Sunburst winner
Cadence Kennedy Artz, 4, of Pottsville, won the Queen title in her age division at the Sunburst pageant held Feb. 9 at the Schuylkill Mall, Frackville.
Her gown, purchased at Juliette Bridals by Ivana, Pottsville, also won best attire. She will now travel to the state competition on June 2, in Harrisburg to compete for the state crown.
She is a daughter of Carissa Artz, Pottsville, and a granddaughter of Curtis and Christine Artz, Pottsville.
Woman in movie
Belinda Rohrer, Schuylkill Haven, is featured in the film "New Year's Eve" that was released Dec. 9, 2011.
She appears in a scene filmed in Times Square and worked with director Garry Marshall.
A graduate of North Schuylkill High School, she resides with her husband, Richard, and has four children, Jeremy, Relinda, Brena and April, and three granddaughters.
Accolades
Dr. Richard J. Spontak, alumni distinguished professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and materials science and engineering at North Carolina State University, has been selected to receive two international accolades for his research on soft materials.
The Colwyn Medal is awarded every two years by the Institute for Materials, Minerals and Mining in the United Kingdom for outstanding contributions to the field of elastomers. Spontak received the medal at a reception in London for his study of stimuli-responses and shape-memory elastomer systems. He has also been named the 2012 Lars Onsager professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the premier technical institute in Norway.
The professorship, named after the Nobel physics laureate who attended the institution, permits the recipient to spend part of the year abroad to give lectures and perform research. Spontak will attend a reception in Norway to accept the professorship and accompanying medal.
A native of Saint Clair, and the 1975 Pottsville REPUBLICAN Spelling Bee Champion, he attended Saint Clair Area High School.
Spontak resides with his wife, Josephine, and two children, Danielle and Joshua, in Raleigh, N.C. He is a son of Helen Spontak, Saint Clair, and the late Peter Spontak.