Scholarship donors honored at reception

After graduation, he worked his way up the corporate ladder at three investment companies. Hanna returned to Laguna Beach last year and hopes to start his own investment firm here.

“You can see your investment in James has had a great return,” Earl said.

Noah Plomgren graduated in 2008 and is a student at Carnegie Mellon University, majoring in acting and musical theater.

“I walked out of the honors convocation with quite a sum of money and I realized what a remarkable community I grew up in,” Plomgren said. “You believed in me and helped me believe in myself.”

He is putting his talent and education to work this summer directing for No Square and Gallimaufry Performing Arts.

Fegraus, a board member for 20 years, was asked to pay tribute to the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts in Laguna, long time supporters of the scholarship program.

Both groups are heavily invested in encouraging patriotism in young people and recognizing it.

“I have one person is mind, whom I really wanted to be here — Ben Blount,” Fegraus said.

Blount, a long-time member of the VFW and its president for eight terms, died two days before the reception.

Speakers at the reception included foundation Treasurer Earl, who reported that the foundation is on firm financial ground; and LBHS Principal Don Austin, who sang the praises of the school’s Blue Ribbon designation.

School district Supt. Robert Fraisse also spoke and praised the donors.

“This level of support is seen in very, very few communities,” Fraisse said.

He likened the support to a garden his wife planned for their new home. She put in a lot of time and money to buy seeds and plants and mulch and cultivate what she had planted.

“I didn’t think it reflected the effort she put into it, but two years later, it had come to fruition, transforming our ordinary tract home,” Fraise said.

He said gardeners improve the quality of communities by investing in the future.

“Investing in the potential of a student is investing in the future — and no group has done it better than the foundation,” Fraise said.

The reception also included entertainment by the Laguna Beach High School Strings: students Shasta Delgado, Hannah Glass, Jacob Herbert, Andrew Jonus, Hilary Jonus, Andrew Wilson and Jimmy Zheng, directed by Deborah Glass and Landon Yaple.

The dinner was catered by Montage Resort & Spa.