Comedy Writer Shares Tips on Belly Laughs

Comedy writer and author Gene Perret of San Marino has released a book, “Successful Stand-Up Comedy,” which reveals tips for young comedians gleaned from his 30 years of working with Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller, Carol Burnett and other leading entertainers.

The author of 15 books, Perret traveled the world with Hope, for whom he estimates he wrote more than 100,000 jokes, and won three Emmy Awards with fellow staff writers for “The Carol Burnett Show.”

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Mak Nakayama, president and chief executive officer of San Gabriel Valley Medical Center, has been named 1994 Volunteer of the Year by the West San Gabriel Valley YMCA.

A YMCA board member for four years who has been active on several committees, Nakayama was cited for his involvement with and support of activities.

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Iris Shaw of Pasadena has been named the 1994 Los Angeles County Volunteer of the Year.

Shaw has served for 10 years as a court-appointed special advocate with the Los Angeles Dependency Court’s child advocate’s office. During that time, she has been an advocate for 25 children and donated more than 15,000 hours to the program.

Shaw holds a law degree and is married to Dr. Anthony Shaw, chief of pediatric surgery at Olive View Medical Center. The Shaws have been active for more than 30 years in the fight against child abuse.

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Constance Jordan, professor of English at the Claremont Graduate School, has received a fellowship from the Folger Shakespeare Library and a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities’ University Teachers Program.

The widely published professor will study at the Folger and the British Library in London.