Flags at the Cockatoo
Throughout its time, the Cockatoo Inn was home to many events: anniversaries, banquets, retirement dinners, and more. We’ve uncovered awards ceremonies for local colleges, family reunions, and even political events with celebrities like Muhammad Ali. One July evening in 1961 saw the Lawndale Business and Professional Women’s Club come together for an International Relations event. It wouldn’t have been complete without international flags at the Cockatoo!
Two International Guests
The July 16, 1961 Cockatoo event honored two guests. The first was G. R. Paterson, the Canadian consulate general in Los Angeles. The second was Guadelupe Salazar de Rivera, the county’s 1961 Mother of the Year who received honorary titles for her civic and charitable contributions in California and Mexico. They included the Faculty Woman’s Club of UCLA, a Mexican Auxillary Civil Defense group in Tijuana, and the American Red Cross. She has also been the foster mother to four children.
Flags at the Cockatoo
According to the Los Angeles Times, Mrs. John Parrish, who was the International Relations Chairman, decorated the Cockatoo Inn with her vast collection of flags. She also had on hand her refugee stamp collection and various coin collections, presumably of international varieties. Most of her flags, she said, were of United Nations members, including some non-member countries such as Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Sweden. Here she is pictured with those collections:
![](https://cockatooinn.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/flags-at-the-cockatoo.jpg)
The two honored guests, Ms. Rivera and Paterson answered questions from the membership and guests during the event.
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