Pageants
Melissa Connell, a Laurel in the Oakview Ward, Omaha Nebraska Stake, won the Nebraska Junior Miss Pageant this year and participated in the national pageant in Mobile, Ala., in June. She sang in the talent portion of both the state and national pageants. The Junior Miss program judges high school seniors on academic achievement and talent. She recently graduated from Millard North High School where she participated in the swing choir and forensics and performed in school musicals.
Athletics
Collin George, 5, won the Most Outstanding Wrestler award in his age group at the seven-state Inland Empire Classic Tournament at Spokane, Wash., recently. He also won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the tournament. He lives in the Vashon Island Branch, Seattle Washington Stake.
LeGrand Sakamaki, 15, won his second straight national junior weightlifting championship and a college scholarship through the U.S. Olympic Committee. At the tournament in Minneapolis, Minn., Sakamaki scored 438 including a snatch of 192 pounds and a clean-and-jerk of 236 pounds. A member of the Kilauea 2nd Ward, Hilo Hawaii Stake, he is the top ranked junior weightlifter in the United States at 119 pounds. He has also won a Hawaii state title and an international weightlifting championship.
Mike Dean, a two-time state wrestling champion at Evanston (Wyo.) High School, earned all-American honors during the national championships at Pittsburgh, Pa., recently. He finished fourth in the 135-pound division. He is a priest in the Yellow Creek Ward, Evanston Wyoming South Stake.
Staci Malin of the Martinez 3rd Ward, Concord California Stake, won a national championship in swimming for Linfield (Ore.) College. She broke the meet record with a time of 1:05.33 in the breaststroke at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes national championships in San Antonio, Texas.
Jason Lyman was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the major league amateur baseball draft June 4 and is currently playing for Watertown, N.Y., in the Indians' minor league organization. Jason was a Primary teacher in the Jurupa 3rd Ward, Jurupa California Stake, before signing with Cleveland. He played collegiately for Cal State San Bernardino.
Music and art
Karen Maloy, 15, won a Governor's Scholar Award to Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan this summer. She is one of 52 recipients nationwide. Karen, who will be a junior at Bountiful (Utah) High School this fall, is a member of the Bountiful 4th Ward, Bountiful Utah South Stake. Her talents include singing as well as playing the violin and piano. She is a member of the Mormon Youth Symphony and has performed with the Utah Youth Symphony for three years.
Corinne Brown, 5, recently took first place in her division at the Western Nationals singing competition at Lagoon, an amusement park in Farmington, Utah. She has been singing for three years and has gone on singing tours to California and Florida. She is a member of the Woodview Ward, Kearns Utah West Stake.
Jason K. Hopkins, 16, has won his second Young Media Artist award in two years. He was presented with a special award in Technical Achievement at the 14th annual Utah Short Film and Video Festival in June for his seven-minute animated film "The Return of the Overlord." Jason, a member of the Eighteenth North Ward, Salt Lake Eagle Gate Stake, was one of 15 winners nationally. He is a cartoonist and is an honors student at Waterford School in Sandy, Utah.
Education
Warren E. Babcock, a reference librarian at Utah State University, was recently honored by the Utah Library Association as Librarian of the Year. The state award recognizes outstanding achievements in service to libraries during recent years. He is a member of the Smithfield 3rd Ward, Smithfield Utah North Stake
Heather Clayton, 17, has been appointed by California Gov. Pete Wilson to the state board of education. She will be a senior at University High School in Irvine this fall and will serve on the board for one year. Heather is a Laurel in the Irvine 3rd Ward, Irvine California Stake.
John J. Seaberg, professor emeritus of educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Oklahoma, has been inducted into the Oklahoma Educators' Hall of Fame. Brother Seaberg was cited for founding Project Lead, a training program for public school administrators. He is a member of the Norman 1st Ward, Norman Oklahoma Stake.
Richard B. Passey is winner of the 1993 American Association for Clinical Chemistry award for Outstanding Contributions in Education. He is a professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. He is the center's director of clinical chemistry and core laboratories, as well as director of resident training in clinical chemistry. Brother Passey is a member of the Edmonds 1st Ward, Oklahoma City Oklahoma Stake.
Scouting
Jared Toone has earned all of the merit badges - 127 - available through Boy Scouts of America at the time he earned his Eagle Scout award. Now a priest in the Crystal 1st Ward, Minneapolis Minnesota Stake, he has reached the goal he set after receiving his Eagle award at age 12. Jared has attended the Boy Scouts' National Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia, and the World Jamboree in Seoul, Korea.
Professional
Gerda Pratt Haynie of the Sunset Heights 6th Ward, Orem Utah Sunset Heights Stake, has been named winner of the 1993 Beatty Award for service to public health. Sister Haynie is director of the Division of Family and Personal Health for the City-County Health Department of Utah County. She received the award at the annual meeting of the Utah Public Health Association in Park City recently.
Bradley V. Fellows was named Young Optometrist of the Year for 1993 by the Utah Optometric Association. The award is given for significant service to the profession and to the visual welfare of the people in the state of Utah. Brother Fellows is the owner and practitioner of an eye care center. He is currently serving as the chairman of the board of directors for the Eye Foundation of Utah and is a board member and trustee for the Utah Optometric Association. A member of the Canyon Rim Ward, he is a member of the high council in the Sandy Utah Central Stake.
John R. Gibson was named the 1993 Milling Operative of the Year at the annual meeting of the Association of Operative Millers. The award is presented each year to the person who makes the most significant contribution to the progress of his plant, his company and the industry. Brother Gibson of the Roanoke 3rd Ward, Roanoke Virginia Stake, is general manager of the Roanoke Valley branch of the Mennel Milling Co. He has been in the milling business since 1964.
Church service
Adrienne Dohrmann, 18, is one of 50 high school seniors in the Los Angeles, Calif., area recently honored by Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of the Catholic Church for community service. Adrienne attended Mary Star of the Sea Catholic High School in San Pedro, Calif. She won the award for accumulating more than 30 hours of community service during her senior year. She made two trips with LDS youth groups to Mexico to help build and repair homes. She also joined a group of LDS youth in distributing food at the Lord's Kitchen in south central Los Angeles after the 1992 riots. She is a member of the Rolling Hills Ward, Palos Verdes California Stake.
