PTA council honors 4 for exceptional service

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT-MESA -- Four community members were surprised to learn why they

had been invited Monday to the Harbor Council PTA luncheon.

Mike Fine, Jill Money, Mark Schultheis and Kurt Yeager each had an idea

why he or she was there -- but none knew it was to receive an award.

Money, as the acting PTA council president, was indeed at the luncheon to

run the event and hand over the gavel and presidentship to incoming

President Lisa Boler. What she didn’t know was that she was one of two

community members about to receive the highest honor bestowed by the

California PTA, an Honorary Service Award for outstanding service to

children and youth.

“I’m very proud. It’s just been a great experience serving as president,”

Money said. “I’ve tried to do a good job, and it’s nice to be

recognized.”

Having nominated both Fine and Schultheis for awards, Money knew why they

were there and she fed them a line to get them to the luncheon.

As the district’s assistant superintendent of business, Fine thought he

was attending to show support for the PTA.

He was, therefore, blown away when moderators began a biography of the

first recipient of the Very Special Person Award, and it matched his

activities. The award honors a group or individual who has made a

difference as an advocate for children and youth.

“I don’t think there’s a group here in our community that I would rather

get an award from than the PTA,” Fine said. “To have it come from them

makes it much more special.”

Schultheis was the second recipient of an Honorary Service Award, for his

work leading up to and supporting Measure A. Schultheis was a tad

suspicious after he found out that he and Yeager were both there to speak

on the proposed $110-million school bond up for vote in November.

“Once I talked to Kurt, I thought something was up. Why would we both

need to speak on [Measure A] when Jill could do it herself?” Schultheis

wondered. “ ... I didn’t expect anything like this. When I look around, I

see there are people here I’d think more deserving.”

Despite his conversation with Schultheis, Yeager never doubted the

assertion by his wife, Barbara, that he was there to talk about the bond

to about 20 or 30 people -- even when there were more than 100 in

attendance.

So he was quite startled when he, like Fine, received the Very Special

Person Award.

“I’m very honored,” Yeager said.

Following the awards, the 2000-2001 Harbor Council PTA board members were

inducted with a twist: They were given gardening duties to guide them in

nurturing the seeds of education in Newport-Mesa’s students.