Stars turn out for gala opening

Surrounded by friends, family, colleagues and fellow benefactors, Cal State Long Beach alumnus Richard Carpenter officially opened the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center at a gala premiere party Saturday night.

Joining Carpenter on a platform for the cerem onial ribbon cutting were CSULB President Robert C. Maxson, Mayor Beverly O'Neill (also a CSULB graduate), CSU Chancellor Barry Munitz, Vice President of University Relations and Development Jerry Mandel and center director Rich Kerlin.

In lieu of a ribbon, they each released a large white balloon attached to a long white inflated tube. As the balloons moved upward, a shower of gold, purple, silver and yellow ticker tape and streamers rained down on the assembled guests as the lights to the new sign were lit for the first time.

In his opening remarks, Maxson called this a "landmark day in the history of this institution." Others, including Mayor O'Neill, said they hoped the 1,162 seat facility would become a premiere cultural and artistic institution for the region.

Carpenter said he was happy to contribute something back to the university that gave him so much, adding that he felt a facility like this was long overdue.

Richard and Karen Carpenter attended CSULB in the late 196 0s, and have kept close ties to the school ever since. The center was named in their honor after the Carpenter family donated $1 million to enable the center to open.

After the ceremony, guests assembled inside the center for a performance of "A Song for You" produced especially for the opening.

Featured throughout the performance were video montages of the Carpenters from their youth to their professional prime, when they were hitting it big on the charts with songs such as "Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun."

Much of the video highlighted Karen Carpenter, who died in 1983 of heart failure after a long struggle with anorexia. In one of the more moving moments, Richard played an arrangement on the piano on stage while Karen s ang on the video screen.

Also on hand for the performance were Grammy award winning artist Herb Alpert; lyricist John Bettis, who co-wrote many of the Carpenter's songs; comedian John Byner (who joked that the Carpenter's songs landed him with fou r children); singers Rita Coolidge and Marilyn McCoo; and Gere Fennelly and Jeff McDonald of Redd Kross, who performed their rendition of "Yesterday Once More," a song included on the Carpenter tribute album, "If I Were a Carpenter."

The CSULB Uni versity Singers performed "One Love," and CSULB dance students Tanya Brown and Kristofer Leighton performed to "A Song for You."

The Spectrum award, given for leadership, commitment, dedication and creativity in the construction, planning and finan cing of the center, was awarded to Samuel A. Keesal and his law firm, Keesal, Young & Logan. The award was named after a trio formed by the Carpenters in the early days of their career.