Fountain Valley Family of the Year Honored

Carma and Devon Dahl and their six children--Mindee, 24, Darian, 22, Shaun, 21, Kyle, 20, Brenden, 17, and Shane, 15--have been named Fountain Valley Family of the Year.

They were honored by the City Council, which proclaimed Nov. 18 through today as Family Week to stress the importance of family in the community.

The Dahl family has been active in politics, music, dance, sports, community affairs and volunteerism.

Sponsors of the week include the Fountain Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Kiwanis Club, Knights of Columbus, First United Methodist Church and All Saints Episcopal Church.

Huntington Beach resident Cheryl Stice was presented the “Medal of Excellence” award from Women of Work, a nonprofit career and job resource center in Pasadena, for her accomplishments toward her company’s goals. The former elementary school teacher is a United Parcel Services manager in Norwalk.

Richard Adams of Laguna Niguel and Erin Frey of Dana Point won first place in their categories, and the Saddleback/Irvine Valley forensics team captured first place in the novice sweepstakes division at the Lancer Invitational Tournament at Pasadena City College. Twenty community colleges participated in the debate competition.

Scott Hunsaker of Placentia and Cherilynne Bailey of Cerritos were named 1990 Homecoming King and Queen at Fullerton College.

Robert J. Obremski of Yorba Linda was selected to receive the prestigious William-Wright Award, the highest honor given to scientists for contributions to applied spectroscopy, which measures light with a spectroscope.

He will receive the award from the Coblentz Society, a group of scientists involved n spectroscopy, in March at a symposium in Chicago in conjunction with the 1991 Pittsburgh Conference for Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy.

Obremski manages a chemistry section for Beckman Instruments in Brea.

Sean Flynn, a Santa Ana resident, 1988 graduate of Foothill High School and now a student at Pitzer College in Claremont, was awarded a $2,000 scholarship from West Publishing Co. in St. Paul, Minn. Children of employees of the publishing firm compete for scholarships. He is the son of Karen Shuey of Santa Ana and Thomas Flynn of Escondido.

Battalion Chief Van Goyne, 52, a 31-year veteran of the Fullerton Fire Department and earlier a firefighter in the Navy, will retire on Dec. 30. “I can think of no other profession that gives greater satisfaction or builds more self-esteem than firefighting,” the Fullerton resident said.

Twenty-three Orange County residents graduated from the South Coast Literacy Council’s program to teach English to speakers of other languages.

The new volunteers who will teach at one of the council’s 20 centers from San Clemente to Irvine are Michelle Aceves, Jim and Sharon McBride, Susan Moore, Tanya Novak, Chris Reineke, Deanna Sandeman, Jane-Ann Shields, Jan Terwey, Jackie Webb and Martha Young, all of Irvine; Deborah Adams of Costa Mesa, and Michele Cuevas and Dorothy and Leonard Emery of Laguna Beach.

Others are Astrid Dobbs, Janet Sakahara and Saundra Woodruff of Mission Viejo, Charlotte Lynch of Anaheim, Marvel Nienow of Tustin, Ellen W. Robertson of Yorba Linda, and Debbie McMullen and Jane Switek of Laguna Beach.

The supervising trainer was Betty Kent of Irvine.

Submit items to Three Cheers, The Times, c/o Herbert J. Vida, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626