Three California State University, Fresno alumnae and a faculty member are recipients of Horizon Award, presented by the Fresno Arts Council to honor individuals, businesses and organizations that enrich the community’s cultural arts.

The Fresno State honorees are:

  • Jacqueline Doumanian, the community relations coordinator for the California State University Summer Arts programs at Fresno State who is an artist in her own right and a long-time benefactor of the arts. Doumanian, a communications consultant, was awarded a bachelor’s degree in 1974 and a master’s in 1981, both in art. She won the Horizon Award in the Business category for “encouragement and patronage has helped broaden the interest and support of the arts in Fresno.”
  • Edna Garabedian, a 1972 graduate with a degree in music, who went on to an international career as a mezzo soprano and voice teacher. She was honored as an artist for her work with the California Opera Association. The Artist category Horizon Award recognizes work that “demonstrates commitment, creativity and excellence.”
  • Dr. Corrinne (Connie) Hales, who has published several poetry collections, and is a professor of English in Fresno State’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program. , She joined the Fresno State faculty in 1986 after receiving her Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Binghamton. Hales was selected to receive the Ella Odorfer Educator Award “for contributions made in the classroom and the community to promote growth and enrichment in the educational systems through the arts.” The award is named for a longtime Fresno State art professor.
  • Catherine Rehart, a 1963 graduate in English and history, who combined both disciplines in her radio broadcasts and books, “Legends and Legacies,” comprising vignettes about Fresno’s past. She was active in the Fresno Historical Society for many years and recently has been living in Oregon City, Ore. She was honored in the Citizen category, which recognizes “dedication, service and involvement [that] have contributed to the enhancement and prosperity of the arts in the community.”

The Horizon Awards will be presented at 5:30 p.m. May 12 during a ceremony at Fresno City Hall that will be followed by a recognition dinner.

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