Norse legends hit Newport

B.W. COOK

The Vikings landed in Newport Beach for a January conference at the

Balboa Bay Club and Resort.

The Vikings, an organization founded in Los Angeles in the

mid-20th century days of business growth, evolved into the Orange

County community with help from the late Hans Prager, founder of the

Ritz Restaurant in Newport Beach.

Prager, who was trained at Scandia Restaurant in Los Angeles,

under the tutelage of Ken Hansen, transported the Vikings’ concept to

Orange County, where local business leaders have been meeting for

decades, working for a variety of worthwhile community needs.

The early days of the Vikings included a who’s who of L.A. movers

and shakers, including media stars Dick Whittinghill and Jerry

Dunphy, football star Tom Harmon, Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater,

Sheriff Peter Pitchess and a Hollywood contingent that included

Broderick Crawford, Nipsey Russell, and even one very important

participant named Elizabeth Taylor.

It is reported that Taylor, a regular customer of Scandia

Restaurant, came up to Hansen one evening while dining and told him

that she wanted to be a member of the Vikings. This was back in the

1960s, and no women were involved with the all-male charity. Hansen

made Taylor a member and apparently not one complaint was heard from

the Vikings.

The Orange County Vikings were born in the booming 1980s. Quickly,

the membership roster grew, originally including Borge Nelsen, Norm

Anderson, Todd Chisem and Peter Jensen. Last week, some 60

distinguished members of the Vikings converged upon the Balboa Bay

Club for their first luncheon meeting of 2004 to share friendship,

plenty of stories and to make plans for charitable efforts in the

year ahead.

There was much more than just a little mid-week fun at the event,

as former Gov. George Deukmejian addressed the assemblage with some

serious politics. Deukmejian analyzed challenges facing the term of

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, particularly the budget crisis and the

cutbacks in store for Californians.

Deukmejian pulled no punches as he investigated such hot-button

political issues as the taxation of Indian gaming, funds from the

California lottery earmarked for California education, immigration

law and social services.

On a lighter note, the Vikings congratulated themselves on their

annual Christmas drive that’s well known for providing generous gift

baskets to local families in need. The Vikings are also known for

their assistance to handicapped children, including an annual fishing

trip sponsored and designed for children with special needs.

The Orange County Vikings, also known as the Noble Vikings, have

only one requirement for membership -- a donation of $200 or more to

the Vikings’ Christmas Basket Stuffing Drive. Each year, the

organization packs more than 1,500 baskets filled with food and

necessities for Orange County families. During the year ahead, the

Vikings are planning a special monthly event. To become a part of

this tradition, and to find out more about the Vikings, visit their

website at https://www. noblevikings.com.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.