Local people have given back to the county
By L. BROOKS PATTERSON, Oakland County executive
The Oakland Press (Sept. 26, 2010)—Even in the darkness of economic distress, there are those among us who step forward to brighten our world by enhancing the quality of life for their fellow citizens.
That certainly applies to the four outstanding individuals who will be honored at my 18th Annual Quality People, Quality County Awards Breakfast in the Centerpointe Marriott on Tuesday, Sept. 28.
Albert Scaglione, president and owner of Park West Gallery in Southfield, learned the value of a dollar at the age of 8 working Saturdays on his father’s scrap metal truck in Nutley, N.J. When he turned 16, Scaglione jumped down off his dad’s truck and into a job at a cousin’s art gallery where he learned the techniques of stretching and varnishing canvasses and framing works of art.
After receiving his doctorate in mechanical engineering, Scaglione landed a job with NASA. When the government canceled the project on which he had been working, he re-entered the art world. His Park West Gallery on Northwestern Highway has served more than 1.3 million customers over the past 41 years.
The gallery has prospered and so have the individuals and organizations Scaglione and his family have taken under their wing. The Park West Foundation, which he founded, has been a source of support for young women forced to leave the foster care system at the age of 18. Park West Gallery also donates art to charitable groups, opens the gallery to 501(c)(3) charities for fundraisers and has made available about $1.5 million worth of clothing to those in need. Scaglione has what might be called an “Art with a Heart” perspective on life, which has given him the joy and satisfaction of being able to give back to his community by helping to improve the quality of life for others…
Read the full article here [pdf]
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