Roots, Changing Times Call Teacher to Czechoslovakia

Margot Masin, who teaches in the Los Angeles Unified School District’s adult education division, will be carrying on a family tradition when she embarks soon on a journey to Charles University in Prague, Czechoslovakia.

She will be studying at the same university her grandfather and father attended. She will take classes in the native language and teach intermediate and advanced English courses to law students at the university.

“There is so much happening with Czechoslovakia and there’s such an opportunity for me to utilize my teaching skills and learn about my roots, the language and culture” said Masin, whose Czech parents immigrated to the United States in the 1950s.

She hopes to bring more to her students than just the words and rules of the English language. “I want to go beyond the role of being a teacher; I hope to connect with the students and people,” said Masin. “I’d also like to tell them about the good aspects of America.”

During her five-month teaching stint, Masin plans to visit relatives in Prague and Switzerland. “I hope that I can create a sense of family by building a bridge on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean,” she said.

Masin, with the help of the Czechoslovak Institute at UCLA, the Los Angeles Unified School District Adult Division and Santa Monica College English as a Second Language Department, has found a number of new contacts who have been supportive of her efforts.

However, she is seeking additional sponsors for her trip from among individuals or businesses that might benefit from her contacts and experiences in the new Czechoslovakia. Educational materials such as computers, cassette recorders and copiers are also needed. Those interested in sponsorship or contributions may contact Masin at (213) 478-0124 or (213) 840-2245.

Florence-Marie Cooper has been named a Municipal Court judge for the Los Angeles Judicial District. The appointment was made by outgoing Gov. George Deukmejian.

Cooper, of Pacific Palisades, has been a Los Angeles County Superior Court commissioner since 1983. She has served as an attorney for the Los Angeles Court of Appeal and as a deputy city attorney. Cooper is a member of the American Bar Assn. and the National Assn. of Women Judges. She received her law degree from Whittier College Law School in 1975.

Ron Dollinger has been appointed executive director of the Friends of Tel Hashomer, the local support group for Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Israel. Dollinger, a graduate of UCLA, was campaign director for American Friends of Tel Aviv University and an associate director for American Friends of Hebrew University in Los Angeles.

Fernando Guerra, assistant professor of political science and chairman of Chicano Studies at Loyola Marymount University, has been selected as the coordinator of the first U.S.-Mexico Exchange Project for the Los Angeles-Mexico City Sister City Committee.

Last November, he traveled to Mexico City to establish the committee’s first exchange program with Mayor Tom Bradley.