Community & Clubs:

Turkey as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, fourth edition, is “a large North American bird that has brownish plumage and a bare, wattled head and neck, and is widely domesticated for food.” The slang definition for turkey from the same dictionary is “a person considered inept or undesirable.”

For the eighth year in a row, I deviate from the traditional Community and Clubs format to present the Turkey Awards for Newport-Mesa as well as the Eagle Award.

Let’s review some Turkey history:

2002: Confused Newport Beach political consultant David Ellis;

2003: The grocery store strikers who ate their turkey dinner on the picket line;

2004: Double-dipping Coast Community College Trustee Armando Ruiz;

2005: Green Light leader, the late Phil Arst;

2006: The Costa Mesa City Council disrupter, Santa Ana Unified School Board member Nativo Lopez;

2007: The disgraced Sheriff Mike Carona and “under investigation” county Treasurer Tax Collector Chris Street;

2008: Lawsuit happy “I am right no matter what the courts say” Allan Beek.

That leads us to the 2009 Turkey of the Year. Nominations include Costa Mesa’s Gary Monahan and his Sunday football sign, the Newport Beach Police Department and Police Assn. for lawsuits and resignations and Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown, who is using his office to campaign for governor.

The winner is, drum roll please, the Great Park hoax creator, 2002 Turkey of the Year runner up, Irvine City Councilman Larry Agran. Agran sold the county voters on the Great Park (versus the El Toro international airport) and has allegedly used the park contract to extract money from developers to pay back his friends and has left the promises of the Great Park unfulfilled.

The Eagle Award was suggested by Geoff West in 2003 when he nominated Eric Bever, then a candidate for the Costa Mesa City Council. In 2004, the award went to the men and women of our Armed Forces who serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 2005 award went to Donna and John Crean for their support of the Newport Beach Library at Mariners Park. The 2006 award was shared by restaurateur Dan Marcheano and Superior Court Judge Steve Bromberg for their support of the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines at Camp Pendleton. The 2007 award went to Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach for his ethics, and Gordon Bowley and the leaders of Costa Mesa United in 2008 for leadership for the new football stadium at Estancia High School and Olympic pool at Costa Mesa High School.

The 2009 Eagle Award is shared by two men who have held the same title this year — city manager of Newport Beach. The award goes to retired City Manager Homer Bludau, who set a standard for excellence in city operations and for his community involvement, and newly selected City Manager Dave Kiff, who moved up from being assistant city manager, for his continued excellence on behalf of the city.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

ROTARY GROUP TO STUDY IN TAIWAN IN 2010

Rotary District 5320 is looking for four men and women who would like to visit Taiwan from March 14 to April 11 as part of the Rotary’s group study exchange team. The object is to create world peace and understanding through exchanging educational, cultural and vocational practices, and at the same time build and develop personal, professional relationships and observe how it’s done in Taiwan.

Participants must be between 25 and 40 years old, live in Orange County or southern Los Angeles County and be employed in a high-tech industry. They cannot be related to a Rotarian.

Rotary provides round trip airfare and participants are hosted by Rotary families in Taiwan who provide housing, meals and vocational visits. Deadline for applications is Tuesday. For an application or for more information, call team leader Nev Roseman at (714) 875-2060 or Neil Burns at (949) 495-5558.

WORTH REPEATING

Thought for the day as provided by Greg Kelley of the Newport Mesa Irvine Interfaith Council: “I hope that my achievements in life shall be these — that I will have fought for what was right and fair, that I will have risked for that which mattered, that I will have given help to those who were in need, that I will have left the earth a better place for what I’ve done and who I’ve been.”

— C. Hoppe

SERVICE CLUB MEETINGS THIS WEEK

How are you giving back to your community? You are invited to attend a service club meeting this coming week to learn more about opportunity for service. Most clubs will buy your first meal for you as you get acquainted with them.

TODAY

7:30 a.m.: The 10-member Newport Harbor Kiwanis Club meets at Denny’s Restaurant, 290 Bristol St., Costa Mesa.

Noon: The 20-member Exchange Club of Corona del Mar meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club, 1601 Bayside Drive, Corona Del Mar. For more information, visit www.coronadelmarexchangeclub.org.

5:15 p.m.: The 10-member Rotary Club of Costa Mesa meets at the Ramada Inn & Suites, 1680 Superior Ave., Costa.

TUESDAY

7:30 a.m.: The Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club meets at Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave., for a presentation by City Manager David Kiff. For information, go to www.newportbeachsunriserotary.org.

COMMUNITY & CLUBS is published Saturdays. Send your service club’s meeting information by fax to (714) 921-8655 or by e-mail to jdeboom@aol.com .