He's still an action figure - Los Angeles Times
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He’s still an action figure

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To some, he’s a gadfly. To most, he’s a philanthropist with a heart of gold.

Whether Bruce Hopping is petitioning the City Council to become environmentally active and “keep Laguna’s beaches beautiful,” telling the school board to be more mindful of its students’ health, or the federal government to change the standards of domestic beer, he is passionate and determined to improve his community and the world.

“I don’t like the word ‘gadfly,’” he said with a half frown, half smile. “It’s the duty of anyone fortunate enough to live in a democracy to exercise their rights and stand up for what they believe in.”

A Laguna resident since the early 1950s, the local activist, now 88, said he was once fired from the Arts Commission for his physical removal of a piece of public art he didn’t support.

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The World War II and Korean War veteran said he was even threatened with a general court-martial and discharged from the Navy for causing an uproar about the treatment of his battalion.

Whatever his cause, he takes it to the frontline. Members of the community will celebrate his activism at a gathering from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday at the Woman’s Club in Laguna Beach. The event is free and open to the public.

Longtime friend and Laguna resident Steve Clark said he and fellow supporters organized the event because they want to show their appreciation for Hopping while he’s alive and well.

“He’s been a very positive and influential person in education, athletics and just being a good human,” he said.

Most notably, Hopping, a former swim coach and Olympic judge, is known for his one-man nonprofit, the Kalos Kagathos Foundation (Greek for “physical distinction … nobility of mind”), whose mission is to educate youth to respect and preserve the body, mind and environment.

Through the organization, the octogenarian, who still maintains his own physique by jogging on the beach and swimming, takes competitive young local athletes abroad to Europe, Africa and Asia, where they train in aquatic sports and are immersed in other cultures by staying with host families.

“I want these kids to have a social and cultural imprint from the places we travel to,” he said. “I think it’s very important.”

Hopping is pushing for better nutrition in the school district, a return to the high school’s “Artists” mascot, and the commission of sculptures in the school’s sports arenas and the city’s parks.

“I attend every City Council and school board meeting, but my petitions go [unheard],” he said. “But I’ll keep going back.”


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