4 Win Youth of the Year Awards From Boys and Girls Clubs of Harbor Area

The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Harbor Area honored Holly Phillippi, 12, of the Newport Branch; Dwight Bertoli, 15, of the Irvine Branch; Jobey Calitri, 14, of the Costa Mesa Lou Yantora Branch, and Adrian Fernandez, 16, of the Costa Mesa Westside Branch by naming them Youth of the Year at their respective branches.

Holly is the first girl to receive the honor at her branch.

The winners were presented lifetime memberships in the club along with plaques from the Boys and Girls Club of Orange County at a dinner banquet in the Saddleback Travelodge in Santa Ana.

Juan Carlos Zarate of Santa Ana was selected as a $2,500 scholarship winner of the 20th annual national Washington Crossing Foundation scholarship competition. Ten major awards are granted to high school seniors for the best essay explaining why they are planning careers in government service. Juan, who attends Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Alfredo Zarate.

Robert Lee Behrens, 18, of Orange will be made an Eagle Scout, Boy Scouting’s highest achievement, at ceremonies at 7 tonight at the First Christian Church of Orange. He is a member of Troop 155 and a senior at Orange High School, where he is president of the school rock-climbing club.

Anaheim businessman Gerald M. Greco, who has incorporated the “Drug Abuse is Life Abuse” slogan in his advertising, employee meetings, bumper stickers on company vehicles and posters around his car dealerships, was honored with an award from Sheriff-Coroner Brad Gates.

Robert E. Stevens, 21, a physics major at Cal State Fullerton, has been named winner of a $23,000 fellowship to continue his atomic research and seek a graduate degree at Rice University.

The Fullerton resident, who turned down other fellowships to accept the prestigious Fannie and John Hertz Foundation award, has maintained a 4.0 grade-point average. The award includes $8,000 for tuition and a $15,000 stipend that can be renewed annually.

Besides his academic work, Stevens has served as president of the school’s Aikido Club.

Longtime Fullerton resident Barbara Johnson, executive director of Fullerton Interfaith Emergency Services, has received honorable mention in the national “Pillsbury’s Best Against Hunger” awards program designed to recognize individuals and agencies who work to feed the hungry. More than 250 organizations and individuals were nominated nationwide. Johnson is responsible for obtaining donations that are distributed as food and lodging vouchers.

Huntington Beach resident Armando R. Ruiz has been named chair of the Pacific Region Minority Affairs Committee for the Assn. of Community College Trustees.

The association is a national organization devoted to the interests of governing board members of 2-year, community colleges. The region encompasses California, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and the Pacific Islands.

Ruiz is a trustee of the Coast Community College District and serves as a counselor at El Camino College in Torrance.

Irvine resident Sheldon Liss, a professional electrical engineer, was named Engineer of the Year in the sports complex and hotel category by Electrical Systems Design magazine. He was cited for the lighting design and electrical engineering on a Holiday Spa health club in Hollywood.