County Burn Group Looks on Westminster Fire Captain as One Who Cares

Westminster Fire Department Capt. William Lawler will receive the Orange County Burn Assn.’s public safety award at the group’s “Tribute to Those Who Care” Feb. 15 at the Inn at the Park in Anaheim.

Others to be honored at the organization’s 10th anniversary celebration include association founders Dr. Robert Bartlett and registered nurse Pat Allyn.

Spirit of Courage awards will be presented to Barbara Hammmerer of Huntington Beach and Aubrey Woodroof of Fountain Valley. Special Citizen awards will be given to John Floyd of Santa Ana, Rubin Vigil of Buena Park, Anthony Figurski of Westminster, Greg Upham of Irvine, Robert Walker of Anaheim and Quinton Reich of Newport Beach.

Whittier Christian High School honor student James Harper of Troop 885 in Brea, was inducted as an Eagle Scout, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts. His scouting career includes community services, outdoor skills and camp counseling. He plans a career with the U.S. Forestry Service.

The Fullerton City Council commended Jose Gonzales, 19, for his quick action in thwarting a purse snatcher in a restaurant parking lot. The Brea resident, an auto detailer, chased the thief for several blocks before catching and holding him until police arrived. The suspect, who knocked down the woman victim during the purse snatch, was later convicted of grand theft.

Feryne Margolin of Santa Ana and Victor Klein of Corona del Mar were elected to fill vacancies on the board of directors of the Heritage Pointe Jewish Home for the Aging.

The Orange County Transit District has named Fullerton resident Yolanda Beatty as Coach Operator of the Year and Xuan Duc Tran of Santa Ana as Maintenance Employee of the Year.

For the third year in a row, Irvine’s University High School math team captured the sweepstakes trophy in the Saddleback College math contest. The competition involved pairs of teams from 11 high schools solving challenging mathematics problems.

Grace Chen, Dennis Hong, Andrew Lin, Philip Lisiecki and Tri Minh Nguyen formed one team, while Henry Chen, Mike Chen, Navid Jahed, Ernest Kim and David Yeh formed the other.

Competing against 48 others, Saddleback High School senior Rodelee Cruz was named Miss Drill Team California in a pageant at Aviation High School in Manhattan Beach. She placed first in modeling and drill team routine to take the overall title. She will compete for the national title April 1 in Los Angeles.

Veterinarian Joseph K. Cortese, of San Juan Capistrano, is the new treasurer of the 1,000 member Southern California Veterinary Medical Assn.