BETTY CUTTEN was a champion for  CLCID and interior design in California. Her work for our profession was endless and priceless.

At her service,  Assemblyman Tim Leslie read the proclamation that he requested from the Legislature for Betty's longtime community service. He also provided his own story of Betty's diligence regarding the establishment of Certified Interior Designer law. 

Following is from the © San Francisco Chronicle published on Tuesday, May 20, 2003:
URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?fi le=/chronicle/archive/2003/05/20/MNCUT TENBE11.DTL

Betty Bancroft Cutten - Whose persistent efforts over 14 years pushed the legislature to allow Certified Interior Designers to practice along side architects and other professionals in the construction industry, died yesterday in Reno of respiratory failure.

She was 77. In her volunteer position as Vice President, Legislation for the California Conference on Interior Design, Mrs. Cutten spent days at a time working with legislators; walking the halls of the State Capitol in Sacramento gathering votes. The initial measure sought became law in 1990. Now, agencies which issue building permits do accept drawings and other submissions stamped by interior designers as they would from architects, engineers, contractors and others in the building profession.

Mrs. Cutten started in interior design in 1970, forming her own business. She specialized in lighting design, working with her husband, Merritt, an electrical engineer. In 1987 they formed Cutten Associates, Lighting Design. Together, they designed and supervised the installation of complex lighting in some of the largest new homes around Lake Tahoe and in several office and retail businesses. Working with the Tahoe City Beautification Project in the late 1990s, they picked out the rustic-looking, copper colored lanterns that serve as sidewalk lights in Tahoe City.

Born Betty Baruch in Los Angeles in 1925, she was a fourth generation Californian and grew up there and in the San Francisco Bay area. She attended the Dominican Convent high school and Stanford University. She was a staff member of both the Children's Health Council in Palo Alto & the Lighthouse for the Blind in San Francisco in the 1960s. An avid horsewoman, she was for several years a member of the Los Altos Hunt. She was a volunteer at the Equestrian Venue at 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

A resident of Tahoe City since the 1970s, she served on the Alpine Springs County Water District; several years as chairperson. She is survived by her husband, Merritt E., of Tahoe City; six children and stepchildren: Merritt B. Cutten, of San Francisco, Merlene Davis, of Tacoma, Charles Cutten, of La Honda, Bill Bancroft, of Dallas, Toni Bancroft of Melbourne, Australia and Mary Robins of Menlo Park; and six grandchildren.

A Memorial Service will be held at St. Nicholas Episcopal Church in Tahoe City, CA on Saturday, May 24 at 2pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or your favorite charity.