THE CROWD:Celebrating union of business and the arts

In a world that often seems to be led by committee, which can be both good and bad, we forget about the profound influence of the individual on any aspect of life from small to all-encompassing. In Orange County, and in particular NewportMesa, there are many people who, through their particular influence, make a discernible effect on the lives of local people. Most of that effect is positive.

Last week in Newport Beach, a very influential gathering of such people came together at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and the Ritz Restaurant for the 25th annual Business in the Arts Awards reception and dinner. In addition to the tributes and deserved recognition bestowed upon local companies who make it part of their business plan to support culture in Orange County, the evening was very much about saluting the work of one woman who has made a most-positive effect on life in this arena. Her name is Betty Moss, and as the founding executive director of the Orange County Business Committee for the Arts, it was also her 25th anniversary celebration.

Doug Simao, chief executive, and Kate Peters, president of media services for Narratus Inc., one of the supporting corporations, created a video tribute to Betty Moss capturing the spirit and the success of 25 years of community service. There were tears, and there was applause as Jeff Bennett, vice president of Tiffany & Co., another corporate sponsor of the Orange County Business Committee for the Arts, presented Moss with a gift of earrings as a sentimental token of appreciation. Moss was overwhelmed with emotion.

“I was so touched,” Moss said. “The heartfelt appreciation by all was most sincere and generous. I was dumbfounded by the video and even more overwhelmed by Tiffany’s gift.”

Moss moved to Orange County in the 1950s, with her physician husband and young family. She had come from Chicago, where she experienced success in the new medium of television, foregoing career for marriage and family. Arriving in what was then a very small agricultural county, Moss began a new life raising a family and helping her husband build a medical practice.

Timing would place this young woman at the threshold of tremendous growth and expansion in Orange County. Moss would meet Henry Segerstrom when he was just starting his meteoric rise. Other Orange County leaders who would enter her young radar would include now legendary local names, including David Tappan Jr., Harry Bubb, Peter Ochs, George Argyros, Donald Kennedy, Donald Sodaro and many more. All of these residents would work together to forge what is now a community that is enviable for its high standard of living, business opportunity, educational and scientific outreach, and of course, appreciation for the role of culture and art in life.

Moss and so many of these now very powerful business leaders essentially came of age together. They grew up, they raised their children, and they worked to make their community a better place for all. Some years ago Moss would divorce and return to the workforce, founding the Orange County Business Committee for the Arts. Twenty-five years later, the rewards of a lifetime of work and dedication to both her own children, now grown, and to her community is, of course, a source of tremendous pride, making the honors of the evening all the more significant.

Fittingly, the guest speaker of the night was another of Orange County’s most respected residents, Jim Doti, president of Chapman University. Doti, with the support of many of the same people who “came of age” in Orange County with Moss, has built Chapman into a respected, small private university that boasts a law school and now a school of cinema-television that is expected to rival both USC and New York University, two of the nation’s leaders in the field.

As both a university president and economist, Doti brought tremendous credibility and youthful enthusiasm to the establishment helping to bestow the honors on the business community. Recipients of the 25th anniversary awards from Orange County Business Committee for the Arts included the Boeing Co., receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award, the Lodging Establishments of Laguna Beach, the Saint Joseph Ballet, honored with the arts award, and a $2,500 grant underwritten by Hanford Hotels Inc. Other honorees included Bank of America, Deloitte & Touche USA, Haskell & White, Narratus Inc., South Coast Plaza, Target, Tiffany & Co., and Wells Fargo Bank.

Orange County Business Committee for the Arts Chairman Paul Folino was on hand, joining Moss and Doti to welcome the distinguished crowd. Following the awards presentation at the Newport Beach Marriott, the crowd converged on the Ritz Restaurant for a holiday dinner, a tradition that has also spanned many years. Paul and Daranne Folino joined George and Julianne Argyros, Donald and Dorothy Kennedy, Zee Allred, Henry Segerstrom and others underwriting the evening and dinner.

Spotted in the crowd were Ralph and Joyce Allen, Gary and Sandy Toyama, Rick and Vickie Rayson, Dave and Ila White, Caroline and Daniel Harkins, Rich and Anne Keller, Dean and Terri Samsvick, Claes Anderson, Socorro Vasquez, Doug and Karen Murphy and Terry Dwyer, president and chief operating officer of the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Also on hand for the 25th anniversary were Chris and Julie Schulz, Doug and Kathe Schaaf, Pat and Bill Podlich, Drago Gligic, Gary and Adriana Gee, Terry Goldfarb-Lee, and Jeff and Barbara Bennett.

Doti commented on the occasion with clarity, saying, “It continues to be a proven fact that the arts and the business community create a remarkably productive and synergistic partnership that is good not only for all the partners, but the entire Orange County community as well.”

Since its inception in 1982, Orange County Business Committee for the Arts has presented 303 awards to Orange County businesses and 27 awards to local nonprofits. For more information on the work of Orange County Business Committee for the Arts, call (714) 754-0866.

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