CHRIS PREMER Best known as the spokesman...

CHRIS PREMER

Best known as the spokesman for the Toshiba Senior Classic and for

his work with Hoag Hospital, Premer died in a plane crash on Oct. 1

three miles from the Ontario Airport. He would have turned 31 on Oct.

12. Premer worked as a communications specialist at the hospital

before striking out on his own. Premer took over as the Toshiba

Senior Classic’s media director in 1997 when the hospital took over

as the lead charity. The event is held each March at the Newport

Beach Country Club. The Costa Mesa resident and Cal State Fullerton

graduate then met Jeff Purser, the tournament’s director. Premer

managed all media relations and was integral in the planning and

marketing of the PGA Champions Tour event. He continued to write

freelance articles for Hoag publications. Family members described

Premer as a sports enthusiast and passionate writer who had a way

with words.

AL SCHMEHL

The 29-year veteran of the Newport Beach Fire Department died Aug.

27 after a seven-year battle with brain cancer. He was 52. Schmehl

served as one of the city’s first paramedics and helped form its

hazmat team. In 1995, he was diagnosed with the cancer after he

collapsed on the job. His cancer is believed to have been the result

of exposure to toxic substances on the job. He was one of the

firefighters who responded to the 1987 chemical blaze at Hixson Metal

Plating Inc., which is believed to have contributed to the deaths of

Newport Beach Police Sgt. Steven Van Horn and Newport Beach

firefighter Larry Parrish, who were the first to arrive on scene.

DONALD SHAW

The real estate developer and 40-year Newport Beach resident died

Aug. 18 at age 79. He was a principal in Shaw Properties, a

commercial and industrial development and consulting firm. Shaw moved

from Los Angeles to Newport in 1961 and served in the Navy during

World War II. He also supported several organizations, including the

Laguna Beach Art Museum, Planned Parenthood, the Orange County

Performing Arts Center, the United Way and Hoag Hospital. Shaw was a

graduate of Glendale High School and held two bachelors degrees from

USC -- one in naval science and another in business administration.

JOEL MANCHESTER

A director of cardiology at Hoag Hospital for more than 20 years

who was widely credited with helping to bring world-class cardiac

care to Orange County, Manchester died Aug. 23 at age 62.

Manchester’s career with Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian began in

1974 and included a number of accomplishments in cardiology. He

helped establish the Hoag Hearth and Vascular Institute and developed

numerous initiatives and patient-care procedures that helped earn

widespread acclaim for the hospital’s cardiovascular programs. A

Newport Beach resident, Manchester was active in the hospital’s

fundraising group and served on the committee for its annual

SweetHeart Ball. He was awarded the heart institute’s first Vin

Jorgensen Award in 1992 for his volunteer work.

MARCELLA SHELDON

A 70-year employee of Edwards Theaters for whom the Big Newport

Theater’s main auditorium is named, Sheldon died of heart failure at

age 91 on Aug. 4. Her career with Edwards began in 1930 when, right out of high school, she took a job as a secretary at the company’s

office at the Alhambra Theater to support her mother and two sisters.

When the company moved its headquarters to Newport Beach in 1975,

Sheldon moved to Mission Viejo. She was still working part-time at

the company last year when Edwards was absorbed by Regal Cinemas. To

honor her 70-year tenure with the company, Edwards named its main

auditorium at the Big Newport Theater after her.

CHARLIE BLEIKER

The teacher and coach at Newport Harbor High for 28 years died

Aug. 3 of natural causes at the age of 66. The longtime tennis coach,

also known as “Tex,” retired from education more than four years ago

after serving as the Sailors’ football coach, boys’ tennis coach and

girls’ tennis coach. He died suddenly while spending the day at the

beach with one of his six grandsons. A former tennis player at

Abilene Christian University and in the Army, in which he served

three years after being drafted in 1960, Bleiker became a teacher and

coach, first in New Mexico and West Texas before moving to California

in 1970. After a short stint at Costa Mesa High, Bleiker found a home

for the next 28 years at Newport Harbor. All three of his children

became teachers and married teachers.

LARRY GIBSON

The city of Newport Beach, as well as numerous civil and military

agencies at home and abroad, mourned the death of Gibson, who died on

June 26 of melanoma, a form of skin cancer. For nearly two decades,

Gibson served the city in several capacities, starting as a seasonal

lifeguard in 1962. He became a marine safety officer in 1972, and was

team manager of the 1978 U.S. Lifesaving Assn. A multifaceted person,

Gibson, upon retirement from the city in 1983, co-founded a private

organization called “Marine Rescue Consultants.” The firm trained

U.S. Coast Guard and Navy personnel, as well as people from many

public and private agencies, in the use of Rigid-Hulled Inflatable

boats. His business partner said no single person had a greater

effect on the profession o rescue boat operations in the United

States and abroad than Gibson.

BARRIE MOORE

The popular owner of Mi Casa restaurant in Costa Mesa died June 28

in Newport Beach of heart complications at the age of 85. The popular

Eastside restaurant opened in 1972. Crotchety, stubborn and set in

his ways were some of the words used to describe Moore, immediately

followed by adjectives such as loving, generous and kind. Moore loved

to greet his customers at the door and make them feel welcome, but he

hated it when his employees would dismiss them with a canned response

like “Thank you and have a good day.” Moore battled poor health in

his last years and was in and out of the hospital with heart

problems. When he was out, he was on the race tracks. Horses were his

passion. During one of his trips to Hoag Hospital, Moore caused quite

an uproar when he tried to have filet mignon and shrimp cocktail

delivered to his hospital room. He had just gotten the tubes taken

out and was finally off the breathing machines when he reportedly

called the Arches and demanded some mouth-watering, artery-clogging

food.

WILLIAM PASCOE III

The entrepreneur and horse-racing association founder died June 25

at his Newport Beach home at the age of 87. The founder of Pascoe

Metal Building and eventual chairman of parent company American

Cement, Pascoe was also a decorated soldier, an accomplished pilot

and sailor and a noted breeder and trainer of thoroughbred horses. He

helped found the Oaktree Racing Assn. and served as president of the

California Thoroughbred Breeders Assn. In 1970, he moved to Linda

Isle, where he continued to pursue his lifelong interests in sailing

and airplanes. A self-taught sailor, he was a member of the Newport

Harbor Yacht Club. His racing wins include the St. Francis Big Boat

Series in San Francisco, the Southern Ocean Racing Circuit in Florida

and the Los Angeles Whitney series. A longtime horse-racing expert,

Pascoe housed about 750 horses at a time at his farm in Murietta. He

served as member of the board of directors of Hollywood Park and Bay

Meadows.

DOROTHY GERNER

A 41-year Costa Mesa resident who dedicated her life to

volunteering in her community, Gerner died May 24 of cancer. She was

77. Gerner was active in several local groups, including the Mothers

March during the March of Dimes. Her daughter, Kathy Mauro, said her

mother started the practice of men accompanying the women during that

march. She was best known as a swimming instructor who specialized in

teaching disabled children. Gerner worked with several children with

disabilities from spina bifida to cerebral palsy. She received the

Henry Ford Award for volunteers four times for her work. Mauro said

her mother was “too modest” to run for office in city government, but

she ran campaigns for several former council members, including Jack

Hammett and Dominic Raciti.

BEVERLY SALATA

A longtime Linda Isle resident and wife of the man who founded

Irrelevant Week -- the Newport Beach event honoring the last man

taken in the NFL Draft -- Salata died May 23 of heart failure at age

77. Salata met her husband, a former USC and NFL wide receiver, at

USC, where she studied journalism. “Mom had a car, and dad thought

that was cool,” their daughter said. “And she liked football.” Salata

worked as a flight attendant for United Airlines and became somewhat

of a “beach girl” around that time. Years later, she and Paul would

spend summer days on El Morro Beach in Orange County and then in Bay

Shores. Paul and Beverly married in 1951 and moved to Linda Isle in

1968.

LANGDON W.

‘DON’ OWEN

A Newport Beach resident who once served as the Orange County

Water District’s general manager, Owen died April 24 at age 72. He

spent 10 years as the water district’s general manager and developed

the concept for the Water Factory 21, an internationally known water

treatment and groundwater recharge facility in Fountain Valley. The

present district general manager called Owen “an icon in the water

industry.” Owen essentially built a pilot ocean desalination plant in

Orange County in 1969 and saw this technology as a key component to

Southern California’s future water supply. Owen also helped create

policy on water-related issues. He had served as an appointed member

of the board of directors for the Metropolitan Water District of

Southern California since 1996.

ALVIN ‘BUD’ ANDERSON

A World War II pilot and local historian, Anderson died April 19

at his Huntington Beach home at the age of 84. Anderson was a

familiar face at the Costa Mesa Historical Society, where he

volunteered three days a week for more than a decade. Since 1988,

Anderson volunteered nearly 30 hours a week at the historical

society. He was known as the primary expert on the Santa Ana Army Air

Base, which existed on property now occupied by the Orange County

Fairgrounds. In his last decade, Anderson was known to regale

visitors to the historical society’s museum, which is in a one-story

building near Triangle Square. He also led tours of the center.

RANDY SMITH

The Orange County Fair board member known for his Hawaiian shirts

and sense of humor died March 30 at age 55. The colorful shirts

served as an extension of Smith’s jovial personality, said Emily

Sanford, who served with Smith on the board. Smith made his mark as a

lobbyist and Republican fundraiser, working on the expansion of John

Wayne Airport in 1990 and a contract for Motorola for a countywide

emergency system. The Yorba Linda resident served on the fair board

for 13 years and focused on making the fair all-inclusive. Smith was

also one of Centennial Farms’ strongest supporters.

LOU RUSSO

Founder of Russo’s Pet Experience in Fashion Island and a longtime

leader in the local business community, Russo died in March at age

80. Russo launched the innovative, boutique-style pet store in the

late 1960s well into a successful career breeding and showing

champion Italian greyhounds. Russo also wrote a book about Italian

greyhounds and went on to have a winner in the Westminster dog show.

In the 1970s, Russo held outdoor dog shows at Fashion Island, at what

is now the site of Nieman Marcus. He served on the board of the

Fashion Island Merchants Assn. as a founding member and was former

president of the retail pet association.

PATRICIA EMISON COX

Cox, who spent much of her life volunteering and fund-raising for

charity, died March 24 from complications from recent cancer

treatments at age 81. Cox was born Feb. 2, 1922, in Santa Ana, but

lived much of her life in a Santa Ana Heights home overlooking the

Back Bay. She served as a lieutenant in the Navy in World War II.

After leaving the service, Cox took a job as the recreation director

with the Balboa Bay Club. As an ardent environmentalist, Cox involved

herself in Friends of Newport Bay, Defend the Bay, the Newport

Conservancy and Sherman Library & Gardens. Cox’s diagnosis of breast

cancer in her 50s didn’t slow her down. After treatment, she returned

to public life as a dedicated fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Assn.,

YWCA, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Bowers Museum and other

groups.

RICHARD NALL

The former Daily Pilot editor died at his home in Laguna Beach on

March 13 at age 73. As assistant managing editor, Nall oversaw the

sections of the paper that published news from South County cities.

Nall was famous for the Kentucky Daily Derby parties he threw at his

home, an event that was a Daily Pilot tradition. A former football

player, Nall’s big build often intimidated young reporters, former

colleague Chuck Loos said. Nall left his job at the Pilot to become a

copy editor at the Los Angeles Times’ Orange County bureau.

DONALD ACKLEY

The longtime Orange Coast College librarian and dean of library

and media services died Feb. 15 from cancer at age 58. A Huntington

Beach resident, Ackley joined OCC’s faculty in 1971 as an evening

librarian and quickly climbed the ranks to head librarian and then

dean of library and media services. Ackley’s accomplishments include

establishing a Macintosh lab, creating electronic databases for

full-text journal and newspaper articles and establishing a

collection of rare books for the library. He maintained the college’s

official campus archives and designed and launched OCC’s first Web

site more than 10 years ago. He also received a Friend of the

Students Award from the Associated Students Assn. Ackley was still on

staff at the time of his death.

DONALD ROBERT

‘D.R.’ SEGAL

The national media mogul more intimately known around Cameo Shores

as the man with the sheepdog, Segal died Feb. 11 in his Corona del

Mar home. He was 82 and had been ill with Alzheimer’s disease. Segal

was the former president and chief executive of Freedom

Communications Inc., which owned 28 daily newspapers, including the

Orange County Register, 37 weeklies and eight television stations.

The Irvine-based and privately held company is the 12th-largest

newspaper chain in the nation. After stepping down from his executive

position, Segal remained on the board as one of a handful of

non-family members, although he represented the Hoiles family

interest. Family members said Segal came from humble beginnings as a

newspaper man and retained his unpretentious personality in light of

the societal influences surrounding him. He and his wife had lived in

the same modest Corona del Mar home for the past 24 years, where

Segal enjoyed walking his sheepdogs, Oliver I, Oliver II and Oliver

III. The journalist known for his wry wit also wrote a column in the

Orange County Register about his canine quests.

RACHEL ‘TONI’ OLIPHANT

A Corona del Mar resident better known as one of the three Knott

sisters, Oliphant died Jan. 29 of congestive heart failure at age 86.

She and sisters Virginia and Marion and brother Russell were the

children of Walter and Cordelia Knott, the couple who owned Knott’s

Berry Farm. Oliphant remained active in the growth of Knott’s Berry

Farm. She was involved in retail as a general partner and director

before it was sold to Cedar Fair L.P. in 1997. She was involved with

several organizations, including Corona del Mar High School, American

Red Cross, the Fashionables, the House Ear Institute, Angelitos de

Oro, Goodwill Industries and the New Majority. Oliphant gave $3

million to Chapman University to build the Ken and Toni Oliphant

Symphony Hall on campus this year.

ROBERT REED

A 23-year Newport Beach resident and former Newport Beach

lifeguard chief, Reed died Jan. 26 at age 86. Reed was “a dynamic

person who lived many lives,” son Robert Reed Jr. said. He worked for

the Office of Strategic Services during World War II, then owned a

cattle ranch, spent time in the oil business and led the marine

safety squad in Newport Beach. In 1958, he began working in Newport

Beach as the captain of the Sea Watch, the city’s lifeguard boat that

mostly searched for surfers in need of rescue. Reed then became the

lifeguard chief, a position later renamed marine safety director.

VIVI-ANNE HULTEN

The five-time Swedish figure skating champion and Corona del Mar

resident died Jan. 15 of heart failure in a local nursing home at age

91. Hulten was a bronze medalist in the 1936 Winter Olympics. She

turned pro in 1938 and skated with the Ice Follies and other shows.

She and husband Gene Theslof toured with the Ice Capades and other

shows in the United States and Europe. She served as show director of

the Ice Capades in the mid-1950s. The couple later taught skating in

the Carolinas and Tennessee and, in 1964, started a skating school in

St. Paul, Minn. Hulten ran the school from the time of her husband’s

death until about four years ago, when she suffered a stroke. She

moved to Corona del Mar to be near her son, Gene Theslof, a former

skater. A life-size statue of Hulten doing a spiral is on a lake in

Budapest, Hungary, and a miniature version of it is in the World

Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs.

BILL MAULDIN

The Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist who gave newspaper readers

at home a sardonic view of World War II died Jan. 22 at a Newport

Beach nursing home. He was 81. Mauldin, an Army rifleman during World

War II, captured the hearts of readers with his portrayal of Willy

and Joe -- two unshaven, slovenly soldiers who survived the war while

making sarcastic remarks about their orders to their equipment and

even their allies. The cartoons were published in “Stars and Stripes”

and other military journals. One of his famous cartoons in the

Chicago Sun-Times showed a grieving Abraham Lincoln slumped, with his

hands covering his face, at the Lincoln Memorial after President

Kennedy’s assassination. After the war, Mauldin briefly freelanced.

He joined the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1958 and moved to the

Sun-Times in 1962. He also acted in two movies, one of them John

Huston’s 1951 production of “The Red Badge of Courage.” He received

several letters of support from veterans, widows and others at the

nursing home.

JAMES ‘JAY’ STODDARD

The former mayor and longtime Corona del Mar resident died Jan. 12

at age 90. A graduate of Caltech, he moved to Corona del Mar 57 years

ago after working in the petroleum industry in the United States and

the Middle East. He was elected to the Newport Beach City Council in

1954 and served as a council member until 1964. During this time, he

was mayor several times. Former City Manager Robert Shelton remembers

Stoddard for his significant achievements as mayor, including

building the Big Canyon Reservoir “in record time.” Shelton said the

former mayor was also responsible for taking mom-and-pop snack shacks

off the Corona del Mar main beach, replacing the temporary structures

with permanent ones. An avid boater, Stoddard also designed the

Seacraft, a lifeguard rescue boat that several lifeguard departments

use as a model.