LETTER – The Arts in OC
Regarding the securities suit filed against Broadcom Corp. and its founders by a group of plaintiffs that include members of the Orange County Performing Arts Center:
My heart goes out to the two Henrys (Henry Nicholas and Henry Samueli) because I know how I would feel if it happened to me. The Orange County community is blessed to have Broadcom and these two business leaders as part of our community. They have both been so very generous to so many non-profit groups in the county, including the Performing Arts Center, SCR, UCI, Chapman University, Mind Institute and Orangewood, just to name a few. They are role models for other business leaders in the way they support the community.
Relative to the other players, who are all strong supporters of the OC community as well, I’m personally (one man’s opinion) disappointed with their approach. But, having said that, good friends can disagree and still be good friends and work with one another. Most importantly, I respect their rights as citizens to pursue their legal claims. That’s what’s great about living in America and our democratic system.
But, when it’s all said and done, the Performing Arts Center isn’t about any one individual, board member or person like myself. We don’t really matter that much in the long run as we only carry the torch for a very short time. It’s about the institution itself and the vision it has for the future of the arts in OC and helping to create, along with SCR and others, the finest theater center of its type in the world,something that will last the test of time and represent a legacy for decades to come as part of the OC community.
That’s what I’m going to focus on and work very hard to help make a reality!
Paul Folino
(Folino is president and CEO of Emulex Corp. and chairman designate of the OC Performing Arts Center.)
