Issue date: April 21, 1999

Portola Valley PTA salutes parent volunteers

The occasion is the 1999 Founders' Day reception, now held every two years. Parents, teachers, community members and friends of the honorees are invited to join the celebration from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the home of Cindi and Lowell Sears, 70 Cheyenne Point, Portola Valley.

Receiving PTA Honorary Service Awards for 1999 are: Kate Williams Browne, Kathe and Pat Dempsey, Lynn Eisberg, Joanne Lin, Chris Mumford, John Murray, Linda Drey Nightingale, Barbara Seipp, and Susan Thomas.

Honorees have volunteered in many ways -- from working behind the scenes in classrooms to chairing the $17 million school bond campaign. Following are highlights of their contributions.

Kate Williams Browne, an early childhood educator and school board member, has served in leadership roles for the past nine years, including PTA vice president for parent education. She helped implement the conflict resolution program in the district and consulted on the district's kindergarten program. Besides being on the Corte Madera School Site Council, she assists in the classroom and on field trips.

Pat and Kathe Dempsey have "saved" the district many times by providing emergency infrastructure support, such as grading access roads and paving parking lots. They have donated their time, material, expertise, labor and interest. Besides working with her husband in their business, Langley Hill Quarry, Kathe has volunteered in classrooms, as room parent and on the Corte Madera School Site Council. Recognized in Portola Valley as "a town hero," Pat Dempsey is the first volunteer out at night in a storm, with Kathe mobilizing their crews on the phone and helping in the field.

Lynn Eisberg has devoted countless hours since 1991 to safety issues, improving the district's and town's disaster preparedness program. She helped coordinate the only wild land fire and evacuation drill ever attempted in this area, taught first aid to teachers and arranged their participation in Neighborhood Emergency Response Training sessions. She is co-chair of the newly formed Portola Valley Ad-Hoc Youth Committee after being a cub scout master, den leader and classroom volunteer.

Joanne Lin has contributed her computer talents to the school district for the past 10 years, from publishing the annual student directory for the PTA for the past eight years to serving as PTA treasurer and volunteer database coordinator. As administrative director of the Portola Valley Schools Foundation, she has managed the database for its annual campaign and special fund-raising events since 1995. She is a cabinet member of the foundation's 21st Century Capital Campaign.

Chris Mumford, a supporter of the school libraries for the past nine years, has co-chaired five annual book fairs at both schools, turning the fairs into successful fund-raisers and community events. With Ann Woodrow, she supported "Brown Bag Books," a summer reading program. She says working with young people is her favorite activity; she has been a room mother each year, providing assistance to her children's teachers and being involved with the Young Life organization in Portola Valley and East Palo Alto. She has opened her home for Founders' Day and foundation events, and has contributed to both organizations.

John Murray has devoted his energy to fund-raising projects that benefit the schools. From 1992 to 1996 he was director of the Portola Valley Schools Foundation, serving as secretary, vice president and co-president; he helped create the 21st Century Fund and served as its co-chair. His legal firm, Murray & Murray, has supported many of the foundation campaigns. He also has chaperoned school field trips to Gold Rush country and Yosemite and coached Little League baseball.

Linda Drey Nightingale encourages students and families to focus on the environment by sharing her extensive knowledge of conservation techniques. She serves as the PTA's "reusables" program coordinator and gives community workshops on "Simple Living," how to have a minimal impact on the environment. Since 1994, she has helped coordinate Ormondale's Science Fair, and this year inaugurated the first annual science fair at Corte Madera. As a school naturalist for Palo Alto Baylands, she has organized school tours for third-graders.

Barbara Seipp stepped up to the challenge of co-chairing the successful $17 million school district bond campaign last year. She chaired the Ormondale Site Council for two years, and simultaneously co-chaired the district's Reorganization Committee. This committee worked to ensure a smooth transition to the new grade configuration, K-3 at Ormondale and 4-8 at Corte Madera. She also is a director of the Portola Valley Schools Foundation and fund-raiser for its capital campaign.

Susan Thomas began volunteering in the schools about 30 years ago when her two children started kindergarten and has kept on ever since. She has "done it all" -- coordinated parent volunteers for Ormondale and school dances and talent shows at Corte Madera, coached baseball, softball, soccer, T-ball, and taught tap dance and ballroom dance classes for kids. A talented photographer, her photos of kids have illustrated school foundation brochures. She has served as a member of the Portola Valley Parks and Recreation Committee for over 10 years, expanding activities for children as well as adults.

Co-chairs for Founders' Day are Cindi Sears and Colleen Tate. Working with them are Claudia Mazzetti, Bonnie Sterngold and Tracey Cowperthwaite and Michelle Rapp.



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