Tocker.org
Title
The Tocker Foundation - Library Assistance
Description
About The Tocker Foundation
The Tocker Foundation was established in 1964 to implement the philanthropic interests of Phillip and Olive Tocker. Phillip Tocker was a practicing attorney, but changed careers in his later years by purchasing the Waco outdoor advertising plant and later expanding to own outdoor advertising plants throughout the United States. His vocational career culminated to the position of President of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. After retiring to Austin Texas in 1973, Phillip and Olive Tocker actively pursued their avocations. Phillip and Olive Tocker endowed the foundation with their estates in 1994 and 1993 respectively.
In 1992 the foundation board decided to focus grant distribution to small rural libraries in Texas serving a population of 12,000 or less. The direction is to assist libraries in making services more accessible to individuals who by reason of distance, residence, handicap, age, literacy level or other disadvantage are unable to receive the benefits of public library services. Grants are distributed to assisting libraries to serve as community information referral centers and provide literacy and bilingual programs. The foundation partners with community libraries to meet the particular needs of the community.
The foundation board members are Robert Tocker (Chairman), Barbara Tocker, Mel Kunze, Brooke Sheldon, Terry Tocker and Darryl Tocker (Executive Director). Grant applications are evaluated by a permanent committee of the Texas Library Association. Over the past years the board members have seen inroads made towards library automation, reference volumes reduced to laser disks, construction of facilities and expansion of services. Grants have been extended for outreach and "shut - in" programs, library automation, enhancement of services, adult reading classes, after school projects, bilingual material and many other projects initiated by the community public library. We look forward to serving in this direction for many years.
