Pacific Club

Newport building is demolished to make way for a rebuilt headquarters, to be ready by November. NEWPORT BEACH -- The home of the Pacific Club was torn to shreds Tuesday. A building that was once a setting for exclusive banquets and meetings of Orange County business figures was beaten, battered and broken apart by heavy equipment while club members looked on. Watching the demolition project was a time for club members to reminisce about the past while looking forward to the time when a new edifice will be raised to house the MacArthur Boulevard club.

It was started as a place to talk about business, a dining club for tasting top cuisine and discussing real estate deals and corporate mergers. Founded more than 23 years ago by George Argyros, William Lyon and 31 other Orange County tycoons, the Pacific Club has grown into one of the top members-only dining facilities in the region. "The original concept was to have a very exclusive club in Orange County where businesspeople could meet and socialize," said Pacific Club General Manager Joe Gatto.

Andrew Edwards The exclusive Pacific Club is scheduled to be completely torn down at the beginning of next year, clearing the way for a new clubhouse. The Pacific Club has about 600 members who purchase a share in the club when they join, club general manager Joseph Gatto said. In February, the members voted on the renovation plans, which passed with 67.8% of the vote. The Pacific Club was established in 1981 at the site of a former restaurant.

Services for community activist, businesswoman and photographer Chloe Blom will be Sunday and Monday at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach. Blom died Friday after battling pancreatic cancer for the past year. A longtime Newport Beach resident, Blom was 63. “She was just a rare person that everyone loved, and she had the magical quality of drawing people to her,” her husband John Blom said. “She was just a remarkable human being.

FEBRUARY TODAY: Brett Franklin for Supervisor will hold a fundraising reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Santa Ana Country Club. Information: (949) 753-0860 FRIDAY: Van Tran for Assembly will hold a fundraising luncheon at noon at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach. Information: (949) 753-0860 SATURDAY: Marianne Zippi for Assembly will conduct precinct walks leaving from the Balboa Bay Club. Information: (949) 622-0009 MONDAY: The Republican Party of Orange County Central Committee will hold a general meeting at 7 p.m. at the South Coast Plaza Westin Hotel, at 686 Anton Blvd.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon will stop in Newport Beach on Thursday as part of his hoped-for trip to Sacramento. Simon will face Gov. Gray Davis, the Democrat candidate, in the November general election. On Thursday evening, Simon is scheduled to address a Southern California real estate trade group in Newport Beach. Simon will speak to the local chapter of the National Assn. of Industrial and Office Properties. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Pacific Club, at 4110 MacArthur Blvd.

AUGUST 26: Assemblyman Chuck DeVore will hold a Sizzlin' Summer Luau Party with guest Tony Strickland, Republican candidate for state controller and a former assemblyman. The event will run from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort, 1221 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach. The cost is $200 per person or $500 as an event sponsor, which incudes two tickets and a VIP photo. It is free for Capitol Club members. Information or to RSVP: Leisa Brug Kline, (949)

50-something, Newport Coast ... Partner in Government Solutions, a consultant firm that handles several large clients including Marnell Corrao, the builders of the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas, Fletcher Jones, Ardell Properties ... Also instrumental in helping John Laing Homes become first residential builder on closed Tustin Marine base ... Recently named to the board of Hoag Hospital and the Pacific Club ... Sees her...

Brannigan-Ekedal Brooke Brannigan of Costa Mesa and Travis Ekedal of Newport Beach exchanged vows at the Sutton Place Hotel in Newport Beach on Aug. 30. The bride is the daughter of Mark Brannigan of Costa Mesa and Tim and Joyce Berg of Fairfield. The bride wore a strapless A-line gown by Paloma Blanca. The maid of honor was Janifer Douglas. The bridesmaids were Erin Morton, Lisa Chace and Amanda Sides. The bridegroom is the son of Dave and Cheri Ekedal of Corona del Mar. The best man was Ryan Ekedal.

B.W. COOK It was an evening "Dripping in Diamonds." The Queen of Hearts Foundation, raising funds for ovarian cancer research, gathered at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach for a dazzling dinner fundraiser. A raffle drawing for a 2-karat, heart-shaped diamond raised $20,000 for the cause. The lucky winners were Katheryn and Bryan Baker. The raffle was made possible by the generosity of Jane and Greg Hills and Wiley Manering. Funds raised are earmarked for research by Robert Burger at the UCI Medical Center/Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Conservative columnist Andrew Breitbart will be speaking at the Newport Harbor Republican Women luncheon Sept. 24, organizers announced. To attend, send a $26 check payable to the organization by Saturday. Breitbart is publisher of Breitbart.com and breitbart.tv . His latest project is “Big Hollywood,” a group blog on breitbart.com that covers Hollywood and politics from a right-leaning view. The Washington Times also features his “Big Hollywood” column weekly.

June 12, 1946 – June 19, 2009 Chloe Beeson Blom passed away in her home on June 19th following a year-long fight with cancer. She was an accomplished woman who enjoyed a rich life as an award-winning Master Craftsman Photographer, a published poet, and English teacher, among her many roles and talents. She was an active and longtime parishioner of Our Lady Queen of Angels Church where she served as a Eucharistic Minister and was on the board of Directors of Serving People In Need (SPIN)

Services for community activist, businesswoman and photographer Chloe Blom will be Sunday and Monday at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach. Blom died Friday after battling pancreatic cancer for the past year. A longtime Newport Beach resident, Blom was 63. “She was just a rare person that everyone loved, and she had the magical quality of drawing people to her,” her husband John Blom said. “She was just a remarkable human being.

Let’s hear it for the girls. Last week 400 grown-up girls and their grown-up boys converged on the Island Hotel, Newport Beach for a “Strong, Smart and Bold” celebration on behalf of Girls Inc. of Orange County. Gianna and Dee Kerrison of Corona del Mar chaired the party working with Marta and Raj Bhathal serving as honorary chairs. Girls Inc., a nonprofit agency, sponsors programs designed to assist young women get a leg up on life through education, counseling, job training and life lessons.

Earl Fusselman has lived a life of service, and on the cusp of his 90th birthday, the Newport Beach resident shows no signs of slowing down. For four years, he served his country as a captain in the U.S. Army. “I was a smart guy. I went in the National Guard one year before Pearl Harbor to get my year in so I could start a job in South America with Standard Oil,” Fusselman said. “My year was up on the 17th and we got bombed on the seventh.” For seven decades, the two-time Rotarian of the Year has served his community as a member of the Rotary Club, later joining the American Legion and signing up as a Meals on Wheels volunteer and member of the Newport Beach Police Department’s Citizens’ Police Academy.

Whether present in the vibrant shades of his suits or his fervent antics, Marion Halfacre lived a colorful life. Mention of sea-foam green, orange, purple and florescent yellow surfaced throughout a number of anecdotes concerning the style of the recently deceased owner of Traditional Jewelers, as hundreds of family, friends and business acquaintances gathered amid tears and laughter Sunday afternoon at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach....

An enormous display case loomed for years at the center of Traditional Jewelers in Fashion Island — to the staff's chagrin. Owner Marion Halfacre fielded endless complaints about the monolith until, one day, it was gone. Halfacre donated the $25,000 case to Chapman University in Orange for use in the school's library. He personally informed each of his employees, asking: "Did you see it's gone?" "He loved the saying, 'Character is what you do when no one else is looking,' " said store sales manager Shawna Brewer.

 (January 8, 1949---June 9 2007) Marion Halfacre, proud father to Erik and Natalie and loving husband to Lula, was taken from this earth far too early on June 9 due to a heart attack at his home in Corona del Mar. Marion was a community leader through his involvement with the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, the Commodores of NBCC and named “Commodore of the Year 2007”, served on the boards of UCI Athletic Foundation, The...

It was started as a place to talk about business, a dining club for tasting top cuisine and discussing real estate deals and corporate mergers. Founded more than 23 years ago by George Argyros, William Lyon and 31 other Orange County tycoons, the Pacific Club has grown into one of the top members-only dining facilities in the region. "The original concept was to have a very exclusive club in Orange County where businesspeople could meet and socialize," said Pacific Club General Manager Joe Gatto.