Ira Hermann received a prestigious sales...

Ira Hermann received a prestigious sales award for 2002 in

Northwestern Mutual’s Western Region. Hermann ranked third among

1,193 financial representatives participating in the annual sales

contest. He is associated with Northwestern Mutual Financial

Network’s Robert J. Waltos Jr. network office in Newport Beach ...

Orange Coast College art history professor Irini Vallera- Rickerson

has written a new book that looks at the women athletes of ancient

Greece: “Athletries: The Untold History of Ancient Greek Women

Athletes.” Vallera-Rickerson is a native of Athens and has been a

member of OCC’s faculty for 25 years ... Orange Coast College English

professor Raymond Obstfeld recently published his third book on

writing titled “Careers for Your Characters: A Writer’s Guide to 101

Professions from Architect to Zookeeper.” The 51-year-old from Tustin

has written 27 novels, including mysteries, suspense thrillers,

romance, mainstream and young adult. Four of his novels have been

optioned for movies. He has also sold nearly a dozen screenplays, 13

nonfiction books, numerous short stories, poems and nonfiction

articles. Obstfeld also heads up OCC’s highly respected writing

program that has produced writers who have gone on to have their own

work published ... A window display titled “Budget Cuts Shred Your

Future” was put up by Orange Coast College’s display and visual

presentation program students Marisa Bolanos, Beverly Convertino and

Rachel Mangold. The display depicting state budget cuts and its

effect on students depicts a huge pair of scissors tearing into an

OCC class schedule. Beneath the schedule is a pile of shredded paper.

It is on display through April 18 in front of the college’s new

$15-million Arts Center.

* NEIGHBORS spotlights achievements in the community. Please

direct noteworthy information to Coral Wilson by fax at (949)

646-4170, or send e-mail to coral.wilson@latimes.com.