2007 Beatty Award Winner
Celeste Davidson Mannis will be honored with the 2007 John and Patricia Beatty Award for her book Julia Morgan Built a Castle (Viking, 2006). The Beatty Award is an award given to the children's or young adult book that best represents California, its people, culture, and history.
Many people may not know who Julia Morgan was, but if they looked at the architecture of California, they would see her designs in more than 800 buildings including Hearst Castle in San Simeon. Growing up in Oakland and the bay area, Julia Morgan dreamt of becoming an architect during a time when women were not in the profession. Not letting this stand in her way, Julia persisted and became the first woman to study and receive a certificate at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Upon her return to San Francisco, she opened a studio and became California's first licensed woman architect, designing buildings that withstood the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. For more than forty-five years Julia Morgan designed and constructed distinct homes, churches, YWCA buildings, and of course, the opulent Hearst Castle. Julia Morgan is an important figure in California's rich history.
The John and Patricia Beatty Award, established in 1987 by Patricia Beatty, has been given annually since 1989. Since 1999, BWI Books has co-sponsored the award with the California Library Association. The winning author receives an engraved plaque, along with a prize of $500, which is presented at the annual CLA Conference's Beatty Award Breakfast. Ms. Mannis will be present to receive the award at the October 28 Beatty Breakfast. The 2007 Beatty Award Committee consists of: JoAnn Bauer of Humboldt County Library, chair Lisa Buckley of Fresno County Public Library, Karen Holt of Roseville Public Library, Kristyne Hrdina-Moulton of Thousand Oaks Public Library, and Wendy Westgate of Los Angeles Public Library.