Personal Best : Shopkeeper, Attorney in Prize Finals

Most San Fernando Valley bus riders have Ruth Richter to thank for getting them from one neighborhood to another.

The Winnetka motorcycle shop owner was instrumental in expanding the Valley’s bus service from a few major boulevards in 1976 to the 200 or so routes that traverse the vast area today.

“I twisted a lot of arms,” said Richter, 76, who served on the Southern California Rapid Transit District board of directors for eight years. “It took about a year and a half to get [the expansion], but it was worth it.”

Richter’s longtime commitment to tackling the Valley’s transit issues--she has served on 14 city transportation committees during the past 48 years--earned her one of the five finalist slots for this year’s prestigious Fernando Award, which annually honors a Valley resident for outstanding community service.

Richter, a native of Illinois, jumped into her first transportation project--the installation of a traffic signal near Sutter Middle School in Winnetka--in 1951. She went on to volunteer for more than 30 organizations, including the Winnetka Chamber of Commerce, for which she has served as president three times.

She also participates in the Police Activity League, or PAL, program at the Devonshire and West Valley divisions, and she is active with the Breakfast Forum, an organization that works closely with the Southern California Auto Club and the California Department of Transportation on freeway problems.

“I couldn’t believe that I was announced as a Fernando finalist,” Richter said. “I was numb. It’s such an honor.”

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Lee Kanon Alpert, another Fernando Award finalist, jumped on the community-service bandwagon about 20 years ago, when he attended his first Citizen’s Advisory Council meeting in Northridge.

The lawyer quickly became involved with park planning, among a host of other civic issues, and eventually served as chairman for both the Northridge council and the overall 12th District Advisory Council, a post he has held for 10 years.

“One of the beauties of being an American citizen is that we have the privilege and the obligation to act out and make our community a better place to live,” the 52-year-old Northridge resident said. “If you don’t get involved, you don’t have a right to moan and groan and complain.”

Alpert, who puts in 50 to 75 hours of community service a month, said his desire to help others stems from his Detroit upbringing, where his inner-city neighbors pitched in to help each other. That dedication to community involvement led the Encino attorney to serve on the Building and Safety Commission, through which he helped create the Van Nuys One Stop Permitting Center. Now those seeking building permits for Valley projects can get them locally, in one location, rather than having to travel downtown.

Alpert also co-founded the North San Fernando Valley Community Foundation, which provides educational programs, child care and scholarships to local residents.

“We get the rewards of being active in our community,” Alpert said. “Whatever your passion, get involved. We can all make a difference.”

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Next week: Fernando Award finalists Rose Goldwater, Bob Scott and Robert Voit.

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Personal Best is a weekly profile of an ordinary person who does extraordinary things. Please send suggestions on prospective candidates to Personal Best, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Or fax them to (818) 772-3338. Or e-mail them to valley.news@latimes.com.