William Czuleger; Redondo Beach Civic Leader

William F. Czuleger, 88, former mayor and civic fixture often called “Mr. Redondo Beach.” Czuleger served on the Redondo Beach City Council from 1949 to 1957 and as mayor from 1961 until a term limit forced him out in 1977. He then served on the city Planning Commission another 11 years. Born in Dallas, Pa., he lived in Redondo Beach for 70 years and for more than 50 years worked at the Redondo Beach Trading Post. He was known for giving each child he encountered a quarter if he could spell his own name and $1 to start a savings account. Under Czuleger’s tenure, the city built its City Hall and Police Department complex, developed King Harbor and Riviera Village and acquired senior housing and 11 acres for Wilderness Park. Also a civic leader, Czuleger was president of the Redondo Beach Coordinating Council and the local Lions Club, an exalted ruler of the Elks Lodge and director of the South Bay Children’s Health Center. In 1990, the city dedicated a small park as William F. Czuleger Plaza in his honor. On Monday in Inglewood of heart failure.