Each year, The Malibu Times asks the community to help choose and recognize the outstanding efforts of individual Malibu citizens or groups and, by acknowledging and publicizing their contributions, inspire others to do the same. Here are the Dolphin Award winners of 2008. They will be honored March 7 at a special event in Malibu.
Alexis Deutsch-Adler
With the annual “One Book, One City: Malibu,” Alexis Deutsch-Adler has brought a program that “brings the community together through common interest… the shared experience of reading,” Janus Cercone wrote in nominating Deutsch-Adler for a Dolphin Award.
Launched in 2003 and supported by the Malibu Library, “One Book, One City: Malibu” identifies one book to be read by the community and then discussed through various events and forums during April and May. Past programs have included celebrations of works by former Malibuite Joan Didion, with “The White Album,” and a series honoring California poets.
Cercone wrote, “At a time when ideas are pulling people apart, One Book’s power to unite is both necessary and a true gift.”
Hearing of the One Book program started in Chicago in 2002 inspired Deutsch-Adler, who has a degree in journalism from USC and ran the Nemiroff-Deutsch Fine Art gallery in Santa Monica. “I was fascinated reading about how they mobilized a whole community with a selective piece of literature,” she said. “In Chicago they made ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ available in all these different languages to reach the multiethnic Chicago community and I thought that was so cool. Now, there are over 1,500 groups internationally, all sharing and discussing one book each year.”
This year’s One Book selection is “Three Cups of Tea,” the book by Greg Mortenson that inspired the students of Point Dume Elementary School last year to raise enough money to build a school in one of the poorest regions of the world.
“What’s great about Mortenson’s book is that it points out we can’t take literacy for granted,” Deutsch-Adler said. “It takes a village to build a literate community and One Book is the most democratic form of experiment. Mortenson will be speaking at one of our events and Pepperdine [University] is involving its political science, literature and international studies departments.”
-Melonie Magruder
Debrah Caraway
Debrah Caraway was a Pepperdine University student when she started working at what was then the Market Basket grocery store in Malibu to pay off student loans in 1976. Three store changes, one location move and five managers later, Caraway will soon mark her 33-year tenure at what is now Ralphs grocery store in the Malibu Colony Plaza.
Mary Gonzalez, a 30-year Malibu resident, nominated Caraway for a Dolphin because of her exceptional customer service skills. She said she is amazed at how cheerful Caraway always is, especially coming to work five days a week from Gardena.
“I love her friendliness,” Gonzalez said. “She really goes beyond checking. People wait to get into her line and she makes you feel special when you do.”
Caraway, who has a 20-year old son, chuckled about the nomination and said, jokingly, that it must be due to the “world’s best doughnuts” that she brought Gonzalez from her neighborhood “hole in the wall” doughnut shop after noticing Gonzalez regularly purchasing them at Ralphs.
While being interviewed by The Malibu Times outside of Ralphs, every customer who passed by recognized and addressed Caraway. Ninety percent of the customers, Caraway said, she knows by name.
“In other stores, employees don’t know their customers from Adam,” Caraway said. “Malibu is really a community. Everyone knows each other and everything is very personal. My objective is just to make my customers feel better in a short span in their lives.”
Caraway is active in many local charity events. Another of her gifts is her vocal abilities, and she is often invited to sing at events.
“Deb is the life and love of the store,” said Ralphs Manager Daniel Scott. “She makes our customers feel special and want to return to our store. It’s been a pleasure and honor to be her boss.”
-Nora Fleming
Chris Cortazzo
“Chris is not about the glam scene in Malibu,” nominator Kirby Kotler said in reference to Dolphin Award recipient Chris Cortazzo. “His life is about helping people.”
Cortazzo, a 42-year Malibu resident and Realtor, is widely recognized for his philanthropic efforts in supporting organizations and programs that benefit both people and animals.
“I’ve always been really sensitive to all forms of life so it [my passion for helping people and animals] has been with me since I was a baby,” Cortazzo said. “I love the community and love to be able to give back to the community.”
Some organizations to which Cortazzo has dedicated much time and money include the Point Dume Marine Science Healthy Lunch Program, the Boys and Girls Club, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the Avon Walk for breast cancer, the Agoura Animal Shelter, the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Rainforest Alliance, Farm Sanctuary and the Wildlife Conservation Network.
He is a member of Malibu Board Riders Club, which provides a day at the beach for children with cancer, and was instrumental in creating Ride A Wave with his brother Danny, which enables adult and pediatric quadriplegics to enjoy Malibu’s beaches and experience surfing.
Cortazzo has also rescued a number of animals including his dog Buddy and several turkeys, chickens and Guinea hens that needed a place to live.
An avid traveler, Cortazzo said his many ventures around the world have inspired his unbiased philanthropy. “There are so many different languages and cultures but a smile is universal,” he said.
“Chris lives by example, showing local adults and kids that our environment and the beautiful creatures that live in it are so precious,” Kotler said. “He takes an interest in what affects the daily lives of those around him, and helps to teach understanding and tolerance.”
-Olivia Damavandi
Fran Drescher
Actress and part-time Malibu resident Fran Drescher known for her distinct laugh is also known for her active role in improving national women’s health issues.
She was diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2000, but emergency surgery caught it in its first stage so she didn’t have to undergo radiation or chemotherapy. After defeating uterine cancer, Drescher created a foundation and wrote a best-selling book, both of which are entitled “Cancer Schmancer,” with the goal of ensuring that all women’s cancers are diagnosed during their first phase, when they are most curable.
Drescher was appointed by the U.S. State Department last September as an American public diplomacy envoy on women’s health issues, and travels internationally to raise awareness about the importance of early cancer detection. She was instrumental in lobbying for the Gynecologic Cancers Education and Awareness Act of 2005, known as Johanna’s Law, named for Johanna Silver Gordon, who died from ovarian cancer in 2000, and for the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2007, HR 119, now updated to 2008, which was passed by the House and is now with the Senate.
Additionally, Drescher is considering running for the Senate in 2010. “I’m very vocal about civil liberties, children’s rights, violence against women, children and animals, and ecology issues,” she told The Malibu Times last month. “Education is a big platform of mine, and, of course, health issues.”
Jordan Brown, political advisor to Drescher, told The Malibu Times last month, “She has overcome more obstacles in her life than anyone I’ve met. She’s a forceful advocate for improving the American healthcare system.”
“I’m out there fighting the good fight and trying to make a difference,” Drescher said. “And that’s what is meaningful to me.”
-Olivia Damavandi
Jonathan Friedman
Hired as a freelance reporter for The Malibu Times in 2002, Jonathan Friedman was quickly promoted to staff writer in 2003 and then to assistant editor in October 2004. Plugging into the complicated Malibu culture, he was soon the go-to guy in covering and analyzing the subtleties of school board meetings as much as city council elections. His fair and balanced reporting ensured cooperation from sources and a dedicated readership.
In his nomination of Friedman, Times publisher Arnold G. York said, “Jonathan always went above and beyond the call of duty. During the fires of 2007, he stayed round-the-clock, literally sleeping on the floor of the office, to report updates. You could always count on him. He was an extraordinary news junkie and you can’t ask anything more from a reporter.”
Friedman recently left the Times to take a position as assistant marketing manager with PCR Services Corp, an environmental consulting firm, but said his new job still allows him to do the investigative research he loves.
“I do miss being part of The Malibu Times and frequently check the Web site to see what’s going on,” Friedman said. “I regret having to leave the newspaper industry and hope it picks up soon because papers are still the best form of news information. Much better than TV or radio, which can’t give detailed news.”
Of his tenure at the paper, Friedman said, “I never felt I was working because I was always having such fun. I am deeply honored to be nominated for a Dolphin Award and would never have expected it. After all, I was only doing my job.”
-Melonie Magruder
Rebecca Gray
A few months shy of high school graduation, senior Rebecca Gray said there isn’t much else she wishes she could have participated in at Malibu High School, other than starting a girl’s golf team, something she tried to get off the ground for two years unsuccessfully.
But other than golf, there isn’t much Gray hasn’t participated in successfully.
A musician, a varsity athlete and active in several school clubs, Gray’s transcript is chock full of advanced placement classes, high achievement test scores and she is always on the honor roll.
“It’s all about interest and drive,” Gray said of how she handles being so involved. “I have this thought that I want to do all I can. If it’s too much, I scale back a bit. But I love everything I do.”
Music has been one of her long-standing passions. Gray dabbled with the piano, violin and drums before moving on to percussion and, later, the oboe. Gray serves as the Oboe First Chair in the high school orchestra, and plays with the Los Angeles Junior Philharmonic orchestra every Wednesday night.
Reacting to some displays of homophobia on what she said is, for the most part, a very liberal campus, Gray joined the MHS Gay-Straight Alliance and now serves as club president in addition to being a trainer on the Gay-Straight Alliance Networks California Youth Council at the state level. Gray has been a member of the Malibu Youth Commission and plays with the varsity soccer and varsity softball teams, as well as serves as captain of her AYSO team.
Gray plans to attend medical school following college, with the goal of one day becoming a surgeon.
Raquel Ravaglioli, MHS Class of 2008 alumni and 2008 Dolphin Award recipient, who has known Gray for close to nine years, nominated Gray for this year’s Dolphin Awards.
“She’s not afraid to be her own person,” Ravaglioli said of Gray. “She doesn’t just do everything, but she is good at everything she does.”
-Nora Fleming
David Kagon
Called a gentleman by many, the late David Kagon was a well-respected Malibu resident who was active in creating change within the city, as well as being a part of some major Malibu milestones.
Mayor Pro Tem Sharon Barovsky, who served with Kagon on the Malibu General Plan Task Force, which helped Malibu acquire cityhood and draft what now serves as the city’s constitution, nominated Kagon for a Dolphin. She also later served with Kagon on the Civic Center Plan. “He was a gentleman in every sense of the word,” Barovsky said. “I think David not only enriched my life but he enriched the entire community in Malibu. He knew how to argue civilly and respectably, which I’m sure is why he was so successful in his personal life and his professional life.”
Kagon was also very active in the efforts to re-open Rambla Pacifico Road, which closed in 1984 after a series of landslides. Kagon was adamant that Rambla Pacifico residents needed an emergency access road, particularly after the 1993 fires.
Former City Councilmember Ken Kearsley said he got to know Kagon well when he was on the city council and Kagon lobbied Kearsley about Rambla Pacifico. “He was a guy you can’t help liking,” Kearsley said. “He was even-tempered and not demanding, and accomplished a lot more by using this approach and leading the charge to start activism on Rambla Pacifico. He was a gentleman’s gentleman.”
Kagon, who raised two children with wife Dottie, worked for the law firm Goldman and Kagon from 1947 to the mid 1990s. He helped found the Mediation Division of the Beverly Hills Bar Association as well helped author the California Mediation Law Statutes. Kagon put his legal background in dispute resolution to use in Malibu, forming a group of local attorneys to assist members of the community settle disputes. Kagon died in December at the age of 90.
-Nora Fleming
Scott Hosfeld and Maria Newman
Founders of Malibu Friends of Music, husband/wife team Scott Hosfeld and Maria Newman have brought world-class chamber music recitals to Malibu, presented in the intimate setting of their Malibu home, called the Montgomery Arts House for Music and Architecture, all for free.
With their monthly concerts, dinner soirées and lecture series, Malibu Friends of Music offers, as they say, “Not just Concerts, but Experiences!” Their annual Malibu Coast Chamber Music Festival, held each August, provides the community with outstanding classical music, ballets and live accompaniment to classic silent films in a family-friendly format that celebrates music and makes it accessible to all.
Carla Marlenée Bates, in her nomination of Hosfeld and Newman, said, “My family has attended these concerts for the last three years and have been overwhelmed by the caliber of musicians who gather to perform [at MAHMA] and [by] their commitment to giving their audience… a night to remember.”
Of their nomination, Hosfeld said, “It’s nice to be recognized by the community. We usually try to operate under the radar. “
Newman, who is the mother of their five children, said, “I am so honored and proud to be in the company of these other Dolphin nominees. We are thrilled to bring classical music to the community, and people seem to be hungry for what we have to offer. Bringing these amazing artists here to play with us brings a greatness outside of ourselves that our children get to experience.”
Emphasizing the community aspect of the Malibu Friends of Music, Hosfeld said, “If you don’t expose kids to live music, you’ll have a generation growing up with no idea of the concert experience. That’s why our festival is for the whole family.”
-Melonie Magruder