Fellowships

College graduates interested in legislative careers may begin applying for 18 state Senate fellowships to be awarded next year, officials announced. Participants in the California Senate Fellows program will work as full-time staffers for 11 months beginning in October, said Jan Smith, a district coordinator for state Sen. Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley).

In announcing that college graduates may now apply for the 1997-98 Assembly Fellowship Program, Assemblyman Bob Hertzberg (D-Sherman Oaks) has more than applicants' interests in mind, his chief of staff, Miriam Jaffe, conceded. The 18 people chosen as fellows, Jaffe explained, interview Assembly members and decide in whose office they want to work. That means the 80 Assembly members are essentially competing for fellows' services. "It's sort of a role reversal," Jaffe said.

The state Assembly is accepting applications for its annual fellowship program. The 11-month fellowship offers college graduates the opportunity to work as full-time Assembly staff members on fiscal and policy matters. Fellows also participate in a weekly academic seminar with legislators, senior staff members, journalists, lobbyists and government officials.

Four San Gabriel Valley teachers are among 178 secondary school humanities teachers who have been selected by the Council for Basic Education as 1991 National Fellows for Independent Study in the Humanities. Each teacher has received a $3,000 grant for six weeks of independent study. Funds come primarily from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The teachers are Madeline F.

The late Don Nicholl was an English writer-producer who worked with creator Johnny Speight on a television series called "Till Death Do Us Part," which Norman Lear translated into an American landmark called "All in the Family." Nicholl came to Hollywood to join Lear, was executive producer of "All in the Family" for a season and became co-creator and co-producer of "The Jeffersons" and a lesser series called "The Dumplings." The series prospered, and so did Nicholl.

The UCLA School of Law has awarded its first graduate fellowship in a new program to train minority and women scholars in public international law. The fellowship was awarded to Nancy S. Kim of Washington, who received her juris doctor degree at UC Berkeley. Kim will pursue a two-year program of study emphasizing international law as it relates to women, leading to a master of laws degree. The new UCLA program is funded by a grant of $240,000 from the Ford Foundation.

The other day, outside my downtown window, some 2,000 people ran by. That is not strictly true, in fact. It was the start of a 10-mile race and the runners had not had time to really get going. They were packed in from curb to curb the length of Charles Street, which is short. A shopkeeper thoughtfully placed a record player in his doorway to blast out the theme music from "Chariots of Fire." It was the only available image, canned, of the free heart.

Applications to become part of the Legislature's Assembly Fellowship Program are available, Assemblyman Mike Gotch (D-San Diego) has announced. Those chosen become part of an assemblyman's staff and use their area of expertise doing legislative work such as research and reviewing bills. Applicants to the 11-month program, which is held in conjunction with California State University, Sacramento, must have a college degree by October, when the program begins.

Low-income housing developer Rodney Fernandez is one of six community leaders selected from across the country to participate in a fellowship program launched this year to promote the creation of affordable housing and community development. Fernandez, executive director of the Saticoy-based Cabrillo Economic Development Corp., was named to the inaugural class of the James A. Johnson Community Fellows program during a ceremony Thursday in Washington, D.C.

Child Evangelism Fellowship, a nondenominational training organization for Christian teachers, is hosting an appreciation banquet Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. and invites anyone interested in taking its classes to attend. The fellowship is a 62-year-old nonprofit organization that provides classes on teaching the Gospel as well as continuing education. Tickets cost $10, including dinner. The banquet will take place at Calvary Church of Santa Ana, 1010 N. Tustin Ave.