Cal State Fullerton Marks Silver Anniversary at Ball

It began with 450 students in six rooms at Sunny Hills High School; 25 years later, Cal State Fullerton --now a 225-acre campus with more than 20,000 students--is still bursting at the seams.

“Cal State Fullerton was the fastest-growing suburban campus in the history of American higher education,” said Cal State University system chancellor W. Ann Reynolds at CSUF’s Silver Jubilee Ball Saturday night. “Now, with 24,000 students, we’re again having to explore options such as off-campus centers.”

Reynolds was one of nearly 500 guests at the ball, which took place in the Pacific Ballroom of the Anaheim Hilton and Towers. The $125-a-plate event benefited the University Endowment Fund and marked the college’s first major off-campus dinner-dance. The new fund will be used for faculty development and support, student scholarships, equipment and supplies, and for bringing otherwise unaffordable experts to the campus.

During a pre-dinner reception, CSUF President Jewel Plummer Cobb said she felt the school’s role to be that of “building a cadre not only of young scholars, but of older scholars who are interested in receiving a combined broad-based liberal arts and professional education that will allow for more career mobility.”

Later, before introducing honorary co-chairman and Irvine Co. President Tom Nielsen, Cobb told the crowd that 60,000 students have graduated from CSUF; that those graduates account for a third of the accounting force in the county and a third of the public school music teachers; and that more than one-half of the county’s school districts come to Fullerton to initiate their bilingual education programs.

“And we pride ourselves on being able to do more with less money than the average university,” she said.

Nielsen announced a gift of $100,000 to the Endowment Fund on behalf of the Irvine Co. He noted that the company employs 25 CSUF graduates, 18 of whom were in attendance.

State Sens. Ed Royce (R-Garden Grove), Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach) and John Seymour (R-Anaheim) were also on hand.

Royce, who is a CSUF alumnus, said that although the school is well known for the strength of its business department, the success of its sports program has definitely helped put it on the map. “And I think the time is ideal,” Royce said, “to form a strong alumni association in the tradition of UCLA or USC. I look forward to working on that.”

Bergeson said she would like to see the Ball become an annual affair “so that this tremendous community spirit can be translated into ongoing, more meaningful support.”

Gov. Deukmejian did not attend the Ball, but, according to Reynolds, he did attend the trustees meeting last week.

“Although his budget doesn’t include everything we asked for,” Reynolds said, “it again gives a strong increase to faculty and aids our initiatives for underrepresented minorities. We’re very pleased about that.”

Seymour agreed. “Deukmejian has put his money where his mouth is,” he said.

The Oasis Band provided music for dining--and rock ‘n’ rolling. Dean Hess and the Young Talents of CSUF presented a half-hour choreographed Silver Jubilee Encore featuring the songs of Cole Porter; the students clearly had as much fun as the audience.

Guests included Jubilee Ball steering committee chairman Marion Sneed; Orange County Supervisor Bruce Nestande; Assemblyman John Lewis; Fullerton Mayor A.B. (Buck) Catlin, who noted that “you can go from kindergarten to Ph.D. on a bicycle in Fullerton,” and Vice Mayor Richard Ackerman.

Also attending were Judge William Lawless, president of the Western State University College of Law; master of ceremonies and CSUF director of community relations Walter Pray, and CSUF student body president John Beisner.

Also Saturday night at the Anaheim Hilton and Towers--in fact, next door in Pacific Ballroom “A” --St. Catherine’s Military School held its 19th annual peacetime maneuvers, a Military Ball attended by 300.

The evening raised almost $10,000 for the school, which celebrated its 95th birthday last year. Of the school’s 220 students, 28 are Latin American students in an English Second Language program.

The program included a military demonstration by the school’s cadet academy, a musical salute to the Armed Forces by the cadet band, a drill team demonstration and presentation of colors by the cadet guard.

Master of ceremonies was retired Air Force Col. William Gordon; Trudy Marton was ball chairman.

The Magic of Hope was the theme of the High Hopes Annual Awards Banquet held Friday night at the UC Irvine University Club.

More than 200 guests--students, their friends and families, and supporters of the Brain Trauma Learning Center--gathered not only for the award presentations, but also for a festive evening of food, music and magic. Rabbits emerged from top hats; centerpieces were made of inverted black top hats, white mums and black and white balloons. David Vincent provided music during the social hour, and Jim Bentley of Los Angeles presented a magic show.

Located in Costa Mesa and founded in 1975, the center was the first private non-profit organization in the United States formed exclusively to serve the needs of the head-injured and their families.

Students at the center, which offers social, physical, vocational and educational programs for head-injured young adults, were named in categories such as Most Inspirational and Best Attitude.

Honoring them were High Hopes founder Lee Merryman; Mike Moldenhauer, Lee’s son and High Hope’s first student; Irvine Vice Mayor Dave Baker, who made closing remarks; Orange County Supervisor Bruce Nestande; Tom and Kathleen Stephenson, representing the Irvine Co.; Volunteer of the Year Pam Dunzer, and banquet co-chairs Andy and Anne Miller.

What do you do when you’re given $41,000? Why, say “thank you,” of course.

Which is just what Walter and Gerry Schroeder did Tuesday night, when they hosted a dinner at the posh Pacific Club in Newport Beach to recognize underwriters of the Sound of Music chapter of the Orange County Performing Arts Center. In attendance were nearly 30 couples, each of whom had donated at least $1,000 to the group.

Duo Susan Fries and Joe Poshek provided a lovely background of classical music during the cocktail hour as many shared their excitement about the chapter’s upcoming “Soiree a Versailles,” a masked ball --set for March 2 at the Newport Beach Marriott--that will feature 17th-Century entertainment.

During dinner, Walter Schroeder toasted the women of the chapter. “I would like to throw accolades to these wonderful women who’ve worked so hard to get money out of your pockets,” Schroeder began. He continued half in sincerity, half tongue-in-cheek: “It’s fabulous what these women will do, forsaking their husbands and their children and their home . . . . “ His speech inspired some of the women to mimic violinists, and the men to shout, “Bravo!”

The elegant dinner featured a broccoli flan with mussels, apple-mint sorbet, choice of veal en croute with truffle sauce or grilled turbot in a roasted red bell pepper sauce, and feuillete of raspberries in caramel sauce.

Underwriters committee chairman Ruby Lloyd thanked Maury and Carolyn de Wald, who arranged for the use of the Pacific Club.