Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2002 | 8:17 a.m.
Last week's maroon and gold gathering at Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. was a celebration of note for supporters of Arizona State University.
Hosted by ASU's athletic department and the Sun Angel Foundation, the inaugural dinner meeting of the Clark County Sun Devil Club was made special by the presence of legendary football coach Frank Kush (1958-1979) and Gene Smith, ASU director of athletics.
Spirits were high and the ASU tradition ran deep, as arrivals were greeted by ardent Sun Devil supporters Jean and Chuck DeKeado as well as ASU Assistant Athletic Director for Development Charles Sleeper.
Stepping in to act as master of ceremonies for the informal program was Alex Shelton of Nevada Sports Network (KLAV 1230-AM), the licensed broadcast agent for all ASU games in the Las Vegas market.
Present were Lois and Will Poole, whose three sons have all played for the university, as well as former players in the Kush years, Clifton Alapa and Jim Kane. Other supporters attending included Ari and Aiki Levin, Greg Jensen, Kent Larsen, Kerry Walters, Marina Nichola, Andy Flaherty, Bob Ybarrera, Chad Clark and Gary Inzalaco.
Smith spoke of his pride in the university's efforts to create scholar-athletes as well as an astonishing number of All-Americas, pro players and Olympians in many sports.
Kush, who came to ASU in 1952, and served as head coach from 1958 to 1979, gave insight to the enduring lessons of sportsmanship. ASU baseball coach Pat Murphy also shared the dais and will return with Kush and other key athletic personnel for scheduled booster events in the coming year.
Spence Ballif, a key supporter in the organization of the Clark County Sun Devil Club, will help coordinate future events and can be reached at 369-4805.
Broadcaster salute
The Nevada Broadcasters Association's Hall of Fame dinner was a tribute to Nevada's broadcast engineers for their contributions to the industry, as well as acknowledgement of Nevada radio and television stations' efforts in providing some $60 million in community service over the past year.
Held at Green Valley Ranch Station Casino, the well- attended affair opened with a lavish buffet and a wine tasting provided by Pahrump Valley Vineyards. A plentiful silent auction included an array of Jerry Garcia men's ties, dinner at the Hawaiian Plantation House, golf at Stallion Mountain Country Club and more.
Arriving guests, among them Dennis Thornley, School Board member Ruth Johnson, Marty and Jeanne Vodovoz, Mitch and Kitty Fox, NBA Director Kirk Anderson, Pattie Moran with Rob Powers, and Dr. Tom Wright with wife state Sen. Dina Titus, enjoyed the reception, which flowed out from the ballroom onto the terraces and beyond to the exquisite pool and spa complex of the Green Valley resort.
The Nevada Broadcasters Association calls itself "the eyes and ears of Nevada," and extended its reach to recognize six broadcast engineers who perished on the 110th floor of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. Seventeen surviving family members were flown to Las Vegas for the dinner event, representing these men who continued to work at their radio and television posts until the second tower was destroyed.
Recognized during the evening for their business endeavors were Hall of Fame members 98/99 Highway Radio and Hispanic Broadcasting Corp. (soon to be the Univision Radio Group).
Individuals chosen for induction into the 2002 Hall of Fame were Tom Letizia, Casey Roberts, Lindona "Lin" Thompson, the late Terry Flood, Andy Kaye, Bryan Gresh, Tom Hawley, Mona Carlton, Dave Barnett, Ron Garrett, Mike Culotta, Ross Becker, Warren Brown, "The Byrd of 97.1 The Point," Fred Ihlow, Jerry Agresti, Lou Ann Boone, Paul Heine and David Kelley.
Present for the festivities as well as the music by the Tommy Thompson Project jazz ensemble, was Lou Emmert of Sprint, who is president-elect of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, attending with husband Jerry Emmert.
Others in the congenial crowd included Margaret McMillan and husband Dr. Richard Minnear, Deidre Page, state Controller Kathy Augustine, Adrienne Abbott, chairwoman of Nevada's Emergency Alert System, Bob Stoldal, Andy Wheeler, Heidi Grable and Kurt Mische.
Classic car sale
There was once a feeling that Las Vegas wasn't a sports car town. Certainly the recent success of the Celebrity Car Auction at the Palms flew in the face of this concept.
With sales of $3.8 million over a single weekend and nearly 5,000 attendees, the thirst for sport and luxury vehicles seems in full bloom.
David Chase, producer of "The Sopranos," bought a Lamborghini and two Ducati motorcycles from the film "Mission Impossible." Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks purchased a 2002 Ferrari Spyder 350, while 10 other Ferraris were sold for top dollar including two Modina Spyders. A classic 1970 Chevelle SS with a mere 28 miles on the odometer made a world-record sale at $300,000.
Smoothly moving on and off stage in the Palms ballroom were 300 cars valued in the $20 million range, many of them used in films and television shows as well as a goodly collection of both classic and exotic European models.
Suat Gokmen and Laurence Hallier, managing partners of the new enterprise, will open their Celebrity Cars dealership on Industrial Road later this year. Their pampered beauties will be offered for view and sale inside a one-acre facility.
Water-saving winner
As we progress through an abnormally dry summer, there comes a special appreciation for those who can landscape with an eye to saving water.
Earlier this month Sage Design Studios Inc. received three honors in the Southern Nevada Water Authority 2002 Landscape Awards. The year-old company headed by Jonathan Spears won the Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects Award for Best Design Overall.
In the residential design competitions, Sage Design Studies also received First Place honors for the Eiman residence and Second Place honors for the Sparer residence. Spears teaches classes at the Southern Nevada Water Authority's Desert Demonstration Gardens, 3701 Alta Drive, where he promotes the use of native plants and water-sparing design strategies.
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