Flo Selfman
P.O. Box 641831
Los Angeles, CA 90064
323.653.4555
floself@aol.com
June 16, 2006
TO: Crossroads School, Santa Monica, California
RE: Donation of piano and vocal music, and books about composers
I am a public relations consultant and president of Independent Writers of Southern California (www.iwosc.org), a nonprofit service and support organization for independent writers in the region. One of our members, Sharon Gilbert, died in late January 2006 at age 57, after a brief illness. At the time, she resided in a house in Frazier Park, Calif., that she purchased in 2005.
Sharon was IWOSC’s board secretary at the time of her passing. In addition, she was a lifelong pianist and singer (soprano). She attended the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and subsequently obtained her Ph.D. Her dissertation was on Boswell.
Well before Sharon joined IWOSC, I had known her for many years. We actually met at a singles event for classical music lovers, given by a piano teacher in the Valley. We “jammed” on the piano, playing music for four hands, and became friends after that, sharing a great love for music and literature. We lost contact for several years, then resumed our friendship when Sharon joined IWOSC. At the time of her death, she was working at 20th Century Fox as a technical writer, commuting from Frazier Park. She worked at several long-term “temporary” tech writing jobs in Northern and Southern California, teaching herself the computer programs necessary to land the positions. She also wrote essays and screenplays. She was very happy during the last few years of her life.
In general, she was an upbeat person, always ready to help. In fact, I proposed to my IWOSC board that we create a new annual award in her honor, which we will present at our annual summer party in August. It will be called “The Spirit of Sharon” Award and will be given posthumously to Sharon at that time, in recognition of her exemplary volunteer service to the organization.
Sharon had very little family when she died. Three first cousins were located in Washington State, and one of them is now the administrator of her estate. Since I am the person who most closely shared her love of music, I decided, with her cousin Shana’s permission, to find a suitable place to donate her music and her music books. I am delighted that Crossroads School (and New Roads School) will accept these items (nearly four large cartons of material) and I know Sharon would be thrilled that her music will live on and be played and sung by young people, many of whom will go on to professional careers.
I am also giving you two photographs, taken on May 27, 2006, at a luncheon I organized at the Overland Cafe in Culver City on what would have been Sharon’s 58th birthday. Present were several members of IWOSC and several members of Alameda Writers Group, another organization of which Sharon was a member. The painting in the photos shows Sharon as a young woman, painted by her mother. The white bust on the table is of her favorite composer, Chopin. I removed the bust from her house and have kept it for myself.
If you would like to know more about this remarkable individual, please refer to the blog that her friend Lynn Walford started upon learning of Sharon’s death. The blog address is
http://sharongilbertnextlevel.blogspot.com/.It is with great pleasure that I donate this music and these books to Crossroads School. May they bring learning and joy to many!
Warm regards,
Flo Selfman
Selfman & Others Public Relations
encl: 4 cartons of music and books
