Flora L. Thornton
Flora L. Thornton | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 1, 1913 |
| Died | May 7, 2010 |
| Education | Texas Tech University |
| Occupation(s) | Broadway actress, philanthropist |
| Spouse(s) | Tex Thornton Eric Small |
| Parent(s) | Charles W. Laney Effie M. (Smith) Laney |
Flora Laney Thornton (November 1, 1913 – May 7, 2010) was an American Broadway actress and philanthropist from Los Angeles, California.
Biography
Early life
Flora Laney was born on November 1, 1913 in Independence, Kansas.[1] She was the daughter of Charles W. and Effie M. (Smith) Laney. She moved with her family to Fort Worth, Texas, where she attended Texas Tech University. She majored in nutrition and clothing design. She later moved to New York to study voice.
Career
She appeared in two Broadway musicals, May Wine and White Horse Inn.
Philanthropy
She served on the board of regents of Pepperdine University. She also served a seven year term at the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board. She supported the University of Southern California School of Music, the USC/Norris comprehensive cancer center, and the Library Foundation of Los Angeles. Following Flora's contribution of $25 million to the School of Music in 1999, the USC Board of Trustees renamed the School of Music to USC Thornton School of Music.[2] She also donated to the Keck School of Medicine of USC,[3] Pepperdine University,[4] the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Los Angeles Music Center, and the Los Angeles Opera.[5]
Her support to the Los Angeles Opera made her a life trustee and Founding Angel in 1989. With her support and assistance, she partnered up with Plácido Domingo, the company's general director, to establish the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program. Thornton's main objective was to identify young talented artist and encourage them to maximize their potential. She stated, “They were the future of opera”.[6] Thornton also served nine years being apart of the board of Santa Fe Opera. Her contribution has help organized a scholarship fund to the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara.
She established the Flora L. Thornton Foundation.[7] This foundation serves to assist and support philanthropic programs which help to make local-world communities a better place to live. With her second husband, she supported the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Programs, which led to the establishment of the Eric Small Centers for Optimal Living (for people with Multiple Sclerosis and similar disease)
Personal life
She married her first husband, Tex Thornton, in 1937. They were married for forty-four years until his death in 1981. She remarried in 2005 to Eric Small.
Death
She died inside her home in Holmby Hills on May 7, 2010. She died of pulmonary disease. Her service was held at All Saints Church in Beverly Hills, California.
References
- ^ McLellan, Dennis (8 May 2010). "Flora Thornton, L.A. philanthropist and arts patron, dies at 96". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Music’s Munificent Muse
- ^ Flora L. Thornton focuses public awareness on the power of preventive medicine and nutrition
- ^ Across the Board: Profiling Our Women Regents
- ^ LA Opera Board of Directors
- ^ http://www.latimes.com/obituaries/la-me-flora-thornton-20100508,0,6182450,full.story#axzz2xqhHD1b9
- ^ Flora L. Thornton Foundation