NEIGHBORS

Ebell Club names top officers

The Ebell Club of Laguna Beach has installed Murphy Gerber as president and Dayva Stewart as vice president for the 2007-08 term.

Gerber, founder of Dream House Design Showroom Inc., recently sold her design business and is focusing on charity work and her painting. She hopes to expand the club in the Laguna Beach community. One of her passions is the CSP Youth Shelter where she has brought her expertise into their living room by providing art instruction and supplies.

“The young people at the shelter are so enthusiastic and appreciative. They really strive to apply themselves to the projects we do together,” Gerber said.

Stewart retired from the Immigration and Naturalization Service and moved to Laguna Beach four years ago. She is also chairwoman of the Ebell Club’s Philanthropy committee, which oversees the distribution of funds raised to support local philanthropic and service organizations.

During Stewart’s tenure on the philanthropy committee, the Ebell Club has awarded four $1,000 scholarships to Laguna Beach High School seniors, and more than $30,000 annually to local organizations.

The Ebell Club of Laguna Beach was founded in 1933 to support the community across a broad spectrum of need, including education, health, and welfare, as well as assisting in cases of sudden need.

The club has provided financial assistance to many charities such as Boys and Girls Club, ACTION (AIDS Care Teams in our Neighborhoods), the Friendship Shelter, Girl Scouts Human Options and Sally’s Fund. They also provide hands-on assistance to charities such as the CSP Youth Shelter.

The Club hosts two annual fundraisers; the holiday luncheon and fashion show and the Kentucky Derby Party in May.

For more information on the upcoming holiday event scheduled for Nov. 4 at the Balboa Bay Club, or any other club activities, e-mail Gerber at murphygerber@cox.net.

Gladstone elected to College of Fellows

Joan Gladstone, president and CEO of Gladstone International in Laguna Beach, has been elected to the Public Relations Society of America College of Fellows.

Gladstone will be among nine members nationwide to be inducted into the College of Fellows during a ceremony at the organization’s International Conference in Philadelphia Oct. 20. Election to the College of Fellows, based on lifetime achievement, is a professional honor awarded to senior practitioners and educators.

“The award of the designation as a Fellow by PRSA is one of our profession’s most distinguished honors,” said PRSA Chairwoman and Chief Executive Rhoda Weiss. “As a mentor and role model, Fellows contributed immensely to the growth of profession and the respect accorded to it.”

Since the College of Fellows was instituted in 1988, a total of 445 members has been elected to the College of Fellows.

“Entry into the College of Fellows is the hallmark of achievement in one’s public relations career and an honor only for those considered to be models of professional achievement, ethical conduct and service to the profession,” said 2007 College of Fellows Chair Debra A. Miller.

According to the PRSA bylaws, to be considered for the College of Fellows, a member of PRSA must have practiced or taught public relations for 20 or more years, demonstrated superior capability as a practitioner or educator, and exhibited personal and professional qualities that serve as a role model and advanced the state of the profession.

Criteria also include being accredited and passing rigorous oral and written examinations involving a depth of knowledge in the strategic analysis of public relations issues.

Gladstone has more than 30 years of corporate, agency and government public relations experience. In 1996, she won a Silver Anvil award from the public relations group for community relations excellence.

The following year, she received the Orange County Business Journal’s Women in Business Award.

Gladstone is chairwoman of the Urban Land Institute Orange County District Council, a nonprofit education and research institute dedicated to providing leadership in the responsible use of land. She also serves on the board of the Laguna Playhouse.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Gladstone majored in public relations at Boston University’s College of Communication and graduated summa cum laude. She received her accreditation in 1983. She and her husband, Ed Gillow, live in Laguna Beach.

Sue Nachman memorial planned

A “Celebration for Life” for the late Sue Nachman is planned for Sept. 21 at 3 p.m. at the Hotel Laguna’s Catalina Room and South Patio.

The memorial is being organized by Lonnie Bagley.

Everyone who knew Nachman is welcome to attend.

Nachman died at her Laguna Beach home June 28 at age 70. A memorial service was June 30.