Communities & Clubs -- Jim DeBoom

Nine members of the Newport Beach Sister City Assn., including Sid

Stokes, Val Treadway, Flossie Dunning, Serene Stokes, Be LaForce, Beth

Field, Ced Fields, Grant Dunning and Karen Everts, recently visited

Okazaki, Japan. After a 12-hour flight, they were welcomed, along with a

delegation of Newport Beach firefighters, at a reception sponsored by the

Okazaki International Assn. According to Stokes, the association

president, they toured Okazaki city hall, where they met the vice mayors

and the president of the city council. Then it was off to the Tupperware

Distribution Center and lunch with the Okazaki South Rotary Club.

A tour of the Okazaki Stonework Cooperative provided insight on the

importance of the stonework industry to the community. The day ended with

dinner with the mayor and the exchange of proclamations between the

cities, Stokes said.

The Newport Beach group visited art galleries, historic homes, the

cherry blossom parade and a samurai battle. With the firefighters, they

toured the Toyota assembly plant and had lunch at a Cajun restaurant

named Louisiana Mama. In Nagoya, they visited Tokyo Hand, which, Stokes

said, “is the hardware store of all hardware stores.”

“There were many aspects of this visit that we truly loved, but it was

the warmth and friendship in our welcome that transcends it all. The

people who hosted us were very special in their dedication to

international people and people relationships,” Stokes added.

STUDENTS HONORED: The Exchange Club of Newport Harbor honored Jasmine

Prewall and Socrates Cruz, seniors from Costa Mesa High School, with the

Student of the Year award. Jasmine will attend UC Santa Barbara with a

goal to earn a doctorate in child psychology, and Socrates will attend

Harvard University in the premed program, said Gary Eckles, the event’s

chairman.

LIONS HONORED: Thirteen members of the Harbor-Mesa Lions Club attended

the recent District 4-L4 Lions convention in Oxnard. District Gov. Dave

Stewart honored members Barbara Hayward, Joan Parks, Karen Lamas, Sandi

Scheafer and Ann Mcllroy.

Arlene Schafer and Marianna Segalla were honored for their outstanding

service to the organization this year. Joan Parks won an award for her

“Longest Drive” in the district golf tournament.

SPEAKING OF CONFERENCES: Rotary District 5320 held its annual

conference last weekend at the Hilton Hotel in Costa Mesa. Hotel manager

and South Coast Metro Rotarian Joe Bann had the red carpet out for some

780 attendees who where challenged by speeches from Federal Judge David

O. Carter on community service; Dean Torrence of Jan and Dean fame on

careers; Frank Goldberg, the Rotary International president’s

representative to the conference on membership; and Dick Rutan, of

Voyager fame, who challenged the Rotarians to follow their dreams.

The South Coast Metro Rotary clubs, under the leadership of Lisa

Allen, coordinated the on-site registration activities for members from

48 Rotary clubs from Orange and Southern Los Angeles counties. Arnold

Blaine of the Newport-Irvine club chaired the tennis tournament, while

Andy Campbell and Roger McGonegal of the Newport-Balboa club co-chaired a

successful golf tournament.

Friday night hospitality included 22 booths sponsored by 30-some

clubs, with food and beverage for all. The Newport-Balboa club had its

annual pasta festival, thanks to the efforts of Rotarians Jim Sirkin, Bob

Thayer and Chef Steve Speer of Gina’s Pizza, and a couple of dozen

volunteers. The Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club had a

make-your-own-sundae station, thanks to Rotarian and Five Crowns General

Manager Chris Szechenyi, while the Newport-Irvine club served up popcorn

and soft drinks.

Charleston Gray, director of meetings and conventions for the Hilton,

and his staff were busy as the hotel venues filled up with a variety of

groups, including the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce Academic Awards

Breakfast, a major church conference with 600 in attendance, tour groups

and even a wedding or two over the weekend.

On Sunday, the Rotarians celebrated “Lives of Service” at an

interfaith service that celebrated the lives of Rotarians who had died

during the past year, including Keith Burnham, Norm Corlett, Allan Tingey

and Wendell Fish to name a few.

WORTH REPEATING: From the “Thought for the Day” provided by Greg

Kelley of the Newport-Mesa Irvine Interfaith Council: “Do not save your

loving speeches for your friends till they are dead; do not write them on

their tombstones, speak them rather now instead.”

-- Anna Cummins

SERVICE CLUB MEETINGS THIS WEEK:

MONDAY

6 p.m.: The Harbor Mesa Lions Club will meet at Zubies Restaurant.

TUESDAY

7:30 a.m.: The Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club will meet at Five

Crowns.

WEDNESDAY

7:15 a.m. The 20-member South Coast Metro Rotary Club will meet at the

Center Club (o7 www.southcoastmetrorotary.orgf7 ), and the Newport

Harbor Kiwanis Club will meet at the University Athletic Club.

Noon: The 35-member Exchange Club of the Orange Coast will meet at the

Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a program by Dana Hills High School

students.

6 p.m.: The Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa will meet at the Bahia

Corinthian Yacht Club for a program by John Koze on the power of words.

THURSDAY

7 a.m.: The 20-plus member Costa Mesa-Orange Coast Breakfast Lions

Club will meet at Mimi’s Cafe.

Noon. The 50-member Costa Mesa Kiwanis Club will meet at the Holiday

Inn (o7 www.kiwanis.org/club/costamesaf7 ), the Newport Beach-Corona

del Mar Kiwanis Club will meet at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club, the

80-member Exchange Club of Newport Harbor will meet at the Newport Harbor

Nautical Museum for a program by Larry Harris titled “Scent -- The

Forgotten Evidence,” and the 100-member Newport-Irvine Rotary Club will

meet at the Irvine Marriott Hotel for a program coordinated by Earl

Fusselman on the Police Officers of the Year. (o7 www.nirotary.orgf7 ).

* COMMUNITY & CLUBS is published Saturdays in the Daily Pilot. Send

your service club’s meeting information by fax to (949) 660-8667; e-mail

to o7 jdeboom@aol.comf7 or by mail to 2082 S.E. Bristol St., Suite

201, Newport Beach, CA 92660-1740.