Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, July 7, 2018

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SOUTH PASADENA - SAN MARINO

Mountain Views-News Saturday, July 7, 2018 

Karen Lawrence Named 
President of Huntington

Barks and Books (Read 
to a Dog) at the Library

‘California Listens’ 710 
Storytelling Workshop

 Karen R. Lawrence, former 
president of Sarah Lawrence 
College, has been named 
president of The Huntington 
Library, Art Collections, 
and Botanical Gardens, The 
Huntington’s Board of Trustees 
announced today, following an 
extensive international search.

 Lawrence is The Huntington’s 
ninth president. She joins The 
Huntington following 10 years 
as president at Sarah Lawrence, 
a small, highly regarded liberal 
arts college in Yonkers, NY. 
Her tenure at Sarah Lawrence 
began just before the recession 
of 2008-9; she is credited 
with weathering that crisis 
with sound management and 
unflagging resolve, moving 
the institution into a period of 
strong growth and performance 
as well as increased student 
body diversity.

 “Karen’s combination of 
qualities — her collaborative 
leadership style, unflappable 
nature, and strong scholarly 
background— convinced the 
search committee that she’s 
absolutely the right person to 
lead The Huntington at this 
time, especially as we gear up 
for our centennial and several 
major projects ahead,” said 
Loren Rothschild, chair of the 
institution’s Board of Trustees. 
Among those significant 
projects are the groundbreaking 
conservation effort on The Blue 
Boy, the iconic 18th-century 
Gainsborough portrait, part of 
which will take place in public 
view this fall, as well as the 
expansion of The Huntington’s 
renowned Chinese Garden, 
also slated to get underway 
later this year.

 “The Huntington represents 
so much of what I hold as 
core values— a humanistic 
approach that emphasizes 
curiosity, empathy, and 
aesthetic appreciation,” said 
Lawrence. “I am thrilled by 
this extraordinary opportunity, 
especially given the challenges 
facing the arts and humanities 
and the extent to which The 
Huntington contributes to 
knowledge making and the 
exchange of ideas, public 
enrichment, cultural analysis 
and a deeper understanding of 
what it means to be human.”

 Lawrence is widely credited 
for her skillful guidance of 
Sarah Lawrence through the 
global recession that spelled 
catastrophe for so many small 
colleges and nonprofits. She 
began her tenure there in 2007, 
and even given the daunting 
impact of the downturn, “she 
ultimately raised more than 
$135 million and landed several 
of the largest individual gifts 
ever given to the college,” said 
former Sarah Lawrence board 
chair John A. Hill, “including 
a major donation from alumna 
Barbara Walters toward a 
transformational new student 
center, a first for the campus.”

 She is also credited with 
substantially enhancing 
the diversity of the student 
body, with students of color 
increasing from 14 percent to 
24 percent and the international 
student population increasing 
from four percent to 12 percent 
during her tenure. Under 
her leadership, the college 
significantly enhanced financial 
aid, making the unique Sarah 
Lawrence education accessible 
to a wider range of students.

 At Sarah Lawrence, she was 
a popular president, regularly 
teaching classes on James 
Joyce, her area of expertise. 
“Karen ignited a passion in her 
students for Joyce’s beautifully 
complex novels and short 
stories,” said graduate India 
Nicholas. Nicholas said she 
was so inspired by Lawrence’s 
teaching that she traveled 
overseas expressly to delve 
deeper into Joyce’s Ireland.

 Lawrence holds her bachelor’s 
degree in English from Yale 
University, her M.A. from Tufts 
University, and her Ph.D. from 
Columbia University.

 Before being named 
president of Sarah Lawrence, 
she was dean of humanities 
and professor of English and 
comparative literature at the 
University of California, Irvine.

 She recently was named to 
the board of the National 
Humanities Center in Research 
Triangle Park, N.C. She has 
published widely on Joyce and 
is perhaps best known for her 
books The Odyssey of Style in 
Ulysses (Princeton University 
Press) and Who’s Afraid of 
James Joyce?, published by 
University Press of Florida. 
She is married to Peter 
Lawrence, chief of vascular 
and endovascular surgery and 
director of the Gonda Vascular 
Center at the University of 
California, Los Angeles.

 At The Huntington, she will 
oversee a staff of 500, as well 
as world-class collections of 
rare books, manuscripts, and 
related materials, European 
and American art, and some 
120 acres of botanical gardens, 
along with a vibrant program 
of research and education. As 
a major Southern California 
cultural destination, the 
institution hosts more than 
750,000 visitors a year to its 
steady stream of library, art, 
and botanical exhibitions. It 
also welcomes more than 1,700 
scholars each year to conduct 
advanced research in the 
humanities, and provides some 
$1.85 million in fellowships, 
as well as hosting more than 
20,000 school students and 
their teachers annually in a 
wide range of educational 
activities.

For more information visit: 
huntington.org. 

 New Huntington 
president will step into 
the role Sept. 1


Date: Monday 3:00 PM - 4:00 
PM

Cost: free

Location: Library Children’s 
Room

1100 Oxley Street

 Children are invited to visit 
the South Pasadena Library 
to read animal-related short 
stories of their choice to dogs 
from the Pasadena Humane 
Society Companion Animal 
Program. Not only does this 
make reading more fun, it 
also builds a child’s confidence 
in reading aloud. Also, the 
available books will help 
children realize that animals 
experience a range of emotions 
similar to their own and that 
they have basic needs too. This 
will, in turn, encourage them 
to appreciate the importance 
of treating all animals with 
respect and kindness. Sign-ups 
are required.'

Art-in-the-Park with SPACE 
(South Pasadena Art Center)

Date: Wednesday 3:00 PM - 
3:45 PM

Cost: free 

Location: Oxley Street side of 
Library Park

1100 Oxley Street

 Special weekly events are 
scheduled each Wednesday 
at 3:00 pm - 3:45 pm , from 
June 20th through August 1st, 
in the Library Community 
Room. Families are welcome 
at these free events which are 
sponsored by the Friends of the 
South Pasadena Public Library.

 Artists from SPACE (South 
Pasadena Arts Center) will 
inspire children to use their 
imaginations to design their 
own creations in this hands-
on Art-in-the-Park workshop. 
The SPACE website is at 
https://www.facebook.com/
spaceartscenter.

Cast and Crew for the South Pasadena Public Library Digital 
Storytelling Project: Front Row (l to r) Maddie Curtis, Joanne 
Nuckols, Dr. Bill Sherman, Sam Burgess, Tatiana Beller; Middle 
Row (l to r) Joe Lambert, Mark Gallatin, Angela Flores, Clarice 
Knapp, Harry Knapp, Rick Thomas; Back Row: Steve Fjeldsted, 
Ngozi Oparah, Glen Duncan

 Many great stories regarding 
South Pasadena’s 710 Extension 
Freeway Fight were voiced the 
participants of the Library’s 
‘California Listens’ Digital 
Storytelling Workshop. The 
Library not only wanted to hear 
them, but also to preserve them, 
and celebrate them with the 
community it serves. Fourteen 
individuals gathered in the 
Community Room from 9 am 
to 5 pm on Friday, June 29 and 
June 30 to organize, develop, 
share, and preserve their 
personal stories about the 60+ 
year “No on 710” fight and the 
shining legacy of community 
activism and engagement 
that grew out of that struggle. 
The Library workshop, made 
possible by a California Listens 
grant from the California State 
Library, was attended by long-
time residents, community 
activists, writers, historians, 
commission members, and 
civic leaders.

 During the two-day workshop 
in the Community Room, each 
participant created their own 2 
to 4 minute video using their 
personal and family images, 
videos, and archival materials. 
The videos created will become 
part of a statewide archive of 
stories about various aspects 
of life in the Golden State. 
They will also, of course, be 
made available to the South 
Pasadena community via the 
Library website and during a 
public-invited celebration in 
the Community Room to be 
announced later.

 The post-production process 
for the videos will be taking 
place until August during 
which time small edits will be 
made and copyright issues will 
be resolved.

Clean Power Alliance 
Community Advisory 
Committee Recruiting

 

 South Pasadena officials remind 
residents that the Clean Power 
Alliance is seeking qualified 
applicants for its inaugural 
volunteer Community 
Advisory Committee. The 
Committee will be composed 
of 15 representatives from 
seven diverse geographic 
sub-regions within Clean 
Power Alliance territory and 
will advise the Clean Power 
Alliance Board of Directors 
on certain policy and planning 
matters. The Committee is 
a public body and will be 
subject to all applicable Ralph 
M. Brown Act provisions. You 
can locate more information 
about Clean Power Alliance 
and the Community Advisory 
Committee and the application 
form at cleanpoweralliance.org.

 Clean Power Alliance asks that 
anyone wishing to apply submit 
a form by July 25. A selection 
panel will review applications 
and you may be contacted 
for an interview. Committee 
Members will be appointed by 
the Board of Directors.

Make a 
Blind Date 
with a Book

 
Don’t judge a book by its 
cover! Visit the Blind Date 
with a Book display in the 
Library and make a date 
with your next great read. 
Librarians have wrapped 
some of their favorite titles 
in brown paper and written 
personal ad style clues to 
help readers choose their 
blind date book. There are 
a wide variety of titles in all 
genres to satisfy all tastes, 
from humorous fiction 
lovers seeking quirky offbeat 
plots to fast-paced mystery 
lovers seeking a complex 
and compelling sleuth. 
Participants pick a covered 
book using the clues, check 
it out, unwrap and enjoy! 
Readers can earn prizes for 
participating in Blind Date 
with a Book by writing a 
review on the Rate Your 
Date card included with 
each book. When cards are 
returned to the Library’s 
Reference Desk readers can 
choose a prize, get a coupon 
for the Friends of the Library 
Bookstore, or be entered into 
an opportunity drawing for 
a surprise gift basket. Come 
visit the Library and take a 
chance on your next great 
reading adventure! For more 
information contact the 
Reference Desk at rdesk@
southpasadenaca.gov or 
(626) 403-7350.

 

 The Old Mill Foundation 
announced that Magical

Music at the Mill, chamber 
music under the stars, will 
return to The Old Mill in 
summer. Each evening will 
feature a different music 
ensemble performing on 
the Pomegranate Patio 
surrounded by the Mill’s 
beautiful pomegranate 
trees and lush gardens. In 
addition to enjoying the 
fine music, concertgoers are 
invited to view the building, 
learn about its history, and 
view the latest California Art 
Club exhibition in the Mill’s 
gallery.

Saturday, July 14*

Saturday, August 25*

*The grounds of the Old 
Mill open at 7 pm, and the 
concerts

begin at 8 pm.

Ticket Information:

Tickets $24/ea., OMF 
Members $20/ea., or $50 for 
the series.

For more information and 
to make reservations contact 
the Old Mill by phone 
(626)449-5458, Tuesdays–
Fridays, 12–4 pm or visit 
old-mill.org. The Old Mill 
is located at 1120 Old Mill 
Road, San Marino, 91108.

Magical Music 
at the Mill


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com