Commemorate the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal

Oral History Fundraiser

James Brooks-Bruzzese

James Brooks-Bruzzese, a 1958 graduate of Cristobal High School and distinguished founder and artistic director of the internationally-renowned Symphony of the Americas in Ft. Lauderdale, will bring his orchestra to the University of Florida in Gainesville on August 15, 2014, for a special opening night performance to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal.

James, better known by his classmates and friends as “Jimmy,” has had an interesting and notable career leading to his current role as artistic director of the Symphony. The Panama Canal Museum, and its partner, the University of Florida, are interested in capturing Jimmy’s fascinating life story by conducting an oral history interview to add to the PCM’s growing collection of oral histories and to be used in the next two years to promote the Symphony and other commemorative events to be held at UF in 2014.

(http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=22441842&msgid=347347&act=O6OZ&c=180071&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.symphonyoftheamericas.org%2F)

An oral history requires funding of as much as $1,500, which includes travel expenses for the interviewer, transcribing, editing and preparing an audio podcast that can be accessed via the internet. Donations to help fund this intriguing oral history are now being sought and can be made to the Panama Canal Museum for the “Jimmy Brooks Oral History Fund.”

Donations of any amount will be gratefully accepted and the names of all donors to this worthy project will be forwarded to Jimmy for his information, and we will maintain a list of donors in future eMusings. Look for your name!

We hope as all our members receive word of this project, the additional donations will put us over the top in our efforts to reach $1,500. An amount over $1,500 will enable us to have done some of the additional work required in making available to the public other Panama Canal-related oral history interviews that have already been conducted.

Checks may be mailed to the museum or you can donate online here: 

DONATE

Please note your donation is for the James Brooks-Bruzzese Oral History Fund.