2008 Woodie Awards
Sanford remembered with minority grant
Jeff Reinhardt
Issue date: 10/7/04 Section: News
Long-Time Emerson supporter Isabel Sanford, who died this July at the age of 86, will be remembered through a scholarship that will help minority students "move on up" to a semester at the college's Los Angeles Center.
Sanford was best known for her roll as "Weezy" in the 1970s and 1980s sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons." She was the first African American woman to win an Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy Series in 1981 for her famed character. She became a friend of the college through her connections with alumnus Norman Lear, creator of "The Jeffersons."
Her manager, Brad Lemack, is also an Emerson grad.
Sanford received an honorary degree at the Class of 1985 Commencement where she gave the keynote speech.
The scholarship, which will reward its recipients with a minimum of $500 for a semester, will be given to "a minimum of two students," according to Assistant Director of External Programs, David Griffin.
Students will be selected according to financial need. There are a total of about 100 Emerson students who go to LA every semester and out of those, Griffin estimated that roughly one to five percent of them are of color.
While the announcement comes shortly after Sanford's death, Griffin said that the scholarship will not be given out until sufficient funds have been raised to sustain the scholarship for the long-term.
Lemack, who is now a faculty member in the LA program, is in charge of this fundraising.
"My goal is to be able to create an annual event in Los Angeles to raise funds for the scholarship, although what kind of an event this will shape up to be is still in the discussion and brainstorming phases," Lemack said. "I would like to see the scholarship be sufficiently funded so that funds can be awarded as early as next year."
The first donation for the scholarship was made by Denny's Restaurant.
Sanford was born August 29, 1917 in New York City. She acted on Broadway for over thirty years until she got her big break in movies.
In 1967, Sanford starred as Matilda 'Tillie" Banks, in the hit "Guess Who's Coming Dinner." She then went on to star in other movies, but her most well known role was on television as "Weezy."
Sanford was best known for her roll as "Weezy" in the 1970s and 1980s sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons." She was the first African American woman to win an Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy Series in 1981 for her famed character. She became a friend of the college through her connections with alumnus Norman Lear, creator of "The Jeffersons."
Her manager, Brad Lemack, is also an Emerson grad.
Sanford received an honorary degree at the Class of 1985 Commencement where she gave the keynote speech.
The scholarship, which will reward its recipients with a minimum of $500 for a semester, will be given to "a minimum of two students," according to Assistant Director of External Programs, David Griffin.
Students will be selected according to financial need. There are a total of about 100 Emerson students who go to LA every semester and out of those, Griffin estimated that roughly one to five percent of them are of color.
While the announcement comes shortly after Sanford's death, Griffin said that the scholarship will not be given out until sufficient funds have been raised to sustain the scholarship for the long-term.
Lemack, who is now a faculty member in the LA program, is in charge of this fundraising.
"My goal is to be able to create an annual event in Los Angeles to raise funds for the scholarship, although what kind of an event this will shape up to be is still in the discussion and brainstorming phases," Lemack said. "I would like to see the scholarship be sufficiently funded so that funds can be awarded as early as next year."
The first donation for the scholarship was made by Denny's Restaurant.
Sanford was born August 29, 1917 in New York City. She acted on Broadway for over thirty years until she got her big break in movies.
In 1967, Sanford starred as Matilda 'Tillie" Banks, in the hit "Guess Who's Coming Dinner." She then went on to star in other movies, but her most well known role was on television as "Weezy."