Secondary News Stories (5 Stories)
History Maker Awards Announced
By From STAFF REPORTS
Friday, May 16, 2008, 1:05 pm

Five locals were named Friday to join the elite group of men and women who have been honored by Pasadena Museum of History as "Contemporary History Makers."

The Museum says the awardees are citizens "whose civic passion, innovative design, or charitable interests continue to shape Pasadena 's unique and rich heritage."

This year's honorees are Christle Balvin, Charles and Betty McKenney, Joel Sheldon, III, and Larry Wilson.

The awards will be presented at the Contemporary History Maker Awards Dinner on Wednesday, June 11, 6:30 p.m. at Twin Palms Restaurant in Old Pasadena. During the evening the Museum will also be welcoming a select group of former Museum Trustees to its Honorary Board: John Armagost, Peter Boyle, Alice Butler, Sid Gally, and Ken Patton.

Christle Balvin, President of Hintz & Balvin Communication, a public relations firm, has been actively involved with the Pasadena Community Foundation and numerous other local organizations throughout her career. 

Speaking on public service, Balvin once told Pasadena Weekly, "I think people often think heroes are athletes and people on the national scene, when really many times some of the hard work is done locally and people don't get acknowledged, and yet they persevere.  That's what truly makes them heroes."

Charles and Betty McKenney turned a formerly vacant lot near Pasadena Avenue and Arlington Drive into what is now Arlington Gardens, an oasis of more than 2,000 California-friendly plants, shrubs and trees, including an orange grove, stately palms, an olive allée, fragrant lavender, trellised roses, bougainvillea, and lemon trees. In addition to providing a beautiful example of water-wise landscaping, Arlington Gardens is a welcoming community space for strolling, picnicking and communing with nature.
 
Joel Sheldon is Chairman and CEO of Vroman's bookstore, which was founded in 1894 and is currently one of the largest independent bookstores in the United States . Always active in the community, Sheldon  has served as the Chair of the Pasadena Center Operating Company, President of the Playhouse District Association, President of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, and Director of the American Booksellers Association, to name but a few of his civic activities.

Larry Wilson is the public editor of the Pasadena Star-News, the city and surrounding area's 122-year-old daily newspaper, with a circulation of 30,000. He is also a board member of the Armory Center for the Arts and the First Tee of Pasadena, chairs the board of the Daily Californian Educational Foundation at UC Berkeley, and serves on the organizing committees for the Pasadena Library's One City , One Story program and Claremont Graduate University 's Kingsley Tufts Poetry Prize.

To reserve tickets or for further information, please call 626-577-1660, ext. 19 or visit the Museum’s website: www.pasadenahistory.org.