Names of Note: London Symphony records Stan State work. Honors at Red Cross, library
Deborah Kavasch, a music professor at Stanislaus State University, will have one of her compositions recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra.
The work is “Desert Storm,” composed for a 1991 celebration at the Turlock campus at the end of a Persian Gulf conflict. It will be recorded Wednesday, July 6, for an upcoming CD.
This happens six months after the Royal Scottish National Orchestra recorded another Kavasch piece, “Lost Voices.”
She is coordinator of music theory and composition at Stan State, where she has taught since 1979. She is also a vocalist.
Kavasch was the composer for Opera Modesto’s recent production of “The Race,” a mashup of Aesop’s Fables. The lyricist was Linda Bunney-Sarhad, a former Stan State colleague.
The two are collaborating on the troupe’s January 2023 staging of an opera based on “Annabel Lee,” a poem by Edgar Allen Poe.
Library Foundation honors
The Stanislaus Library Foundation presented five annual awards to people and groups that support the county system.
The Shining Star awards went to:
- Brooks Judd, a volunteer with Friends of the Turlock Library.
- Holly Barrera, a volunteer at the Ceres branch.
- LearningQuest – Stanislaus Literacy Centers, which partners with the libraries to help adults with reading and writing skills.
- The Future of the Turlock Library Campaign Committee, which help fund the recent expansion of that city’s branch. The members are Hanna and Dieter Renning, Ashleigh Volk, Kathy Smith, Tina Bates, Ken Bethel, Mary Jackson, Lindsey Herrera, Patrick Jensen and Patricia Portwood.
Bob and the late Colleen Cordano received the Joan Patterson Stellar Achievement Award for their many years of service to the Friends of the Oakdale Library.
A video of the award ceremony is at www.stanislauslibraryfoundation.org.
Compassion brings award
Asia Cortez, a registered nurse at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, was honored for her compassion toward a grieving family.
Cortez received the Tenet Hero award from the Tenet Healthcare chain and the rarer honor of being inducted into the Tenet Heroes Hall of Fame.
Cortez works in the Neuro Critical Care Unit at Doctors, one of 60 hospitals in the chain. Colleagues nominated her after seeing how she comforted a family that lost two loved ones at the same time.
Hospitals hold cereal drive
Employees of three hospitals collected nearly 15,000 servings of cereal for Second Harvest of the Greater Valley.
The annual drive took place June 6 to 13 at Doctors Medical Center, Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock and Doctors Hospital of Manteca. They are all part of Tenet Healthcare.
The Healthy Over Hungry Cereal Drive helps the Manteca-based food bank meet demand from low-income families during summer. The hospital employees also gave about $3,700 in monetary donations for milk, produce, lean protein and other perishables.
Red Cross recognizes nine
The American Red Cross honored nine volunteers in its Heart of the Valley Chapter, serving Stanislaus, Merced and San Joaquin counties:
April Thacker received the top annual honor, the Clara Barton Award for Meritorious Leadership. The other recipients:
Steve Rogers, Biomedical Services Donor Ambassador
Nancy Reeves, Volunteer of the Year
Irene Johnson, Disaster Cycle Services Leadership
Molly Thacker, Disaster Cycle Services Extraordinary Commitment and Dedication
Jane Knowles, Biomedical Services Transportation Specialist
Susan Winters and Peggy Pinarbasi, Teamwork and Collaboration
Hajra Ahmad, Youth Services.
And finally ...
The U.S. Bank Foundation granted $10,000 to help the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra expand its ranks. The money will go to scholarships, coaching and other efforts to have the symphony better reflect the area’s diversity.
The youth group operates under the Modesto Symphony Orchestra. The bank has branches in 40 states, including several in Stanislaus County.
Names of Note recognizes people and organizations for their contribution to their communities. Submit items to jholland@modbee.com.
This story was originally published July 2, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
