5 VALLEY ACTIVISTS NAMED FERNANDO AWARD FINALISTS.Byline: Jesse Hiestand Staff Writer Five leading lights of civic activism in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. were named finalists Thursday for the 41st annual Fernando Award. Finalists for the award honoring people whose years of volunteerism improve Valley life are Lee Kanon Alpert, an Encino attorney; Rose Goldwater, a community activist from Woodland Hills; Ruth Richter, who operates her family's motorcycle business in Winnetka; Bob Scott, a Woodland Hills attorney; and Robert D. Voit, a Woodland Hills developer. ``They represent the finest the Valley has to offer,'' said Fred M. Thomas, a past Fernando Award winner who recalled the history of the award to a luncheon audience of 250 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel. The field of 14 nominees was narrowed to five finalists by a selection committee Thursday. ``Some stood out, but when you have to select the last couple from that list, it becomes very difficult,'' said past Fernando winner David Fleming, a Valley civic leader who was the luncheon's master of ceremonies. Scott and Voit were finalists last year as well. The name of the winner, to be announced To be announced (TBA) A contract for the purchase or sale of an MBS to be delivered at an agreed-upon future date but does not include a specified pool number and number of pools or precise amount to be delivered. Nov. 5 at a dinner at the Warner Center Marriott hotel, will be engraved en·grave tr.v. en·graved, en·grav·ing, en·graves 1. To carve, cut, or etch into a material: engraved the champion's name on the trophy. 2. on an obelisk obelisk (ŏb`əlĭsk), slender four-sided tapering monument, usually hewn of a single great piece of stone, terminating in a pointed or pyramidal top. at Warner Center Park and on the Fernando statue monument at the Van Nuys government center. Also Thursday, the Fernando Award Foundation gave $12,000 in scholarships to graduates of Valley high schools. The students were Nora May Cadena, Angelina Garcia and Brian Sandoval of San Fernando High School San Fernando High School, located in San Fernando, California, is a secondary school that is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The school colors are black and gold. All girl teams are referred to as Lady Tigers, all boy teams simply as Tigers. ; Stanley Liu of El Camino Real High School El Camino Real High School (also known locally as "ECR" and by some more recently as "ELCO") is a public secondary school located in the Woodland Hills district of the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California. ; Gabriela Blanco and Zabi Hotaki of Sylmar High School Sylmar High School is a public school in the northeast San Fernando Valley in the Sylmar district of Los Angeles, California. Established in the 1950s, it is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, District 2, and serves more than 3,600 students in grades 9-12. ; Andres Chung of Ulysses S. Grant High School Grant High School may refer to:
It is located right across the street from the Topanga Plaza shopping center. ; and Maria Gomez of John F. Kennedy High School John F. Kennedy High School can refer to one of many schools in North America. The following list is ordered by state/province/territory and then municipality:
The Fernando Award finalists: Alpert is a city Building and Safety Commission member and outgoing president of the California State University, Northridge CSUN offers a variety of programs leading to bachelor's degrees in 61 fields and master's degrees in 42 fields. The university has over 150,000 alumni. It's also home to a summer musical theater/theater program known as TADW (TeenAge Drama Workshop) that leads teenagers through an , Advisory Board. He was recently appointed to the committee drafting the framework for neighborhood councils and chairs the board of Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center. He is also active with several other organizations, including the Boys & Girls Club of San Fernando Valley and the March of Dimes
``Being active in the community gives us the ability to help make decisions that benefit a lot of people,'' said Alpert, 52, of Northridge. Goldwater, in nearly 30 years of Valley volunteerism, has worked with several outreach groups, including the Pacific Lodge Boy's Home, Haven Hills Home for Battered Wives and Children, and West Valley Boys & Girls Club. ``You do this not for the awards but for the accomplishment,'' said Goldwater, 68, of Woodland Hills. Richter has worked with more than 30 Valley groups over the past 50 years and has fought for better public transit service in the Valley. ``There really was no transportation in the Valley, so I worked on getting street lights, crossing guards for kids and then buses,'' said Richter, 76, of Winnetka. Scott has worked with more than 50 Valley groups including the United Chambers of Commerce, the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley and the San Fernando Valley Association of Realtors. He has served on the Los Angeles City Planning Commission for seven years and is a leader of Valley VOTE's cityhood study movement. ``I've been working for more thoughtful and sustainable growth in the San Fernando Valley, to make it a better place to live,'' said Scott, 53, of Van Nuys. Voit is a major developer of Warner Center who also founded the West Valley Boys & Girls Club and Valley Cultural Center. He helped redevelop the General Motors plant site in Van Nuys and is working to create a modern civic center in Van Nuys. ``The kids are the future, so we need to spend some time and attention on them,'' said Voit, 59, of Woodland Hills. ``The government can't do it all alone. There are too many problems and issues.'' The runners up are David J. Auger, a communications executive in Woodland Hills; Ronald Ben Clary clary: see sage. , a Canoga Park attorney; Erica De Smith, a community volunteer in Northridge; Laurence R. Goldman, a West Hills attorney; Farideh Kioumehr, founder of the nonprofit International Health and Epidemiology Research Center in Sherman Oaks; Alice Medillin, a community volunteer from Granada Hills; Dennis Poncher, a Canoga Park businessman; Irwin Silon, a retired graphics artist in Arleta; and Albert Timins, a restaurateur, interior decorator and entrepreneur in Tujunga. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: The five finalists for the prestigious Fernando Award are, from left, Lee Kanon Alpert, Rose Goldwater, Ruth Richter, Robert D. Voit and Bob Scott. The winner will be announced at a dinner on Nov. 5. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer |
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