Items for People in the News should...

Items for People in the News should be mailed to the Los Angeles Times, South Bay office, 23133 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, 90505.

Redondo Beach resident Nein-Ling Wayman has been named a Woman of Excellence by the Western Los Angeles County Council of Boy Scouts of America.

The awards are presented annually to women recognized as outstanding leaders.

Wayman, a native of Shanghai, China, founded Compulink Management Center in Torrance in 1974 when she had to quit work to care for her young son, who had severe asthma. She turned to her home computer to create custom business software.

Mary Gimenez has been elected vice president of the Harbor Assn. of Industry and Commerce, a nonprofit, member-sponsored corporation of more than 85 organizations that promotes plans to further the development of commerce and industry in the area. Gimenez is executive director of the San Pedro Peninsula Hospital Foundation.

Mike E. Taylor is the new commander of General William Stark Rosecrans Post 3261, Veterans of Foreign Wars. Other new officers are Robert I. Johnson, Louis J. Paccerelli, Howard N. Light, James E. Skelly, William Nilges, Clarence Bonn and Buckley Walsh. VFW Post 3261 meets at 8 p.m. the second Friday of each month in the Post Hall, 1822 W. 162nd St., Gardena.

Ruth Lohrer of Palos Verdes Estates is program developer of Food for All for Los Angeles County, covering the area from San Pedro to Malibu.

South Bay agencies that have received Food for All grants in 1991-92 include Harbor Interfaith Shelter, Toberman Settlement House, House of Yahweh, His House, the Job Center, Federation Head Start, Second Harvest Food Bank of Long Beach, the Crossing and His Helping Hands. Lohrer is responsible for recruiting volunteers to Food for All to serve as liaisons to other assisting agencies and developing volunteer chapters.

San Pedro resident Margaret Ragan is the new president of Zonta Club of Harbor Area.

Zonta is a worldwide organization of executives that promotes the status of women.

Serving with Ragan during the 1992-93 year are Olivia Hines, Dennis McCarbery, Dr. Judith Tyler, Lenna McCarbery, Eleanor Montano, Laura Warren and Victoria Wilson.

Rich W. Turner has been promoted to vice president of University Relations and Development at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Turner, an associate professor of communications at the university, was associate vice president of university relations and development. Turner has held positions with the University of Missouri, Occidental College, Syracuse University and UCLA.

Frances Cuciti, executive director of Airport Marina Counseling Service, accepted on behalf of the service a $10,000 donation presented by William Hannon, foundation trustee of the Fritz Burns Foundation.

The counseling service is a private, nonprofit, outpatient mental health clinic that has been serving Westchester and surrounding communities for more than 30 years. Fees are on a sliding scale. Information: (310) 670-1410.

The Assistance League of San Pedro-Palos Verdes has raised more than $1.8 million in its $2.5-million fund-raising campaign.

The league receives no government or United Way funding. Its philanthropic and community projects are staffed and funded solely by the chapter’s 524 volunteer members, with the exception of dental professionals in its dental program.

League members plan to use money from the campaign for a video corner to teach patients about oral hygiene in English and Spanish and to handle about 50% more patients at its Frances Johnson Dental Center, which provides low-cost dental care for children from low-income families. The league will also expand Operation School Bell, which provides new clothing to children referred through the public school system. Information: (310) 832-8355.

Harbor City resident Marie Morales has been honored on the California Assembly floor as Woman of the Year for the 57th Assembly District.

Morales was selected by Assemblyman Dave Elder because of her efforts to improve her community. She and her husband, Steve, have worked with the Boys and Girls Club for more than 10 years. Morales has served as president of the Business and Professional Woman’s Assn. and is secretary of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Fred Y. Sakurai has been appointed chairman of the board of trustees of Community Hospital of Gardena. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Surgery and practices general surgery and family practice. Sakurai received his medical degree at the Keio University in Tokyo and served his internship at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Redondo Beach resident Wade A. Piston has been elected president of Los Angeles County Civil Service Commission, the youngest person ever to be elected to the commission. He is director of public affairs and governmental relations for the Los Angeles County Medical Assn.

Former Carson Mayor Gil Smith has received the Appreciation Award from the San Pedro/Wilmington Branch of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People. Smith is a candidate for county supervisor in the 2nd District.

Toni Purcell of San Pedro has been named director of development for the Friends of Cabrillo Marine Museum, the fund-raising arm of the museum.

Purcell has a bachelor of arts degree from Cal State Dominguez Hills, and her professional background includes many years at John Tracy Clinic, an educational institute for hearing-impaired preschool children.

San Pedro resident Louis Anderson has been named director of the new $10-million Student Union at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Dean Nelson of Rolling Hills Estates has been elected to a second term as president of Friends of Hospice, a support group of San Pedro Peninsula Hospital Foundation. The Friends of Hospice raises money to provide health-care support for the terminally ill. Information: (310) 832-3311, Ext. 6284.

Rene M. Oda, a junior at Torrance High School, has earned the rank of Eagle Scout. His service project was to initiate the Adopt-a-Grandparent program at Little Company of Mary’s Pavilion, a convalescent hospital.

Rancho Palos Verdes resident John C. Fitzgerald has been appointed to the board of trustees of Mount St. Mary’s College.

He is the founder and senior partner of Seidler-Fitzgerald Public Finance, a Los Angeles-based municipal investment banking firm specializing in tax-exempt financing for cities, counties and school districts in California.

Paul Gold has been hired as the new executive director of the American Cetacean Society, a national organization based in San Pedro and dedicated to the protection of whales and dolphins through education, research and conservation. Information: (310) 548-6279.

Mary Waldo and Linda McNulty have been honored by the Community Assn. of the Peninsula. Waldo received the Community Appreciation Award for outstanding service to the community. McNulty received the Agnes R. Moss Award for assisting the organization in its response to community needs through social, cultural and educational programs.