Michaelian oversees a staff of 15 that swells to more than 2,000 on race weekendsGETTY IMAGES
In L.A., James Peltz profiled Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President & CEO JIM MICHAELIAN, who has been "part of the private organization since before the city’s first grand prix" in '75. With the NTT IndyCar Series coming to town this weekend, Michaelian now "oversees a staff of 15 that swells to more than 2,000 on race weekend with volunteers, safety workers and others." He must also "tend to 35 commercial sponsors." That includes "taking 53 days to set up the circuit on shut-down streets and build the grandstands" (L.A. TIMES, 4/7).
EXCLUSIVE RANKS: Augusta National Golf Club has added a sixth female member in Pebble Beach Company Dir HEIDI UEBERROTH, who joins DIANA MURPHY, DARLA MOORE, CONDOLEEZZA RICE, GINNI ROMETTY and ANA BOTIN (GOLFWEEK.com, 4/7).
THE GOOD STUFF: Former NFLer JULIUS PEPPERS donated three $10,000 checks to the leaders of the Young Black Leadership Alliance, the Girl Talk Foundation and the Center for Community Transitions in Charlotte (CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.com, 4/5)....More than 5,000 people participated in the Dolphins Cancer Challenge on Saturday that culminated at Hard Rock Stadium. Dolphins Owner STEPHEN ROSS and team Vice Chair, President & CEO TOM GARFINKEL "participated with a 14-mile bike ride" (SUN-SENTINEL.com, 4/7)....Canada Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU on Saturday attended a youth basketball clinic in Toronto that Raptors President of Basketball Operations MASAI UJIRI hosted for black business leaders in hopes of creating "more opportunities for youth" (CP, 4/7).
NAMES: Former Expos manager FELIPE ALOU was presented with the Expos Baseball Legends Award yesterday (MONTERALGAZETTE.com, 4/7)....Indians 1B CARLOS SANTANA and DH HANLEY RAMIREZ are set to become U.S. citizens later this month after recently passing their citizenship exams (CLEVELAND.com, 4/5)....MICHAEL PHELPS will be the keynote speaker at The Palm Beach Post's first Best of the Preps banquet on May 24 (PALMBEACHPOST.com, 4/7)....RIC FLAIR and his daughter CHARLOTTE have settled a $5.5M lawsuit "brought against them by her ex-husband" (CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.com, 4/7)....Chiefs QB PATRICK MAHOMES and TE TRAVIS KELCE attended the Texas Tech-Michigan State Final Four game in Minneapolis Saturday (KANSASCITY.com, 4/6).
IN MEMORY: RAMONA JOHNSTON, the wife of Padres Special Advisor to the Exec Chair BILL JOHNSTON, died Friday of Huntington’s Disease at age 60. She had “battled the cruel disease for the final third of her life” (NBCSPORTS.com, 4/8). Johnston died at Edgemoor Hospital in Santee, Calif. Bill Johnston, formerly Chargers PR Dir, “declined a chance to continue working” for the NFL team when it moved to L.A. so that he would not “move his wife from the full-time care facility where she lived” (SANDIEGOUNIONTRIBUNE.com, 4/5).
