Chico Stories: Carol Channing

“Our school children are the ones who will carry on and reinvigorate California's fine and performing arts tradition and they can not do so without our support,” says famed Broadway star Carol Channing.

This is the message Channing is taking public, devoting her retirement to rekindling public support for the arts and art education. During a visit to Chico State, Channing appeared on stage with theatre department students and personally donated $10,000 to endow the Carol Channing Arts Scholarship.

“My dream is inspire and support programs that ensure all young students who show an aptitude for the arts have a college scholarship to help them build on those talents,” said Channing.

She and her husband Harry Kullijian are visiting universities throughout California, and using their talent and generosity to make a difference. They hope their visits will inspire other artists and art patrons to do the same.

“Our society can not afford to view the arts as an elective. When the arts become elective, we can no longer call ourselves a society,” said Kullijian, emphasizing the arts must be a mandatory ingredient of education at all grade levels.

Channing and Kullijian will return to Chico in May 2006 to present her first scholarship.