Uc Berkeley

JOHN C. ABRAM John C. Abram, 82, a longtime Glendale resident, died Sept. 4, 2002. Mr. Abram was born Sept. 1, 1920, in Des Moines. He graduated from Glendale High School, Glendale College and UC Berkeley. He served with the Army Air Force during World War II. Prior to retiring he was an electrical engineer for 35 years with Southern California Gas Co., and after his retirement he became a chief executive officer of the company. He was a member of the First Congregational Church and the Oakmont Country Club.

Fewer Californians are dying in traffic accidents caused by hand-held cellphone use, according to a study by the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center at UC Berkeley. Traffic deaths declined by 22% in the two years after the state outlawed the use of hand-held cellphones by drivers in 2008, and fatalities dropped by 47% for drivers using cellphones. "These results suggest that the law banning hand-held cellphone use while driving had a positive impact on reducing traffic fatalities and injuries," said Dr. David Ragland, director of the Berkeley center.

Planet-hunting scientists were dealt a major blow Wednesday when NASA officials announced that a crucial wheel on the Kepler space telescope had ceased to function and that the craft had been placed in safe mode. Even as NASA officials raised the possibility that they could get the telescope back up and running, scientists began mourning the potential loss of a spacecraft that they said had fundamentally altered our understanding of alien planets in the Milky Way - and Earth's place in an increasingly crowded galaxy.

Claudia Peschiutta LA CRESCENTA -- Carol Liu will never finish doing everything she wants to do. There will always be more people to meet, more causes to take on, more books to read and more documents to study. One of the most important, time-consuming things on her life's "to-do" list at the moment is running for the 44th Assembly District. As a girl growing up in Oakland, Liu, now 58, sought to be disciplined. "I really wanted to go to a girls' school so I would focus," she said.

Rachel Charmaine Maarup of Glendale graduated from Cal State Los Angeles in March where she was also named to the dean's list. She is enrolled in the credential program at Cal State Los Angeles and plans to become an elementary school teacher. She is a graduate of Hoover High School where she was a year book editor. Christopher Allen Hedrick of Glendale will graduate from Oregon State University. He will receive a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering.

The Glendale Area Alumnae Panhellenic will have its 65th annual Scholarship Luncheon on March 16 at the Oakmont Country Club. Each year, the group awards scholarship grants to college-bound high school senior women from more than 10 private and public high schools in the area, as well as to college sorority women who meet different eligibility requirements. In 2012, volunteers raised and granted more than $5,000 in scholarship awards. The 2012 high school scholarship recipients were Burbank residents Alyssa Ehredt and Elizabeth Pascual, both from John Burroughs High School; Valery Vasquez, Burbank High School; Allison Lipscomb, Glendale, Notre Dame High School; and La Crescenta residents Marisa Gonzales, Crescenta Valley High School; and Jessica Palacios, Clark Magnet High School.

Gretchen Hoffman GLENDALE -- The health effects of chromium 6 in drinking water are under debate, but Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Glendale) wants to make sure residents are up to date on the latest research. Federal scientists will testify about that research findings at a community meeting at 6 p.m. Monday at Glendale City Hall, 613 E. Broadway. The meeting is co-sponsored by Schiff, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health and the city of Glendale.

CHEN -- CARTER Claire F. Chen and Barton A. Carter II have announced their plans to marry in the fall. The bride-to-be is the daughter of Dr. James and Fay Chen of Cerritos. She received her bachelor's degree in economics at UC Berkeley and her master's at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Mass Communications. She is an art director at Lowe Lintas in Singapore. The bridegroom-to-be is the son of Juanita and Bart Carter II of Glendale.

Alecia Foster NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- It's been a while since Ray Edwards graduated from Glendale Community College. The memory of his college days, however, has never left him. "I had a nice soft spot in my heart for them," said Edwards, who graduated in 1938. Edwards, who now lives in Rancho Mirage, has donated more than $500,000 to the college. He was recently recognized for contributions by the Community College League of California.

UC Irvine junior Tim Hutten scored four goals -- all in the first half -- to lead the No. 7-ranked Anteaters past No. 15-ranked UC Santa Barbara, 10-5, in nonconference men's water polo action Sunday at UCI. Hutten scored three times in the second quarter as the Anteaters (7-6) built an 8-2 halftime lead. Six other UCI players scored one goal each and senior goalie Joe Wynne had four saves. Travis Watts led the Gauchos (7-7) with a pair of goals, both in the first quarter.