Dad Saluted for Courageous Act

Most children see their dads as heroes, but Jonathan Davis, a sixth-grader at Nora Sterry Elementary school in West Los Angeles, has even more reason to think so.

Gregory Alan Williams, 35, was saluted by the Los Angeles City Council for helping a Japanese-American man who was yanked from his car and beaten during the recent riots.

“It’s great what he did,” said 11-year-old Jonathan. “He saved a Japanese-American and his family a great deal of pain. He’s a good role model for me and other kids to follow.”

Williams was also honored by his son’s elementary school at a ceremony last week. The Nora Sterry School PTA presented Williams with a plaque recognizing him for his bravery and a banner signed by the students.

During the ceremony, Williams addressed the students about his experience. “What I have shared with young people is what I have reflected on in my life,” he said afterward. “I hope they can use it, and if not now, they can grab it later.”

When the violence began in South Los Angeles, Williams was on his way home from the gym, he said. He heard radio reports that a motorist was being beaten at a nearby intersection. Williams went to the intersection and found an angry mob attacking 47-year-old Takao Hirata.

Williams, an actor and writer, stepped into the fray and appealed to the rioters to leave Hirata alone. “I was concerned (for my safety), but I intervened peacefully without force,” said the father of four children. “By the grace of God, I wasn’t struck.”

Jody Fisher, associate dean of the division of continuing education at Loyola Marymount University, was recognized by the honor society for Collegiate Schools of Business, Beta Gamma Sigma. Fisher, a resident of Marina del Rey, was honored for his achievements in business and administration.

The National Geographic Society and the U.S. Navy have selected John Brierley to participate in the Marco Polo Expedition this summer in the Middle East.

One of only 15 teachers chosen from across the nation, Brierley teaches geography, government and international relations at Venice High School.

Sam Goetz has been elected president of the Martyrs Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust in Los Angeles.

Goetz graduated from UCLA with a degree in public health and has an optometry degree from the Southern California School of Optometry. He is a member of the Martyrs Memorial executive committee and has been instrumental in establishing the first chair of Holocaust studies in the United States at UCLA.

He lives in the Pico-Robertson area of Los Angeles.

The Rotary Club of Santa Monica presented its annual Public Service Recognition Awards at a recent luncheon meeting.

Officer Jay Trisler and Sgt. George Centeno were named Police Officers of the Year in recognition of their works as directors of the Police Activities League.

Beverly Reeves, a kindergarten teacher at Will Rogers Elementary School in Santa Monica, was named the district’s Teacher of the Year. An educator for 22 years, she is also a mentor teacher for new faculty members.

The Century City Chamber of Commerce will honor 10 Westside women with its 1992 Women of Achievement Awards. Winners are Louise Moth, Patricia Gordon, Golda Freedman-Epstein, Donna Watson, Noemi Pollack, Jennie Trias, Barbara Nyden Rodstein, Kellie Peterson, Melinda Benedek and Louise Caplan.

They will be honored at a luncheon at the Century Plaza Hotel on May 20 in Century City.

Items can be mailed to People, Suite 200, 1717 4th St., Santa Monica, Calif. 90401.