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Dr. Michael and Mrs. Jean Abdallao Name Orange Public Library & History Center’s Fiction Area; Will Also Serve as Honorary Co-Chairs of 2010 Library Legacy Campaign |
Orange, CA -- Dr. Michael and Mrs. Jean Abdalla are the newest Major Donors to the City of Orange Public Library Foundation's capital campaign to raise funds for the beautiful new Orange Public Library & History Center. Their generous contribution of $50,000 has resulted in the naming of the Dr. & Mrs. Michael Abdalla Fiction Area. The Abdallas also will serve as Honorary Co-Chairs of the upcoming 2010 Library Legacy Campaign, which has two major goals: * To establish endowments for Orange Public Library's collections of books, music and DVDs, to ensure more stable funding during uncertain economic times; and * To obtain major underwriting gifts to name those areas of the Orange Public Library & History Center that are still unclaimed. "We are extremely fortunate to have Dr. Mike and Jean providing leadership for the Library Legacy Campaign outreach, with their extensive experience in community-building, partnerships, and philanthropy," said Orange Mayor Carolyn Cavecche at a City Council presentation honoring the Abdallas on October 27, 2009. |
Kevin Ross, Associate Dean of the Leatherby Libraries at Chapman University, is a native of Iowa and has a B.A. in Elementary Education from St. Ambrose University (1992), an M.L.S. from the University of Iowa (1998), and an M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University (2005). He is a former member of the U.S. Army, where he served as an airborne infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division. Kevin moved to California in May of 2000 and started working at Chapman University that same year. He started out as the Academic Center Librarian, traveling throughout California and Washington providing library instruction to faculty, staff and students. Kevin has also served as Coordinator of Bibliographic Instruction, Library Web Manager, Reference Librarian, and Chair of the Public Services Division. Kevin and his wife Tam have four children. His interests include Vietnamese culture, learning about the world we live in, fishing, golfing, traveling, and of course, reading! |
Kevin Ross |
Jeanne Carter retired recently from a career of more than 40 years as a high school chemistry and general science teacher, first at Orange HS (1964-66) and then at El Modena HS (1967-2004). Jeanne also has been active in the California Association of Chemistry Teachers, serving as a local and state president. She holds a BS in chemistry from the University of Redlands and an MA in Environmental Studies from CSUF. In 1975, Jeanne and her students started the Nature Center at El Modena. Nature Center tours for elementary students are led by high school students who serve as docents. The El Modena Nature Center is also a native plant garden and serves to promote the use of native plants in home yards. The garden covers approximately one acre, and has a large pond and stream. It is open to all who want to enjoy the beauty of nature. Outside of school, Jeanne ran sprints in Master's Track and Field for 12 years. She also has traveled extensively around the world, including in many Third World countries. Jeanne loves travelling because, in her words, "Traveling is one way I increase my knowledge. I love learning. Reading is another way I increase my knowledge. Reading opens the mind to the full gamut of life and thought. I am, therefore, very supportive of the Orange Public Library and all the amenities it has to offer." |
Jeanne Carter |
OPLF Board Member Profiles: |
Gary Mead, Sr. |
Gary Mead, Sr., owner/co-founder (with his wife, Peggy Jane, and his son, Gary) of the popular PJ's Abbey Restaurant, was elected in September '09 to the Orange Public Library Foundation's Board of Directors. Gary brings long-time involvement with Orange service organizations to his library support effort. A member of the St. Joseph Hospital Leadership Council, Gary is also active in the Rotary Club of Orange. In addition, he has served as President (2001) and board member of the Orange Chamber of Commerce, for which he was nominated in 2002 as Orange Man of the Year. He is also an active member of Orange's Downtown Merchants Association and the Crystal Cathedral Legacy Council. Gary earned a BA degree in Social Sciences from Cal State Los Angeles. In addition to being a businessman and community leader, he is also an artist with works on display at the Chapman University Leatherby Libraries. |
Melvin Wade Slavick, longtime Orange Public Library Foundation supporter, passed away on Tuesday, February 16, 2010, from a massive heart attack following longstanding complications with diabetes and asthma. He was 49. Born on January 5, 1961, in the Panama Canal Zone, Mel was known as "Rocky" to those closest to him. Mel was a remarkable Orange Public Library Foundation supporter and devoted community volunteer in the City of Orange. His contributions centered around his tremendous gifts as an artist and sculptor, assisting the library foundation out of the goodness of his heart. He developed the Rainbow Tile Wall at the Taft Branch Library and also created concrete book benches there. He envisioned and built the Giving Tree at the new Orange Public Library & History Center, creating a scale model early in the building's design process for promotional purposes. Later he built the actual Giving Tree and developed acrylic oranges, leaves, and citrus-crate labels on it to recognize library donors. He also built the "crawl orange" so beloved to young library users. In addition, Mel sculpted four busts of key figures in the City's history, which grace the Main Library and add to its celebration and sharing of local history. To recognize Mel's many contributions, Mayor Carolyn Cavecche presented Mel with the first Mayor's Award for Dedication to Community in 2007 to acknowledge the true spirit of volunteerism he exemplified. Mel always credited Orange's Taft Branch Library for his start as an artist. As a teen, he learned special effects makeup from a book he'd borrowed from the Taft Branch, going on to use those skills successfully in the motion picture industry and at Knott's Berry Farm, Disneyland, and South Coast Plaza as well as Orange Public Library for many years. In 1995, following a long stretch of volunteer service with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Mel established a non-profit organization called America's Helping Hands based in Orange. He cast and sculpted the hands of numerous famous people (including U.S. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan) as a way to raise funds for children's causes. America's Helping Hands has donated toys and games for prizes to Orange Public Library's summer reading programs as well as to other local charities. Mel also spent thousands of hours in recent years volunteering directly with the local US Marine Corps' Toys for Tots program -- where he was set to be honored with special recognition on the day he died. As a volunteer and as a human being, Mel was joyful, creative, caring, and giving. He was a blast to spend time with, always interested in the world around him and finding ways to add beauty and happiness to it. His family was everything to him, and he loved them deeply. Mel leaves behind his mother, Noris Slavick; his sister JoAnn and brother-in-law Jesse Mallinger; his beloved nieces Natalie and Nikki; a half-sister, Christine Lauriton-Thieroff and family; his best friend and "brother of the heart," Frank Cook and his wife Anna; his aunt Nixia Johnson and family; his aunt Nelly Romero and family; and countless appreciative librarians, library foundation members, and non-profit supporters who loved him and his cheerful spirit. In lieu of flowers, donations in Mel's memory may be made to the Orange Public Library Foundation, 407 E. Chapman Ave., Orange, CA 92866. The Orange City Council will adjourn in Mel's memory on Tuesday, March 9, 2010. |
IN LOVING MEMORY: Melvin Wade Slavick 1961 - 2010 |
Mel Slavick and America's Helping Hands |