Harbor Realty owner to be named citizen of year

Luis Pena

A humble man will receive a humbling award tonight.

Bill Ring, owner of Harbor Realty in Corona del Mar, will be named

Citizen of the Year by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce at its

annual Chairman’s Reception and Citizen of the Year presentation.

The award has been around for more than 50 years and is given to

an individual who not only has been an active member of the

community, but also has tried to improve it, said Richard Luehrs, the

chamber’s president.

Ring, a long-time Newport Beach resident who graduated from

Newport Harbor High School, served as chairman of the chamber in the

‘70s and has been involved in other organizations such as board of

adjustments for the city of Newport Beach and the board of directors

for the 552 Club of Hoag Hospital, Luehrs said.

“He’s done a great job with whatever he’s become involved with,”

Luehrs said.

Past recipients such as former state Sen. and education secretary

Marian Bergeson; Richard Stevens, a former co-owner of the Balboa Bay

Club; and Paul Salata, founder of Mr. Irrelevant Week, select the

recipient of the award. The honoree will receive proclamations from

the state, county and city.

Community members like Ring don’t come along very often and they

make Newport Beach a “special” community, Luehrs said.

Community involvement has run in his family since his father, who

first came to Newport Beach in 1942, Ring said.

“I suspect there maybe some others who might be more deserving,”

Ring said about being named the recipient.

That humble nature typifies Ring, said Bob Robbins of Theodore

Robbins Ford and a past award winner himself.

“He’s certainly one of those types of individuals that is very

unassuming,” Robbins said. “He’s always willing to step in and offer

help.”

Besides honoring Ring, the ceremony will also honor outgoing

chamber chairman Clayton Shurley of Clayton Shurley’s Real BBQ and

incoming chairwoman Dorothy Larson of Larson and Associates.