Around Town: Paddle-out will honor late Laguna waterman Bruce Hopping

A paddle-out and swim are planned for June 14 to honor International Swimming Hall of Fame inductee, arts and youth sports patron, World War II and Korean War veteran and longtime Laguna Beach resident Bruce Hopping, who died May 17 at age 96.

The memorial event will begin at 4 p.m. at Thalia Street Beach in Laguna.

Hopping was born in 1921 in Vietnam, where his father had lumber interests. He developed his connection with the ocean while growing up on Pacific islands before coming to the United States for military school and then the Army. He served in World War II as a medical evacuation pilot in various Pacific theaters. He also served aboard a minesweeper during the Korean War.

He was inducted into the Swimming Hall of Fame in 2014 and was a two-time Olympic swimming judge.

Hopping moved to Laguna Beach around 1960, inspired by visits he made while stationed at the nearby El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

Hopping founded the New Jersey Foundation in 1953, sponsoring aquatic athletic events and commissioning multiple works of art. He renamed it the Kalos Kagathos Foundation in 1968 after UC Irvine classics professor and Laguna resident Ted Brunner introduced him to the ancient Greek educational concept of kalos kagathos, which emphasizes physical distinction and nobility of mind.

Wounded vets to walk in Newport during cross-country journey

Six wounded veterans from the United States and the United Kingdom walking through Orange County as part of a trek across the country will end the second day of their journey Sunday in Newport Beach.

Walking with the Wounded’s Walk of America, a 12-week expedition from Los Angeles to New York City, is intended to raise awareness of mental health among veterans and to raise funds to support wounded British and American veterans.

The walk begins Saturday with a leg from Dockweiler State Beach to San Pedro. On Sunday, the group will walk from Long Beach to Newport. The walk also will take the group to Anaheim and Irvine before heading south and east.

UCI Center on Stress & Health awarded $6.3 million by National Institutes of Health

Researchers at UC Irvine’s Center on Stress & Health have received $6.3 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health to develop and test digital health interventions for stress and pain in children facing surgical procedures and those battling cancer.

Dr. Michelle Fortier was awarded $3.2 million to examine the effectiveness of a web-based pain and symptom management tool for children receiving primarily outpatient cancer treatment.

Dr. Zeev Kain was awarded $3.1 million for an interactive website for children undergoing outpatient surgery.