A little spirit from Art Linkletter
Art Linkletter, 91, came to town to honor John Huffman, senior
minister of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Newport Beach. It was
the annual Salvation Army awards dinner, held at the Hyatt Regency,
Irvine, bestowing upon Huffman the Spirit Award, which is the highest
honor given by the Salvation Army.
Past recipients of the Spirit Award are Newport’s Donna Crean,
Congressman Chris Cox, Betty Beldon Palmer, Peter and Mary Muth and
David and Judy Threshie. Huffman, a highly respected member of the
Newport-Mesa community, joins a distinguished roster of citizenry
sharing a common belief in assisting their fellow man -- with a moral
base found in strong religious faith.
Linkletter was the perfect host and guest speaker for the affair.
He addressed the crowd from the heart, speaking for 45 minutes
without notes. Sharing his personal experiences, including the death
of his own daughter at age 18 from a drug overdose, Linkletter made
his own mission helping others very clear.
In addition to the Huffman award, the Salvation Army honored Chuck
Potter, former president of First American Trust, with its William
Booth Award, and Ona Walls received the Volunteer of the Year Award.
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The American Jewish Committee, Orange County Chapter, held a
dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel, Newport Beach, to present the 2003
National Human Relations Award to prominent local businessman Brad A.
Morrice, chairman and CEO of New Century Mortgage Corporation.
The dinner attracted intellectual community leaders including Jone
Pearce, dean of the UC Irvine Graduate School of Management, Thomas
Phelps, senior partner at the law firm Manatt, Phelps and Phillips,
David Krinsky, partner at O’Melveny and Myers, and Congresswoman
Loretta Sanchez. They came to honor Morrice, who, in addition to his
national business reputation, is a leader on many fronts of social
activism, working tirelessly for such organizations as Habitat for
Humanity and the Volunteer Center.
The highlight of the evening at the Four Seasons was the keynote
address by state Sen. Joseph L. Dunn, discussing the state of racial
and religious relations in America and around the world today.
The American Jewish Committee, founded in 1906, promotes human
rights, advocates public policy positions rooted in American
democratic values and brings together individuals and organizations
representing our national diversity.
E. Scott Menter is president of the Orange County Chapter. Others
supporting the efforts of the committee are Arnold and Ruth
Feuerstein of Lido Isle, Mike and Nancy Meyer, Henry and Susan
Samueli, Mitchell and Jil Wexler, Sy and Lynn Pearlman and Susan
Glass.
* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.
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