INSIDE SCOOP

Don Bren isn’t just one of the Daily Pilot’s most influential. He made a

similar list in the alumni magazine of his alma mater, the University of

Washington.

Bren, a ’56 graduate of the Seattle campus, makes it for leading the

Irvine Co. and being the “Donald Trump of the West Coast.”

He’s listed along with other grads, including actress Diane Cannon,

musician Kenny G, former Speaker of the House Tom Foley, football player

Warren Moon, the Nordstrom family and Dune author Frank Herbert.

His picture didn’t make the collage on the magazine’s cover. But Bruce

Lee’s did.

CALLING ALL HAMS!

Sometimes it can be tough gathering a group together for a last-minute

photograph. But not a group of Costa Mesa ham radio operators.

Most people are unreachable during the day with meetings and phone calls.

But the hams, by nature, are always in touch with one another. Our

reporter called Gordon West, one of the operators, who announced on a ham

frequency where and when to meet.

Two hours later, five radio enthusiasts who had been scattered around

Costa Mesa were groomed and ready for the photo.

THE SECRET RESOURCES OF THE DAILY PILOT

A caller to the Daily Pilot offices last Thursday hoped the paper’s

reporters might be able to track down some elusive information.

The caller had read about three local organizations -- Share Our Selves,

Someone Cares Soup Kitchen, and Defend the Bay -- and wondered if we

could pass along the phone numbers for these groups.

The news assistant who took the call scurried over to the desk of City

Editor Steve Cahn, hoping he would be able to locate the numbers.

“Somebody must have this information,” the assistant said, wringing his

hands anxiously.

“Try the white pages,” Cahn said. “That’s where I always look.”

Moments later, the caller had her numbers: another Newport-Mesa resident

wowed by the Pilot’s omniscience.