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.