Mary Alice O’Connor is Woman of the...
Mary Alice O’Connor is Woman of the Year
The Zonta Club of Burbank Area has chosen Mary Alice O’Connor as
the Woman of the Year for 2003.
The award is presented annually, honoring exemplary women who make
outstanding contributions to the community, said Grace Farenbaugh,
president of the Zonta Club of Burbank Area.
“It’s such an honor to acknowledge Mary Alice for all the work
that she has done over the years,” she said. “What she has done is
truly irreplaceable.”
O’Connor has lived in Burbank for nearly 60 years. Her record of
service began with the Red Cross during World War II and has
continued ever since. The Tournament of Roses, Friends of the Burbank
Library, the Burbank Board of Education, the Burbank Symphony and La
Providencia Guild are but a few of the organizations for which she
has volunteered her time to over the years.
Among her many awards are the National Volunteer Center “Beautiful
Activist Award” from then-president Gerald Ford in the 1970s in
Washington, D.C., the 1998 Older Americans Recognition Award and the
YWCA of Glendale’s Woman of Heart and Excellence award.
One of the honors she is most proud of, O’Connor said, is
receiving the title of honorary member of the Burbank Chamber of
Commerce, an honor that has been bestowed on only three people to
date.
The Zonta Club of Burbank Area will honor O’Connor at its annual
Woman of the Year luncheon beginning at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 8 at The
Castaway.
The luncheon is open to the community. For reservations and
sponsorship opportunities, call Anne Macleod at 556-3677. Reservation
and sponsorship information is also available at
www.zontaburbank.org. Tickets are $50 each in advance. No tickets
will be sold at the door.
The Zonta Club of Burbank Area was chartered in 1936 and is a
chapter of Zonta International, a worldwide service organization of
executives and professionals working to improve the status of women.
The club welcomes new members. Information is available at
www.zontaburbank.org.
Emblem Club has Italian Night fund-raiser
The Burbank Emblem Club will have its annual Italian Night
fund-raiser at 6 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Burbank Elks Lodge, 2232 N.
Hollywood Way in Burbank.
A catered Italian dinner with entertainment and a special prize
drawing are planned for the evening.
Donation is $12. Proceeds help support Emblem charities and
scholarships. For reservations, call Cookie at 841-2375.
Delta Delta Delta evening group begins
Tri-Delta Alumni has recently formed a special interest evening
group for the foothills area. The next meeting is 7 p.m. Thursday.
The group has recently helped with rush at the USC Chapter house.
Fifty-eight women pledged the USC Tri-Delta house, including four
legacies, which are girls whose mothers where Tri-Deltas.
If you are a Tri-Delta Alumni living in La Canada Flintridge, La
Crescenta, Burbank or Glendale, and would like to join, call Robin
Page at 952-7181 or e-mail robinpage@pacbell.net. The group meets the
third Thursday of the month.
SERVE elects new officers for term
Elaine Paonessa has been elected president of the SERVE
organization, a support group of Providence St. Joseph Medical Center
Foundation, which is celebrating its 20th year. She also served as
founding president in June 1983.
Joining her on the board are Jane Mulder, vice president; Lorraine
White, who has also served since 1983 as recording secretary; and
Elaine Sollod, financial secretary.
Members of the group volunteer from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Saturday at the Burbank Farmers’ Market in the parking lot at 3rd
Street and Orange Grove Avenue.
Proceeds from the Farmers’ Market are used by the Providence St.
Joseph Foundation to provide hospital services for people who cannot
afford medical care.
To become a member of SERVE, call Paonessa at 845-6851.
Compiled by Joyce Rudolph