(PNS reporting from EAST LOS) Disgraced L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling, born Donald Tokowitz in Boyle Heights, started off his career in racism early, according to a note uncovered late Tuesday night by the Historical East Latino Los Angeles (HELLA) research project.
The handwritten document, apparently meant for the parents of young Tokowitz (photo), was signed by Miss Anna E. Shaddinger, who was a fourth grade teacher at Boyle Heights Grammar School when the nine-year-old billionaire-in-training was in attendance.
There was no evidence that the note ever made it from Shaddinger to the Tokowitzes. HELLA researchers also found a 1941 clipping from the Boyle Heights Patch noting the well-regarded educator retired unexpectedly just before the homecoming game that year.
“An anonymous benefactor put food on her table, got her a car and bought her a bungalow in Hawaiian Gardens. She left town immediately,” the news report said.