By Nan Hogg
Friends and colleagues of Ella Pauls gathered at River Run Centre on January 25 to honour her contributions to the cultural life of Guelph and wish her all the best in her retirement. Staff and members of Guelph Arts Council were among those on hand to thank her for her support over many years.
Ella’s connection with Guelph Arts Council goes back to the late 1980’s, first as a volunteer in the GAC office. In the fall of 1989, she took on a staff position in the River Run Fundraising office, which GAC was managing in fulfillment of one of its founding objectives of helping to bring a performing arts centre to Guelph.
Two years later, she joined the staff of Guelph Arts Council where she spent the next six years helping many local artists and arts organizations and becoming very familiar with the arts scene in Guelph.
In 1997 she was ‘loaned’ to River Run Centre and then hired as that venue’s Supervisor of Development and Communications in time for the grand opening later that same year. She concluded her career in another new civic building, Guelph City Hall, as the Manager of Cultural Development for the Department of Culture and Tourism.
Those of us at Guelph Arts Council will especially miss her wise input as an ex officio member of our board of directors. Her wide knowledge of the Guelph arts community and her ability to ‘see the big picture’ were invaluable. Any time Ella started a sentence with “Have you thought about…” we knew that we should pay careful attention.
Ella, your friends at the GAC wish you much happiness and some great adventures in the years ahead.
