Dr. Gildon N. Beall, director of Harbor-UCLA...

Dr. Gildon N. Beall, director of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center’s AIDS program and member of the UCLA AIDS Institute, has received the 1993 Sherman M. Mellinkoff Faculty Award for clinical and teaching excellence. A professor of medicine at UCLA School of Medicine and chief of allergy and clinical immunology at Harbor-UCLA, Beall was recognized for more than 30 years of dedication to students and for his commitment to AIDS patient care. Through his leadership in advocating AIDS patient care in county hospitals, Beall has been instrumental in creating federal, county, hospital and private support to establish a new building for outpatient HIV and AIDS care at Harbor-UCLA. The building was dedicated May 27. AIDS patient care was established at the medical center in 1982 and an AIDS clinic was formed in 1987, with Beall as its director. The new outpatient building doubles the clinic space and number of patient exam rooms from nine to 19 and will make it possible for patients to schedule appointments sooner.

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Amy Benson of Rancho Palos Verdes represented the South Bay District at the recent 1993 National Red Cross Convention in Nashville. She was one of six youth delegates from the Los Angeles area. This fall, after a two-month stint in the Netherlands as an exchange student, Benson will pursue her interest in disaster relief by taking related classes through the South Bay chapter of the Red Cross.

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Gordana Swanson of Rolling Hills is the president of a new South Bay chapter of the National Women’s Political Caucus. Executive board members are Nanette Pastor, Vivian Shimoyama and Marianne Wishner. The South Bay Caucus is focusing on female candidates running in the next round of city council and school board races. The caucus’ top priority will be fund-raising and grass-roots campaigning for women the caucus endorses. The caucus intends to support who support abortion rights, affirmative action, affordable child care and the Equal Rights Amendment.

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Five South Bay area women have been elected to leadership positions on the board of directors of the League of Women Voters of California. Marlys Robertson from the Beach Cities League is president. Other executive board members are Doris Rosenberg, Beach Cities League; Cindy Hammond, Torrance League; Kay Conrad and Mimi Horowitz, Palos Verdes Peninsula League. Local area leagues were training grounds for each of the newly elected state board members. Rosenberg and Hammond have served on the board of directors of the Los Angeles County League, and Robertson and Conrad have seen previous service at the state level. The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to objective study and education on political issues and ballot measures, to acting on issues on which member agreement has been reached, and to promoting greater citizen participation in the political process.