The Crowd -- B.W. Cook

The prestigious UC Irvine Medals were bestowed upon worthy academics

and community leaders recently as an overflow crowd turned out in black

tie at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Irvine to celebrate excellence at the

university.

UCI Chancellor Ralph J. Cicerone presided over the lofty gathering.

The funds raised, a record $641,000, will be used to directly support UCI

students.

“Proceeds will fund Regents’ Scholarships and, for the first time,

will also be used for graduate fellowships,” Cicerone commented.

The evening was co-chaired by UCI Foundation trustee Henry Samueli,

co-founder and chief technology officer of Broadcom, and his wife, Susan.

The prominent Corona del Mar couple were recipients of the UCI Medal in

2000 in recognition of their philanthropy relating to the university.

Joining Chancellor Cicerone and UCI Foundation members, the Samuelis

participated in awarding the 2002 honors to Jill Beck, dean of the UCI

Claire Trevor School of the Arts; Dwight W. Decker, chairman and chief

executive of Conexant; J. Hillis Miller, UCI distinguished professor of

English and comparative literature; and Ted Smith, founder and retired

chair of FileNET Corp. Smith also serves as chairman of the UCI

Foundation board and has worked for more than 16 years fostering

partnerships between the university and the local business community.

Others dedicated to UCI serving on the 2002 medal committee included

honorary co-chairs Arnold Beckman, Donald and Brigitte Bren, and Joan

Irvine Smith. Also in the crowd, serving UCI with both financial and

personal support, were Doug and Lynn Freeman, Alvin and Rosalie Glasky,

Bruce and Elizabeth Hallett, Gary and Melanie Singer, Tom and Misa Yuen,

and Nicolaos and Sue Alexopoulos.

Created in 1984, the UCI Medal is the highest honor given by UC

Irvine.

* * *

The Hutchins Consort took the Irvine Barclay Theatre by storm last

week in what was an annual event for this unique musical ensemble.

Special guest artist Allan Vogel, playing the oboe, was one of the

highlights of the evening led by Joe McNalley, artistic director and

master of the contrabass violin.

The consort, for those unfamiliar, is a group of eight violins

covering the entire range of written music for the instrument. It is

named for famed luthier Dr. Carleen Hutchins, who designed and built the

eight scaled violins, and remains the only octet of its kind in the world

today.

McNalley and his group will travel to New York City next month for a

series of three performances May 10-12 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Concert supporters at the Barclay included Dr. Peter and Andra

Broekelschen, Dr. Robert and Ruth Ann Burns, Sharon McNalley and

Newport’s indefatigable Jan Landstrom. Guests mingled with the octet

members and enjoyed a late evening reception at the Barclay following the

presentation.

* * *

Laura’s House, a shelter for victims of domestic violence in South

Orange County, celebrated the Academy Awards with a smashing party hosted

by Peter and Scherry LaMarche at their hillside manse. Chaired by

Newport’s lovely Fran Mulvania and LaMarche daughter Leala, the event

drew more than 260 guests to the ocean-view estate, raising more than

$40,000 for the shelter.

The party theme was “Moulin Rouge,” making vintage gowns the mode of

dress for many of the women. Funds raised are earmarked to support the

emergency shelter at Laura’s Home. Founded in 1994, in response to a

growing need for domestic violence services, Laura’s House offers crime

intervention, legal assistance, education and outreach services to help

women and children get reestablished in the community.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.