Extraordinary Feat for ‘Just an Ordinary Student’ : Competition: Knowing geography clinched the California Citizen Bee for the San Gabriel High junior. But not before he showed a knowledge of economics and history.

Everett W. Chun, a 16-year-old aspiring physicist and philosopher from San Gabriel, won the second annual California Citizen Bee competition on Saturday after surviving 18 grueling rounds of questions about geography, current events, economics, government and history.

The shy, bespectacled San Gabriel High School junior clinched the title after correctly identifying Georgia and South Carolina as the states separated by the Savannah River.

In earlier rounds, he was asked to define “matching funds,” name the reporters who uncovered the Watergate scandal and determine whether a foreign policy speech by President John F. Kennedy supported containment, isolationism or detente.

“I am just an ordinary student,” said Chun, whose stern face gave way to a wide smile after his last challenger was tripped up by a question about Keynesian economics. “However, I believe in the importance of making a commitment.”

Bill Witham, a San Gabriel social studies teacher who coached Chun, said the youth is anything but ordinary.

“He will be taking a course in laser physics this summer at USC,” Witham boasted. “He has an unusual love of learning. You don’t see that much.”

Chun was one of 22 teen-agers--many with sweaty palms, chewed fingernails and nervously tapping heels--from high schools throughout Southern California who competed in the state final in downtown Los Angeles. One by one, stumped students peeled off the stage, gradually narrowing the field to 11, then 10, 6, 3 and 1. In all, judges asked 328 questions over three hours.

“It is OK to applaud now,” moderator Huell Howser told a murmuring crowd of parents and teachers as the questions grew tougher. “You can also applaud me after I read the questions.”

The competitors Saturday were winners in local and regional contests over the last few weeks that involved 900 students from about 100 high schools. The Times sponsored the contest in California, one of 40 states participating in a nationwide academic program developed by the Close Up Foundation, a Washington-based educational group.

Saturday’s top three winners were awarded cash prizes of $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000 respectively and now advance to the national competition in Washington in June. Last year, Ken Kuniyuki of Torrance took third place in the national contest.

Chun will be joined in Washington by second-place winner Ivo Labar, a San Pedro High School senior, and third-place winner Aarti Verma, a Walnut High School senior. Labar, 17, wants to be a “sea-going captain.” Verma, also 17, wants to be a doctor.

The students were given a 229-page book of questions to prepare for the state competition, and teachers received 24 pages of answers. Close Up President Stephen A. Janger warned the three winners Saturday to keep studying.

“I would re-read everything you have done about 250,000 times before the national competition,” Janger said.