Msgr. Sammon Adds Archbishop Cousins Award to His Collection

Msgr. John Sammon of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange says humor is “good medicine” that has served him well during his 43 years as a priest. “Life is too tough without humor,” he said.

Recently, after he received the prestigious Archbishop Cousins award from Serra International for his record in guiding young candidates to the priesthood, he told a reporter, “I bought it.”

But that’s his charm.

The walls in Sammon’s office are covered with major awards (“Well, I had to put them some place”). Some of them are from the police and fire departments he continues to serve as chaplain, a role that he initiated in Compton while attached to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

“I’m supposed to get involved in the community,” explained Sammon, who belongs to no less than 15 boards of directors, “and that’s (awards) what you get as you go through life.”

On becoming the first woman president in the 90-year history of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, Janet Parry said she was “tickled pink.”

Parry, 41, is president of a medical management consulting firm. Of her new chamber position, she said, “being capable of doing the job is my bottom line.”

For years a male-dominated organization, the chamber under Parry has four women on the 33-member board of directors, and two of the 10 executive committee members are women.

“To tell the truth, I’m not a ‘libber’ and I’m not out carrying any banners,” Parry said. “I just want the opportunity--just like any man--to show what I can do.”

The toughest part about giving Rachel Stone of Fullerton an award for her work with kids, the hungry, the elderly, the religious and just about everyone else, was finding her with some free time to accept it.

She is the founder and president of the Buena Park Meals on Wheels, has been a member of the Buena Park Senior Commission, has been active in the Buena Park High School Parent Teacher Student Assn., and has attended the White House Conference on Aging as well as the state conference in Sacramento.

She also has served 22 years as a Girl Scout leader, 17 years as a religious education teacher, 12 years on the Orange County Board of Realtors, and has been a member of Beta Sigma International, which gave her the Award of Distinction, its highest recognition.

Whew!

If you get a chance, stop by and view Fullerton artist Mildred Kouzel’s mixed-media self-portrait, one of an album of works by American women being exhibited at the United Nations Conference on Women through Friday in Nairobi, Kenya.

Acknowledgments: Hilda Ostrofsky of Orange named volunteer of year at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Anaheim. . . . James Roosevelt named chairman of Orange County Transportation Commission. . . . Eagle Scout status awarded to Gavin Zeff of Mission Viejo. . . . Anaheim Camera Enthusiasts named Roy Brown Photographer of the Year. . . . Ralph M. Rodheim of Newport Beach named to the state Boating and Waterways Commission.