Manhattan Beach resident and USC professor of...

Manhattan Beach resident and USC professor of music Anthony Vazzana is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the State University of New York for his outstanding service and accomplishment in the fields of composition and music education. In March, 1988, USC presented Vazzana with the Burlington Northern Foundation Award as Distinguished Scholar. He has also received a residency in composition from the Djerassi Foundation in Northern California, where he will be in residence to complete commissions.

Dodd Devaney of Torrance and Benjamin Allen III of Manhattan Beach have become Big Brother Volunteers with Big Brothers of Greater Los Angeles. Devaney is an employee of Firestone and Allen of Shearson Lehman Hutton. They each will spend half a day a week being a friend and role model to a fatherless boy who is between the ages of 6 and 12.

Palos Verdes resident Kevin Peterson is the 1989-90 president of the Torrance Chamber of Commerce. Peterson, district manager of GTE-California, serves as the spokesman for GTE in the South Bay in community and media relations. He has served the chamber in a variety of positions and is active in numerous other community and civic organizations.

Rancho Palos Verdes resident Alice Diego is the recipient of a $1,500 student summer research fellowship from the American Gastroenterological Assn. A UCLA graduate, Diego will study at the Research and Education Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance. The goal of the research is to further understanding of how muscles in the stomach develop and mature, and the differences in contraction of the stomach muscles in newborns and adults. Diego graduated from Miraleste High School and is the daughter of Dr. Iluminada Diego, a pediatrician with a practice in Carson. Her father, Amadeo, is a self-employed businessman.

Woodbury University graduate Linh-Xuan Nguyen took top honors at the university’s 25th silver anniversary fashion show, “A Celebration of Style.” The Gardena resident took first place awards in the “Perfectly Suited” and “Romantic Interlude” categories. Nguyen hopes to move to Dallas to work in clothing design and manufacturing, specializing in special occasion and evening wear and drawing inspiration from the combination of eastern and western cultures that have colored her own life. Nguyen was born in Phan-Thiet, Vietnam, and came to the United States with her family when she was 11 years old.

The Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce has named Bonnie Anderson Young Woman of the Year. The annual award is given to Redondo area members for outstanding community service. Anderson is a personal banking officer at Cities National Bank in Redondo Beach and has donated many hours of her personal time as a volunteer in various community endeavors.

Michael J. Harris, son of John and Catherine Harris of Manhattan Beach, is one of 900 students selected from almost 14,000 applicants to attend a Summer Seminar program at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Harris is a junior at Chadwick School. The academy invites students who are highly proficient in mathematics, science or engineering to Annapolis to acquaint them with educational opportunities at the academy and professional opportunities in the naval service.

Adeline Otto, an assistant vice president and branch manager at Western Federal Savings & Loan Assn. in Inglewood, has been named president of Inglewood Chamber of Commerce. Otto, 53, is the first woman president in the chamber’s 68-year history. She has served as the chamber’s secretary and treasurer since 1985.

Wendy Wolfe, program development director for the AIDS Residence Program, has been elected president of the Centinela Business and Professional Women for 1988-89. The AIDS Residence Program is a nonprofit organization providing shelter for homeless people with AIDS or AIDS related complex. Other board officers are Rachel Felthouse, Jane Boyd, Jill Olechno, Dorothy McGahey and June Rooke.

Nine black belt students of Master K. S. Choi’s San Pedro Tae Kwon Do Training Center participated last month in the ninth United States Tae Kwon Do Union National Junior Olympic Championships in Rochester, Minn. Five students placed first and received gold medals in their respective gyoroogi (full-contact sparring) divisions. They are Seh Jun Cho, 13, Adam Clark, 11, Jennifer Furman, 15, Diana Radakovic, 16, and Linda Radakovic, 8. Also competing were Mark and Robert Atencio, 14, Brent Clark, 14, and Marko Radakovic, 13.

El Camino College student Debbie Marie Nilsson has been named a winner of the Southern California Edison Career Development Award. The Torrance resident will receive $1,500 a year for two years while attending UC Irvine. The award is given annually to 20 qualified students throughout Edison’s service territory in Central and Southern California.

Shelley Lessin Stockwell of Rancho Palos Verdes is the new president of Peninsula Toastmasters Club 174. Stockwell is a professional hypnotherapist and motivational speaker, star of Dimension Cable TV’s program “The Shelley Show,” a newspaper columnist, songwriter and, for 20 years, a TWA flight attendant.

Maria Francesca Triliegi is the new president of De Oceana Chapter, American Business Women’s Assn. A data analyst at TWR in Redondo Beach, Triliegi is also an active astrologer and free-lance writer.

Three 1989-90 graduates of South High School have been named recipients of scholarships totaling $5,000 from Las Vecinas Women’s Club. Keri Lew received a four-year renewable scholarship of $500 a year. She will attend UC Santa Barbara. Zane Williams received a one-year $750 scholarship award. He will attend Rice University in Houston, majoring in electrical engineering. William Silverman also received a $750 one-year award. He will attend UC San Diego.

Lori Dwyer has been selected charter president for Travelairs, a senior citizens’ travel club sponsored by the Inglewood Department of Recreation and Community Services.