`STARS' SHINE BRIGHTLY AT INAUGURAL VALLEY GALA; VALLEY GALA HONORS AREA LUMINARIES.

Byline: Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writer

If you market it, they will come.

And indeed, 500 of the Valley's movers and shakers came - in limos, wearing gowns and tuxedos - to the first ``Valley of the Stars'' dinner and awards ceremony, held Saturday night at Walt Disney Studios.

``That's what we're all about - marketing to attract new business, labor and investments,'' said Bill Allen, president and CEO of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, which organized the event. ``We're not just the bedroom community for Los Angeles. We have an exciting entrepreneurial spirit, economy and group of exciting people who live here.''

The black-tie event was a historic gathering of leaders from the area's five cities to honor those who brought national attention to the Valley through their achievements in business, education, sports and the arts.

The event also officially launched the economic alliance's ``Valley of the Stars'' campaign to create a marketable identity for the Valley and to promote business and tourism in a region encompassing Glendale, Burbank, Calabasas, San Fernando and Los Angeles.

Disney, the largest employer in the Valley, picked up the tab for the party so that the $150,000 raised goes to the alliance.

Honorees at the first of what organizers say will be an annual event were Bert Boeckmann, owner of Galpin Ford Motors; radio, film and television pioneer Gene Autry; legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden; the 1998 national champion Academic Decathlon team from El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills; and the Emmy-Award winning Glendale Symphony Orchestra.

Boeckmann achieved success in the automotive industry by taking a three-car showroom and building it into a dealership that ranks No. 1 nationally in sales and world leasing.

Boeckmann's community and civic contributions earned him the Horatio Alger Award as one of the 10 most outstanding people in the nation who personify the values of hard work, honesty and service to others.

Boeckmann said he ranked the alliance honor at the same level as the Valley's Fernando Awards and praised the alliance for raising the area's profile.

``They have already made tremendous strides,'' he said. ``I think this is only the beginning of what they can do.''

With a career spanning more than 60 years, Autry's achievements have earned him the honor of being the only entertainer to have five stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for radio, movies, records, television and theatrical performances.

In 1988, Autry's dream of opening the Autry Museum of Western Heritage not only came true but became a hit, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors worldwide to the Valley.

A trailblazer who set the bar for those who followed him, Wooden won 10 national championships in 12 years at UCLA and was the first man elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame twice - as a player and a coach.

An American sports legend, Wooden's achievements came both on the court through his dedication and leadership and off the court for his values as a family man.

``I'm flattered that anyone would think I'm worthy of being honored as a Valleyite,'' said Wooden, who has lived in Encino for more than 25 years in a home his late wife chose. ``I would never think of leaving the spot she picked out.''

El Camino Real High's 1998 Academic Decathlon team accomplished what no decathlon team from the school had, winning first place at the national competition in April after finishing second the past two years.

Team members Taimur Baig, Bruce Ngo, Michael Beatty, Elana Pelman, Steve Chae, Carina Yuen, Nancy Fu and Adi Zarchi bested 49 teams from around the country.

As one of America's longest-running symphonic orchestras, the Glendale Symphony Orchestra has established an international reputation in its 75-year history.

Locally, the Glendale Symphony Orchestra Association is also known for its programs in Glendale elementary schools, free concert tickets for the blind, and scholarships.

Among the guests at the dinner were radio personality Rick Dees, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Bernard C. Parks, Los Angeles Councilwoman Laura Chick, Councilman Richard Alarcon and U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Woodland Hills.

The economic alliance, a nonprofit, public-private partnership of business, education and government, promotes public safety, education and work-force development and works to expand, attract and retain businesses.

The organization formed after the 1994 Northridge Earthquake to stimulate the Valley's economy and is supported by business, public and private investments.

Expected to become an annual event, the alliance dinner will be hosted on a rotating basis by the Valley's major studios, including Universal Studios, Warner Bros., NBC and DreamWorks SKG.

Staff Writer Jin Whang contributed to this story.

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Photo

PHOTO From left, Galpin Ford Motors owner Bert Boeckmann, Los Angeles Police Chief Bernard C. Parks and entertainer Steve Allen attend Saturday's inaugural ``Valley of the Stars'' dinner and awards ceremony.

John Lazar/Special to the Daily News