Palm Springs Modern Committee Celebrates Local High School Students at Scholarship Reception – May 21, 2013

Site Staff Social Scene

Three Palm Springs Unified School District high school graduates who received scholarships from the Palm Springs Modern Committee (PS ModCom) were honored at a reception on May 21, 2013. PS ModCom board members greeted the students, their families, friends, school officials and other distinguished guests at the historic mid-century modern home of PS ModCom President Chris Menrad.

Guests were greeted with refreshments catered by Lynn Hammond during a poolside social hour at the annual reception. Later in the evening, Robert Imber, Chairman of PS ModCom’s Education Committee, presented students Jose Luis Jara (Palm Springs High School); Maria Fernanda Murguia (Desert Hot Springs High School); and Javier Correa (Cathedral City High School) with framed scholarship certificates, a selection of books and documentary DVD's highlighting Palm Springs Mid-Century Modern architecture; PS ModCom’s new Palm Springs Mid-Century Modern Architecture Tours mobile app and PS ModCom’s self-driving map–all highlighting the most important modern architecture in the Palm Springs. In an intimate moment following the student’s introduction of themselves, all of the attendees introduced themselves and congratulated the students on their scholastic accomplishments.

Following the presentation, guests were invited to tour the home with Imber, a noted architectural historian and owner operator of Palm Springs Modern Tours. The 1956 home, located in South Palm Springs’ Twin Palms Estates neighborhood, was designed by celebrated Mid-Century architect William Krisel, AIA, (PALMER & KRISEL, INC.) and designated a Class One Historic Site in 2012 by the Palm Springs Historic Site Board (HSPB Site No. 74). .

PS ModCom is a 501 (C-3) non-profit membership organization whose mission includes preservation, education and advocacy for the desert modern mid-century modern architecture. The Committee provides three scholarships to graduating senior high school students who have expressed interest in pursuing a career in architecture, preservation, city planning, or environmental studies. One student from each of the three Palm Springs Unified School District (PSUSD) high schools is selected from a cache of applicants meeting various criteria provided by the school's counseling department. Funds are provided to the student's college or university school account to be used at their discretion for tuition, supplies, or for housing.The scholarship can also be applied to a PS ModCom-approved independent project proposed by the scholarship recipient. Every year PS ModCom is pleased to participate in each of the school's awards ceremonies, where students receive a complimentary PS ModCom membership and packet of educational materials as part of their scholarship.

For more information about PS ModCom, please visit the website: www.PSModCom.com

Photography by Loretta Vlach