Baskets for Books:
Tarkanian family kicks off new Madden Library benefit

Down on center court, George Tarkanian (left), presents Dr. Michael Gorman, dean of the Henry Madden Library, with a check for $5,000.

During half-time ceremonies at the Fresno State-Florida Atlantic basketball game, George Tarkanian, son of Coach Jerry Tarkanian and Lois Tarkanian, presented a check for $5,000 from his family to Dean Michael Gorman of the Henry Madden Library. In 1998, the library was the beneficiary of a $100,000 gift from the Tarkanians to establish the Jerry and Lois Tarkanian Book Fund, which is used to buy books for the library. The $5,000 additional gift kicks off a fund-raising program called Baskets for Books, which will ensure that the Tarkanian Book Fund is never depleted.

The program asks an individual or corporate sponsor to pledge a dollar amount to the Baskets for Books program for every point the Bulldogs score during the season. At the end of the season, the sponsor donates the total amount pledged to the Tarkanian Book Fund in the Madden Library. Fresno State alumna Shirley Blakeley Shifflett and S & A Manufacturing of Livingston are the first individual and corporate sponsors.

As manager of grower relations for The Wine Group, Stan Gajarian is an avid Bulldog fan and sponsor of Baskets for Books.