The Panelists

The 12 members and three alternates selected Friday for the Civilian Advisory Panel on Police Practices:

Chairman George Walker Smith is a 57-year-old Alabama native who moved to San Diego in the mid-1950s. A prominent black minister and former San Diego school board president, Smith and a handful of friends 12 years ago founded the Catfish Club, a mostly black luncheon group that meets every Friday at Smith’s Christ United Presbyterian Church in Southeast San Diego. Smith, a well-known Republican, was nominated for the panel by the Catfish Club and the Black Leadership Conference.

Vice Chairman Gilbert Harelson, 68, who is white, retired in January as a San Diego County Superior Court judge after 16 years on the bench. His departure ended a long career in public life. He was a deputy district attorney and a deputy attorney general. For 13 years, he was city attorney of El Cajon. A conservative Republican, Harelson was appointed to the Superior Court by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan. He served as presiding judge in 1981-82. He was born in Arizona and was graduated from the University of Arizona. He volunteered to serve on the panel.

Howard Carey, 50, is executive director of Neighborhood House Assn., which last month was the site of a ceremony arranged by minority officers to honor Police Chief Bill Kolender for his 31 years of service in law enforcement. When Carey started as program director of Neighborhood House in 1969, it had an annual budget of $600,000. Today, the group’s budget is $10 million. Carey, who is black, earned a Ph.D. in human behavior from United States International University. He lives in San Carlos and was nominated by the Neighborhood House and Black Leadership Conference.

Margarita Carmona, 51, who is Latina, is the principal of Balboa Elementary School. She is a board member of the San Diego Organizing Project and is active in Christ King Church. She volunteered to serve when Latino organizations refused to provide the Police Department with a list of nominees.

Joseph C. Fegan, 66, who is white, retired as a Marine Corps lieutenant general in 1978. He was foreman of the county grand jury in 1982-83 and decided to volunteer when he learned that City Manager John Lockwood wanted to appoint former grand jurors to the panel. He lives in the Point Loma area.

Leonor Ferrer, 39, owns Ferrer Brokers Inc., a custom brokerage service in San Ysidro. A Latina resident of South San Diego, Ferrer is a member of the U.S. Customs Service citizens review panel and is on the board of Casa Familiar, a counseling social service and diversion agency in San Ysidro. She was nominated by Andrea Skorepa, a close friend who is executive director of Casa Familiar and sits on the Citizens Advisory Task Force on Police-Community Relations.

Socorro Garcia de Osman, 36, who is Latina, is a psychologist in private practice in Chula Vista. Project coordinator at South Bay Community Services Inc., she volunteered to serve when police leaders did not have enough Latino nominees to choose from.

Denise Lavell, 33, who is white, served on the county grand jury in 1984-85. A native San Diegan, she worked in 1979-80 for Assemblywoman Lucy Killea when she was a city councilwoman. A resident of Scripps Ranch, Lavell is executive director of North County Central, a service agency for poor people. She volunteered to serve on the panel.

Leroy Martin, who is black, is a director of Neighborhood House. A resident of Southeast San Diego, he is a social services administrator for the County of San Diego. He was nominated by Neighborhood House and the Black Leadership Conference.

James McFarland, who is white, served on the Civil Service Commission for 10 years. He owned and managed City Chevrolet before retiring several years ago. He lives in the Allied Gardens area. He volunteered to become a panel member.

Kay North, 54, who is white, served on the county grand jury in 1983-84. She lives in the Point Loma area and is a community volunteer currently working on the constitutional bicentennial commission. She volunteered to serve on the panel.

Tuan Quang Phan, 37, was born in Vietnam and was graduated from San Diego State University with a B.A. in political science. He is an equal opportunity administrator in General Dynamics’ Space Systems Division. He was nominated by the Union of Pan Asian Communities.

The three alternates are:

Julita David, 30, a Filipina, a teacher in the Sweetwater Union School District. She lives in Chula Vista and is chairwoman of the Filipino Women’s Network.

Viola Jackson, 51, who is black, served on the county grand jury in 1981-82. A retired legal stenographer, Jackson is active in the Girls Club of San Diego and the Children’s Home Society. She lives in the Emerald Hills area and volunteered to serve on the panel.

Virginia Woodruff, 67, who is white, served on the 1982-83 grand jury. She retired as the clerk in charge of the Municipal Court civil division. A Point Loma resident, Woodruff volunteered to serve on the panel.