Lincoln High School Auditorium to be Named After Former Principal and AARP Founder Ethel Percy Andrus

AARP Restores Auditorium at Founder’s High School as Part of the First-Ever AARP Andrus Legacy Awards

 | June 14, 2007

AARP announced that Lincoln High School in Los Angeles, CA will be the first recipient of the Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Award. The award, named in honor of AARP founder and former Lincoln principal, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, will establish a performing arts program for the school and refurbish its auditorium.

“AARP continues the commitment of our founder to improving America’s schools,” said AARP President Elect Jennie Chin Hansen. “Recognizing her former school with the first AARP Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Award is a great demonstration of her impact on the world.”

AARP executive and board leaders were joined by California Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, Los Angeles Councilmember Ed P. Reyes and Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member Monica Garcia in a ceremony held at the high school. In addition, students performed and a check for $100,000 was officially presented to Principal James Molina.

“As a student at Lincoln High School in the 60’s, I vividly recall learning about Ethel Percy Andrus. We all knew of her because of our Andrus Hall, our school pledge and our outstanding fine arts program,” said Principal James Molina. “That was twenty years after her retirement. Now, 63 years later, we honor her legacy by bringing the fine arts back to Lincoln with the help of AARP.”

The Performing Arts Program will provide pre-professional training for Lincoln High School Students in the performing arts. The auditorium will be named for Dr. Andrus who was principal of Lincoln High School from 1916-1944 before founding AARP.

“Lincoln High has the support of many AARP volunteers who will contribute their time and efforts to the new performing arts program,” concurred acting AARP California State President Dr. Bob Warnagieris. “By engaging our members in California, we will continue our founder’s legacy of connecting generations for the greater good of the community.”

In addition to this award, public high schools in designated “AARP Celebration Cities” will be eligible to compete for $100,000 prizes in recognition of programs that connect generations or foster greater civic engagement among students and their communities. The celebration cities, which will be the focal point of AARP’s 50th anniversary activities, include Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, and Washington, DC.

Public high schools in all U.S. states and territories will also be eligible to compete for $10,000 awards for innovative programs.

Entries are due by October 1, 2007. Applications and additional information can be found at AARP's website www.aarp.org/legacyaward. Entries may be submitted online to legacyaward@aarp.org or via regular mail to: AARP c/o The Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Awards 601 E. Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20049.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, www.aarp.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.