NEIGHBORS

Marilyn M. Dickson, a public health nurse for 30 years and director of

Orange Coast College’s student health service for five years, has been

named a fellow of the American College Health Assn., headquartered in

Baltimore. Prior to coming to OCC, Dickson served 20 years as the

director of student health services at Golden West College, OCC’s sister

institution. The Denver native earned bachelor’s degree in nursing from

the University of Colorado and received a nurse practitioner’s license

from Brigham Young University. She earned an master’s degree in community

health education from Cal State Long Beach. Dickson is one of 141 college

health professionals to receive the honor. The Fellows Award was

established in 1967. ... Marine Corps Pfc. Jose Soto, son of Guadalupe

Arias of Costa Mesa, recently completed 12 weeks of basic training at the

Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. His regimen included

calisthenics, physical conditioning and classroom and field assignments.

Soto has learned first aid, uniform regulations, combat water survival,

marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat and assorted weapons training. He also

received training in the Marine Corps’ core values: honor, courage and

commitment. ... Six OCC professors have been included in the latest

edition of “Who’s Who in America.” Dr. Eduardo Arismendi-Pardi, an

associate professor of mathematics; John P. Brady Jr., professor of

electronics; Lawrence A. Carlson, professor of English; Dr. Patrick

Coaty, instructor in political science and history; Stephen P. Lattanzio,

professor of astronomy; and Carl W.A. Prout, professor of history, were

named to the list. Former OCC dean John F. Dean, who has also been a

superintendent of the Orange County Department of Education for many

years, was also on the list. ... Ciaran R. O’Connor has graduated from

the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Advanced Camp at Fort Lewis in

Tacoma, Wash. O’Connor is the son of Colm J. and Christine S. O’Connor of

Costa Mesa. At camp, he completed a five-week course of intensive

military leadership training and evaluation exercises in communications,

management and survival training. The Estancia High School graduate will

be commissioned as a second lieutenant to serve in the U.S. Army,

National Guard or Reserve after successfully completing advanced camp and

graduating from college. O’Connor is currently attending UC Berkeley. ...

Michael Bower, a longtime public relations practitioner in Southern

California, has been named the new director of publications and media

relations for Vanguard University of Southern California. He will oversee

all campus publications and the university Web site, in addition to

coordinating media relations at Vanguard. Bower will also teach classes

in the business and communications departments at the university. ...

Point B, Inc., a Newport Beach-based strategic marketing communications

agency, announced that Lucy Gekchyan has joined the staff as a junior

copywriter. Prior to coming to Point B Inc., she was a publishing intern

at The Huntington Library Press, a publishing house for the Huntington

Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens. Her primary

responsibilities included creative conception, writing research reports

and the review of writing samples. Gekchyan has also worked for the Los

Angeles World Affairs Council. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English

and comparative literary studies and environmental studies from

Occidental College, where she was admitted with a President’s Scholarship

awarded for academic excellence. Point B, Inc. specializes in industries

such as health care, biotechnology and the Internet.

* NEIGHBORS spotlights achievements in the community. Please direct

noteworthy information to Young Chang via fax at (949) 646-4170, or send

e-mail too7 [email protected]