April 28, 2005

Oh, the things he has done

Dr. Suess receives 2005 Legacy for Children Award

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

The Cat in the Hat was discovered running amok in San Jose Monday evening, as hundreds of loyal supporters gathered to pay tribute to his creator.

“Seussical, the Musical” cast members pose with Almaden’s Diane Lawrence, right, of Adaptec, who underwrote much of the award dinner. Shown from left, Lincoln High School senior Neal Hopper as Horton the elephant, Almaden resident and junior Robby Dalton as the Cat in the Hat, sophomore Amy Dabalos as Gertude McFuzz, and Almaden Country School seventh-grader Austin Deeter, front, as JoJo.

Praised for a lifetime of whimsical, yet unpredictable characters embroiled in never-ending plot twists with rhymes at every turn, Theodore Seuss Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss [1904-1991] was honored as the recipient of the 2005 Children’s Discovery Museum Legacy for Children Award at a $250 a plate dinner banquet in the International Ballroom at the Fairmont Hotel on April 25.

“It is with great joy that the Children’s Discovery Museum honors Dr. Seuss with this award,” said Executive Director Connie Martinez. “Everyone in this room has a favorite Dr. Seuss story and I suspect most of them include the “Cat in the Hat.” What most of us don’t know is that Dr. Seuss wrote it in response to an article he read in 1954 in Life Magazine called ‘Why Johnny Can’t Read.’”

Martinez explained that the article challenged someone to write a children’s book that first graders couldn’t put down—a process that led Dr. Seuss to forever change the face of children’s literature.

Accepting the award on behalf of her husband was Audrey Geisel, “Mrs. Dr. Seuss,” in a touching video that offered an up-close-and-personal look at the man who was admittedly never totally at ease with children and who never had children of his own, but who always had more to share in his stories.

Accepting the award on behalf of her husband via video was Audrey Geisel, “Mrs. Dr. Seuss.”

“He would be so appreciative of this award and would not take it lightly,” she said. “I am delighted that you are doing this for him at this time. I hope this will further the cause of literacy and the importance of educating adults and children in the written word.”

During his career, Seuss was praised for making learning to read fun, through characters such as Thing One and Thing Two, The Cat in the Hat, Horton the elephant, the Grinch, and countless others to encourage imagination and understanding through children’s literature. According to the selection committee, with more than 500 million copies of his 44 children’s books published in over 20 languages, the lasting impact his work has had on children’s literature and the lives of children worldwide made him a shoe-in for the honor.

Local kids bring Seuss stories to life
The evening’s events were augmented by the Children’s Musical Theatre of San Jose and the Lincoln High School Theatre Guild, who brought popular favorites such as “Oh, The Thinks You Can Think” and “Green Eggs and Ham” to life via live stage performances.

For Lincoln High cast members, it was a fitting dress rehearsal for what lies ahead in the coming months, including a student-funded trip to Edinburgh, Scotland for the American High School Theatre Festival in August.

“Lincoln has been selected to represent the entire state of California at the festival,” explained senior Neil Hopper, who will play Horton the elephant. “It’s the third time we’ve been selected to go. Tonight, we’re here looking for anyone who’s looking for a large tax write-off opportunity because the cost of this trip is about $5,000 per student. In the past, we were able to do it with a large private donation, but this time we’ve been washing a lot of cars and things like that. We’re trying to get our name out there.”

The program will provide an international venue in which theatre space will be made available for each group, who will then have two hours to sell tickets, set the stage, perform, strike, and leave.

“We have to become quite a well-oiled machine as a cast,” Hopper says.

The Cat in the Hat, played by Almaden resident and Lincoln High School junior Robby Dalton, performed with cast members at the Discovery Museum Legacy for Children Award dinner April 25 at the Fairmont Hotel.

Past honorees include Rob Reiner and Mr. Rogers
Since 1999, The Children’s Discovery Museum has presented its award to Bil Keane, award-winning cartoonist of the Family Circus (2004), Caroll Spinney, master puppeteer of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch (2003), Rob Reiner and “I Am Your Child Foundation” (2001), The David and Lucile Packard Foundation (2000), and Mr. Fred Rogers (1999).

In honor of its most recent recipient and the indelible mark he left behind, the Children’s Discovery Museum will feature a new exhibit, “Oh Seuss! Off to Great Places,” scheduled to open in October, featuring ordinary things that will become extraordinarily interactive.

“Much like Dr. Seuss’ approach to writing children’s stories, our approach to creating exhibits never underestimates a child’s capacity to learn, understand, and enjoy the same things we do,” said Martinez.

“And to think that it happened on Woz-berry Way,” recited Bruce Chizen, Board of Directors president and president and CEO of Adobe Systems, as he thanked contributors in Seuss-like rhyme for the making it possible for the museum to fund free or reduced admission for nearly 70,000 families each year.

“Thank you. Thanks! Thank you again. To all of you light-hearted women and men.”

Part of the Lincoln High School Theatre Guild fund-raising efforts will be derived from proceeds following two gala performances of “Seussical the Musical” at the San Jose Repertory Theater June 3-4. For more information and tickets, call (408) 535-6300 x361 or visit www.mrmanthe.com.

The Children’s Musical Theater of San Jose will open its version of “Seussical the Musical” at the Montgomery Theater on May 6 with performances running through May 15. For more information, call (408) 288-5437 or visit www.cmtsj.org.

Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose is located at 180 Woz Way, San Jose, CA 95110. For more information, visit www.cdm.org or call (408) 298-5437.