LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Ruth Pelham upon the occasion of her
retirement after 39 years of distinguished service to generations of
youth in Albany, New York, through her Music Mobile Van

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to take note of
certain extraordinary individuals who have brought entertainment and
cultural enrichment to the citizens of the great State of New York; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Ruth
Pelham upon the occasion of her retirement after 39 years of distin-
guished service to generations of youth in Albany, New York, through her
Music Mobile Van; and
WHEREAS, In 1977, musician and educator Ruth Pelham proposed an idea
to the City of Albany to increase the availability of summertime
cultural and recreational services to low-income children and families
in Albany's underserved neighborhoods; very enthusiastically, the City
of Albany embraced her idea, agreed to provide financial support, and
thus Music Mobile was born; and
WHEREAS, For almost four decades, Music Mobile has strived to promote
cooperation, empowerment, tolerance, civic responsibility, community
pride, and self-esteem by developing and presenting innovative music and
creative arts programs, and creating and disseminating educational
resource materials; having served diverse people of all ages but with a
particular focus on the education, development, and socialization of
children, Music Mobile enriched the quality of life for individuals and
communities and was a catalyst for cultural understanding and social
transformation; and
WHEREAS, In a colorful van decorated with children's drawings, the
Music Mobile traveled to parks, playgrounds, street corners and public
housing sites to engage children in interactive programs which fostered
cooperation, self-esteem, neighborhood pride, appreciation of multi-cul-
tural diversity, and learning; activities included group singing, song-
writing, instrument building from recycled materials, cooperative games,
and creating and displaying children's artwork in local stores; and
WHEREAS, Within a year, still with sole support from the City of Alba-
ny, Music Mobile's programs expanded to include in-school and after-
school programs for elementary grade students; increasingly successful
and still growing, in 1979, Music Mobile became established as a not-
for-profit educational organization and began to receive grants and
contributions from area foundations, businesses and individuals; and
WHEREAS, In 1981, the Music Mobile expanded beyond the City of Albany
to provide statewide fee-for-service workshops, concerts and training
programs for schools, community agencies, municipal playgrounds, and
state parks; and
WHEREAS, In 1982, Music Mobile developed "Songstories," an oral histo-
ry and songwriting project for older adults in senior citizen centers
and nursing homes; the same year, Music Mobile introduced "Warmin' Up
The Winter," a concert and workshop program for adults in hospitals and
homeless shelters; and
WHEREAS, In 1985, Music Mobile began its international programs by
collaborating in a cultural exchange program with five cities in the
former Soviet Union, and then in 1986, instituted a ten year cultural
exchange program with the Havasupai Tribe located in the bottom of the
Grand Canyon; in 2002, the Music Mobile was invited to bring its
programs to Sri Lanka where Ruth Pelham participated in a month-long
Children's Rights Project by singing in villages throughout the small,
island country; and

WHEREAS, Recently, Ruth Pelham returned to Sri Lanka to represent the
Friends of Sri Lanka Fund, a grassroots tsunami relief initiative that
she founded and coordinated with two Sri Lankan friends; ultimately, the
Fund raised a significant amount; while in Sri Lanka, she sang, built
musical instruments, and made drawings with children in schools and in a
refugee camp; and
WHEREAS, Since the early days of Music Mobile, Ruth Pelham has been
presenting workshops and training programs that bring her pioneering
method of teaching and communicating to a broad spectrum of parents,
teachers, youth workers, and human service professionals; and
WHEREAS, Now after 39 years of dedicated community service, this
remarkable woman, who has brought sing-alongs, simple musical instrument
construction, merriment and a message of hope to generations of youths
at inner-city parks has decided to end the summer park program and
dissolve the Music Mobile Corporation; and
WHEREAS, In her well-deserved retirement, Ruth Pelham plans to focus
on performing as a singer-songwriter of adult ballads, organizing her
vast archive of Music Mobile memorabilia, develop school curriculums
based on participatory music, and possibly write her memoir; and
WHEREAS, Sincerely loved and greatly respected by all those with whom
she worked, Ruth Pelham will be remembered for her honesty, integrity,
keen sense of duty and ability to show a unique grasp of human problems
in her official acts; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individ-
uals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Ruth Pelham upon the occasion of her retirement after 39 years of
distinguished service to generations of youth in Albany, New York,
through her Music Mobile Van, and to wish her continued success in all
her future endeavors; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Ruth Pelham.