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For immediate release — April 30, 2010

(DALLAS) — Most college students have little time for anything other than studying, commuting, working and facing the challenges of daily life. Sometimes, however, they manage to volunteer their time in the community or bring the fine arts to life through music, art and literature. A dedicated group of 15 Dallas County Community College District students have done just that: They have brought enjoyment and the arts to their campuses and towns where they live. In recognition of those contributions, the DCCCD Foundation provided cash awards to those students/artists for 2010 during a ceremony honoring the recipients held at El Centro College this month, where their works were displayed to share with others.

Each year, the Cecil Wallace Fordham Award in Visual Arts, the Alice Jones Berding Award in Music and the Eleanor Jones Award in Creative Writing are given to students at DCCCD’s seven colleges who excel in art, music and creative writing. All three awards are funded through endowments administered by the DCCCD Foundation.

Each outstanding student receives a cash award of $400, made possible by gifts from the Jones family.

The awards and student recipient information is provided below, including home town, DCCCD college and academic major. (Web Editor's note: Scroll down to view more details about the recipients.)

The Cecil Wallace Fordham Award in Visual Arts, made possible with a gift from Fordham’s daughter, Eleanor Fordham Jones, and her family, was created to remember Mr. Fordham’s love of visual beauty. The following students, who must be enrolled in the visual arts field at one of DCCCD’s colleges, received that award:

  • Anna M. Alvarez of Dallas, Mountain View College, art;
  • Raymond Butler of Dallas, El Centro College, art;
  • Teesha Gillespie of DeSoto, Cedar Valley College, art;
  • Richard Lewis of Forney, Eastfield College, art;
  • Pavlina Panova of Irving, North Lake College, art;
  • Betheny Phillips of Richardson, Richland College, visual arts; and
  • Alfredo Salazar-Caro of Flower Mound, Brookhaven College, art.

The Alice Jones Berding Award in Music, made possible with a gift from Berding’s late brother, George Rather Jones, honors Ms. Berding’s years of teaching in Dallas schools as a piano instructor and a private teacher as well. Awardees must be enrolled in music, and preference is given to students who are studying piano. The recipients are:

  • Jamie Lee Cano of Grand Prairie, Mountain View College, music;
  • Flora Ceka of Coppell, North Lake College, music;
  • Christina Cuellar of Dallas, El Centro College, musical performance;
  • Tianta Harrison of Red Oak, Cedar Valley College, music;
  • Angelina Jansen of Sachse, Richland College, music;
  • Jinhee Yeo of Irving, Brookhaven College, music/piano; and
  • Heather Yost of Flower Mound, Eastfield College, music/vocal.

The Eleanor Jones Award for Creative Writing was established in 2002 by her sons, daughter and grandchildren to honor Mrs. Jones’ birthday. The award is presented annually to an outstanding student who excels in the composition of prose or poetry at any DCCCD college that offers creative writing. This year’s winner, Erin Russell of Mesquite, attends Brookhaven College and is majoring in literature and art.

“Through these scholarships, we honor the lives of Alice Jones Berding, Eleanor Jones and Cecil Wallace Fordham,” said Betheny Reid, associate vice chancellor for development and president of the DCCCD Foundation. “Their dedication to music and the visual arts survives in the works and dreams of 15 outstanding students. Gifts such as these are a lasting legacy honoring both the benefactors and recipients.”

Fordham, born in Ohio, was a mechanical engineer who worked in the automotive industry for 40 years for both General Motors and the Ford Motor Company. In his spare time, he enjoyed building furniture and appreciated the creations of others. He also was involved in a number of major engineering projects during his career, including the construction of the Alaska Highway during early World War II. Fordham earned the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and also served on active duty as a sergeant during that war. When he died in 1962, he left one daughter, Eleanor Fordham Jones, and seven grandchildren.

Mrs. Jones and her husband, the late George Rather Jones, awarded the first Alice Jones Berding Memorial Award in Music in 1977, in honor of Mr. Jones’ sister. Mrs. Jones, her children and her grandchildren continue to attend the awards ceremony each year. The first Cecil Wallace Fordham Memorial Award in Visual Arts was given in 1979.

“Mrs. Jones has a great heart,” added Reid. “She is a wonderful example of a person who gives back to her community, and she is one of the first of our long-time donors who gave to the Rising Star scholarship program. Donors like Mrs. Jones inspire others to give.” Her son, Robert, is a member of the DCCCD Foundation’s board of directors.

For more information, contact Kathye Hammontree at (214) 378-1536.

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Dallas County Community College District Foundation

2010 Recipients of Music, Visual Arts and Creative Writing Awards

For more information, contact Kathye Hammontree at (214) 378-1536.

Cecil Wallace Fordham Award in Visual Arts recipients:

  • Anna M. Alvarez – A resident of Dallas, Alvarez plans to become an art history professor after she finishes her associate degree in art from Mountain View College, plus bachelor’s and master’s degrees in art history. Her displayed works in India inks and oil pastels were titled “Sweet Dreams Mijitos” and “Tranquilidad.”

  • Raymond Butler – A resident of Dallas, Butler wants to work as an artist and open his own studio after he finishes his undergraduate and graduate degrees. His art background includes experience in drawing, painting and sculpture. The El Centro College student displayed: “Epidemic of Ideals” (oil on wood panel); “Expired” (oil on canvas); and “Deep Thoughts” (oil on canvas).

  • Teesha Gillespie – A DeSoto resident, Gillespie wants to earn a bachelor’s degree in fine arts as well as learn about and use as many art processes as she can. At Cedar Valley College, she currently is studying printmaking and piano. Her exhibited pieces included: “Cori’s Song” (a three-color monoprint); “Cori’s Anger” (stencil print); and “Cori’s Magic Hands” (a collage/mixed-media drawing).

  • Richard Lewis – A Forney resident, Lewis currently is enrolled in fine arts, and his background includes drawing, two-dimensional design and painting. He wants to become an art teacher and to develop his artistic skills. Lewis, who attends Eastfield College, showed three works in pencil: “Study of Courbet’s ‘The Winnowers’,” “Landscape” and “Penelope.”

  • Pavlina Panova – A resident of Irving, Panova is a native of Bulgaria. She currently is studying art, geology and English at North Lake College, and she would like to work for an art school or an art department. She is pursuing an associate degree with an emphasis in art so that she can learn more skills in ceramics and painting. Her works included: “Series: Memories From a Distant World I,” “Series: Memories From a Distant World II” and “Series: Memories from a Distant World III” for which she used clay, pressed leaves, corn silk, seeds, rose petals, coffee, vermiculite and ceramic underglazes.

  • Betheny Phillips – An Irving resident, Phillips plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in illustration to prepare herself for projects that will bring clients’ thoughts and ideas to life with color and movement. The Richland College student also would like to pursue a master’s degree in fine arts. The works she exhibited were: “Lady Flower” (oil on canvas); “Abalard and Louise” (acrylic on canvas); and “The Park” (charcoal on paper).

  • Alfredo Salazar-Caro – Salazar-Caro, who lives in Flower Mound and is a native of Mexico City, attends Brookhaven College and is pursuing an associate degree in art. He eventually would like to earn a master’s degree in the field and become an art professor. He showed three pieces, all mixed media: “I am all men as I am no man therefore I am,” “Oedipus Loves Electra” and “Beaner.”

Alice Jones Berding Award in Music recipients:

  • Jamie Lee Cano – Cano, a resident of Grand Prairie, has been playing tuba and trombone for a number of years. The Mountain View College student, who has performed Latin jazz for two years and jazz for three years, performed two selections on the euphonium: “Fantasia” by Gordon Jacob and “Fantaise Concertante” by Jacques Costerede.

  • Flora Ceko – A resident of Coppell, Ceko is studying music and other academic disciplines and plans to become a musician. The North Lake College student, who has been singing in choirs since elementary school, performed two voice pieces: “O Rest in the Lord” by Felix Mendelssohn and “The Green Dog” by Herbert Kingsley.

  • Christina Cuellar – Cuellar, a Dallas resident, is studying musical performance at El Centro College and plans to transfer to the University of North Texas, where she will pursue a bachelor’s degree in performance and a master’s degree in teaching. She would like to join either an orchestra or an ensemble. The flutist performed “Suite in Aminov Movement 1 Overture” and “Movement 2, Les Plasiers,” both by G.P. Telemann.

  • Tianta Harrison – Red Oak resident Harrison is studying music and has three years of experience in vocal study and 10 years in choir. Her plans include completing a music education degree at the University of North Texas. The Cedar Valley College student sang “Alma del Core” by Antonio Caldara and “Porgy, It’s Your Woman” by George Gershwin (from “Porgy and Bess”).

  • Angelina Jansen – A Sachse resident, Jansen is pursuing an associate degree with a field of study in music at Richland College. She began playing piano at age 6 and percussion at age 12. Jansen would like to obtain a percussion director’s position and also become a music composer. She performed two selections: “Bach Partita No. 1, Movement 4” by Johann Sebastian Bach and “October Night Movement 1” by Michael Burritt.

  • Jinhee Yeo – Yeo, a resident of Irving and native of South Korea, is studying music and plans to become a music educator. Yeo’s performance piece was titled “Ballade No. 4” by Chopin.

  • Heather Yost – Yost, who lives in Flower Mound, is studying music and vocal performance at Eastfield College. She would like to teach or become a worship leader; she previously played piano and trumpet in high school. Yost sang three pieces: “Alma del Core” by Antonio Caldara; “Down in the Forest” by Landon Ronald; and “Mel Cor Pin Non Mi Sento” by Giovanni Paisieloo.

Eleanor Jones Award in Creative Writing recipient:

  • Erin Russell – A resident of Mesquite, Russell is majoring in literature and art. The Brookhaven College student, who plans to pursue a career in writing as an editor and a Whitman scholar, submitted and shared two of her original works: “Natural Selection,” a poem about biological impulses and evolution; and “That’s What It’s All About,” on death, mourning and nostalgia.

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Contact: Kathy Hammontree
214-378-1536; khammontree@dcccd.edu
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