PROCLAMATION
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
WHEREAS, Eleanor Jessie Neil, born in Los Angeles, California, met Francis Ford Coppola, born in Detroit, Michigan, on the set of a horror film called Dementia 13 in 1962; and
WHEREAS, undaunted by the inauspicious title and plot of the movie, Eleanor and Francis came together in marriage on February 2, 1963, thereby joining the faltering industrial spirit of the auto capital to the still dynamic soul of Hollywood; and
WHEREAS, both Eleanor and Francis were born of creative parents, one of print, the other of sound, engendering what would become an enduring fusion of differing artistic skills and sentiment; and
WHEREAS, Francis overcame early adversity in the form of polio by mastering the art of puppetry in his sickbed; and
WHEREAS, Eleanor experienced her own difficulties, having been raised by her mother after her father’s death when she was only ten; and
WHEREAS, both Eleanor and Francis have made unique and lasting contributions to art and film, achieving uncommon fame and recognition; and
WHEREAS, both have extended their creativity beyond mere film into publishing, wine, food, and hospitality, making the Coppola name synonymous with elegance and the very best of California; and
WHEREAS, in many and divers ways, Eleanor and Francis exemplify the zest, imagination and sheer staying power for which the Golden State is justly renowned;
NOW THEREFORE I, EDMUND G. BROWN JR., Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim February 2, 2013, as “Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola Day.”
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 2nd day of February 2013.
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EDMUND G. BROWN
Governor of California
ATTEST:
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Debra Bowen
Secretary of State