The Judy Lopez Memorial Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit public benefit corporation (501(c)(3) entity) founded in 1985 and registered with the State of California. Current board members are Joan and Jeff Slottow, Lou Carter Keay and Coco Lopez Anagnostakis.
- We would like to acknowledge the work of the individuals who made the Judy Lopez Memorial Foundation and the award possible. Here is a list of the founders of the Foundation and the past and present board members. Without their work, the award would not have been possible.
- We would also like to acknowledge and thank our award co-sponsors, the Women’s National Book Association, Los Angeles Chapter and especially their book award committee headed by Margaret Byron Flanders. It is this committee which selects the winning books and puts on the awards dinner.
- Judy Lopez Memorial Foundation tax return.
History of the Foundation and of the Award
Lou Carter Keay Remembers:
“When we heard that Judy had passed away, I was president of the WNBA/LA. I telephoned Desda Slottow and Ralph answered the phone. I told him that WNBA/LA wanted to send a memorial gift and asked him what charity the family preferred. He told me that the family was discussing a memorial that they would set up as a foundation, and that he would get back to me. He phoned me later and asked that we meet at a hotel on Sunset Blvd. west of the 405.
We met in the bar and he and Desda outlined their early plans for a foundation to be set up to establish prizes for children’s literature in Judy’s name.
They asked if I would serve on their board. I went back to the WNBA/LA board of directors and we voted to support the Judy Lopez Memorial Foundation by promoting it and furnishing public relations assistance for the awards as our contribution.
The first awards program was held at the library of the elementary school on the UCLA campus. We sat in tiny children’s chairs, listened to a harpist. We had a wonderful selections committee to jury the books, and Ami Kirby headed it up.”
Ami Kirby Remembers:
“One afternoon in 1985 Desda came into the children’s department, introduced herself, and spoke about Judy, her recent death, and her (Desda’s) desire to set up a children’s literature award in her name. She told me that she was in contact with Lou, who was the WNBA/LA president at the time, and that Lou had expressed interest in the project.
At that time in my career I was intensely involved in children’s literature and was interested in discussing and evaluating literary merits of the literature. So Desda found me at the right moment — full of energy and eager to pursue my interest in searching out the best in the literature.
So I agreed to join the WNBA and start the project. I put together a selection committee of children’s librarians I knew, several of whom were on my staff. Unfortunately I cannot remember all their names. Some of those early selection committee members were Terrie Dorio, Ginny Griffith, Judy Kantor, Mary Purucker, Ellen Braby, Kay McDonald and Rita Lipkis.”