OC had plenty of Chicago transplants rooting long-distance for the Bears against the Green Bay Packers this past weekend, perhaps none from farther away than the recently named OCBJ Businessperson of the Year, Edwards Lifesciences chief Michael Mussallem: “I’ll be in Japan. Picture me at 5 a.m. Monday in front of my iPad.” The Bears’ cheering section for the NFC championship game (result unknown as of this writing) also included Abbott Medical Optics’ Jim Mazzo, City National Bank’s Kevin Dunigan, SunCal’s Randy Teteak, Cal State Fullerton Prez Milt Gordon, Coldwell Banker’s Ed Blatchford and our own Jerry Sullivan, Chris Casacchia, Sheldon Ascher and EE RR …
Leave it to Jim Doti to be the contrarian. “I will be pulling for Green Bay,” said Chapman U’s prez, explaining that he grew up hating the Bears and rooting for the Cardinals, who left the Windy City in 1960. Some guys just can’t let go …
Thursday’s world premiere of “Ronald Reagan: An American Journey” at the Regency Lido Theatre in Newport Beach commemorates the Gipper’s 100th birthday on Feb. 6. It’s also part of a $50,000 fundraising drive for a bronze statue of Reagan that would be placed at the city’s new civic center, under construction at MacArthur Boulevard and Avocado Avenue. Anyone giving $1,000 and groups giving $5,000 will get their names on the statue. The project is being spearheaded by Newport Beach Councilman Keith Curry, who worked in the Reagan administration …
Another Reagan staffer, author and columnist Peggy Noonan, keynotes the OC Biz Council’s annual dinner Feb. 3 at the Hyatt Regency Irvine (www.ocbc.org) …
Multitalented: Private equity investor Murray Rudin of Riordan, Lewis & Haden emceed last week’s OCBJ CFO Awards dinner (coverage begins on the frontpage). On Feb. 17, Rudin’s on the receiving end. He’ll be honored along with Western Digital’s Thomas Pardun, independent director Doug Ammerman, La Opinión’s Monica Lozano and Quality Systems’ Sheldon Razin at the Forum for Corporate Directors’ annual awards dinner at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. Emceeing that event is the above-mentioned Bears fan, Mussallem. Info at www.fcdoc.org …
Along with steaks, drinks and old-club decor, the recently opened Capital Grille in South Coast Plaza features portraits of famous OCers. Walt Disney, John Wayne and Gene Autry are easy to identify. Harder to guess are C.J. Segerstrom, Walter Knott, early settler Jose Antonio Yorba, horticulturalist Charles Rudolph Boysen (yes, the berry), female physician and aviator Bessica Medlar Raiche and tennis great Bill Tilden (who belongs in the L.A. restaurant.)
