People : Spotlight on achievers : Resident’s Work Wins International Prize

Wolf Leslau, 89, has won the Lidzbarski Gold Medal Award from the International Oriental Societies for his research work on Ethiopia.

A Fullerton resident, Leslau is a retired UCLA professor who founded that university’s Department of Near Eastern and African Languages in 1955 and is an expert on Ethiopian culture and languages.

Leslau, who has trained more than 1,500 Peace Corps volunteers for service in Ethiopia, will be awarded his prize by the German consul general at a special ceremony in Los Angeles on Jan. 24.