Mine, anti-sub warfare command changes hands
The baton of leadership was passed at the Naval Mine and Anti-Submarine Warfare Command (NMAWC) during a change of command ceremony Friday, Jan. 25 at Naval Base Point Loma.
Rear Adm. Frank Drennan assumed command of the unit from Rear Adm. John Waickwicz.
Waickwicz, who is retiring after 34 years of naval service, was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in 1974. In April 2004, he became the first officer to assume command of the Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Command, a unit that was eventually melded with the Texas-based Mine Warfare Command.
Drennan, who graduated from the Naval Academy in 1976, most recently served two years as the commander of Submarine Group Trident, headquartered in Bremerton, Wash.
As the war-fighting center for mine warfare and anti-submarine warfare, NMAWC focuses efforts across numerous systems commands, research laboratories, training organizations and operational commands. NMAWC is the primary command through which issues involving mine and anti-submarine warfare are coordinated with technical agencies and commands.
Schools gearing up for water poster contest
As San Diegans prepare to grapple with possible water shortages and reductions for myriad reasons, area students are preparing to get involved with their own conservation messages during the city of San Diego Water Department’s eighth annual Water Conservation Poster Contest.
Water officials are encouraging all public, private and home-school teachers to use art to teach students about the benefits of water conservation by entering the contest. The Water Department will accept entries through Wednesday, March 26.
Water officials say they hope the student-based art will help inspire the community and transform the way residents view water conservation. The theme of this year’s contest is “Water Wins.”
All students who create a poster for entry into the contest will receive a certificate of participation. Of the total submissions, 18 winners will be selected and recognized at a future City Council meeting. These 18 students will receive a U.S. Savings Bond, four tickets to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and a certificate of excellence. Winning posters will be on display in the lobby of the city Administration Building, the San Diego Watercolor Society’s gallery and the San Diego County Fair Kids Best Art Exhibit.
Specific dates for the displays are yet to be announced. Winning posters will also be featured in the city’s 2009 water conservation calendar.
Information, entry forms and a free activity book are available online at www.sandiego.gov-/water/conservation. For more information, call (619) 533-5312.
Point Loma man named VP of banruptcy forum
Christopher Hawkins, of counsel to the San Diego law firm of Sullivan Hill Lewin Rez & Engel, was recently sworn in as vice president of the San Diego Bankruptcy Forum.
A current resident of Point Loma and member of the forum since 2002, Hawkins was elected to the board of directors in 2007 and will serve in the role of vice president for 2008.
The San Diego Bankruptcy Forum is a nonprofit organization for professionals working in the areas of bankruptcy and insolvency. Its membership includes attorneys, accountants, trustees, bankers, real estate professionals, auctioneers, appraisers, consultants and others involved in the bankruptcy and insolvency process.
Hawkins received his bachelor of arts degree from Vanderbilt University in 1990 and his juris doctor from the University of Texas in 1993. His practice focuses on commercial insolvency and financial transactions. Within these practice areas, Hawkins represents a variety of corporate debtors, bankruptcy trustees, receivers, banks, trade creditors, asset purchasers and other parties at interest in all aspects of bankruptcy and insolvency.
Hawkins also represents clients with non-insolvency financial matters in both the transaction and litigation contexts. Before joining the firm in 2003, he practiced in both corporate in-house and law firm environments.
Sullivan Hill Lewin Rez & Engel is headquartered in Downtown San Diego at 550 West C St. For more information, visit www.shlaw.com.
Legendary writer to join PLNU symposium
Every spring for the last 12 years, some of the greatest writers of the last 50 years have descended on Point Loma Nazarene University to talk about their craft as part of the annual Writers Symposium by the Sea.
This year the university is poised to host a legend of American journalism, Gay Talese, who will headline the 13th annual symposium from Monday, Feb. 4 through Friday, Feb. 8.
Other best-selling authors will be on hand at the symposium, including Anchee Min and Philip Yancey, as well as local writers Ken Kuhlken and Susan Vreeland. In addition, Richie Furay, Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductee and founding member of Buffalo Springfield Band, will also be featured at the symposium relating to songwriting.
From George Plimpton to Ray Bradbury to Amy Tan to Bill Moyers to Joseph Wambaugh, the symposium has consistently provided its guests with unforgettable memories. Candid stories have been told, laughs have been shared and knowledge and experience have traveled from the lips of the literary giants to the ears of eager young students and invited visitors.
Talese is the bestselling author of 11 books. He was a reporter for the New York Times from 1956 to 1965 and has since written for the Times, Esquire, The New Yorker, Harper’s magazine and other national publications. His groundbreaking article, “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold,” was called the “best story Esquire ever published.” Talese, Min, Yancey and Furay will be interviewed on different days at Crill Performance Hall by Dr. Dean Nelson, head of the journalism department at PLNU.
Tickets for the interviews are $15 each and will be available at the door.
For more information, call (619) 849-2297 or visit www.pointloma.edu/writers.
The Writers Symposium by the Sea is co-sponsored by the Department of Literature, Journalism and Modern Languages and the Wesleyan Center for 21st Century Studies, Cultural Events, The Society of Professional Journalists and The City Club of San Diego.
Sharp Cabrillo tapped for prestigious designation
The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has awarded Sharp Memorial Hospital the prestigious Magnet Designation for its excellence in nursing practices and quality patient care.
The Magnet Recognition Program is the highest level of honor awarded by the ANCC and is accepted nationally as the gold standard in nursing excellence.
To earn magnet status, an organization must apply to the ANCC and undergo a rigorous and multifaceted evaluation, which includes a site visit. Currently, Sharp Memorial is one of only 12 hospitals in California and among less than 5 percent of hospitals nationally that have received this recognition.
“Sharp Memorial supports and values nursing excellence, and magnet recognition has been a goal of ours for several years,” said Jennifer Jacoby, chief nursing officer of Sharp Memorial Hospital.
“Reaching this goal has required teamwork and collaboration among all disciplines,” she said. “It demonstrates Sharp’s dedication to being the best place to work, practice medicine and receive care.”
Included in Sharp Memorial Hospital’s designation is Sharp Cabrillo Skilled Nursing Facility in Point Loma. The designation makes Sharp Cabrillo only the second skilled nursing center in the nation to receive the distinction.
In order to successfully obtain the designation, 100 Sharp Memorial Hospital and Sharp Cabrillo nurses and staff wrote more than 3,000 pages of evidence over seven months, illustrating how the hospital values its nurses, provides opportunity for growth and delivers high-quality care for its patients.
Independently sponsored research shows that magnet hospitals have a lower incidence of needle-stick injuries, enjoy increased nurse retention and recruitment rates and report higher rates of job satisfaction among nurses.
For more information about the ANCC or the Magnet Recognition Program, visit www.ana.org/ancc.
Wildlife art festival to be held in Point Loma
Wildlife lovers will gather at Liberty Station’s NTC Promenade during the weekend of Saturday, Feb. 9 and Sunday, Feb. 10 for the 35th annual California Open Wildlife Art Festival.
The event, sponsored by Pacific Southwest Wildlife Arts, Inc., will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 9 and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 10.
PSWA is a nonprofit organization founded to support and promote wildfowl art, particularly the traditional hunting decoy.
More than 200 artists and carvers from the United States, Canada and Japan are expected to participate in the event and to compete for awards.
Organizers said the show has gained a national reputation as one of the best decoy competitions and wildlife art shows in the country.
Escondido artist Tom Tiedman has been named artist of the year. His watercolors exhibit bold contrasts of light and dark and realistic subjects on a loose background.
The show is funded in part by the city of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.
Admission is $5; free for children under 16. The location of the event will be the Corky McMillin Events Center, 2875 Dewey Road.
For more information, call (760) 945-8442, or e-mail [email protected].
OB man to be featured during writer conference
Ocean Beach resident Edwin Decker has become the latest addition to the 22nd annual Southern California Writer’s Conference (SCWC), slated to take place from Friday, Feb. 15 through Sunday, Feb. 18.
Decker, often considered a controversial columnist and poet, has contributed to various national and weekly publications for more than 15 years and currently writes the column “Sordid Tales” for San Diego CityBeat.
The conference will take place at the Crowne Plaza San Diego, formerly the Red Lion Hanalei, located at 2270 Hotel Circle North.
Founded and operated by professional writers, the SCWC provides veteran and emerging talent with authoritative critiques and resources with which to improve their craft.
Decker’s workshop is set to debut on Feb. 17 between 2:40 and 4:10 p.m.
The cost of the event is $415 for the full conference, or $345 for the Saturday/Sunday portion.
For more information, call (619) 303-8185, or visit writersconference.com.