Newsletter: October 1999

If you did not attend the 40th Anniversary Celebration, shame on you for missing the party of the year (maybe the century)! Studded with dignitaries and our very own special people, the party was hugely successful. Judy Baron started us off on the right note with the invocation, which she wrote especially for the event. (And did a wonderful job, I might add.) After a delicious buffet dinner and informative program, a ceremonial cake cutting took place with participants Senator Debra Bowen, Past President Shirley Thurman and son Larry, and Floyd S. “Pete” Hathaway. After cake, attendees danced off the calories to the tunes of DJ Galactic Productions.

One of the highlights of the evening was the granting of our very first Lifetime Achievement Award to Floyd S. “Pete” Hathaway. The award was meant to be a surprise and he WAS surprised! For those of you who were in attendance, “good job” keeping it a secret. The only other two individuals receiving awards were Edna Mae Harville and Danny Cappelli (in absentia) for 30 years of employment.

A historical slide show with decade by decade commentary was the main course of the event. Viewers were treated to pictures of our programs from the very earliest days through the present time.

The Arc-South Bay’s 40th Anniversary Celebration may have come and gone, but not our legacy of service to people with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. If you did not attend the Gala, you may purchase a Keepsake Program for $5.00. The book is 32 pages long, with both black/white and color photos of consumers, staff and volunteers (including parents, of course). There is a detailed history of the Arc, along with historic memorabilia. You will find it well worth the $5.00. (Each of our facilities has a preview copy available.) To order your copy, send your $5 to Judy Senter at the Arc Administration office, 1735 W. Rosecrans Avenue, Gardena, CA 90249. (Please make checks payable to The Arc-South Bay.)

Many thanks are due to all of our generous friends who either made donations in lieu of attendance, donated or purchased silent auction items, or purchased ads for the keepsake program. The silent auction, the Arc’s first, netted $2000 and engendered a lot of good-natured bidding, and the ads for the Keepsake Program covered most of the printing cost (there was a hefty donation from our printer, International Speed Print, too). Congratulations and many thank you’s to the committee who worked so hard to produce the gala: Lyn O’Neill-Burton, Ann Ramirez, Judy Senter, Mary Leuci, Edythe Crawford and Michele Cole-Franks.