John Laing Homes of Newport Beach...

John Laing Homes of Newport Beach named Daniel Flynn director of

land acquisition for the South Coast Division of the company. Flynn,

a veteran of the residential real estate market in Southern

California, will be responsible for site acquisition, due diligence

investigation, financial analysis and entitlement approvals for the

division, which designs and builds homes in Orange and San Diego

counties. Flynn last worked for Western Pacific Housing, a

homebuilder that also designs and builds homes throughout the state.

... Among those on Tuft University’s Dean’s List for the Fall 2002

semester was Craig A. Levine of Newport Beach. Levine joined the list

after earning at least a 3.4 grade-point average during the semester.

Tufts has three locations in Massachusetts, including

Medford/Somerville -- where Levine attends -- and one in Talloires,

France. ... A Costa Mesa High School student was chosen as a

semifinalist in the Music Center 2003 Spotlight Award Visual Arts

Semifinalists for her exceptional photography. Senior Tiffani Larson,

a Costa Mesa High senior, was one of 88 high school artists and

photographers honored. The Music Center Spotlight Awards program is a

nationally acclaimed recognition and scholarship competition for

Southern California high school performing and visual artists.

Semifinalists attend master classes and museum tours, and then the

field is narrowed to seven in each category. Winners receive $1,500,

runners-up get $1,000, and five honorable mentions get $25. ... Costa

Mesa resident Rob Gloster is spending his winter break observing the

night sky as part of a special class at Dana College in Blair, Neb.

The class introduces students to the world of astronomy. Included in

the class is a planetarium show and a project involving a model, oral

presentation and written report. The class ends on Friday. Gloster, a

sophomore majoring in communications, is the son of Robert and

Meredith Gloster of Costa Mesa. He’s also a 1999 Costa Mesa High

graduate. Dana College is a private, liberal arts institution with

600 students on 150 acres. ... The Municipal Water District of Orange

County Board of Directors last week elected Costa Mesa resident Joan

C. Finnegan to serve a one-year term as board president this year.

Finnegan represents Division 4 on the board, which includes portions

of Newport-Mesa and Huntington Beach. She was elected to the Coastal

Municipal Water District Board of Directors in 1983 and kept her seat

there until the district consolidated with the Municipal Water

District in 2000.

* NEIGHBORS spotlights achievements in the community. Please

direct noteworthy information to Coral Wilson via fax at (949)

646-4170, or send e-mail to [email protected].