Darling Foundation Pledges $250,000 to King Hall Renovation
The Hugh and Hazel Darling Foundation has pledged $250,000 to support the restoration phase of the King Hall Expansion and Renovation Project. In gratitude, UC Davis School of Law will name the renovated lounge of the Mabie Law Library the Hugh and Hazel Darling Lounge, pending routine university approval.
"This is wonderful news for everyone at King Hall and for the entire Sacramento-area legal community, for whom the Mabie Law Library serves as an invaluable resource," said Dean Kevin R. Johnson. "We are extremely grateful to Trustee Richard L. Stack and the Darling Foundation for their ongoing commitment to legal education, and we look forward to a long partnership."
Hugh G. Darling practiced law for a remarkable 58 years in the Los Angeles area and was profoundly influential in the legal community there and in the development of commercial aviation nationwide. He served as attorney, general counsel, and director of Western Airlines, and held several other positions including president of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and mayor of Beverly Hills. Darling was devoted to upholding the highest ideals of the legal profession and to legal education, lecturing at UCLA School of Law and serving as advisor to the school's moot court teams.
Following his death in 1986, his wife of 49 years, Hazel Darling, created a trust that would establish the Hugh and Hazel Darling Foundation to honor his memory through the continued support of education. Under the leadership of Trustee Richard L. Stack, the foundation has been instrumental in promoting legal education and public understanding of the legal system in California through support including a leadership gift to the Hugh and Hazel Darling Law Library at UCLA.
The Darling Foundation continues this legacy with Trustee Stack's commitment of $250,000 to the King Hall Expansion and Renovation project, a $30 million effort to expand and update the Law School's Martin Luther King, Jr. Hall. Currently in its construction phase, the building's new east wing is rapidly taking shape and scheduled for occupation in May 2010. When the expansion is completed, the existing building will be renovated to enhance accessibility, accommodate new technologies, and improve aesthetics. The Law School is engaged in a campaign to raise a total of $8 million in private support for the building project, and is currently working to bring in roughly $3 million in order to realize the full potential of the renovation.