Heart For The Arts 2010

Raymond and Cynthia Noah Named Richardson’s Heart for the Arts Award Recipients

Former Richardson mayor and longtime DART board member Raymond (Ray) Noah and his wife, Cynthia, a noted community leader, are the 2010 recipients of the Heart for the Arts (HFA) Award. The honor is given annually to an outstanding community leader who has devoted time and financial resources to further the arts in the greater Richardson area.

The Richardson Arts Alliance (RAA), which sponsors the award, will recognize the Noahs at the Heart for the Arts gala dinner scheduled to take place Friday, January 30, 2010. The Heart for the Arts Gala Committee includes Co-Chairs Rae Gene Mungioli and Diane Wardrup assisted by Kevin Ash, Peggy Beil, Nichole Belford, Diane Downey, Jane Merz, Sarah Nesbit, Bonnie Perry, Diane Wilson and 2007 HFA honoree, Carl Youngberg.

"On behalf of the Richardson Arts Alliance, we are thrilled to name Ray and Cynthia Noah as the recipients of the 2010 Heart for the Arts Award. Their tireless efforts on behalf of the arts community and Ray’s vision and determination to bring a performing arts center to the area along with a rapid transit system in what is now the Galatyn Park Urban Center” said Bonnie Perry, President of the Richardson Arts Alliance.

Attorney and presiding municipal court judge Raymond D. Noah is best known for his contributions to the North Texas region and numerous government and arts organizations in Richardson. Mr. Noah served as Richardson’s mayor for 15 years and is a former chairman of the Richardson Chamber of Commerce. He is a charter member of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors, representing Addison, Highland Park, Richardson and University Park. Under his leadership, DART has evolved into a multimodal public transit system serving 13 cities, a population of nearly two million and is considered a regional and national success story.

Often referred to as “Mr. Richardson,” Mr. Noah is a long-time supporter of the arts, serving as president of the Richardson Symphony Orchestra (RSO) and on the board of the Repertory Company Theatre (RCT). Long before the opening of the light rail service to Richardson in July 2002, Mr. Noah worked with city and business leaders to make the Galatyn Park Station the gateway to the Galatyn Park Urban Center featuring the Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts and Corporate Presentations, the Renaissance Dallas-Richardson Hotel and Galatyn Pazrk Corporation’s retail and residential development – all surrounding the public plaza and the Texas Instruments Foundation Community Fountain. These elements all came together to comprise the “merger of dreams” attributed to Mr. Noah and his vision.

“He has had as much to do with the establishment of the outstanding quality of life in Richardson as anyone I have worked for and with in my 32 years in this community,” City Manager Bill Keffler said of Mr. Noah, who he called an invaluable mentor. “Whether one talks about the City Council, DART, the Richardson Symphony, the Eisemann Center and the Galatyn Park Urban Center, the Chamber of Commerce, the North Central Texas Council of Governments, Rotary or any number of other regional and community organizations, Ray has left an indelible mark of success and the City congratulates him and Cynthia on this well-deserved honor.”

Mr. Noah’s contributions to regional urban planning extend beyond his service to the transit authority. He served four years on the North Central Texas Council of Governments Board of Directors, including terms as vice president and president and in 1998 the organization recognized his commitment with the William J. Pitstick Regional Excellence Award.

As a couple the Noahs served on the Community Concert Board for several years in the early 70s and they have both served on the Richardson Symphony Orchestra board. They also worked together bringing the RSO to UT Dallas for the Sounds of Class concerts. Ray continues to serve UT Dallas on Dean Dennis Kratz’s School of Arts & Humanities Advisory Board.

Cynthia Noah served with 2005 HFA honoree Charles W. Eisemann on the RSO-sponsored Sounds of Freedom Concert Committee. Mrs. Noah served as the first Chairman of the In Person Author Lecture Series produced by Friends of the Richardson Library, which has brought many notable authors to Richardson, attracting audiences from all over North Texas. Mrs. Noah has been active on the Richardson Arts Alliance board and served on the Eisemann Center’s Major Gifts Committee which was disbanded in November 2008 when the campaign goal was met and exceeded. Since her retirement from full-time employment, Mrs. Noah has been devoting her time to the Methodist Richardson Medical Center Foundation board.

Community leader and Richardson Symphony Orchestra board member Mike Spence said, “This important recognition of Cynthia and Ray Noah is a timely reminder of how much they have meant to the development and the nurturing of the arts in our community over the years. Since the earliest years, both Ray and Cynthia have made important and lasting contributions to the success of the arts here, and they have done so with such style and grace, especially during periods of great challenge and uncertainty. Individually, and working together as a team, they have led by example, and this award is an appropriate way for us to show our gratitude for what they have accomplished on behalf of all of us.”

Proceeds from the Heart for the Arts Gala will go to further the mission and programs of the Richardson Arts Alliance.


Heart For The Arts 2009

Photographs from the 2008 Heart For The Arts Gala

UT Dallas’ Dennis Kratz Named Richardson’s Heart For The Arts Award Recipient

Dr. Dennis M. Kratz, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at The University of Texas at Dallas, is the 2008 recipient of the Heart For The Arts award. The honor is given annually to an outstanding community leader who has devoted time and financial resources to further the arts in the greater Richardson area.

The Richardson Arts Alliance, which sponsors the award, will recognize Kratz at the Heart For The Arts gala dinner scheduled to take place later this fall.

"On behalf of The Richardson Arts Alliance, we are thrilled to name Dr. Dennis Kratz as the recipient of the 2008 Heart for the Arts Award. His tireless efforts on behalf of the arts community and his high standards have served to elevate the quality, the quantity and the visibility of the arts," said Debbie Mulvenna, Chair, Heart for the Arts Gala.

As dean of the School Arts and Humanities, Kratz has nurtured the development and growth of an interdisciplinary curriculum that combines visual arts, music, dance and theater with critical and creative thought.

Dr. Kratz said he considers it one if his greatest priorities to enhance the role of the arts not only in education but also in the local community.

“I’m honored to be recognized as a loyal and passionate patron of the arts in Richardson,” Kratz said. “I’ve always believed in connecting people in our city with the arts. That sort of relationship leads to the creation of partnerships that benefit not only educational endeavors but also community involvement and support.”

Under his leadership, the School of Arts and Humanities added a visionary academic program in Arts and Technology (ATEC) in 2004. A multidisciplinary offering, the program places emphasis on the interplay of visual art, music, video and narrative with new media that have emerged from the convergence of computing and media technologies. In 2007, the program received two prestigious honors: the Innovation in Education award from The University of Texas System and the Tech Titan of the Future award from the Dallas Metroplex Technology Business Council.

Kratz is particularly proud of the school’s Confucius Institute, which opened late last year and is part of a global network to promote the study of Chinese language, culture and history. That institute plays a key role in his vision of a global humanities program that fosters international understanding and respect.

Most recently, Kratz helped inaugurate Centraltrak, a multi-purpose arts facility near downtown Dallas with live-work loft space for artists, studios for UT Dallas MFA students and a gallery. Artists associated with Centraltrak exhibit their work in the building and give public lectures for periods ranging from two weeks to 12 months.

Kratz has attracted funding to the School of Arts and Humanities to enhance the academic programs, support research and to underwrite capital improvements. In fact, during his tenure the school has added nine endowed professorships.

Kratz’s scholarly research has focuses on medieval and modern literature. He has written four books, authored numerous articles and is the co-editor of the scholarly journal Translation Review. He has lectured widely and conducted workshops about educational issues. A popular teacher, he received the 1992 University of Texas System Chancellor’s Council Outstanding Teaching Award.

From 1987-89, he served as president of the American Literary Translators Association. He is a past president of the Texas Association of Deans of Liberals Arts and Sciences.

Kratz is a former member of the City of Richardson Arts Commission, and his efforts in support of the arts have shaped the arts landscape in the City of Richardson and in the greater North Texas area. As a supporter of the arts, he has created numerous partnerships between UT Dallas and groups like the Richardson Symphony Orchestra, the Eisemann Center, the Dallas Museum of Art and the Dallas Chamber Music Society.

Dr. Kratz joined the faculty of UT Dallas as a professor of literary studies in 1978. Prior to being named dean in 1997, he served as dean of undergraduate education and was a co-director of the University’s Center for Translation Studies. During his tenure as dean of undergraduate education, he led a team that designed and implemented a rigorous undergraduate honors program called Collegium V.

He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Dartmouth College and he earned both his M.A. in classical studies and his Ph.D. in Medieval Latin from Harvard University. He is currently working on a book about curiosity.

The Heart For The Arts gala will take place on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency North Dallas, located at 701 East Campbell Road in Richardson. Tickets to the dinner are $100. Sponsor tables are available starting at $1,500. Reservations can be made by e-mailing richardsonartsalliance@yahoo.com or by contacting Debbie Mulvenna, chair for the gala, at 214-536-3922.

The Richardson Arts Alliance works to raise awareness of programming and provides support for its member organizations. Proceeds from the event support the Richardson Arts Alliance member organizations.

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