The general public was invited to attend both the concert and the visual arts exhibit. The Cecil Wallace Fordham Award in Visual Arts, made possible with a gift from Forham s daughter, Eleanor Fordham Jones, and her family, was created to remember Mr. Fordham s love of visual beauty. The Alice Jones Berding Award in Music, made possible with a gift from Berding s late brother, George Rather Jones, honors Ms. Berding s years of teaching in the Dallas schools as a piano instructor and as a private teacher as well. Awardees must be enrolled in music, and preference is given to students who are studying piano. We honor their lives and their dedication to music and the visual arts by helping 14 outstanding students pursue their dreams.
Donors ensure the future of our students.
Fordham, born in Ohio, was a mechanical engineer who worked in the automotive industry for 40 years for both General Motors and the Ford Motor Company. In his spare time, he enjoyed building furniture and appreciated the creations of others. Fordham earned the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and also served on active duty as a sergeant during that war. When he died in 1962, he left one daughter, Eleanor Fordham Jones, and seven grandchildren. Mrs. Jones and her husband, George Rather Jones, awarded the first Alice Jones Berding Memorial Award in Music in 1977, in honor of Mr. Jones sister.