A dedication was held at Daruma of Tokyo Restaurant recently to unveil the plaque standing beside the mural "A Handful of Keys." The donors who provided the funds to embark on this undertaking were invited to attend the ceremony and each donor received beautifully engraved and framed certificates thanking them for their generous contributions.

Mayor Jean Celender presided over the ceremony with Olympic Gold Medal Ice Skating Champion and Honorary Chairperson Sarah Hughes, by her side handing out the certificates. Said Mayor Celender, "To create this beautiful artwork took the work of many people. I thank my board of trustees for their assistance, guidance and patience over the past two years. The artist we commissioned, William M. Cochran of Maryland, was chosen from an exhaustive search of muralists around the country, because of his experience, talent and ability to produce the quality of artwork deserving of Great Neck. The funds for this project were to be raised entirely through private and corporate donations. To assist me towards that goal, we formed a Public Arts Advisory Group, and selected Sarah Hughes as the honorary chairperson."

The Great Neck Arts Center was instrumental in providing children who attended the GNAC as models for the artist, and also allowed William Cochran to use their premises for many hours of interviewing prospective models, and then hours upon hours of posing for pictures. Regina Gil, the executive director of GNAC and her entire staff helped create the environment for the artist's creative juices to flow freely. "When the idea of using Sarah Hughes' image in the mural, Sarah's family worked with William and me to select the proper image to use. We had great fun going over old photographs of Sarah as a child," said Mayor Celender.

After welcoming remarks from Mayor Jean Celender the assemblage was treated to a most wonderful tribute performance by two members of the Children's Orchestra Society, introduced by Dr. Karen Beluso. The very talented musicians were Miyuki Miyagi, violinist and Brett Baskin, cellist. After presenting the certificates of appreciation to the donors, everyone went outside to view the actual unveiling of the permanent plaque.

Thanks go to Yoshi Hirashima, proprietor of Daruma Restaurant for the wonderful refreshments and the use of his party room.