He’s a walking treasure with the spring of a kid. No, not Donald Bren (more on him in a moment). The Insider speaks of OC’s and Britain’s Sir Eldon Griffiths, with his Lady Betty aboard a freighter (their idea of a fun vacation) bound for England. There, at the Manor House on Honey Hill in Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk, about 150 of Sir Eldon’s family and friends, including OCers Jo Ellen Allen and Regina Campbell, will celebrate his 80th birthday in two weeks. He’ll be toasted by Lord Cecil Parkinson and Baroness Jill Knight of Collingtree. Then everyone will saunter over to St. James Cathedral to join a chorus singing Handel’s “Messiah.” The globetrotting Griffiths has been a journalist, Parliament member, minister under Margaret Thatcher, diplomat, lecturer and adviser. He still consults and writes, including for the OC Register and OCBJ. “You can be young in heart and relatively young in limb even at my advanced age,” says Griffiths, promising a dispatch soon …
As for Bren, he looked trim, handsome and maybe two-thirds of his 73 years at Irvine Regional Park last week as he gave another $20 million to the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve. Bren wore jeans and an open collar and appeared more relaxed than he usually does when reporters are hovering. But then, the reserve is a topic he loves; Bren warmed to the theme as he described his recent 22-mile mountain bike ride from Weir Canyon to the ocean. Having billions probably helps, but the Insider suspects Bren’s real youth secret is exercise …
Wylie Aitken and Frank Barbaro are among local Democrats pleading with state Senate Prez Don Perata, D-Oakland, to reappoint Laguna Councilwoman Toni Iseman to the California Coastal Commission. Iseman is a longtime environmentalist who chained herself to a bulldozer to protest the construction of the 73 toll road. But to some enviros she’s a traitor who cast pivotal commission votes for developments at Dana Point Headlands and Bolsa Chica. Iseman says the scaled-down projects are pragmatic compromises that will help to restore coastline. The Surfriders Foundation, the Sierra Club and (the Insider is told) Commissioner Sara Wan of Malibu want Iseman ousted …
That’s Crystal Cathedral on the cover of the May 23 Business Week. Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren also is depicted in the report on “Evangelical America” …
Chris Norby, Stan Oftelie and Bruce Nestande will be among the Vikings celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Sons of Norway at the Fullerton lodge June 7. “It’s not a big group,” Oftelie says. Oh, but the power …
New name, new dean, lots going on at UCI’s Paul Merage School of Business: Gateway chief Wayne Inouye addresses the school’s Industry Innovator Breakfast June 8 in the Beckman Center. Call (949) 824-4061. Peter Ueberroth headlines the Merage School’s Business of Sports Conference June 10 at the Hilton Costa Mesa. Call (949) 429-6686.
