February 2nd, 2006

  Valentine’s Day is the holiday of love. We celebrate it by giving our significant others cards, candy, flowers, jewelry, expensive cars, real estate, etc. Hey, this is Newport Beach after all. But in a town where people turn their marriages over faster than the leases on their Mercedes, can lasting true love be found? I’m talking about the kind of love that can go the distance—boy meets girl, girl marries boy, together they raise a family, and 50 years later they are still holding hands and would rather be with each other than with anybody else. Is this kind of love for real or is it just another urban legend like the Loch Ness Monster and Big Foot?
Cynics and lonely hearts take hope, for not only is love alive and well in Newport Beach, it is abundant. It was relatively easy to find couples still deeply in love after 50 years of marriage. Here are the true love stories of Herb and Millicent Brill; Lois and Kenton “Doc” Beshore; Donna and Lance Blue; and Dixie and Ed Arnold.
  The Brills are the darlings of the Pain du Monde crowd in Corona del Mar, where they are frequently seen sipping coffee and chatting to just about everyone in the place. Herb recently became a Knight of the Legion of France (the highest award France bestows) due to his participation in the French resistance in World War II after being shot down by enemy fire. However, their love story begins 58 years ago after the war ended. This loving couple met in New York City in 1948 where Millicent was working in an office with Herb’s sister. When Herb first saw Millicent he was smitten, but being terribly shy, he convinced a friend to pretend he was Herb, ala Cyrano de Bergerac. Millicent immediately saw through the ruse, however, having previously seen a picture of Herb, and they arranged to meet. After a brief courtship, they fell in love, raised three children, and 57 years later they are still together and still very much in love. What’s their secret to success in the love department? The key, Millicent says, is that they each have their own identities and give each other space. For example, Millicent doesn’t feel compelled to tell Herb everything she does or hears and Herb has many interests that don’t include Millicent such as oil painting and U.S. veteran activities. Herb says they’ve stayed happily married for so long because he agrees with everything Millicent says. Smart man.
Lois and Kenton “Doc” Beshore are a beloved Newport Beach couple who have been married 60 years. The meant-to-be couple ran into each other at college registration and the collision meant love at first sight for Doc. He noticed Lois across the room, jumped out of line, and asked Lois to marry him on the spot! Her response followed, “I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on earth.” From that moment on, their love story made history. The two wed in 1946 in Detroit and they had four children. The first challenge of their marriage was the loss of their eldest son, Mark. They were given sage advice from their physician that many times these incidents either draw a couple closer together or further apart. For the Beshores, it marked a true commitment to the well being of not only their relationship but the great love they shared for their family. While raising her family, Lois is accredited with helping Doc finish his three doctorates in biblical studies and she claims to have earned a P.H.T. degree—also known as “putting honey through.” The Beshores recognize that their successful relationship is based upon having common goals and a continual commitment to their love. Their joy today is seeing their values passed along to their three children, 11 grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.
Donna and Lance Blue’s 31-year marriage has been based on their philosophy that “The most important aspect of a great relationship is to share things and honor one another.” The two met at the famous watering hole Bobby McGee’s in Newport Beach when Lance, a University of Iowa grad, approached Donna. He quickly introduced himself and said, “You are the most beautiful girl I have seen in a long time.” She refused the first dance offer and then finally gave in to the one that lasted until closing hours. They married in May 1975 and Donna became a stepmother of four children. Over the years the couple’s strength was their true appreciation and respect of each other. The security and comfort they each have in their partner seems to get them through every rough spot along their journey. Believing in each other’s dreams has made their lives more complete. Today they share in activities like golf, the movies, traveling the world, and sharing quiet nights together each with a great book.
Dixie and Ed Arnold met at Santa Ana Junior College. Ed played football and Dixie reigned as the homecoming queen when they met in September of 1961. Ed spotted her in physical-science class and his buddies laughed when he told them, “I just saw my future wife, and, man, she is beautiful!” He figured out a way to meet her by asking for a survey opinion, only to get her name and address. Their first big date was a Sadie Hawkins dance and dinner at the then-famous Victor Hugo’s in Laguna Beach. That same year, he proposed more than once before she was certain he was serious and then she agreed. Today, 43 years, one son, and two grandsons later they reflect on the peaks and valleys of their relationship. According to Ed, who claims they started with nothing except love for each other, the goals they have shared were key in the long run to their lasting relationship. Dixie, a brilliant educator, and Ed, a sportscaster and community service volunteer, feel in love with what Dixie calls the “inner spirit” of each other. Ed credits Dixie as the perfect partner, and Dixie shares her love with Ed’s inner spirit. Dixie wisely states, “If you feel in love with the inner person you started with, then time and experience will only improve and brighten that spirit making for a richer and wiser relationship.”
Vegas, Baby, Vegas!
The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim hosted their 9th annual Casino Royale at the Arrowhead Pond, and more than 400 attendees got a chance to mingle with the Mighty Ducks’ players, coaches, broadcasters, and owners and to help raise funds for Orangewood Children’s Foundation (OCF) and Mighty Ducks Care, a fund of the Robert McCormick Tribune Foundation.
The Pond was barely recognizable in its transformation from a high-tech sports arena to a Las Vegas-style casino. Gaming tables, roulette wheels, leather sofas, showgirls, “Rat Pack” look-alikes, and lots of glitz and glamour pumped up the Vegas vibe. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy took the stage in long, entertaining sets and was in top form as they belted out legendary Big Band classics. Giant movie screens flanked the stage, and between sets they rolled black-and-white videos of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. crooning their signature hits.
There were more than a few rabid hockey fans present that night. Maggie and Harvey Moore were seen with player Todd Fedoruk as he autographed a jersey for them. Not only are the Moores season ticket holders who never miss a game and have an extensive Mighty Duck memorabilia collection in their home, but they name their dogs and horses after the players. Nova Kahler is also a fan. She has only missed three games in nine years, and when the hockey season was locked out, she married her husband, Kipton Kahler, only because “there was nothing else to do.”
Patrolling the casino floor were The Mighty Ducks, and these pit bosses were dressed to thrill in powder-blue smoking jackets and ruffled shirts. Keith Carney looked extremely handsome in his vintage outfit and graciously talked to many fans that night. Carney, like all of the Mighty Ducks, has frequently visited Orangewood Children’s Home, a facility that houses abused children. Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who was filling in as a poker dealer that evening, said he enjoys visiting the facility because it makes the children happy and helps them forget their problems for a little while.
The crowd got into the theme by dressing in “old Las Vegas glamour.” Troy and Maureen Armstrong, Latrice and Larry McGlothin, Madeline and Stephen Gordon, Kelly Bozza, Roseann Levan, Sandi Jackson, Keri Doyle, and Susan and Henry Samueli, looked the part as they partied in the VIP lounge.
Mighty Ducks’ owner Susan Samueli is the founder of 44 Women for Children, an auxiliary of OCF, and she was on hand to help promote the cause. The group focuses on raising funds to support its college scholarship and mentoring programs for former foster-care youth and has raised more than $1 million since its inception. Samueli said the programs are invaluable for helping these children make a successful transition to adulthood.