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​March 29, 2005
            
(DALLAS) – They study, they write; they sing, paint and sculpt. They also have jobs, commute and face the challenges of daily life. A dedicated group of 15 Dallas County Community College students will be recognized for their talent and skills by the DCCC Foundation on Friday, April 8, during a special program that will showcase each student’s gift. The event will be held at El Centro College, beginning with a musical presentation from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. in the performance hall, followed by a noon luncheon, poetry reading and art exhibit in room C-100, El Centro’s main dining room.   

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

Each outstanding student receives a cash award of $400, made possible by gifts from the Jones family. The general public is invited to attend the morning concert or view the visual arts exhibit after 1:30 p.m.

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 DCCC’s colleges, will receive that award: James R. Darnell, Brookhaven College; Clayton Skidmore, Cedar Valley College; Amy Riley, Eastfield College; Maria Dahlia Rosales, El Centro College; Robert Salazar, Mountain View College; J. Mikohl Minkler, North Lake College; and  Elijah Stafford, Richland College.

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 the Dallas schools as a piano instructor and as a private teacher as well. Awardees must be enrolled in music, and preference is given to students who are studying piano. The recipients are: Nicholas D. Galanos, Brookhaven College; Bonnie Welch, Cedar Valley College; Serah Hare, Eastfield College; Noriko Odachi Evans, El Centro College; Che Ho Chan, Mountain View College; Destiny LeSueur, North Lake College; and Andrew M. White, Richland College.

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 one of the seven Dallas County Community Colleges that offers creative writing. This year’s winner, Lisa B. Eades of Richland College, will recite a selection of her works.

“Through these scholarships, we honor the lives of Alice Jones Berding, Eleanor Jones and Cecil Wallace Fordham,” said Betheny Reid, executive director of the DCCC Foundation.  “Their dedication to music and the visual arts survives in the work 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 Alaskan 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 Awards 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 the 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.”  Mrs. Jones’ son, Robert, is a member of the DCCC Foundation’s board of directors.

For more information, contact Kathye Hammontree in the DCCC Foundation office at 214-860-2455.

 

Dallas County Community Colleges Foundation
2005 Recipients of Music, Visual Arts and Creative Writing Awards


Alice Berding Jones Awards in Music recipients:

  • Nicholas D. Galanos, Brookhaven College – Garland resident; majoring in music education; pursuing an associate’s degree in music from Brookhaven and plans to transfer to a four-year university to complete his music degree and to teach either at the college level or as a music director for a middle school; will perform on alto saxophone: “Sonata, movement II,” by Paul Creston and “Scaramouche, movement III,” by Darius Milhaud.
  • Bonnie Welch, Cedar Valley College  – Resident of Mesquite and Texas native; pursuing an associate’s degree in the arts; plans to continue studies at a four-year institution and ultimately to become a high school choral teacher or professional opera singer; currently performs voice as a soprano; will sing “”Du Ring an meinem Finger” by Schumann and “Se tu m’ami” by Parisotti.
  • Serah Hare, Eastfield College – Resident and native of Garland; pianist; pursuing an associate’s degree in music; teaches private piano students; will perform on the piano “Cappricio” by Brahms.
  • Noriko Odachi Evans, El Centro College – Resident of Dallas and native of Japan; music and medical laboratory technology studies at El Centro; plans to attend a four-year college and to become a pharmacist or lab technician; will perform “First Arabesque” by Debussy and “O Polichinelo from Prole do Bebe, No. 1” by Villa-Lobos.
  • Che Ho Chan, Mountain View College – Irving resident and native of Hong Kong; majoring in music studies; plans to become a music therapist; will perform on piano “Nocturne No. 18, Op. 62, No. 2” by Chopin.
  • Destiny LeSueur, North Lake College – Irving resident and Texas native; current studies in music and vocal performance at North Lake College; plans to become a voice teacher; will sing “Pie Jesu” from the “Faure Requiem” by Gabriel Faure and “I Attempt from Love’s Sickness to Fly” by Henry Purcell.
  • Andrew White, Richland College – Dallas resident and Texas native; pursuing an associate’s degree in music at Richland College, including music theory, ear training and chamber performance; plans to teach music, offer private lessons and to continue performing; will perform on the cello “Cello Sonata No. 1 in e minor, opus 38” by Brahms.

 

Cecil Wallace Fordham Awards in Visual Arts recipients:

  • James Darnell, Brookhaven College – Dallas resident and native of Tennessee; current studies in sculpture at Brookhaven College; will transfer to a four-year institution to pursue a bachelor’s degree and eventually a Master of Fine Arts degree ; plans to teach and continue sculpting; exhibit pieces include large works: “Geomoetric Landscape,” acrylic painting; “E-Scape 05s,” welded steel; and “Covent,” painted and welded steel.
  • Clayton Skidmore, Cedar Valley College – Lancaster resident; pursuing an associate’s degree at Cedar Valley College; plans to attend art school and graduate school; exhibit pieces are charcoal works: “Rock Paper Scissors,” “Ash Tray” and “Chain Smoking Apocalypse.”
  • Amy Riley, Eastfield College – Garland resident and Texas native; current studies in art history, drawing, computer graphics and ceramics at Eastfield College; plans to transfer to art school and major in illustration; exhibit pieces include: “Still life” in oil pastels; “Self portrait 1” in ink; and “Self portrait 2” in oil pastels.
  • Maria Dahlia Rosales, El Centro College – resident and native of Dallas; current studies in fine arts; plans to earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in fine arts; all three exhibit pieces are “Untitled” in mixed media.
  • Robert Salazar, Mountain View College – Resident and native of Grand Prairie, Texas; current studies at Mountain View include ceramics – both functional and nonfunctional – and human figure drawing; plans to pursue studio arts and teach; exhibit pieces, all stoneware clay with oxides – unglazed – are titled “Rust #1,” “Rust #2” and “Untitled pedestal piece #1.”
  • J. Mikohl Minkler, North Lake College – Irving resident and Kansas native; current studies in communication design; career plans are to become a graphic designer or art director; exhibit pieces include “Miner” in mixed media, “Fang” in spray enamel on MDF and “You Can’t Get Anymore Sunshine” in chalk pastels.
  • Elijah Stafford, Richland College – Garland resident and Texas native; current studies in drawing, art history, philosophy and psychology; plans to pursue a career in architectural restoration and preservation; exhibit pieces include “Angels in America” in acrylics, “Mask” in wood, metal, hot glue and staples, and “Untitled” in charcoal.

Eleanor Jones Award in Creative Writing recipient:

  • Lisa B. Eades, Richland College – Garland resident and Texas native; currently pursuing an associate’s degree at Richland College; plans to transfer to Texas Woman’s University in fall 2005 to earn a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and a graduate degree; career plans include teaching or working as a freelance writer and artist; her recited works will include “Fast Forward,” “Untitled” and “Tiptoe.”