A special thanks to Barry McComb

Strong communities are made up of strong, dedicated and visionary individuals, and one of those people here in Glendale has been Barry McComb with the Alex Theatre and Glendale Arts (“Glendale Arts chief to move on,” Dec. 15).

As McComb moves on to Thousand Oaks for another chapter in his career, I wanted to stop for a moment and express our deepest gratitude to this very special person. I’ve had the privilege of working with Barry not only with Glendale Arts, but with the Glendale Educational Foundation in its formative years. I’ve served with him at Ascencia (formerly Path Achieve Glendale), where he has so unselfishly given his leadership skills, time and energy.

McComb’s legacy in Glendale will go down in my book as making the community as a whole a better place for all of us to live and work in. His service has reached into many corners of the community — not only to those who shared his appreciation of the arts in our community where he raised the bar and accomplished so much, but also to the homeless and to our youth.

One of his gifts to this community was to contribute to the understanding that our organizations and businesses need to act in “concert,” helping each other to find solutions and opportunities and in the end accomplishing so much more than if each tried to move forward alone.

So thank you, Barry, on behalf of all of us, for building up our community and for building bridges that will last long after you go. And because you were always about “team,” you’re leaving a strong one in place here in Glendale as you step away — and that, perhaps, is the best testimony to who you are and what you are all about!

We’ve been lucky to have you with us. Many thanks and best of luck from a grateful community!

Chip Stone

Glendale