Civic Activist Robert McCurdy Named Citizen of Year by Newport Chamber

Newport Beach resident Robert McCurdy, former president of many Orange County clubs and organizations, was named 1987 Citizen of the Year by the Newport Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce.

He was selected for the honor by past Citizen of the Year recipients.

His leadership credits include the Orange County Council of Boy Scouts of America; 552 Club, a support group of Childrens Hospital of Orange County, and the Orange County Safety Council, which he helped form. He is an officer of the Bank of Newport and a board member of the California Marine Parks and Harbors Assn.

Liz McGuinness, former adviser to the student newspaper at Golden West College in Huntington Beach and a former Los Angeles Times reporter, was honored by Students for Excellence in Education during a reception at the school’s recent Global Awareness Days program. McGuinness is author of the just-published book, “People Waging Peace.”

Jim Beam of Beam Development in the City of Orange and Raymond Watson of the Irvine Co. in Newport Beach will be inducted into the California Building Industry Foundation’s Hall of Fame during its fourth annual ceremony on May 24 in Sacramento.

The Hall of Fame event, also a major fund-raiser, honors distinguished home-building leaders in the state and pays tribute to individuals who have contributed to the advancement of the industry.

For their performance and professionalism in installing and designing electrical systems, five Orange County electrical contractors were honored as winners of Electrical Excellence Awards presented by the Orange County chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Assn.

They are Anderson & Howard Electric Inc. of Irvine; American Electric Co. of Orange; Sesco Electric of Newport Beach, and the Santa Ana firms of Hoffman & Son Inc. and MacFarlane Electric.

Jane Randolph, a 15-year Huntington Beach resident, was named the new chairwoman of the city’s library advisory board.

Randolph said her main challenge would be to raise matching funds for the $1.3 million voted by the city for the expansion of a children’s wing at the Central Library.

“This will be an important year for the Huntington Beach Library,” she said. The Library Patrons Foundation will hold a fund-raising Valentine’s Party Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Central Library, 7111 Talbert Ave.

Vito Francone, 17, a junior at Dana Hills High School where he plays clarinet in the band, has been chosen to take part in the 1988 California All-State Honor Bands. He was among 270 chosen from among 600 auditioned in the state.

The All-State Bands will take part in the annual convention of the California Band Directors Assn. in El Cajon on Feb. 12-14.

Veteran interior designer Elaine M. Redfield of Fullerton, a founding member of the Performing Arts Center, has been elected president of the Orange County chapter of the 28,000-member American Society of Interior Designers.

Gina Marie Desmond, a Cypress resident and student at Golden West College studying broadcasting, was selected over 17 others as Miss City of Cypress. Holly Blum was named first runner-up and Kimberly Eakin was second. In an earlier contest, Victoria Kogan, a Cypress High School student, was named Miss Teen Cypress.

Michael Shea, 39, of Irvine, active in the Irvine Chamber of Commerce and vice president of Beacon Bay Enterprises, a company that builds and operates car washes in Orange County, was appointed to the Irvine Finance Commission. Shea, working on his post-graduate studies in public administration at Cal State Fullerton, is also a member of the board of trustees of the Newport Harbor Art Museum.

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