Disabled Center Takes Benefactor’s Name

Paul Weston spent so much time helping the people at a Woodland Hills center for the disabled that they decided to name the place after him.

Last week, the Crippled Children’s Society of Southern California formally dedicated its Winnetka Avenue site in memory of the benefactor and renamed it the Paul Weston Center.

“It was a very special day for the Weston group,” Jo Weston said of the dedication event in memory of her husband.

A noted composer, conductor and arranger of music for motion pictures and television, Weston spent most of his free time helping the society of which he once served as president and member of the board of trustees.

Marilyn Graves, president of the agency, said the society had wanted to honor Weston for his work even before his death in 1996.

“The man helped make the society a family,” Graves said. “We all loved him, and he truly loved the society.”

Weston said that although her husband visited all of the society’s centers in Southern California, the Woodland Hills location was his favorite.

“He had a special connection to it,” she said. “This would have made him very happy.”

The society, which has been active in the Valley since 1950, was founded in Los Angeles in 1926.

The Weston center offers a wide variety of programs, including a full vocational training workshop, day care, therapeutic recreational programs, counseling and summer day camp.

Although Weston spent much of his time running the society and helping to create programs, Graves said she best remembers him for the way he interacted with the people there.

“Every time we had a special event, he was playing the piano, he was making everyone smile,” Graves said.