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The Los Angeles branch of the ESU is committed to promoting scholars hip and the advancement of knowledge through the effective use of English in an expanding global community.
We provide educational, cultural and social activities throughout the greater Los Angeles area.
President's Message
Dear
ESULA Friends,
I
am delighted to report that Pat Schroeder, our national chairman,
has accepted an invitation to visit our branch, and we look forward
to welcoming her at a luncheon on September 20, time and location to
be announced. With the installation of Pat as our National Chair,
ESU has embarked on a review of our mission statement. This is a
time of reassessment and planning for the future both nationally and
within our branch, and we encourage you to contact Board members and
the national office to share your thoughts and ideas.
At
the invitation of the Weingart Foundation, which has awarded a grant
to the Shakespeare Workshop Series, several Board members recently
participated in an online organizational assessment. Louis Fantasia
reviewed the results with the Board at our May meeting. The results
held no surprises. What we do, we do well, but the lack of a
strategic plan presents a serious challenge. We are fortunate to
have several new Board members with special qualifications to help
us make the most of this time of reassessment and planning. (You
will meet them in this issue.) Don Cook, whom some of you will
remember as a former ESU/LA Board member, has agreed to facilitate a
Board retreat this summer to develop a strategic plan.
When
I took office last fall, we were concerned about funding for the
Shakespeare competition this spring. Enter Barbara Martin, our
Development Coordinator, who suggested we invite a small group of
special friends to join the Angels with a generous gift in support
of the competition. Our warm thanks to Ethel Farrand, Rosemary
Lonergan, Priscilla Moorman, Mary Lois Nevins, and Enid Reeves for
their generous support. Together with other patrons who responded to
our patron letter, they made the competition a reality this year.
In addition, we received a grant of $10,000 from the Ralph M.
Parsons Foundation, so we are in a strong position to continue our
efforts to bring Shakespeare to life in Southern California. We were
honored to have Bob Tuttle, former U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain,
as Honorary Chair of the competition, and hope to welcome him to
other events in the future. I’m happy to report that Joe Farragher,
the winner of our branch competition, placed as a semi-finalist in
New York.
I
look forward to seeing you at our fall meeting with Pat Schroeder.
She is an energizing leader, well qualified to help us develop a
vision for the 21st
century.
Cordially,
Peggy Spear
President
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