All Kahunas, Great and Small . . .

Bonny Matheson Capobianco, president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn., writes:

As a former president of the Fernando Award and friend to many of the nominees and winners of the award , I object to the mocking, self-righteous tone of the article. You made it sound like a curse for people to donate their time and money to this community!

Fortunately the people’s names you cited in your column are strong of heart and mind and will ignore your taunts but I shudder to think how this affects those considering more active public service! Will they shun the public sector charities and place their personal funds in private foundations, take long vacations, buy fancy cars and houses instead?

And what’s wrong with giving recognition to people who share their treasure and talent? You sound bitter, jealous and mean-spirited. “Those” people are also the ones who help the Meals on Wheels, earthquake victims, the poor and the homeless. . . .

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Bitter? Jealous? Mean-spirited?

I’ve been called worse. I work for a newspaper, you know.

And really, can one have a full life without experiencing bitterness and jealousy? Who has not had a mean-spirited thought or two? In Sunday school I learned that he, or she, who is without sin should cast the first grenade.

Oh, well. Looks like my chances of ever winning a Fernando Award are about as good as my chances of collecting the Nobel Peace Prize. And the Fernando, you know, is pretty much the Valley’s version of the Nobel.

The Fernando crowd prefers to describe the little Native American statuette they present as the “Academy Award for volunteerism.” But Oscars go to actors--to people pretending to be someone other than themselves. The Nobel Peace Prize is supposed to go to a very important citizen of the world whose good deeds make the world a better place. The Fernando is supposed to go to a very important citizen of the Valley whose good deeds makes the Valley a better place.

What’s more, the folks who pick Fernando recipients have probably done a better job than their counterparts in Stockholm. In the 36 years of Fernando’s existence, has the selection ever inspired controversy? To the best of my knowledge, each recipient has been richly deserving; not one later wound up in prison or was named as an unindicted co-conspirator. Peace Nobelists have included such questionable choices as Yasser Arafat and our very own Henry Kissinger. (You may recall that North Vietnam’s Le Duc Tho, who was to be honored with Kissinger, turned down the prize. Peace? Vietnam was still at war.)

All of which may be considered my way of telling everyone who was offended by my Aug. 10 column on Fernando: “Sheesh, I’m sorry.” Sort of.

Obviously, a little review is in order. The contretemps over my column began with the Fernando folly that occurred recently before the city’s Cultural Affairs Commission. A group of past Fernando recipients, led by Fire Commission President David W. Fleming, petitioned the city’s Cultural Affairs Commission for permission to move the 6-foot, 11-inch Fernando statue, at their expense, from its historic site in the Van Nuys Civic Center to a more handsome site in Warner Center Park.

Their effort failed on a 3-2 vote, in no small measure because the Mid Valley Chamber of Commerce and others argued persuasively that Fleming & Co.’s effort was a slight to Van Nuys, a community that could use more of the spirit that Fernando is supposed to represent, not less. The Fernando folks since have decided to let the statue stay put and erect a separate memorial at Warner Center Park.

Fleming assured me that his group meant no disrespect to Van Nuys, that they always intended to replace Fernando with an obelisk, and were even hoping to donate portraits of past Fernando winners--including, yes, portraits of themselves--to spruce up the courthouse lobby.

To which I remarked: “Civic leadership is a beautiful thing.”

Oh, that inspired a few harrumphs. And some Fernando fans seemed outraged that I used the term “potentates” and “big kahunas” in reference to such honorees as Fleming, an attorney who’s been dubbed “Mr. San Fernando Valley” by Mayor Riordan, and fellow past honorees H. F. (Bert) Boeckmann II, the auto dealer who is now president of the Los Angeles Police Commission, and Boeckmann’s wife, Jane, publisher of Valley magazine.

These terms were in reference to their social prominence--their financial success, their considerable philanthropy, their political clout. And speaking of politics, let’s not forget that Fernando recipient Arthur S. Pfefferman chairs the very commission that considered the statue question. (He did not, incidentally, see this as a conflict of interest. His was one of the two losing votes.)

In addition to Capobianco, Jerry Curry, president of the United Chambers of Commerce of San Fernando Valley, and Marilyn N. Hankins, executive director of the Valley Cultural Center, have taken me to task. Before you read the Letters to the Editor today, I’ll summarize: Hankins was “appalled” at my “condescending attitude” toward people of such generosity and community spirit, and Curry objected to the implication that only “big kahunas” are eligible for the Fernando.

Fair enough. Curry and Capobianco have since convinced me that kahunas of all sizes are eligible for and have indeed achieved the Fernando. I hereby apologize for any offense. But to the degree that the word kahuna causes discomfort, I will simply remind readers that this Hawaiian term for “medicine man” or “priest” was adopted by surfers to connote a person held in high esteem for his wisdom and skill. As for potentate, well, is there anyone who would rather be called an impotentate?

If the tone seems condescending, I’ll just reject the suggestion that philanthropy and the doing of good deeds necessarily provides a coat of Teflon.

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Why, I’m quite willing to believe that Fleming’s own motives are pure--that his aim, rather than self-aggrandizement, was to create interest in the Fernando Award and thus create more interest in volunteerism. Well, it got my interest. I’d like to think that the Fernando nominees aren’t in it for glory; many recipients, I’m told, are modest people who don’t have large egos at all. Then again, when I chatted with Capobianco, she told me: “Even Mother Teresa is self-centered and self-motivated.”

She may be right as far as it goes. Still, donations of one’s portrait or a hunk of marble inscribed with one’s name for display at a public site seem quite different from, say, a big check to build a shelter for battered women or an evening volunteering in a soup kitchen. Maybe it wouldn’t have seemed so tacky had other Fernando supporters, and not the recipients, led this effort, and if Pfefferman had demurred from voting.

Or maybe it’s just me. When I got prideful as a child, my mother used to say, “Don’t break your arm patting yourself on the back.” It all seemed like vanity on parade. So maybe I felt like a few arms needed tugging.

But, as Mrs. San Fernando Valley points out, vanity is a charge that’s easily made.

Jean Fleming writes:

. . . I feel compelled to respond to your put - down of Fleming, the Boeckmanns, Pfefferman and the rest of the 36 winners having their portraits grace the civic center.

Perhaps I miss the point but I’m wondering why you have your picture gracing your column.

Vanity--the need to be recognized-- is a beautiful thing!

Hoisted by my own petard? It was enough to prompt me to phone Jean Fleming, David’s wife, and offer a “touche.” Sort of. Hey, the mug shot wasn’t my idea; I just work here. Still, I had to admit to her that, all considered, it’s not such a bad thing to have my own little platform--even if it is a lousy picture.

Truth is, I look a lot like J.F.K. Jr., especially with my shirt off.

Scott Harris’ column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.