Wednesday, March 26, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
THE RAMOS FAMILY of Las Vegas recently met Prince Rainier Grimaldi and his daughter Princess Stephanie in Monaco under the most pleasant of circumstances.
The Ramos brothers, Edwardo and Bernardo, who appear professionally as The Flying Radogels, are fifth-generation circus performers. They were awarded third-place honors by Prince Rainier during the Monte Carlo International Circus Festival.
An annual event of note for elite circus performers, this invitational competition is considered the Olympics of the profession. This year, the gathering of performers and their daring feats provided a special touch to celebrations marking the 700th anniversary of the Grimaldi royal family.
Secret heroes
Secret Witness, with an unmatched record of success in helping our police fight crime, has been an active force in Clark County since 1979. As of March, its efforts have resulted in the recovery of more than $56 million in stolen property and contraband, paid rewards of $1.15 million and led to the arrest of 8,565 for felony crimes.
Secret Witness's recent Dixieland Jam dinner at the Orleans hotel-casino was an occasion to recognize the support and personal efforts of two leading judges. Judges Donald Mosley and William Jansen were introduced by founder-chairwoman Phyllis Hendrickson.
Jansen, who began his career in law enforcement as an FBI agent, spoke of his courtroom, where he frequently offers first-time offenders the opportunity to make donations to Secret Witness. He believes strongly in the value of paid informants.
Mosley, who provided critical assistance in the early years and is a past Secret Witness board member, told of how this community effort is entirely funded by business and individual donations. Both praised the Mesquite Club and its army of volunteers, who served as founders and are continuing with Secret Witness.
Gathered in support of this worthy cause were former County Commissioner Paul Christensen, Frank and Betty Lee Lamping, Pauline and John Sullivan, Irwin Kirschner, Valerie Weber, Gary Logan, Judge Gary Redmon, Bob Payne and Karin Borgman with Jackie Leonard. Nearby with friends were Dr. Lou Hendrickson, Iown Gifford, Larry and Sally McKinney, Tony and Frances Annotti, Gene and Beverly Sawinsky, and Dr. Ed and Joan Maule.
Judge Joe and Betty Pavlikowski, as well as Linda Givens, Marj Joeckel, Ray Willis, and Marlene and Andy Wheeler, were among the guests introduced to Jonathan Hendricks and his bride, Kimberly. The newlyweds, who have returned to live in Jonathan's hometown, were accompanied by his mother, Lexis Allen, and his mother's husband, David Allen. Jonathan, an attorney admitted to the California and Nevada bars, is managing the Las Vegas offices of David Allen and Associates.
Sheriff Jerry Keller, who spoke eloquently of Secret Witness's mission, was seen with Metro coordinator Paul Conner as well as Las Vegas newcomer to the banking scene Neal Johnson, joined by Deborah Hebling, Cinda Loucks, Dave Macauley, Stan and Chris Colton, and Warren and Joan Rustad.
Volunteers honored
The Nevada Association for the Handicapped recently hosted a Volunteer Recognition luncheon. The midweek affair, coordinated by NAH Development Director Angie Wallin, was festive and fast-paced. Held in the Imperial Palace's Fiji Room, the guests were welcomed by Executive Director Vince Triggs and attending board members Karla McComb (president), Stanley Spiers (vice president), Barbara Pinjuv-Peters (secretary), and Tom Saitta and Butch Plotner (members at large).
Honored for their efforts were Paul and Karen Holm of the Las Vegas Social Register, who arranged a NAH fund-raiser in conjunction with the opening of the Monte Carlo hotel-casino. Tim Quillin, attending with his bride, Sherri, was recognized with a Milestone Award for his marketing and public relations efforts on behalf of the nonprofit agency.
Pat Wilson of Gov. Miller's staff was awarded the Above and Beyond for her generous bid and subsequent donation to the children's playground at NAH of the Cola Castle playhouse. Connie Macauley, president of Junior Mesquite Club, was thanked for dedicating the proceeds from the past two holiday craft sales to NAH to cover landscaping costs for the West Oakey campus.
Angie Wallin, who calls her volunteers the "touchstone to the community," was also delighted to thank CCSN President Richard Moore for his generous help in the partnership to train the disabled at Desert Garden Nursery on CCSN's West Charleston campus. Tom Saitta of Las Vegas Chrysler-Plymouth was singled out for his unceasing efforts and generosity with so many NAH projects.
Others in the spotlight included Adrianna Escobar and Julie Gilday-Shaffer, who have assumed leadership roles in the successful NAH Playhouse dinners and auctions.
Others glimpsed in the throng of supporters included Alicia Georgiades, Joan Turner, Judy Klein, Allen Diskin, Christine Chairsell and Carlos Colado, as well as May Muskin, Colleen Schroeder, Alice Saitta, Cathi Poer Smith, Susan Moore and Air Force volunteers, including Gerald Johnson and Steve Brown.
NAH is a community agency with programs designed to assist all ages and severity of disability. Their before- and after-school child-care program for students with disabilities is just one of its special offerings.
50 years of Junior League
Junior League of Las Vegas enjoyed several special events to commemorate the gold and glorious 50th anniversary of this service organization.
The fall party at the Southern Nevada Museum blended past and present, and in December, Hope and Joe Anstett's home created the perfect setting for Junior League's annual holiday coffee.
More lasting, perhaps, was the decision by Nancy Vinnik and her anniversary committee to renew a gift made nearly 20 years ago to area school children. "Las Vegas -- Crossroads of the West" was conceived, written and directed by Junior League members and used historic photos and documents to create a fascinating account of our city's earliest beginnings.
The resulting film, produced originally in 16-millimeter format, was an instant success. As a 50th anniversary gift to the community, the Junior League's film has been transferred to the VHS format and provided to all elementary and middle schools in Clark County. Member donations, coupled with a grant from the Nevada Humanities Committee, funded the project. Assisting with this educational gift was Joyce Woodhouse of the school district's partnership office.
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