Passages/Willis Simms Local artist bequeathed book proceeds to Chapter

Photo by Tom Colton

Willis Simms, hike leader and long-time activist in the San Fernando Valley Group, passed away in February of 2009. For more than twenty five years he contributed cartoons and short articles to Vall-E-Vents, the monthly newsletter of the West Valley Group of the Sierra Club. These are now collected into a book, Bulldozer in Paradise. The drawings reveal Willis' dry humor and ability to tie local issues to broad agendas. In Bulldozer in Paradise, Simms reveals himself to be a forward-thinking environmentalist and artist who made work that stands the test of time: despite the fact that some of the cartoons are decades old, they continue to be relevant to current environmental issues.

Copies of Bulldozer in Paradise may be purchased from Melba Simms (818-348-3622) for $12 or ordered directly online. Net proceeds will be contributed to the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club.