Induction ceremony to be held on Saturday, March 24th
(February 9, 2007) – The La Jolla Historical Society is honored to announce that upon its nomination Ellen Browning Scripps has been selected for induction into the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame. A ceremony formally inducting Miss Scripps in this prestigious organization is scheduled for Saturday, March 24, 2007 at the Price Center on the University of California, San Diego campus.
The La Jolla Historical Society’s Historian, Carol Olten and Archivist, Kara West, submitted the nomination in January.
“We hold Ellen Browning Scripps to be one of the greatest women of her time,” West said. “The philanthropy she demonstrated to La Jolla, to San Diego, and even beyond those geographic borders is remarkable.”
A beloved member of the La Jolla community, Ellen Browning Scripps made her home in La Jolla the last thirty-five years of her life and her public spirit stands immortalized in the gifts she made for the benefit of the public. Her lasting legacy includes the Woman's Club, the La Jolla Public Library, (from which the La Jolla Historical Society was founded), Scripps Memorial Hospital and Metabolic Clinic, the Bishop's School, the Community House and Playgrounds, Children's Pool, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and financial aid in building the churches in La Jolla. She also gave generously throughout San Diego, including the Natural History Museum, the Zoological Garden and Research Laboratory located in Balboa Park, and the Welfare Building, housing the welfare activities of the city.
West noted that in 1929 the people of La Jolla presented Miss Scripps with a plaque that read, “That she may know that they appreciate her many generous and unselfish efforts to develop, improve, and uplift the cultural, social and spiritual life of the community.”
About the nomination West said, “Today in 2007, on behalf of the Historical Society and the people of La Jolla, we are pleased to demonstrate that this sentiment still holds true.”
Miss Scripps died at La Jolla, August 3, 1932.
The Women’s Hall of Fame is a project organized by the Women’s History Museum, the San Diego Commission on the Status of Women, the UCSD Women’s Center, and the Department of Women’s Studies at SDSU. Miss Scripps will be honored both at the induction ceremony and in a permanent display at the Women’s History Museum.
La Jolla’s connection to its rich heritage, the La Jolla Historical Society's offices and archives are located at 7846 Eads Avenue, La Jolla. Open to the public Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (858) 459-5335. www.ljhs.org.
Media Contact: Ruth Varonfakis (858) 273-0928
RCVaronfakis@aol.com
www.ljhs.org
