County Planning Chairman

Lee A. Strong of Whittier has been elected chairman of the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission. He was recently reappointed by Supervisor Pete Schabarum to a four-year term on the commission. Strong is a former Whittier mayor, and served on the City Council from 1980 to 1986. He was chairman of the Whittier Redevelopment Agency from 1982 to 1984, and also has been a member of the policy committee on community development and housing for the League of California Cities. Strong, a graduate of Whittier College, is operator of a consulting firm, Downtown Focus, and is a member of the Whittier Chamber of Commerce.

Student Speaker Wins First

Philip Massey, a student at La Mirada High School, won first place for original advocacy in a speech contest among representatives of 50 schools from 14 states held at Loyola Marymount University. Massey’s presentation called for a Constitutional amendment to make all forms of abortion illegal. Massey also took second place in original oratory, the most competitive event at the tournament, with a speech about declining ethics and morality in America. Other La Mirada High winners at the tournament were Paul Salas, sixth place in advocacy, and Stephanie Christian, seventh place in oratory.

Teacher of the Year Chosen

Teri Smith, a resident of Long Beach, has been honored as teacher of the year for 1987-88 in the Bellflower Unified School District. She is a 1977 graduate of California State University, Long Beach, and joined the Bellflower district in 1982. She teaches in the English department at Mayfair High School and also is an adviser for the student Literary Club and speech teams.

2 Volleyball Girls Honored

Melanie Kaiser of Wilson High School in Long Beach and Janine Ward of Lakewood High School have been chosen for the second team of the 1987 Reebok High School All-American Volleyball Team. The all-star selections are made annually by Volleyball Monthly magazine and sponsored by Reebok International Ltd.

Winning La Habra Artists

Winners in the La Habra Art Assn.’s all-media members juried show for December are Judy Childress, first place for “Misty Ride in the Park;” Edward A. Guzman, second place for “Happy Harvest;” and Georgia Thornton, third place for “Aunt Ida.” Honorable-mention works were by Childress, Mark Florian and Anne Marie Smolenski.

President of Hotel Directors

Steven J. Shanstrom, director of human resources for the Ramada Renaissance Hotel in Long Beach, has been elected president of the Orange County Hospitality Directors’ Assn., which represents 46 major hotels and theme parks in an area stretching from Orange County to the Long Beach and South Bay areas. Shanstrom, 38, oversees 370 employees at the downtown Long Beach hotel.

Supply Manager Honored

Whittier resident Phyllis Fuhriman has been honored as employee of the month at Bellwood General Hospital in Bellflower. She has worked at the hospital more than 20 years, and is the central supply manager.