Byline: Sharline Chiang Daily News Staff Writer
Their pasts vary greatly - from repairing jewelry in Brooklyn to selling appliances in the San Fernando Valley. But the five finalists for the Fernando Award have at least one thing in common: a driving commitment to public service.
Tonight during a gala at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills, one of them will be named winner of the award, the Valley's most coveted prize for volunteerism and civic participation.
Fausto Capobianco, spokesman for the Fernando Award Foundation, said the five finalists represent the best in volunteerism at a time when such work is increasingly vital to society.
``As government continues to cut back on funds for organizations, volunteers are needed in greater numbers,'' he said. ``It becomes more and more important for people to help each other. That's why, for organizations like Fernando that promote volunteerism, the message is more and more important.''
The finalists are Herman Berman of Sherman Oaks, Rickey Gelb of Calabasas, Walter Mosher of West Hills, Bob Scott of West Hills and Robert Voit, a longtime Woodland Hills resident.
They will be honored at tonight's 40th annual Fernando Award Foundation's gala.
The award was inspired by traditions of community service dating back to the Valley's earliest settlers. For that reason, the Fernando Award is a statuette of a young American Indian.
The winner was selected by 100 voting members of the Fernando Award Foundation. The group includes 19 past recipients, 23 board members, representatives from 25 chambers of commerce in the Valley and 47 benefactors and patrons.
Herman Berman
As a member of Encino B'nai B'rith's Bagel Brigade, the 77-year-old Berman helps hand out more than 300,000 donated day-old bagels and other baked goods to needy families and children each day.
Giving to those less fortunate than himself started early for Berman, a resident of Sherman Oaks.
As a child growing up in Brooklyn, Berman collected money for the poor. Later in life, he helped to resettle Japanese-Americans who were interned during World War II. Berman founded Herman Berman Co., a trophy company in Van Nuys, in 1945. He's lived in the Valley for 44 years and has volunteered with the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, the State of Israel Bonds and the Mid-Valley Chamber of Commerce, among other groups.
Rickey M. Gelb
A real estate developer from Calabasas, the 53-year-old Gelb started his career as a refrigerator salesman and went on to become the largest appliance dealer in Southern California.
The managing general partner of the Encino-based Gelb Enterprises, Gelb serves on the board of the Encino Chamber of Commerce. He also volunteers for the West Valley Police Activity League Supporters and the Valley Jewish Business Leaders, among other groups.
He was born in St. Louis, Mo., and grew up in Van Nuys, graduating from Valley College in 1969. He has lived in the Valley for 50 years.
Since 1994, Gelb has supported the anti-gang program of the Van Nuys police station, and he helped open Los Angeles Police Department Devonshire Division substations in Granada Hills and in Encino. He also created a wheelchair-donation program for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Gelb serves on Councilman Hal Bernson's 12th District Citizens' Advisory Council and on the board of directors for the Executives for the Jewish Home for the Aging in Reseda.
Walter W. Mosher Jr.
Mosher, 64, of West Hills, is president of San Fernando-based Precision Dynamics Corp., which he founded in 1956.
Mosher was born and raised in Burbank, and he has been involved for years in lobbying city, state and federal government for improvements in health care, land-use planning, education and the environment. In 1969, he became a member of the interdisciplinary faculty of the UCLA School of Architecture and Urban Planning and helped set up curriculum.
He has volunteered with several organizations, including the Southern California Association of Governments, the San Fernando Chamber of Commerce and the Valley Economic Development Center.
He has served as past chairman of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, which represents more than 400 corporations and 250,000 employees of the greater Valley area.
Currently, Mosher is the director of the Health Industry Manufacturers Association representing small medical device manufacturing companies. He is also co-chairman of the education and work force development initiative for the Economic Alliance of the Valley.
Bob Scott
Scott, an attorney from West Hills, is the founder of Scott & Associates in Woodland Hills. Born in Van Nuys, the 52-year-old has served as president of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission and was instrumental in the completion of the new two-year general plan.
In 1992, Scott founded and served as chairman of the Valley Advocates for Local Unified Education and is now a member of Finally Restoring Excellence to Education, a group pushing to split the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Since the early 1970s, Scott has served on more than 50 community groups and associations, and he is a past president of the United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley.
After the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, Scott worked with community members and city officials to put together an emergency action plan.
Scott has also provided pro bono legal counsel for Vaughn Street 21st Century Learning Center in Pacoima and Fenton Avenue Charter School in Lake View Terrace. He was nominated for the Fernando Award in 1995 and 1996.
Robert D. Voit
Voit is a developer and president of Woodland Hills-based Voit Companies, which he founded in 1971.
His firm built the Valley landmark Warner Center Plaza - 2.5 million square feet of commercial offices. Voit's company is now working to redevelop the General Motors plant site in Van Nuys and is building the new Marvin Braude Constituent Center - a civic center - also in Van Nuys.
The 58-year-old's leadership led to the creation of the West Valley Boys & Girls Club in 1992, where he served as director until 1995.
Voit also helped launch Warner Center Concerts in the Park, and he has served as a member of the Warner Center Association and the Valley Cultural Center. Voit, who lived in the Valley for 23 years, is a past recipient of the Valley Cultural Center Golden Horn Award. He was a resident of Woodland Hills for more than 20 years and moved to Newport Beach last year when he opened a new office there.
CAPTION(S):
5 photos
PHOTO (1) BERMAN
(2) GELB
(3) MOSHER
(4) SCOTT
(5) VOIT
