Lunch welcomes 4 to Hall of Fame

Costa Mesa community leaders were honored Friday during a special luncheon at the Hilton Costa Mesa.

The event, hosted by the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce and the South Coast Metro Alliance, inducted four new members into the organizations’ Hall of Fame. And politicians such as Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, Assemblyman Van Tran and county treasurer John Moorlach offered their praise for those in attendance.

“I am here to honor people in the community who make Costa Mesa a better place to live from the ground up,” Rohrabacher said.

The afternoon’s first honors went to First American Trust Company, which received the corporate leadership award. Active in Santa Ana since 1889, the trust regularly gives to dozens of local charities including the Pacific Symphony, Chapman University, Hoag Hospital, the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Orange County United Way.

The trust’s regional vice president, Nella Webster, accepted the award, thanking her many co-workers and colleagues.

“My job is easy because I have a great team of people to work with,” she said.

Next to be honored was Dr. Gwyn Parry, who took home the lifetime community spirit award for his role as director of community medicine at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian.

“It’s been a lifetime of giving. It’s been a lifetime of leadership. It’s been a lifetime of service,” colleague Donald Grapes said on a video broadcast during the ceremony.

Parry has been with Hoag Hospital since 1965 and participated in a number of physician initiatives to increase volunteerism in the community. He’s also served on a number of community boards, including for Orange Coast College where he helped secure the donation of an infant simulator that trains students how to assist small children and babies during a medical emergency.

This year’s community revitalization award went to Shaheen Sadeghi, owner and developer of the Camp and the Lab on Bristol Street. Businessman Dick Baker praised Sadeghi in a short video for Sadeghi’s role in building the contemporary shopping centers from an abandoned warehouse in what was once an economically depressed section of town.

“We have a passion for what we do,” Sadeghi said after accepting the award. “We always appreciate the opportunity to do something outside of the box.”

The awards ceremony ended with a nod to the Halecrest and Hall of Fame communities, the recipients of the community service award.

Resident Mike Brumbaugh accepted the award on behalf of the communities, telling the audience that both neighborhoods were great places to live where residents know and look out for one another.

“People here care about one another and step up to the plate when a neighbor is in need of help,” he said. “We don’t let anyone stand alone.”