Executive Assistant

Patrick L. Meehan, who in 1996 as the new Delaware County district attorney was thrust into the high-profile John E. du Pont murder case, is a top candidate to become the U.S. attorney in Philadelphia if George W. Bush becomes president. Meehan, 45, acknowledged yesterday that his name had been mentioned, but he emphasized it was merely speculation until the outcome of the presidential race is final. "It is nice that people are suggesting I would be a serious candidate for the position," he said.

Just hours before what was predicted as one of the lowest rated presidential debates ever, members and supporters of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania gathered in Center City to honor two Philadelphians who still do get involved in civic and political affairs. David L. Cohen, the high-powered attorney and former chief aide to ex-Mayor Ed Rendell, and Judith M. von Seldeneck, founder and CEO of The Diversified Search Cos., were honored at the league's 11th annual Civic Leadership Dinner.

John F. O'Riordan, 76, a proud Irishman who managed F. Emmett Fitzpatrick's victorious campaign for district attorney over incumbent Arlen Specter, died Monday of heart failure at Lankenau Hospital. Mr. O'Riordan also served as deputy managing director under Mayor Frank Rizzo and was active in a number of political campaigns. Born in St. Michael's Parish in North Philadelphia, he graduated from Northeast Catholic High School in 1942 and entered the Air Force. He later was a squadron navigator and earned the rank of captain.

Three of the school district's four top administrators, responsible for all of the educational programs and staff development in its four schools, will leave their posts this summer. William Lessa, director of student services, and Beverly Bride, director of education, say they are following the lead of outgoing Superintendent Paul Beck, a 17-year veteran who will retire Friday. Michael Braun, hired last year as the district's business manager, will stay on. Beck played down his sometimes-hostile relationship with the school board as an influence in his decision in April to retire one year before his contract was to expire.

Natalie Saxe Randall, 76, a former aide to a mayor and an advocate for many museums, died Wednesday of lymphoma at her home in East Falls. As executive assistant to the late Mayor Richardson Dilworth, Mrs. Randall saw her boss through his service as mayor of Philadelphia, two unsuccessful runs for governor of Pennsylvania, and a tenure as president of the Philadelphia Board of Education. As a representative in Harrisburg of a dozen Pennsylvania museums and cultural institutions - including Philadelphia's Franklin Institute, Academy of Natural Sciences, and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts - she "did not overlook the smallest detail" in her effort to pry funding from the state, said Joel Bloom, retired executive director of the Franklin Institute.

Authorities yesterday declared Tropical Storm Floyd the largest natural disaster to hit the state and estimated that damages could reach $250 million. By yesterday, federal assistance to repair both insured and uninsured structures had reached $148 million, according to preliminary reports to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. And officials said costs were steadily rising as applications for assistance continued to pour in. "We're running about 400 applications daily, mostly from the eight affected counties in the northern part of the state," said Dean Cushman, an agency spokesman in Piscataway.

Hervey W. Froehlich, 75, a retired executive with Bell of Pennsylvania and decorated World War II veteran, died of apparent heart failure Sunday at his home at Hershey's Mill, a retirement community in West Chester. Mr. Froehlich retired from Bell of Pennsylvania - now Bell Atlantic - in 1982 as vice president and general manager for Pennsylvania and Delaware. He joined the telephone company in 1947. In 1968, he became general manager of the Diamond State Telephone Co. in Delaware.

For the first time in 17 years, a new Burlington County prosecutor, Robert D. Bernardi, was sworn into office yesterday. Superior Court Judge John A. Almeida administered the oath at the Olde Historic Courthouse on High Street before the judiciary and a hushed crowd of more than 100. Bernardi, 49, a former Marlton lawyer who built a law-and-order reputation as a Camden County assistant prosecutor for 11 years, will begin his new duties Monday....

By design, it was business as usual at the Apollo of Temple yesterday. The Owls are in the NCAA Sweet 16 and will play again Friday, but even basketball in the postseason is not allowed to overwhelm real life. The head coach had errands to run. The telephones were ringing. Well, OK, ringing a lot. And in the grand tradition of not looking ahead to a next possible opponent, only one person in the Owls' basketball office was allowed to utter the word Duke. Dan Lebovitz, Temple's junior assistant coach, has the unique duty of working one game ahead.

It's early, but the 76ers have given their fans a reason to panic. Last night's debacle at the First Union Center had everybody, including Allen Iverson, shaking their head. Minutes after the Sixers put forth their most deplorable effort in some time - which is saying a lot - coach Larry Brown was almost speechless. Iverson looked ticked off, and the rest of the Sixers escaped from their locker room as quickly as possible. And after an embarrassing 78-67 loss to the New York Knicks in front of 19,681 fans, which was much worse than the score indicated, who could blame them?