Abel (Al) Galletti of San Pedro has...

Abel (Al) Galletti of San Pedro has been recognized by the Governance Committee of the Hospital Council

of Southern California for exemplary service and commitment. Galletti is chairman of the board of directors of San Pedro Peninsula Health Services Corp. A former California Fish and Game commissioner, he is chairman of Galletti Brothers Co. and serves on the board of the Long Beach Civic Light Opera.

Five South Bay high school students have been named semifinalists in the Music Center of Los Angeles County’s Spotlight Awards competition for scholarships in dance, vocal and instrumental music in both classical and jazz/pop categories. The South Bay semifinalists and their categories are:

Jazz/pop vocal: Shameka Bell of Torrance, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts; Tami Sogi of Torrance, North High School.

Jazz/pop instrumental music: Gregory Beck of Manhattan Beach, Mira Costa High School.

Jazz/modern dance: Leslie Benson of Inglewood, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.

Classical dance/ballet: Allison Tanaka of Torrance, South High School.

All 60 semifinalists will participate in two-day master classes, to continue through Feb. 10. These classes offer the students an opportunity to work with professionals in their disciplines and to gain a firsthand look into the demands of a career in the performing arts.

Two finalists in each category will be chosen at the completion of each master class. Following the March 18 spotlight competition in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, one winner in each category will receive a $5,000 scholarship to continue a performing arts education; runners-up will each receive $2,500.

Tom Downs of Redondo Beach has been elected president of the Board of Trustees of the South Bay Union High School District. Downs was appointed to the board in 1986 and has since been reelected. Other new officers are Lyn Flory of Manhattan Beach, vice president, and Jim Duffy of Manhattan Beach, clerk. Outgoing President William Beverly will serve on the Los Angeles County Committee for School Organization and will continue as representative to the four-district ad hoc committee on unification. Armando Acosta is the fifth member of the board.

Christopher Crawford, court administrator for South Bay Municipal Court and clerk of Catalina Justice Court, is the new president of the Assn. of Municipal Court Clerks. Crawford, an 18-year veteran of the

association, had served two consecutive terms as vice president for its Southern Region. A fellow of the Institute for Court Management, Crawford served on the board of directors of the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce and the Torrance branch of the American Heart Assn.

The judges of the South Bay Municipal Court have elected Thomas R. Sokolov as presiding judge for 1991. During 1990, Sokolov served as assistant presiding judge under Thomas P. Allen Jr. A graduate of Loyola Law School, Sokolov was appointed to the bench in March, 1990, after 20 years as a prosecutor for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.