John Fisher

ARCHITECT John Fisher has always loved actors. In fact, he married one and moved his family to Los Angeles in 1975 so his wife, the late Bonnie Johns, could pursue her craft. "When we got here," Fisher recalls, "the theater scene was mostly just the Mark Taper and all these non-Equity houses that were ad hoc transformations of some other kind of space. Besides that, there weren't many other theaters, though we sure tried to find them."

ARCHITECT John Fisher has always loved actors. In fact, he married one and moved his family to Los Angeles in 1975 so his wife, the late Bonnie Johns, could pursue her craft. "When we got here," Fisher recalls, "the theater scene was mostly just the Mark Taper and all these non-Equity houses that were ad hoc transformations of some other kind of space. Besides that, there weren't many other theaters, though we sure tried to find them."

If affirmative action is no longer practiced at UC schools, then why are we still counting? JOHN FISHER Hawthorne

If affirmative action is no longer practiced at UC schools, then why are we still counting? JOHN FISHER Hawthorne

Finally released after spending half of his life in prison, and still he had to wait. So Christopher Boyce hung around the prison parking lot, rubbernecking, taking in the fresh air around Sheridan, Ore., unsure what to make of freedom. A half hour went by before the big Suburban at last came lumbering up the driveway, carrying his father, a former FBI agent, and his mother, once a Catholic nun.

A North Hollywood man who is the only person convicted of murder in connection with the Los Angeles riots last year was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for a killing that took place on the first night of unrest. Traville Craig, 19, was convicted of first-degree murder last month for using a board to strike Elias Garcia Rivera, who was the only riot-related fatality in the San Fernando Valley.

University of San Diego Vice President William Pickett has been named president of St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y. He will take up his new post in August. Pickett will be the first head of the Catholic college who is not a priest of the order of the Congregation of St. Basil, which founded the school in 1948. St. John Fisher College has 3,000 students. Pickett received his bachelor's degree from Rockhurst College in Kansas City, Mo., in 1962 and his Ph.D.

Police arrested a man on suspicion of murder late Friday after finding a stabbing victim in a car on Walnut Street. The victim died at the scene. David Elkins, 19, of La Habra was being held in Orange County Jail. Police identified the victim as John Fisher, 27, of La Habra.

A public memorial service for Paul Conrad, the Times editorial cartoonist who died Saturday at 86, is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday at St. John Fisher Catholic Church, 5448 Crest Road, Rancho Palos Verdes.

Recently we discovered a historic lodge built in 1906 that sits on the banks of the Russian River. It is beautifully restored and affordable. Located near the wine country and the rugged Northern California coast, the rooms are cozy, and a nice breakfast is included. Highland Dell Lodge, 21050 River Blvd., Monte Rio 95462; (707) 865-2300, www.highland. Doubles from $109. CALIFORNIA River splendor Susan and John Fisher Pacific Palisades