Journalist Tom Brokaw to Receive
2009 Los Angeles Public Library Literary Award at
Dinner Gala, Wednesday, May 27, at Beverly Wilshire Hotel

Veronique Peck, Larry Kirshbaum & Union Bank also honored for
 their support of the Library and Literacy

Los Angeles, April 16, 2009: Distinguished broadcast journalist Tom Brokaw, library supporter Veronique Peck, publisher Larry Kirshbaum, and Union Bank will be honored at the 14th annual Los Angeles Public Library Awards Dinner to be held Wednesday, May 27, at 6:00 p.m., at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, 9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. The event is sponsored by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to support the Los Angeles Public Library.

Interim City Librarian Kris Morita and Library Foundation Chair Jeffrey P. Brown announced the honorees, adding that proceeds from the awards dinner will benefit Library enrichment programs. “All four awardees will be celebrated for their outstanding contributions to the Los Angeles Public Library, literacy and life-long learning,” said Morita.

Brokaw, special correspondent for NBC News, served as the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News for 21 years. Complementing his distinguished broadcast journalism career, Brokaw has written several bestselling books including The Greatest Generation, The Greatest Generation Speaks, An Album of Memories, A Long Way from Home and BOOM! Voices of the Sixties; as well as articles, essays, and commentaries. His awards include the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award and the Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement, and he was inducted as a fellow intothe prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Past honorees of the Library’s Literary Award include Larry McMurtry, Tony Kushner, Norman Mailer, Harper Lee, Susan Sontag, August Wilson, David McCullough, Carlos Fuentes, E.L. Doctorow and John Updike.

Veronique Peck will be honored with the Light of Learning Award for her on-going support of the Los Angeles Public Library, which includes producing the acclaimed Gregory Peck Reading Series. Peck was born in Paris. She began her career reporting for the leading French daily, France Soir, interviewing key leaders in the arts and politics, from Colette and Maurice Chevalier to General Dwight Eisenhower, Samuel Goldwyn and on one life-changing occasion, Gregory Peck. The Peck interview was the beginning of a lifelong love story and partnership of over fifty years. Their children Anthony and Cecelia are actively involved with the Gregory Peck Reading Series, which brings many of today’s most celebrated actors to the Central Library and has evolved into one of the cultural jewels of the City.

Author, publisher, and agent Larry Kirshbaum will be presented the Publisher Award. Mr. Kirshbaum has been involved in all aspects of publishing for nearly 40 years. He has worked at Random House and Warner Books, served as CEO and Chairman of Time-Warner Book Group, and founded LJK Literary Management. He serves on the boards of the Baker & Taylor Co., the nation’s largest distributor of books to public libraries, and OverDrive Co., the largest distributor of digital books and entertainment to public libraries.

Union Bank will receive the Corporate Philanthropy Award in recognition of its generous corporate support of the Library Foundation and the Los Angeles Public Library, which includes supporting ”Read to Me LA,” the citywide children’s reading enrichment program. Los Angeles Library Foundation Board member and Union Bank's Vice Chairman and COO, Philip Flynn, will accept the award on behalf of Union Bank. Union Bank is a full-service commercial bank providing an array of financial services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, and major corporations. Union Bank is California’s fifth largest bank by deposits.

During the literary awards gala, guests will gather for a cocktail reception at 6:00 p.m., followed by the awards program, remarks by Brokaw, and an elegant seated dinner. Library Foundation Board member, Carla J. Christofferson and Chairman Emeritus and Foundation President, John F. Cooke, serve as the Los Angeles Public Library Awards Dinner co-chairs.
For information about the Los Angeles Public Library Awards Dinner and table sponsorship opportunities, or to make reservations at $500 per ticket, call (213) 228-7506, or e-mail claughar@lapl.org. Reservations and donations can also be made online at www.lfla.org/libawardsdinner/.

The Los Angeles Public Library, a department of the City of Los Angeles, serves the largest population of any library in the nation. Its Central Library, 71 branch libraries, more than six million books, and state-of-the-art technology accessible at www.lapl.org, provide everyone with free and easy access to information and the opportunity for life-long learning.

The Library Foundation of Los Angeles (www.lfla.org) is a non-profit organization that supports the Los Angeles Public Library programs and technology not funded by the City. Since its creation in 1992, the Foundation has raised $80 million to support the programs and services that reach hundreds of thousands of people each year. The Foundation’s fundraising efforts enhance the Library as a center for literary and cultural learning, thereby enriching lives of every Angeleno.

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