Woolard, who died April 2, served on the city’s planning and public safety commissions. Courtesy of City of Calabasas

Woolard was on the board of the Conejo/Las Virgenes Future Foundation, a Calabasas-based nonprofit organization devoted to the present and future well-being of the area, and served on the Greater Mulwood Homeowners Association.

City Councilmember James Bozajian said Woolard’s contributions to Calabasas are hard to quantify.

“Richard was the very embodiment of civic involvement,” Bozajian said. “He was a modest individual, who probably never received the full credit he deserved for volunteering so generously of his time to help build the infrastructure of our community.”

Woolard is survived by his wife, Juanita, and their son, Richard.