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| Longtime Bel-Air resident Michael Rich visits the UCLA Hannah Carter Japanese Garden in Bel-Air.
(Los Angeles Times / January 18, 2012) |
Today my Moss Monday post has the unique opportunity to share a story about two circumstances near and dear to my heart: the struggling University of California system and beautiful gardens. The UCLA Hannah Carter Japanese Garden is a hidden gem of the UC system. Due to its remote location in Bel Air UCLA is forced to restrict guests to a limited number per year. Unfortunately due to horrible budget constraints placed on the UCs in the past few years
UCLA is selling the property. This action brings in to question many concerns about the security of property endowments to universities etc. but I am mostly concerned with the continued availability of the garden to the public.
Garden advocates say they hope an aficionado of the Japanese aesthetic — tech magnate Lawrence Ellison's
name has been floated — might buy and maintain the property. "The
garden is nationally significant," said Judy Horton, president of the
California Garden and Landscape History Society in Los Angeles. "It
should not be altered or destroyed."
I have read many of the comments posted by students at UCLA and I'm truly dismayed by the lack of insight, the lack of depth revealed in these posts. This was a legal contract between UCLA and a former chairman of the UC Board of Regents, Edward Carter ,who was also a philantropist of note to so may institutions in Los Angeles. To dismiss his bequest to UCLA, to make plans to sell it without proper attempts to find a solution, to not notify the family of its intentions is a morally bankrupt attempt to get some money and move on quickly and quietly( much like the Baltimore Colts packing up in the middle of the night and moving to Indianapolis-still aa black mark on the NFL after all these years.) This episode will ,without doubt, be a " Scarlet A" on the chest of Chancellor Bloch!! Shame on UCLA.
ReplyDeleteI hope this situation continues to receive press to pressure the University to act with more responsibility.
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