His Tall Tale Is a Flying Winner

Norm Cook’s improbable tale about a fictitious man named Arno Axolotl who traveled back in time to help the Wright brothers invent the flying machine won the Toastmaster’s Division C Best Tall Tales contest held in Westminster.

Cook, a Huntington Beach resident, will advance to the May 16 districtwide contest at the Holiday Inn in Buena Park. It is open to the public.

Cook defeated Charles Christ, Westminster; Tim Giblet, Huntington Beach; Gregg McMahon, Newport Beach, and Kathryn Takach, Anaheim, to win the Division C contest.

The division contest also featured impromptu and international speech contests.

Margy Dunlay, Long Beach, took first place for an impromptu speech that dealt with relationships in the movie “Beauty and the Beast.”

Chelsea Wakefield, Long Beach, was first in the international category with what was termed an inspiring look at ways to overcome obstacles to happiness.

In a moot court competition held in Municipal Court in Laguna Niguel, the team of Kean Tan of Anaheim and Jim Hayes of Laguna Niguel was named the top finisher and each received a $1,595 Bar review course. The contest, judged by 15 local judges and attorneys, was sponsored by the Irvine campus of Western State University College of Law.

Seal Beach resident Carole A. Christianson, director of trade development for Coca-Cola Southern California, was honored recently by the National Conference of Christians & Jews at an awards dinner.

She was recognized for her efforts to reduce prejudice and promote interracial harmony in the food and beverage industry, which sponsored the award along with the Southern California Grocers Assn.

The evaluation and overview of an Orange County business by Cal State Fullerton graduate students Dena Heathman, Margaret Holden, Joseph Mayo Evan Privett and Robert Tinkham earned the university a national award from the Small Business Administration.

The National Graduate Case of the Year award for the best management consultation conducted by graduate students was presented in Washington to Michael D. Ames, director of the university’s Small Business Institute.

At Fullerton College, the American Welding Society, Long Beach/Orange County section, presented $300 scholarships to technical education students Tod Feld, Fullerton; David Bridges, Francis Desmarais and Carolyn Bassler, all of Anaheim, and Gordon Oelkers, Placentia.

And at USC, senior Pat Ferrell was one of five students to receive an Interfraternity Mothers’ Council scholarship. The Irvine resident was cited for academic achievement, general contributions and involvement on campus. He is a cinema and television major.

Huntington Beach Library’s Adult Literacy Services graduated 32 basic reading tutors from the Literacy Volunteers of America Basic Reading Tutor Training Workshop.

The tutors will provide confidential tutoring services to adults who want to improve their reading, writing and spelling skills.

The graduates are Jean Bogen, Mike Bogen, Gail Bond, Katie Burke, Jennifer Craig, Melissa Dennis, Lisa Dire, Pam George, Anita Jaeger, Kara Johnston, Stephanie Jones, Deborah Klein, Lisa Leonard, Cathy Lindsey, Bonnie Otto, Ellen Rose, Murray Rose, Shelley Sandusky, Joan Sharar, Gail Standley, Eileen Steward, Mary Thornton and Jami van Amerongen, all from Huntington Beach.

Others are Janet Tham, Fountain Valley; Juanita Finlayson, Iisle Finlayson and Alain Hirsch, both of Los Alamitos; Charles Raffaelli, Newport Beach, and Bob Vaughan, Santa Ana.

Also graduating are Charmaine Weeks, Seal Beach; Tracy Wright, Sunset Beach, and Josine Hawkins, Westminster.

Vietnam veteran Kevin O’Shaughnessy has been named Exalted Ruler for Garden Grove Elks Lodge 1952, the top position at a lodge.

The former Marine, a resident of Corona, has been a member of the lodge since 1984.

After his discharge from service, O’Shaughnessy earned a college degree and later opened his own financial and real estate business.

Terri Riesenberg, 17, a junior at Canyon High School in Anaheim Hills, was awarded a $1,000 modeling scholarship for being named the top teen model at a recent fashion show and fund-raiser for the Eli Home for Abused Children in Anaheim.

Three Cheers, The Times, c/o Herbert J. Vida, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626 .