Serenading Rita Gold. As a recent graduate of the Rita Gold Early Childhood Center puts it, there is Rita Gold, the place, and Rita Gold, the person. On November 15, current students, staff and visiting dignitaries gathered to celebrate both. Gold (M.A., 1962)-a long-time educator and recipient of TC's Distinguished Alumni Award-funded the creation of The Gold Center with her husband, Herb, to serve the Columbia community. At the celebration, jazz pianist and TC faculty member Bert Konowitz accompanied a classroom of pre-schoolers as they sang two of Gold's own songs ("I'm Gonna Be Proud of Me" and "The Good Manners Song") from her new collection, Songs for a Head Start. Gold Center director Isabel Belinki presented Gold with a photo album and a toddler-sized Rita Gold Early Childhood Center tee-shirt. TC President Arthur Levine then addressed the smaller members of his audience: "Rita and Herb are friends of mine, they created this place, and they care about children. Rita went to school, worked hard, and did well-and I'm very proud of her."

Published Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2005