Symphony Event to Include People With Newspaper Feature Ties

By: Dave Astor An April 14 "Symphony Soiree" in Greenwich, Conn., will have several attendees with syndication connections. One of them is event co-chair Corinta Kotula, who was executive director of the now-defunct Newspaper Features Council (NFC).

This year's Greenwich Symphony Orchestra (GSO) soiree honoree is Jerry Dumas, whose credits include writing a column for the Greenwich Time newspaper, doing the "Sam and Silo" comic for King Features Syndicate, and contributing gags to the King-distributed "Beetle Bailey" comic.

"Beetle Bailey" creator Mort Walker and his wife, former NFC executive director Catherine Walker, are also expected to attend on April 14. Kotula said one item available at the event's silent auction will be a "Beetle Bailey" poster signed by Mort Walker, who'll be available to pose for a photo with the buyer.

Catherine Walker was Kotula's immediate predecessor at the NFC -- an organization of editors, syndicate executives, cartoonists, and columnists that began as the Newspaper Comics Council in 1955. It ended operations in 2002.

Kotula, a former singer, has been involved with the GSO since the 1970s. She's currently a vice president and co-chair of corporate funding on the GSO board.

The annual GSO soiree raises money for things like the free "Young People's Concerts" for schoolchildren in grades two through seven.