Big Brothers / Big Sisters Honor Top Volunteers

Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Orange County named John Odland of Fountain Valley and Al Itani of Anaheim as co-Big Brothers of the Year and Cathy Winans of Fullerton Big Sister of the Year. Louise Nakamine-Soong and Rodney Soong of Fountain Valley were selected Couple of the Year.

The selections were announced at the Big Brothers/Big Sisters 17th annual picnic in Central Park in Huntington Beach. Little Brothers, Little Sisters, parents, board members and auxiliary members also attended.

The picnic is held to recognize outstanding contributions by those who give their time and friendship to boys and girls living in single-parent homes.

There are an estimated 200,000 single-parent homes in Orange County, according to the organization.

Marion M. Patzem of Anaheim Hills, principal of St. Joseph School in Placentia, was selected by the National Catholic Education Assn. to attend its National Catholic Principals Academy in Washington Aug. 7 through 13. The academy aims to foster a national support network of principals committed to encouraging leadership in Catholic education.

Fullerton College political science instructor Carl Schwartz presented a research paper in Spanish on “Precedent as an Institutional Role Factor in Judicial Decision Making” at the recent United States-Mexico Comparative Constitutional Law Conference in Mexico City.

His paper emphasized constitutional rights cases and judicial behavior in the United States and Mexico.

Competing against 57 other dancers from 29 states, Shannon Straight, 15, of Laguna Beach placed second in the Show Stopper West Coast National Dance Competition held recently at Disneyland Hotel. The Laguna Beach High School sophomore performed a tap dance.

Fullerton resident Richard L. Hopping, president of the Southern California College of Optometry in Fullerton, was named National Optometrist of the Year by the American Optometric Assn. in St. Louis.

Hopping, who has been president of the college since 1973 and who was in private practice for more than 20 years, was recognized for his service to the visual welfare of others and to the profession.

A community leader, Hopping has devoted time to a number of organizations, including St. Jude Hospital, the Orange County Boy Scout Council, the March of Dimes and United Cerebral Palsy.

UC Irvine electrical engineering professor James H. Mulligan Jr. of Santa Ana was presented the prestigious Benjamin Garver Lamme Award for 1988 from the American Society for Engineering Education. The award is a recognition of his excellence in engineering education, including teaching, research, administration and service to the profession.

Helen and Bob Aaron of Anaheim Hills, founding members of the Jewish Federation of Orange County, were presented the Lifetime Community Service Award by the federation for “work that has been consistent and cuts across organizational boundaries.”

Bradley A. Parks, 31, of San Clemente, a world-class athlete and president of the National Foundation of Wheelchair Tennis, was given the second annual Tolland Foundation National Award for Outstanding Achievement.

The award recognizes the accomplishments of an individual who has significantly enhanced opportunities for the disabled.

Parks, who was paralyzed from the waist down in a skiing accident at age 18, is the world’s top-ranked wheelchair tennis player. He won gold medals in men’s singles and doubles at the 1987 United States Olympic Festival.

The Tolland Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to improving the quality of life for disabled people.

Orange Coast College culinary arts student Anneke Jans Sherohman of Westminster has been named an apprentice to the 1988 American Culinary Federation Western Regional Culinary Olympic Team.

Sherohman and nine other apprentices will assist the master chefs who will compete in the October Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt, West Germany.

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