County May Change, but Romance Endures

When I came here in 1979, the Pond of Anaheim was a pond of dirt, the Orange County Performing Arts Center was somebody’s sketches, and if Michael Eisner dreamed of creating a hockey team, he did it from behind the gates at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, not at Disney.

There were more Smiths than Nguyens here then. Little Saigon was a handful of struggling shops. The only Richard Nixon library was in the gift shop at the San Clemente Inn. And “dinky” was the most generous description given the terminal at John Wayne Airport.

Those things changed. To me the most dramatic transformation has been in who our neighbors are. The county’s burgeoning diversity has benefited all of us. In agreement is Westminster Mayor Charles V. Smith: “No one has done more to contribute to this county’s growth than the Vietnamese community.”

One name stood out in those early days of Vietnamese refugee arrival: St. Anselm of Canterbury. It’s an unimposing Episcopal church in Garden Grove. The church’s administrator, Chris Soulias, well recalls why it got so deeply involved:

“Our rector, Father Samir Habiby, was also a chaplain at Camp Pendleton, where many refugees first gathered. He saw right away they’d need help with jobs, homes, learning the language.”

With parish support, Habiby set up programs that have grown into what is now the Cross Cultural Community Center at St. Anselm. On a recent visit I could see it is still today a whirlwind of counseling, teaching, and job placement.

Habiby has moved on to a church in Georgia. But seems to me he deserves greater recognition for his role in this county’s history.

Movers & Shakers: Remember when Supervisor Roger R. Stanton, then a Democrat, won his seat in 1980? He ousted incumbent Phil Anthony, who was accused by prosecutors of misconduct in handling his campaign money. Now Stanton is a Republican, accused by prosecutors of misconduct in handling your money. . . .

Chapman University news director Ruth Wardwell, recently back from maternity leave, gave birth to her second daughter the day of the O.J. Simpson verdicts. Her first daughter was born four years ago on the same day of the police acquittals in the Rodney G. King beating. Wardwell quips that a few have suggested she stop having babies. At least until after the Menendez brothers’ trial. . . .

Irvine-based Taco Bell isn’t worried that McDonald’s has Charles Barkley touting its burgers. Not when it’s got Shaquille O’Neal. The Orlando Magic center/celebrity slipped in here just before the All-Star game to work up a new commercial--details top secret for now. . . .

Hearts & Flowers: Wednesday is Valentine’s Day and I’m a sap for romance. . . . The Rev. Robert H. Schuller of the Crystal Cathedral writes in his latest book how fate (God, he says) led him to Arvella DeHaan. . . . When a young man, his new job at a Minnesota church was unexpectedly delayed by a week. That allowed him to accept a last-minute request for a one-Sunday sermon in Iowa. There he met Arvella, the church organist. “I’ve looked back on that moment a thousand times,” Schuller writes. “There had to be a God in charge of my life.” They’ve been married 45 years. . . .

It’s been 57 years of marriage for Emma Jane and Thomas F. Riley, the former county supervisor and retired Marine general. Talk about unpromising beginnings. . . . She says: “My sister had a date with another Marine and made me go to make a foursome. I’d just been in a car accident; I had two black eyes, stitches everywhere. I guess curiosity made him come back to see me again.” . . .

My fondest memory: A midnight walk on a beach along South Carolina’s gold coast. I was scared and knew she’d say no. She was beautiful and really did say yes. . . . Our kids would be amazed how romantic it was.

Seeing Red: Before we reach age 72, the American Red Cross says, chances are 95% that we’ll need a blood transfusion. Yet the national blood donor average is slightly under 4%. Much worse: Orange County donors are under 2%. Reasons can be fear of needles, fear of faintness, and my own excuse: laziness. Pat Conlee of the local Red Cross office is more generous: “People in Orange County are doing a ton of things, and it’s just not a priority.” . . . Translation: laziness. . . . St. John’s Lutheran Church in Orange welcomes anyone to its blood drive Wednesday afternoon. Call (800) GIVE-LIFE. Could be a nice Valentine for someone you don’t know.

Personals: Since this is a new column, there’s no reason you’d know my name. But I’ll clear up the one question I do get asked on the job: No, I’m not related to Cecil Hicks, the longtime powerful district attorney now on the Superior Court bench. . . . Cecil Hicks himself asked the first time we met. He was about to spear me over something he didn’t like in the newspaper, but first, no doubt, wanted to make sure we weren’t distant cousins.

Wrap-Up: The new Orange County Pacific Bell white pages shows 27 columns of Smiths, and 39 columns of Nguyens. My friend and colleague Tina Nguyen says the name is proudly derived from an ancient Vietnamese emperor.

Jerry Hicks’ column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Readers may reach Hicks by calling the Times Orange County Edition at (714) 966-7823 or sending a fax to (714) 966-7711.

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The Times Orange County today inaugurates a column by Jerry Hicks dealing with the experience of living and working in Orange County. The column will appear Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in the Metro section. Hicks, 48, has worked 16 years as a reporter for The Times, covering Orange County government, law enforcement and the courts. He wrote the Orange County Newswatch column for more than four years. Hicks and his wife, who live in Anaheim, have two children, 13 and 4. A graduate of Indiana University, Hicks worked 10 years for the Louisville (Ky.) Times. He served in Vietnam as an Army journalist.