RIDLEY-THOMAS HONORS HISTORIAN KEVIN STARR FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO PUBLIC EDUCATION AND LONG-TIME PROMOTION OF LITERACY

 

        FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

          September 15, 2009                                                                                                           Contact:   Aurelio Rojas 213-974-2222

                                                                                                                                                                         James Bolden 213-200-5314

 

            SUPERVISOR RIDLEY-THOMAS HONORS HISTORIAN KEVIN STARR FOR HIS                CONTRIBUTIONS TO PUBLIC EDUCATION AND LONG-TIME PROMOTION OF LITERACY

Author is best-known for his multi-volume history of California

 

LOS ANGELES – Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and the Board of Supervisors today honored acclaimed historian Kevin Starr, an author, California State Librarian Emeritus and University of Southern California Professor, for his contributions to public education and long-time promotion of literacy.

The California native is best-known for his multi-volume history of California America and the California Dream, which he recently completed with the final volume: “Golden Dreams: California in an Age of Abundance, 1950-1963.”

 During a ceremony before the Board’s weekly meeting, Supervisor Ridley-Thomas thanked Dr. Starr for his “visionary leadership” and ground-breaking research into California history.

 “We look forward to learning from you on the history of the great State of California and appreciate your unending dedication to quality education for all,” the Supervisor told the veteran educator.

In addition to his current responsibilities at USC, Dr. Starr has held posts at various other institutions, including Harvard University, Santa Clara University, San Francisco State University, Claremont McKenna College, Hoover Institution, and the University of San Francisco.

Dr. Starr served as the California State Librarian from 1994-2004 and was subsequently named as State Librarian Emeritus by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In 2006, President George W. Bush awarded Dr. Starr the National Humanities Medal for his work as a scholar and historian.

He was a vocal supporter of Proposition 14, the California Reading and Literacy Improvement and Public Library and Renovation Bond Act, which garnered $350 million for libraries throughout California the year 2000.

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