New board rewarding UC scientists

B.W. COOK

The dedicated Newport Beach chapter of the national organization

Achievement Rewards for College Scientists recently gathered at past

president Mary Lou Furnas’ home to welcome new board members and

patrons at large.

Pat Beckman, daughter of legendary scientist Arnold Beckman,

serves as founding president of the Newport Beach chapter. Pat

Beckman presented the new board, welcoming participants including

Dorothy Terman, France Campbell, Ann Rowe, Sue Alexopoulis and Anne

Nutt. Also present were Eve Thompson, Christine Thomas, Diana Casey

and Andrea Taylor.

The new board has pledged to increase its fundraising to benefit

student scholarship awards. Funds are allocated to 10 annual

university science scholarships. Six awards of $12,500 are presented

to second-year student finalists and four awards of $10,000 go to new student winners. These funds were most recently awarded in November

at a gala dinner at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center at UC Irvine.

Plans for 2004 are now underway.

Alexopoulis chaired the dinner last year featuring UCI professor

Ralph V. Clayman, chair of the department of urology, as keynote

speaker. Clayman is a world-renowned expert in the field of kidney

cancer and strictures of the ureter. The $100-per-person dinner

ticket attracted broad community support and raised money for the

student awards.

Promoting the evening and the cause were UCI’s medical school dean

Tom Cesario and his wife Mary, Ambassador to Spain George Argyros and

his wife Julia, UCI Chancellor Ralph Cicerone and his wife Carol, and

Newport philanthropists Margaret and Robert Sprague. Additional local

support for came from Linda Elfmann, UCI Dean Susan Bryant and

current Achievement Rewards for College Scientists president Terri

Carr.

A LITERARY ROUND TABLE

Those two fabulous literary gals Margaret Burk and Marilyn Hudson

continue their respected “Round Table West” author’s luncheon on Jan.

22 at the Newport Beach Country Club. “Round Table West” will present

Bruce Herschensohn, author of “Passport: An Epic Novel of The Cold

War.” Pat Hitchcock O’Connell, the only child of film director Alfred

Hitchcock and Alma Hitchcock, will discuss her book, “Alma Hitchcock

-- The Woman Behind The Man.”

Finally, Linda McCoy Murray, widow of Los Angeles Times

sportswriter/columnist Jim Murray, has written on the life of her

late husband and his considerable career in sports journalism. Round

Table West is open to the public. Call Hudson at (323) 256-7977 to

make a reservation.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.