Award to Honor 2 Doctors, Sculptor

A neurosurgeon, a urologist and a sculptor will be honored Saturday at an awards banquet celebrating the 25th anniversary of the San Fernando Valley Chapter of The Links Inc.

The African American community service organization will present its 1998 Don Newcombe Humanitarian Award at the ninth annual Top Hat banquet at 7 p.m. at the Universal City Hilton and Towers. The award is named for the former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher who was the 1949 Rookie of the Year and won the National League Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards in 1956.

This year’s recipients are Dr. Keith Black, director of the Cedars-Sinai Neurological Institute in Los Angeles, Dr. Carol Bennett, chief of urology at Wadsworth Veterans Hospital in Los Angeles and associate professor of urology at UCLA, and Ed Dwight, a sculptor whose 25,000 works depicting African American life include several on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institution.

“We are recognizing these individuals because their achievements are exemplary and their contributions are characterized by selflessness and service, not only to the community, but to the country and the world,” said Jackie Castillo, a group spokeswoman.

Proceeds from the $100-a-plate dinner will benefit the organization’s enrichment tutorial program for children in kindergarten through 12th grade and provide for its ongoing scholarship fund for college-bound black students in the Valley, Castillo said.

The Links Inc. is a national nonprofit community service organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1946, the group sponsors economic development, education, youth and arts programs through its 250 chapters.

For more information, call Patricia Gibson at (818) 884-9060.