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hilary geary ross from her new book with harry benson
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First Offering East 73rd off Park Avenue. Grand, sunflooded, 21 foot wide, 6 floor single-family with elevator, garden, terrace, fireplaces & original details. 10,000+square feet. Owner currently uses the first 2 floors for medical practice that has exam rms & certified operating rm. $19.9M. Web #1228398. K.Henckels 212-452-4402/T.Desmond 212-452-4380
Five Bedroom at the Chatham. One-of-a-kind 5 bedroom plus large playroom. Sparkling open city views from the 19th floor at 181 East 65th Street. There is a corner living room, formal dining room, eat-in kitchen & luxurious private master bedroom suite. Equinox gym included. $8.3M. Web #1221650. Alexa Lambert 212-452-4408
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Sherry Netherland Glorious 5 Room Apt. Fifth Ave. Exceptional property with soaring ceilings & magnificent views of Central Park. 33 ft LR & MBR with ensuite bath face Central Park. 2nd BR/library adjacent to formal DR. Kitch, 2nd bath & laundry area. Twice daily maid service, room service on request. $4.9M. Web #1278189. M.Grau 212-452-4361
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Essex House. Central Park South. One of the world’s most prestigious hotels & residences. Recently renovated, high floor, 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath home makes the perfect pied-a-terre or full-time residence. New windows, coffered ceilings, wide-plank herringbone floors, W/D & central AC. Five star services. $2.95M. Web #1261275. M.Cashman 646-613-2616
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134
CONTENTS The Holiday I ssue 106 we build this city Our columnists Harry Benson and Hilary Geary Ross’s new book, New York, New York.
by
Georgina Schaeffer
118 mixed nuts Taking in the city’s many productions of The Nutcracker,
124
with costume illustrations from ABT.
whatever lola wants
by
Christian Chensvold
Both young and beautiful, Lola Astanova makes
her Carnegie Hall debut this January.
by
Nancy Ellison
128 yuletide callings A new book about Christmas cards traces the
history of America’s favorite seasonal greetings.
by
D aniel C appello
134 WINTER DREAMS Generations of love and sport with the ski brand Gorsuch. Arianne Berger and Camilla Bradley
by
138
tidings of great joy
142
among giants
A visit to the Angel Tree.
by
Georgina Schaeffer
Cheering on the New York Giants. Go Blue!
by
Audax
118
90
72
CONTENTS C olumns 20
90
Social Diary
68 72
74
80 90 152 78
Champagne-filled chronicles of the social scene.
Social Calendar
by
D avid Patrick Columbia
Our guide to the best benefits and balls, from New York to Palm Beach.
HARRY BENSON
Remembering a special Christmas for Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
observations
Reflections on the French Riviera then and now.
Quest archives corinthus Gift Guide
by
Taki Theodoracopulos
New York has always been a Christmas kind of town, right Santa?
Our columnist reviews Searching for Beauty: The Life of Millicent Rogers.
Our annual guide to the best gifts for giving and receiving.
What the Chairs Wear
by
Daniel Cappello
Getting dressed for City Ballet’s The Nutcracker. by Karen Klopp
154 Appearances Our Society Editor makes all the stops of the season. by Hilary Geary 156
young & the guest list
160
snapshot
Partying with the junior set.
by
E lizabeth Q uinn B rown
The story behind the beloved New Year’s Eve song. by Georgina Schaeffer
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editor’s letter
From left: Hilary Geary Ross and Harry Benson, whose new book New York, New York is our cover story; Michael J. Fox performs "Johnny B. Goode" at his foundation dinner for Parkinson’s disease research; Santa Claus, just one of the many Christmas traditions that began right here in New York City.
a few weeks ago I went to the Michael J. Fox Parkinson’s
Research Foundation dinner. When Fox got up to speak, his face frozen, his tremors pronounced, all I could see was his courage. Later in the program, Fox got out on stage and performed “Johnny B. Goode,” a song made famous for my generation from his role as Marty McFly in the movie Back to the Future. On the way home that evening, I thought about how, in the end, we are all measured not by what we get in this world, but by what we give. Hope, inspiration, laughter, and joy are gifts we can all give to one another each and every day, but there is no time like Christmas to truly be able to celebrate them. To be sure, this issue is filled with Christmas stories: many of them with their own New York twist. I’ve always believed there was no better place in the world to celebrate the season than New York, but you’ll learn why in this issue. First, Christian Chensvold pens a story on various Nutcracker performances going on in the city. But did you know that it was our own City Ballet who made this once-obscure Balanchine production a Christmas tradition? Similarly, in our “Quest Archives” section you’ll read about how Santa Claus and the Christmas season began here with Washington Irving’s History of New York. (Prior to the 1800s, New Year’s Day had been the favored celebration for gift-giving among polite society.) On the topic of New Year’s, flip to our back page and you’ll find out how “Auld Lange Syne” became a New Year’s Eve standard when Guy Lombardo & His Orchestra performed it at the Roosevelt Hotel in 1929, right here in our own town. There is certainly no city like New York, which brings me to the heart of our cover story. Harry Benson and Hilary Geary Ross’s new book, New York, New York, celebrates the city’s denizens at work and play. In page after page the book reveals New Yorkers from all walks of life, past and present. Harry’s lens provides the narrative, while Hilary’s captions provide the detail in this unique collaboration of two longtime Quest columnists. Additionally, many of our columnists appear as subjects in the book, including Taki Theodoracopulos (at play 18 QUEST
in his bathrobe), and David Patrick Columbia (at work for New York Social Diary). David and Taki both have a dedicated following of readers, in our pages and beyond. David’s thoughtful and insightful obituary of Evelyn Lauder in this issue illustrates not only how our lives are measured by what we give, but also reminds me how lucky we are to have David’s widely-followed contributions. Indeed, we are lucky to have all our contributors. This issue, we welcome back Eddie Ulmann with a Corinthus column on Millicent Rogers and James MacGuire (a.k.a. Audax) writes about his family tradition of watching Giants football. Family arises as a theme in the stories this issue, from the multigenerational ski brand Gorsuch to the ladies responsible for the Angel Tree at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I’ve often said that our team at Quest operates much like a family. We’re a small group and we’re very close. We squabble sometimes, but there is a lot of love and friendship for each other. So, from our house to yours, we wish you all the happiness and joy of the season. u
Georgina Schaeffer
on the cover: Hilary Geary Ross, as photographed on Park Avenue by Harry Benson, from their new collaborative book, New York, New York. Hilary is wearing a dress by Oscar de la Renta, shoes by Manolo Blahnik, earrings and a solitaire ring by Graff, a zip necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels, and a Cartier timepiece.
Some Holidays Are Unforgettable
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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A
David Patrick Columbia
NEW YORK SO C IAL DIARY Calendar of the month
just passed in a flash. People often ask, with the state of the economy in mind, “Are things slowing down in New York?” Answer: not so’s you’d notice. November came in on the heels of an incredible snowstorm. In Central Park a thousand trees were lost
overnight. The heavy wet snow (all 2.9 inches of it) stuck to the still-green leaves of the trees and in many cases brought down the branches, if not the whole tree. Our neighbors in Connecticut got 18 to 24 inches, while thousands lost electricity for more than a week.
That same week Morley Safer interviewed Ruth Madoff and her son Andrew on 60 Minutes. I didn’t see it, but heard very little sympathy expressed for the lady afterwards (many tend to believe she knew what her husband was up to). I did hear some clips, however,
and to these ears it was the voice of a woman whose life is ruined—doubly painful because of the suicide of her son Mark. The word that came up several times from her was “unimaginable,” and it remains just that: unimaginable in terms of her loss of family and life and the thousands
t h e n e w yo r k l a n d m a r k s c o n s e r va n c y g a l a at t h e p l a z a h ot e l
Joy and Regis Philbin 20 QUEST
Angela Lansbury
Mary McFadden and Peg Breen
Danny and Audrey Meyer
Katie Couric and Liz Smith
Lewis Cullman and Louise Hirschfeld
b i lly fa r r e ll a g e n c y; pat r i c k m c m u ll a n
John and Carole French
1 0 4 0 M a d i s o n av e . , at 7 9 th s t. 4 8 4 B r o a d way, s o h o t h e s h o p s at C o l u M B u s C i r C l e the liquor store, triBeCa a n d j Cr e w.Co M
D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A THE A s p e n i n s t i t u t e a w a r d e d t h e j o h n p . m c n u l t y p r i z e a t t h e m e t r o p o l i t a n c l u b
Rosa Scarcelli and Margot Pritzker
of people whose lives were shattered, though those I know who suffered great financial losses have picked up the pieces and moved on. But for Ruth Madoff there will be none of that, ever. The question remains: Why did her husband do it? When asked, Ruth Madoff considered Bernie’s family background, his father’s failed business, and a son’s desire to best it. Although the ultimate answer, which includes the greater number, is the same: greed, the enemy of the people. People, people, New York is people. That same night over at The Plaza, the New York Landmarks Conservancy 22 QUEST
Jessica and Elliot Gerson
John O’Hara, Matt Donahoe and Theresa Welsh
hosted its 18th annual Living Landmarks Gala. This year’s honorees were Lewis Cullman, David Dinkins, Louise Kerz Hirschfeld, Angela Lansbury, Danny Meyer, and Regis Philbin. The irrepressible Liz Smith did the honors of emceeing. Rex Reed introduced Angela Lansbury, who he first met in 1958 when he was a college student in Louisiana and she was on location shooting The Long Hot Summer with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Ms. Lansbury is everything Rex said she is, and everything you might think she is from the character she played on
Walter Isaacson and Anne McNulty
Bonnie McCloskey and Paul Anderson
Ann and Edward Hudson with Mercedes Bass
“Murder She Wrote.” She also has a niceness about her: a pleasant, bright, and kind niceness. A lady, you might say, in the old sense of the word. But no prude, and no vulgararian either. Dignified yet gentle, soft and gracious. She told us how she’d come here in 1940 with her mother and twin brothers, one of whom, Edgar, was at her table that night. They had escaped the German blitzkrieg over England. Ms. Landsbury was 14 when her family arrived in New York, and she saw Broadway—the “Great White Way”—on her first night here. They stayed a block away at the Algonquin,
by then a mecca on 44th Street for the New York literary and theater crowd. The young Angela fell in love with the theater right then and there. She concluded this recollection by saying that she had played in every Broadway house in her long career and loved all of them. And now when she goes to the theater and enters the lobby people always say, “Oh, there goes Jessica Fletcher,” the role she made famous on TV. There are no regrets from the star of Sweeney Todd, Mame, Gypsy, and many other films. After her husband of 53 years died, she decided to move back to New York. Now
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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A she’s out among us all, and so glad to be here in the city that never sleeps. It was a really great evening. A formula really, and an entertainment also. The atmosphere, black tie though it is, is very almost “down home.” You get the feeling of a New York that is still a small town. Peter Duchin and his orchestra with his incomparable vocalist
on the electric guitar, Roberta Fabiano, played. Many people danced. It was like being in a room filled with a lot of friends, even if you knew none of them, because that was the vibe coming from the stage, the great New York music, the honorees, the presenters and that incomparable Texas girl Ms. Smith, who, like Angela Lansbury, traveled
from the west to the same spot on the “Great White Way” and became a New Yorker. It happens all the time, and these women are prime example of New York’s possibilities. Two nights later, I went down to Cipriani 42nd Street to the cocktail reception before the dinner at the Silver Hill Gala. This is not the first annual gala, maybe not the
second, either. As modern philanthropy goes, this is an interesting situation. Silver Hill is a distinguished, private mental health facility. These words would not have been used to describe it 50 years ago. Fifty years ago Silver Hill was known as a private sanitarium for the rich. People went there to dry out— the popular euphemism for
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quitting drinking. Many had those other problems too— namely sex and drugs. Others were just exhausted from living high and hard, or down and out. Truman Capote was a patient there, and people went there more than once or twice. Vincent Astor went there to dry out and coincidentally first met Brooke Marshall, who just happened to be volunteering there at the time. He never 26 QUEST
Lauren Santo Domingo
entirely recovered, Vincent— or dried out. Silver Hill is a new charity in the New York calendar. Starting a new charity is not easy: you can always get something going, but being successful and hiring a hall like Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City requires a lot of work and social networking forces. The honorary chairs for this
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Seth Meyers and Alexi Ashe
evening, for example, were Dennis Basso and Michael Cominotto. Honorary chairs are not there to make nice. They are there give that charity that extra push, to help build. Basso and Cominotto can do that. They have a large sphere of social interest. The benefit committee on the program is testimony to what part “social interest” plays in constructing a successful
Lauren Remington Platt
event. The connections run in dozens of directions. It’s two degrees of separation, max. If all communities could be like this, we’d have a good, functioning world. But we don’t. Ergo Silver Hill. This seems to be our problem. The greater number of guests were twenty- to fortysomethings. That spells future, too. It’s also the generation that has grown up
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with an entirely different point of view about mental health than the generation before. Secrets are no longer required, if you should choose. The night’s guest of honor was Carrie Fisher. I went down just to photograph her. My interest was personal and otherwise irrelevant. I don’t know Carrie, although I did have one long telephone conversation with her years ago when I was writing her mother’s autobiography. As she is on camera, or on stage, she has a lot of wit and charm that makes conversation a pleasure. 28 QUEST
She knows irony like the back of her hand. However, she is a child of Hollywood and make believe begins at birth. I spent a lot of time with her mother, Debbie Reynolds, when I was working with her on her book. I heard a lot about Carrie and Todd (her brother) as children and as grown-ups: their relationship with their mother and other relatives (grandmother, uncle, cousin, etc.), and how their mother feels about them. So I went there just to see how she was holding up, this woman whose mother’s life
Randy Frankel with Lisa and Buddy Valastro
Gina and Abraham Franklin
I had come to know. She’d evidently gone through a lot of changes in the last few years, at least in the department of weight and public image. And some kind of electroshock treatment. But she manages to turn all her “problems” into material that sells tickets. She learned that from her mother also: use it to make a living. The most recent example is her one-woman show “Wishful Drinking.” She is funny. She makes people laugh even when they’re leaving the theater. That’s talent, kid. She’s a lot
Michelle Parker
like her mother: humor, wit, and all. They live up there on that stage. They don’t live in the audience. I didn’t stay after the Red Carpet, although I was told it was a very successful evening and people loved Carrie. I never made my way over to speak to her, since I don’t really know her. It pleased me to see how well she looked, however. It pleased me for her Ma, who loves her children. One night over at Bergdorf’s there was a reception for Martha Stewart and her new book Martha’s Entertaining:
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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A A Year of Celebrations. Many in the crowd from the worlds of fashion, food, design, and media, including Clive Davis, Sirio Maccioni and his wife Egidiana, Alex von Bidder, Nichie Notar, Todd Eberle, Johnny Pigozzi, John Derian, Jeffrey Bilhuber, Cornelia Guest, Charlotte Beers, plus Bergdorf’s Linda Fargo. Pierre Schaedelin made a great selection of hors d’ouevres inspired from the book. I’m not a Martha Stewart customer, but I am a fan. I don’t watch her shows, buy her magazines, or read her books, but I’ve seen her hundreds of times over the years at gatherings here in New York and in the
Hamptons. I followed the terrible case against her in which she actually ended up going to jail and appeared to turn into a pariah (if the media had had its way, but only for a nanosecond). Although I’ve had conversations with her, I know her mainly from observation. Her accomplishments are awesome, as well as inspiring. She’s a pro on camera. The diversity of her enterprise, within the realm of her focus, is incredible, and now having hit the ripe young age of 70, she continues to do it as well and as thoroughly—even more so—than she did 30 years ago when she was first getting started. Certainty of
purpose, as Werner Ehrhard once muttered. The new book of hers is beautiful. Big, gorgeously published, and thick with dazzling photographs— especially the photographs of what she’s serving up. It’s typical Martha: the best, the most beautiful. You want everything in the picture. You want to make it. And then eat it. This book is about Martha’s life. It covers her house parties in Bedford, East Hampton, Maine—all fabulous old houses site-specific to their locations. She lives better than any rich person I know. She is obviously rich herself, but it’s what she does with it.
The estate in Seal Harbor was built by Edsel Ford for family summers. One night at a dinner I was seated next to her and brought up the house in Maine. I knew it was big, and a long ride from New York (and she has a house in East Hampton), so I asked if she used it much and if she ever had guests, because it’s a 10-hour drive from New York and not an especially convenient journey even by plane (unless you fly private, which presumably Martha herself does). Yes, she told me, she loved the house and used it often and had lots of guests. Just like in her book. Having been a houseguest many times up in
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Renée Zellweger and Patricia Wettig
Kimberly Hope, Chris Chalk, Olivia Munn and Gaye Taylor 30 QUEST
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John Hickey and Camille Hickman
Kate Fahy and Jonathan Pryce
Christine Lahti and Sting
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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A a n g e l a k u m b l e c e l e b r at e d h e r b i r t h d ay at d o u b l e s
Christine Tellefsen and Mary Kumble
that neck of the woods (and it is woods and sea with rocky shores), I asked her what she did with all her houseguests on the weekends. It’s a great place for picnics and boat rides, maybe a swim in the pool (but probably not in the very cold ocean). Read, veg. Oh, she told me, they do many things, including hiking, horseback riding, tennis, sailing, swimming, etc. All of that? Yes, every day. Every day? Every weekend. Oh yes, oh yes. It was exhausting just to hear what they do all weekend. The sailing I could go for, but that’d be about it. I’d rather read a book. Speaking of which, her 32 QUEST
Sharon Sands and John Vivenezio with Pieter and Nina Taselaar
Carol and Michael Weisman
book is a treasure for anyone who loves to cook, garden, decorate, take photographs, or even none of the above. It’s the real “living well,” and even though you might think you can’t afford it, just remember that almost all those guys and girls who make up the 1% we’re hearing so much about these days—the ones who can afford it—could never achieve it the way Martha has. Because it’s really about the imagination, not the money. And the doing. The living. It’s about that delicious little dish you made yourself from one of Martha’s recipes. On another night, over at the Mandarin Oriental, the Carter
John Loeb and Sharon Handler
Stephanie Cohen, Angela Kumble and Bob Cohen
Burden Center for the Aging celebrated its 40th Anniversary with a gala called “Change the Face of Aging; A Salute to the Theater.” Honorees were Frank D. Gilroy, John Kander, and Stephen Sondheim. Carter Burden was a twoterm city councilman, starting in 1969, in what was then known as the Silk Stocking District on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. He came into the public forum with a lot of media attention as he was young (28), handsome, a Harvard graduate, and a Vanderbilt scion. He ran a strong campaign (this writer was one of his many volunteers, working the
neighborhood door to door). These were the last days of the Kennedy mystique and some of it shone on the man who was a big supporter of Bobby Kennedy. At the beginning of his political career Carter Burden was going places (like, maybe the White House one day). But after serving for several years, he withdrew from politics. I was told by someone working closely with him that he had become disillusioned by the endless stumbling blocks of corruption in politics. Carter Burden’s district at that time was still composed of many old neighborhoods in the 60s through the 90s,
m at t h e w c a r a s e ll a — s o c i a l s h u t te r b u g . co m
Laurence and Judy Cutler with Steven Kumble
D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A from Third Avenue to the East River, saturated with four- and five-story tenement buildings, many of which were inhabited by men and women who were widowed and living alone. He became aware of this constituency and their plight and needs early, isolated as they often were by illness, poverty and loss of family. He opened an office in the East 80s where people over 60 could go for assistance, advice, and help with personal matters. The objective, which is still carried out successfully today, was to support the
efforts of older people to live safely and with dignity. In 1996 Carter Burden died of heart failure while still in his mid-50s. However, the center not only outlasted his councilmanic career, but is now a leader in the community and an important contribution to the lives of thousands of people over the years. A couple of years ago we ran a piece on the daily lunches the Burden Center serves in the basement of the Jan Hus Church on East 74th Street, feeding hundreds of people weekly with excellent warm
meals. Not only does it make a daily ample meal available for free, it gives many of our neighbors the opportunity to escape their isolation and make friendships. Today, under the watchful eye of Carter Burden’s widow, Susan Burden, the center is flourishing. One of the many programs that has been developed is “Cultural Connections,” which provides a means for seniors to participate in the cultural life of the city through tickets to concerts, museums, and the theater. Participants in the
program have attended revivals such as Chicago and A Little Night Music, works of two of last night’s honorees. To learn more about the center and its programs and activities, visit carterburdencenter.org. To not change, but completely reverse the subject... Over at Christie’s, they’ve been preparing one of the most publicized auctions of the decade, beginning Monday, December 13, with nine different sales dates of “The Collections of Elizabeth Taylor.” Two things come to mind
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Kirk Henckels and Fernanda Kellogg 34 QUEST
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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A immediately about Elizabeth Taylor, whom I did not know, although she and I shared several good friends at different times in our lives. First, I don’t recall ever hearing anybody say an unkind word about Elizabeth. I was aware that she could be a handful for her man. Richard Burton confided in his diaries— not with rancor, but often with helpless exasperation—that she required a lot of attention, in so many words. But there was never that vicious shrug that people let slip about egos and temperaments beyond belief. I don’t think Taylor had that. People genuinely liked her. They liked being around her. She was kind and
sensitive. She could be a lot of fun. But she was as much of a princess as any who walked the galleries of Buckingham Palace or Versailles. I don’t think she meant it that way. That was what fate handed her. And she wore it well, for a long, long time. The second thing I was thinking about her was a story my great friend and mentor Lillian Sidney, who was the acting coach at MGM from 1938 to 1952, once told me about her. Lillian, who first knew Elizabeth when she came to the studio as a 12-year-old to do National Velvet, described her as a woman “who always got what she wanted from the
time she was a little girl.” Lillian recounted how right after National Velvet had finished shooting, the little girl asked that the studio give her the horse. She wanted to take it home. Lillian responded to the request by telling the agent involved that Mr. Louis B. Mayer did not give away studio property to his actors, and that he would certainly never give an expensive horse to a little girl who acted in a picture. “Well,” Lillian concluded in telling the story, “a few days later Elizabeth got the horse. Velvet was going home with her.” Several years later when Elizabeth was a young woman
and a big star, and still under contract to the studio, she had an affair with a prominent upand-coming director. Her brief unhappy marriage to Nicky Hilton had ended and the studio was promoting the relationship to keep her happy. The director knew Elizabeth loved jewelry, and so occasionally he would pick up something from Cartier or David Orgell or Tiffany and present them to his star girlfriend. It was a great love affair for both the director’s career and for the young woman’s eventual great collection of jewelry. In his fervor, the director also got carried
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Lauren Stein, David and Christine Zadik and Traver Hutchins 36 QUEST
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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A r o l e x ’ s m e n to r a n d p r ot eg e a r ts i n i t i at i v e at t h e d av i d h . ko c h t h e at e r
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away from time to time and bought Elizabeth things that cost more than he had in his checking account. Way more. When the truth came out (the checks bounced), the studio had a new problem. They didn’t want any negative publicity—such as bounced checks—attached to their star. They couldn’t very well ask her to give the rings and 38 QUEST
Hans Magnus Enzensberger
Peter Sellers and Osvaldo Golijov
bracelets back, however, so they covered the checks and no one was the worse for it. Nor did it harm the director’s career. Surely some of these pieces are in the auction. This is going to be some sale and I’m sure we’ll have more to report on before it’s over. The first two days are her jewelry. She loved “playing” with her jewelry. Evidently this is a not
uncommon habit among girls who love baubles, bangles, and beads. Our friend Michael Vollbracht had a long intense friendship with Elizabeth sometime back then, and he often spent time with her while she got out her jewels to play with and display. I’m sure he’s got anecdotes about some of the most famous ones. Evelyn Lauder died at home
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last month. She had been suffering from a nongenetic ovarian cancer. She had celebrated her 75th birthday in August. I first met Evelyn in the early ’90s when I had started the Social Diary and she was beginning to make big strides with her Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The issue came to my attention
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when, in a two-year period, I knew seven women who were diagnosed with breast cancer. (All of whom, incidentally, were successfully treated and are still leading active lives today.) By then the Breast Cancer Research Foundation had raised many millions for research grants and were holding two major annual fundraising events. One was the Pink Party, where they inaugurated the now-famous Pink Ribbon lapel pin. The choice of the color was an idea of Evelyn’s because the color traditionally symbolized femininity. The other was the annual symposium and luncheon, when the grants would be awarded and the recipients would be introduced to the guests as well. The BCRF events were large, dynamic and full of excitement (including an annual concert given by Elton John). I was still new at watching this kind of activity and I could see that Evelyn Lauder personified
the enterprising, can-do attitude. There was something about the way she conducted herself with her foundation that intrigued me. It was a business affair on one hand. She liked to point out that the BCRF worked hard just to keep the expenses down so that more than 90 cents of every dollar they took in went directly to the cause: research for a cure. When she presided over the luncheon or the dinner, she had the personality of a pro: at ease, dignified and humble. Offstage she was the consummate hostess, greeting as many of her guests as possible. Observing her in action, I often thought of her mother-in-law, the formidable Estée, who created the fragrance and cosmetic empire that we know today. Back when Evelyn met Estée’s eldest son, Leonard, they were just getting started in business. When I first came to New York in the early ’60s, Estée Lauder was beginning to make social tracks with commensurate
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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A i n t e r n at i o n a l r e s c u e c om m i t t e e ’ s f r e e d om a w a r d b e n e f i t at t h e w a l d o r f = a s to r i a
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success in business. She was regarded as a newcomer with a lot of push in her. Her drive to market herself became legend, both in business and socially. Her success was, indeed, irrefutable. This was the woman that Evelyn Hausner Lauder would call mother-in-law. Motherin-law set the tone and the pace. Meeting it as daughterin-law must have been quite a challenge for Evelyn. So, watching her conduct herself and her foundation business, I could see that she could match her mother-in-law in drive, but also take it one step further. Evelyn Lauder became one of the most effective 42 QUEST
Sandy Brokaw and Carl Burnett
Lloyd Blankfein and Colin Powell
philanthropists of her time, having created an organization that has succeeded already in assisting tens of thousands of women with breast cancer, and, even more, raising its profile to mass awareness. In 2007 Evelyn was guest of honor at the women’s committee of the Central Park Conservancy’s annual committee luncheon. Eleanora Kennedy interviewed her about her life. She told us how she’d been born to Jewish parents in Vienna in the mid-1930s. She was an infant in 1938 when Hitler annexed Austria with the Anschluss. Her father, who was in the lumber business, had the foresight to get his
George Stevens and Howard Stringer
family out of the country. It was a long and arduous way around, but two years later, the family boarded a steamship for New York. Evelyn grew up on West 86th Street. She recalled her father taking her to Central Park to play on Sundays when she was a little girl. She went to Hunter College. It was at that time she met Leonard Lauder. They married four years later. Her first professional job was as a schoolteacher in Queens. When she joined the family business, it was still in the early stages of development. Over the years she’s held many executive posts in the company. The fortunes of Estée Lauder
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really went stratospheric in the late ’60s and early ’70s, and she had become a household name. The success of the business, however, came from the combination of Estée’s marketing genius and her family’s management of it. The rest is history. In 1989 when Evelyn was 53, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. I don’t believe this matter has ever been publicized until the time of her death. It was assumed so, only because she was so passionately committed to finding a cure. Her own treatment was successful. I don’t know when the “aha!” moment came that inspired Evelyn Lauder to do
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something about it. But by the time she started the BCRF in 1993 she was famous amongst her friends for assisting them when the call came. After her death was announced I got an email from a woman friend in Santa Barbara telling me how, when she contracted a strain of leukemia a number of years ago, she called Evelyn for advice. Evelyn referred her 44 QUEST
to one of the best doctors in New York. My friend still has her blood checked by the same doctor and has never received a bill. There are scores of stories about women experiencing their first scare and Evelyn personally taking them to her doctors and following up—a kind of Florence Nightingale. Offstage, off-podium, and outside the office she
12/1/11 12:07 PM
was a cheerful, albeit very businesslike, woman who enjoyed the other aspects of her life as well. She and her husband had a wide variety of friends all over the world. They were active in several other philanthropies, as well as institutions such as the Whitney Museum and SloanKettering Cancer Center. All through the years that I knew her Evelyn seemed
indefatigable, one of those women who was always going somewhere and doing something, although the course was steady. Yet it was the same year that she was honored at the Conservancy luncheon that she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. This was not known except to very few, but by the time of the interview she had already been undergoing chemotherapy. She showed no sign of ill health, and in fact the early treatments were a success. Her condition returned a few months ago. During that time many people have commented on Evelyn’s absence at the galas, the dinners, and even the luncheons at Michael’s, one of her favorite places. She was a familiar face to many New Yorkers, but she’d stayed close to home, seeing only her family and those closest to her. It was an extraordinary life for the child who arrived in New York a refugee from Hitler. She was of that generation born into a new and ever-changing world. It was serendipitous that she should marry a man whose family was making extraordinary strides of a different kind. This changed her life forever. It was not serendipitous, however, that she was able to create an organization 28 years ago which has now raised more than $350 million for breast cancer research, in addition to changing the face of the disease. Her bravery, gumption, and cleverness, as well as her appetite for life, made all of that possible for her and for hundreds of thousands of others. Well done, Evelyn, well done. We’ll miss you. We’ll miss your smiling face, your sweet hello, and your courage.u
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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A t h e a m e r i c a n m u s e u m o f n at u r a l h i sto r y ’ s b e n e f i t
Lewis Bernard and Ted Mathas
Karen and Richard LeFrak with Ellen Futter
Ricky Van Veen and Allison WIlliams with Brian and Jane Williams 46 QUEST
Claire and Collin De Rham
John and Susan Hess
Jurate Kazickas and Roger Altman
Kathy and Tom Freston with Sherri Creighton
Roberto and Allison Mignone with Jacqueline and Mortimer Sackler
C. Chesek; D. Finnin
Jimmy and Nancy Fallon
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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A t h e h o p e fo r d e p r e s s i o n r e s e a r c h fo u n d at i o n ’ s l u n c h eo n at 5 8 3 pa r k av e .
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Michelle Smith and Andy Oshrin 48 QUEST
Leanna Clark, Dani Levitan and Shonna Drew
Ainsley Earhardt
Tatiana Perkin and Marisa Arredondo
Debra Deltz and Katherine Hazan
Mika Brzezinski and Margaret Grace
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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A t h e fo u n ta i n h o u s e fa l l f ê t e at S o i g n e K
Elizabeth Pyne and Alexander Mejia
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t h e c e n t r a l pa r k c o n s e r va n c y ’ s “au t u m n i n t h e pa r k ” n e a r tav e r n o n t h e g r e e n
David and Victoria Foley with Tom Kempner 50 QUEST
Gayle Atkins and WIlliam Zeckendorf
George Hambrecht and Andrea Fahnestock
Anne Harrison and Robert Steel
Rory Hermlee and Alexis Clark
Allison and George Brokaw
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Terri Polk, Peter de Neufville and Valerie Ohrstrom
D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A t r e e s n e w yo r k ’ s b e n e f i t at t h e a r a d e r g a l l e r y
William Hubbard, Elise Boeger, John Bradley, Bonnie Wyper and Dayton Carr
Patricia Burnham and William Brock
Walter Deane and Karen Glover
Gerard and Cassandra Schriffen with Peter and Ainslie Grannis
Peter van de Wetering, Marge Ternes and Anton van de Wetering
Larry Gooberman and Larry Rockefeller
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Maggie Betts and Ricardo Duenas 52 QUEST
Angie Harmon and Siddaharth Kasliwal
Meredith Melling Burke and Tabitha Simmons
Eleanora Kennedy and Anette Rickel
Blair Hussain and Lisa Errico
Marisa Noel Brown
pat r i c k m c m u ll a n / c u t t y m cg i ll
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Robyn Frohling and Meg O’Grady
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Mark Yavinsky and Kathy Metzger
Daniel Bottero
Marilyn Raymond and Steve Burghart
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Ben Goldwasser and Katharine O’Brien 54 QUEST
Jeff Koons and Dustin Yellin
Simon and Micaela de Pury
William and Phyllis Mack with Richard Armstrong
Amanda Fuhrman and Amy Phelan
Richard Cohen and Julie Hayek
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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A C a s i ta m a r i a ’ s f i e sta at t h e p l a z a h ot e l
Geoffrey Bradfield, Chiu Ti Jansen and Edmundo Huerta
Adriaan Abascal and Chris Brown
Tony Signore, Violaine Bernbach and Christopher Asplundh
56 QUEST
Esther Herrero, Elizabeth Stribling and Guy Robinson
Dan and Estrellita Brodsky
Angel Sanchez, Jackie Weld Drake, Roberto Redondo and Estefania Lacayo
Adrienne and Gianiuigi Vittadini
Daisy Soros and Hilarie O’Malley
Jamee and Peter Gregory
Ellery and Marjorie Gordon
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Steven and Christine Schwarzman
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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A stuart weitzman opened its fifth avenue store with cornelia gue st and que st
Sarah Perpich, Elizabeth Meigher, Cornelia Guest and Cece Gehrig
Jean Shafiroff and Jackie Giusti 58 QUEST
Gigi Stone
Mary Snow, Somers Farkas and Blair Husain
Vanessa Trump and Wayne Kulkin
Grace Meigher and Jane Weitzman
Flo Fulton
Susan Duffy and Kipton Cronkite
Melania Lonchyna, Tyler Boe and Leah Jacobson
Lisa Simonson
pat r i c k m c m u ll a n
Charlotte Ronson and Tinsley Mortimer
Mark Badgley, Cornelia Guest and James Mischka
THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY PRESENTS
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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A s a lvato r e f e r r a g a mo s p o n s o r e d t h e pa r a d i s e b a l l i n pa l m b e ac h
Tara Tobin, Ellen Cavanaugh and Mary Tobin
Binkie Orthwein and Karin Talley
Brad and Kristina McPherson with Bettina Anderson and Brendan O’Hara
India Paull and Davina Wood
Eddy and John Taylor
Loy Anderson and Emily Mateer
Nick Fouquet and Amanda Strong Boalt
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Barbara Bradford and Mary Kay Messenger
Roseanna Scott, Lorraine Bracco, Robin Modell and Jane Pontarelli 60 QUEST
Dolly Lenz and Mark Simone
Debbie and James Covington
Nadine Schramm and Margo Catsimatid
Lawrence Byrne and Sheila Tendy
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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A C h r i sto p h e r l e i dy i m a g e s – o p e n i n g i n pa l m b e ac h
Bobby Leidy, Liza Pulitzer, Robert Leidy and Chris Leidy
Adam Boalt and Melissa Button
Jennifer and Matt Antilla
Chad Lehman and Laura Buccellati
Kim Sargent, Tyler Sargent, Camila Helander and Bruce Helander
Paul O’Leary, Amanda Strong Boalt and Putnam Kling
James Clark and Catherine Larson
t h e c i n e m a s o c i e t y a n d d i o r b e a u t y s c r e e n e d Yo u n g a d u lt
Jeremy Renner and Charlize Theron 62 QUEST
Jason Reitman
Jon Ginsburg and Rebecca Janoff
Andrew Saffir and Carolyn Murphy
Gavin Wiesen and Elizabeth Reaser
lu c i e n c a p e h a rt; pat r i c k m c m u ll a n
Meredith Ostrom on the dancefloor with friends
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Peter Summers
Marty Gruss 64 QUEST
Mike Giannattasio and Tom Quick
Bob Forbes
Bill Rollnick
Brandon Reid
Will Matthews
Bob Simses, George Gould and Jorge Sanchez
George Bunn and Willie Surtees
Jimmy Borynack
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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A t h e i n t e r n at i o n a l e q u i n e c o n f e r e n c e o n l a m i n i t i s a n d d i s e a s e s o f t h e h o o f i n pa l m b e a c h
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Patrick and Margaret Horgan 66 QUEST
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Kane and Mary Baker
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CALENDAR
DECEMBER 1
natural beauty
The American Museum of Natural History will host its junior council event with a preview of “Beyond Earth: The Future of Space Exploration” at 6:30 p.m. For more information, call 212.769.5986. jingle bells, jingle bells
The Boys and Girls Club of Palm Beach County will hold a kickoff for the Jingle Bell Ball at the residence of Dom and Susan Telesco. For more information, call 561.683.3287.
2
connect four
The Society of the Four Arts will host a party for its gala committee. For more information, call 561.655.7227. take a break
The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach will hold a luncheon at 12 p.m. at the Breakers. For more information, call 561.832.0731.
3
seeking salvation
The Salvation Army will host the Christmas Ball at 6 p.m. at the Beach Club. Rudy Giuliani will act as guest speaker. For more information, call 561.372.0103. how enchanting
The Jewish Adoption and Foster Care Options will hold its “Enchanted Evening” gala at 6:30 p.m. at the Mar-a-Lago Club. For more information, call 561.372.0103.
4
light my fire
The Park Avenue Tree Lighting will take place at 6:30 p.m. with a ceremony at the Brick Presbyterian Church. For more information, call 212.705.4237.
5
have a ball
The Food Allergy Ball, presented by the Food Allergy Initiative, will take place at the Waldorf=Astoria. For more information, call 212.627.1000.
6
united we stand
On December 1, the American Museum of Natural History will celebrate its exhibit “Beyond Earth: The Future of Space Exploration” with a cocktail reception for its junior council. Proceeds from the event will benefit the museum’s educational and scientific programming. For more information, call 212.769.5986. 68 QUEST
The Town of Palm Beach United Way will host a reception for the Tocqueville Society at Club
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CALENDAR
DECEMBER
17
how hospitable
The Daniel E. Ponton Fund for the Neurosciences will honor the Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Club Colette. For more information, call 617.732.6824.
19
life’s a beach
The American Red Cross will host the Beach Bash for its young friends at 8 p.m. at the Beach Club. For more information, call 561.650.9133.
January 7
patrol the perimeter
On December 8, the COPD Foundation will honor those who have made a difference toward the education, awareness, research, and advocacy of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at an annual event taking place at 6:30 p.m. at the Hudson Theater, 145 West 44th St. For more information, call 866.731.2673.
The seventh annual Policemen’s Ball will take place at 7 p.m. at the Mar-a-Lago Club, and will include a presentation of the Palm Tree Award. For more information, call 561.820.8118.
11
dance, dance, dance
Colette. For more information, call 561.375.6611.
at 7 p.m. at Club Colette. For more information, call 561.832.4164.
7
10
Pickett’s Press will hold a preview of its holiday collections at 1 p.m. at 247 Sunrise Avenue in Palm Beach. For more information, call 561.833.7971.
MorseLife’s dinner dance will be held at 7 p.m. at the Mar-a-Lago Club. For more information, call 561.242.4661.
pressing forward
8
worthy cause
The COPD Foundation will host its benefit at 6:30 p.m. at the Hudson Theater to raise money for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For more information, call 866.731.2673.
it’s a fine life
12
viennese waltz
The International Society of Palm Beach will hold “A Night in Vienna,” its annual dinner dance, at the Beach Club. For more information, call 561.832.4200.
cocktail reception for The Catholic Charities at 8 p.m. at their Palm Beach gallery on Worth Avenue. For more information, call 561.775.9560.
16
sugar and spice
The Boys and Girls Club of Palm Beach County will hold their annual “Jingle Bell Ball” at 7:30 p.m. at the Breakers Hotel. For more information, call 561.683.3287.
Shen Yun Performing Arts will deliver performances of Chinese dance showcasing classical, ethnic, and folk styles through the 16th at the David H. Koch Theater. For more information, call 800.818.2383.
20
animal kingdom
The Palm Beach Zoo will host its “Born to Be Wild” event at 7 p.m. at the Breakers. For more information, call 561.533.0887.
13
our country, ’tis of thee good company
Venetian Heritage will present Renato D’Agostin’s exhibit at 10 a.m. at the Chinese Porcelain Company. For more information, call 800.457.6676.
9
The Daughters of the American Revolution will host a Christmas tea at 2:30 p.m. at the Chesterfield. For more information, call 772.460.0223.
14
night at the museum
FIAF’s “Trophée des Arts” gala will take place at 7 p.m. at 583 Park Avenue. For more information, call 646.388.6604.
The Norton Museum of Art will hold a reception and preview of its latest exhibition, “Cocktail Culture,” at 6 p.m. For more information, call 561.832.5196.
making history
15
pardon my french
The Historical Society of Palm Beach County will host its Archival Evening 70 QUEST
on display
Wally Findlay Galleries will host a
On December 4, the Park Avenue Tree Lighting—a tradition started in 1945 to honor those who died in World War II—will take place with a ceremony at 91st Street and Park Avenue. For more information, call 212.705.4237.
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H A R RY B E N S O N
IT SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY it was november 1992. William Jefferson Clinton had just been elected the 42nd President of the United States when I flew to Little Rock, Arkansas, to photograph the presidentelect with his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton. I could sense a mixture of euphoria and relief; the election was behind them, and a new adventure was just beginning. They greeted me warmly, as I had photographed the Clinton campaign from the New Hampshire primary onward, shooting Clinton’s first national magazine cover with a headline across the top of the page that screamed, “Who is This Man?” Soon, everyone would know. Their daughter, Chelsea, pictured as a Chagall-inspired angel in the painting behind them, was the subject of their Christmas card that year. It’s hard to believe 19 years have flown by since this photograph was taken. The Clintons are still at the pinnacle of world politics, and happily, I am still taking photographs. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all. u 72 QUEST
President Bill Clinton with his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, in Little Rock, 1992.
DECEMBER 2011 73
Ta k i
on the riviera
From left: Lady Moore, wife of Sir Roger Moore of James Bond fame; the legendary Hotel du Cap; Gianni Agnelli with Heidi von Salvisberg, 1967.
A recent libel case won by Lady Moore, wife of Sir Roger Moore of James Bond fame, called for my testimony in London, and for once I was happy to oblige. Roger Moore is a friend of very long standing, as is his son Jeffrey, who lives 50 yards away from me in Gstaad. British hacks are notorious for never allowing facts to get in the way of a good story, but in this case The Daily Mail paid dearly for involving the wrong Kiki. Let’s go back 54 years, when a very young Taki arrived on the French Riviera and 74 Q U E S T
was extremely lucky to hook up with the prettiest Swedish girl in that sunny place for shady people (Somerset Maugham’s description). Her name was Kiki, she was 16 or 17, and moved in with me in a tiny room without bath in the Hotel du Cap, made famous by the great F. Scott Fitzgerald as the hotel where Rosemary meets Dick in Tender is the Night. After two or three weeks of unbridled passion, all hell broke loose. I opened up Kiki’s bag looking for cigarettes and found a wad of francs worthy of a drug
dealer and then some. Under vigorous interrogation, Kiki admitted that it was a gift from an older man, a disgusting individual of unknown origins. The love affair ended on a sour note, although Kiki went on to marry one of the richest Americans and take him to the cleaners. I wrote about that ill-fated romance a couple of years ago in the Spectator. A gossip columnist read it, put two and two together, and got five. He figured my Kiki was the Kiki of Roger Moore, as she, too, is Swedish, and ran the
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Ta k i
Clockwise from top left: the French Riviera has changed now that the idyllic paradise has become overrun with tourists; glamorous women like Rita Hayworth could be found along its coastline; F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Hôtel des Étrangers in Tender is the Night was modeled after the Hotel du Cap.
item, greatly embarrassing the Moores. (I hadn’t revealed Kiki’s surname in the original article.) When I testified that I met Lady Moore 40 years after my Riviera idyll with Kiki, it was only a matter of how much Roger and his Kiki would accept for being libeled. In the meantime, the Hotel du Cap got a lot of good publicity, which is the bad news. Let me explain. I spent my youth at the Hotel du Cap, having first gone there in 1952 with my parents when the hotel was still owned by the family that had put up with Scott and Zelda’s shenanigans during the Roaring Twenties. For the next 30 years I spent every summer at the hotel and its famed Eden Roc clubhouse, probably the happiest years ever, as the hotel was the place to be back before the nouveaux riche scum from the Middle East and the old Soviet Union polluted the place beyond repair or redemption. Visit and weep is the only way to describe it. I was there exactly 14 months ago, for Naomi Campbell’s 40th birthday thrown by her Russian boyfriend to the tune of couple of million euros. Among 400 guests there were five gentlemen: Leopold Bismarck, Tim Hoare, Nick Scott, Heinrich Furstenberg, and yours truly. And three ladies: Countess Bismarck, Princess Furstenberg, and 76 QUEST
Princess Hanover. (My wife refused to go although my boat was anchored below the hotel.) Never have I seen so many gangsters and hookers. Which is the type the hotel caters to nowadays. The Sella family sold the hotel about 30 years ago to a German group that looked at the bottom line and decided to improve it. The result was predictable. Nice people cannot afford the over-the-top prices of the hotel, and even if they could, who wants to lie next to disgustingly behaved Russians in
the first place? Although the hotel has not changed physically, its neo-classical façade surrounded by pined woodland and tennis courts that lead down to the sea, it’s the people that have, and that’s what makes all the difference. There are no more Dukes of Windsors, Gianni Agnellis, Noel Cowards, Rita Hayworths, Jack Warners, Aly Khans, King Farouks, Joe Kennedys, Gary Coopers, King Alberts of Belgium, Marlene Dietrichs, or Scott Fitzgeralds anymore. Not even a Taki. Here was a typical day back in the Fabulous Fifties. I’d wake up around 9 a.m., breakfast in the grand terrace facing the sea, then go on to the tennis courts for a long hit and good sweat to get rid of the alcohol from the night before. Then on down to the cabanas screened by shrubbery from the gaze of upstanding folk who might not approve of monkey business before or immediately after a liquid lunch on the terrace of the clubhouse. After a long swim in the afternoon and more tennis, there were pre-dinner drinks at the hotel terrace, and then it was time to once again go hunting for women, a popular sport among Riviera regulars. It may sound like an empty life but it sure was fun. Thanks for nothing, Kiki. u For more Taki, visit takimag.com.
from the aRchives
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7 8 QUEST
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B ATH F ITTINGS
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One wonders why Cherie Burns
has called her biography of Millicent Rogers, who lived from 1902 to 1953, Searching for Beauty (St. Martin’s Press, 2011). The magnificently elegant society heiress may have had a turbulent and short life, but there was never any question about her God-given beauty. No search needed here. Here’s how Colonel Serge Obolensky, the swashbuckling Russian prince and American war hero, described her in his memoir, One Man in His Time: “I met Millicent Rogers, an exquisite American girl with the wide, slant eyes of a dear… terribly attractive, one of the most beautiful girls I have ever known. She was an exotic creature, with a curious languid manner. Even her voice, soft and pensive, was that of an Oriental, and 80 QUEST
she generally dressed the part.” Millicent was not yet 21, technically a maiden, but that didn’t stop Obolensky from proposing marriage. He writes, rather suggestively, “we got unofficially engaged.” He was crushed when she suddenly dropped him. Perhaps she had found out that Obolensky was already married—to a daughter of Czar Alexander II! Travelling in Italy with her parents, Millicent met the Duke d’Aosta, the son of the king of Italy. Burns writes that he was smitten by the young heiress and asked her to marry him. However, the king and Mussolini combined forces to oppose the match. They proclaimed that a son of the royal House of Savoy could not marry a foreigner. This was not the first time she turned the head of royalty. The Prince of Wales had visited the U.S. in 1919, the year of Millicent’s debut, and the newspapers were full of the Prince’s infatuation with the beautiful heiress, monopolizing her dance card at balls in White Sulphur Springs, Washington, and New York. By Burns’ account, Millicent Rogers had a colorful romantic life. She married three times and had love affairs with Roald Dahl, Ian Fleming, and Clark Gable. There are a couple of indiscreet details, such as the revelation that Clark Gable had bad breath and that her third husband, the “fiercely handsome” New York stockbroker Ronald Balcom, had an appendage “the size of a horse.” The Rogers fortune, one of the greatest from America’s Gilded Age, was built by Millicent’s grandfather Henry Huttleston
Rogers, who lived from 1840 to 1909. He partnered with the Rockefellers in the founding of Standard Oil. He was also a force on Wall Street, known as “Hell Hound Rogers,” and was a figure not only in oil refining, but also in steel, mining, and railroad and other transit systems. His fortune was said to be worth $150 million, an amount that Burns says is the equivalent today of nearly $4 billion. Classed vulgarly as a “robber baron,” Rogers was, in fact, a business genius and a closet philanthropist. He gave a school and a library to Fairhaven, Massachusetts, the town of his birth. He paid for Helen Keller’s education at Radcliffe. He supported and was a strong friend of Booker T. Washington. He rescued Mark Twain from near bankruptcy, becoming a close friend of the great humorist. It is said that Twain was one of the best tellers of “colorful” stories suited for a male audience. A favorite diversion of Rogers’ was to cruise in his 225-foot steam yacht, Kanawha, with some fellow millionaires and Twain along to provide the jokes. Millicent’s father, Henry Huttleston Rogers, Jr., known as “Colonel Rogers,” was more interested in military matters than business. He served in the army on the Mexican border and in France with the American Expeditionary Force. He had a house in Tuxedo Park and, most notably, built two spectacular residences in Southampton. The first, the beach house, was a Walker and Gillette villa on 60 acres where Old Town Road meets Gin Lane. Badly damaged by the 1938 hurricane, the house was later ravaged by fire, and eventually dismantled.
Co u rte s y o f S t. M a rt i n ’ s P r e s s
born beautiful
Portrait of Millicent Rogers; Henry Huttleston Rogers, patriarch, with family (inset, above); Millicent Rogers with her third husband, Ronald Balcolm (inset, below). Opposite: Cover of Searching for Beauty.
Today, only the white stucco perimeter wall remains. The second Southampton property was nicknamed the “Port of Missing Men,” a shooting and sporting estate and self-sustaining farm on 1,800 acres off an estuary of Peconic Bay. This was the largest private estate on the South Fork of Long Island. Millicent’s son, Peter Salm, who inherited the property, was known for his stewardship of the wetlands. A large portion has been gifted to the Peconic Land Trust to be preserved in perpetuity. Millicent was regularly featured in Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar and was a society trendsetter, a forerunner, say, of Babe Paley’s. Burns provides details on her fashion precepts and the designers she favored, with photographs. In the mid-1940s Millicent moved to an adobe house in Taos, New Mexico. There she collected thousands of Indian artifacts. She became active in promoting Indian rights. After her death, the Rogers family founded the Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos to house her collection. u
performing to an art From January 11 to 15, Shen Yun Performing Arts will
visit the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, presenting an original program of Chinese dance, including classical, ethnic, and folk styles. The company has, for six seasons, offered audiences shows comprised of 20 short pieces performed by dancers, an orchestra, and vocalists. “‘Shen Yun’ means ‘the beauty of heavenly beings dancing’—‘heavenly’ or ‘celestial’ or ‘divine’—though it’s difficult to translate,”
says Shen Yun Performing Arts’ Leeshai Lemish. The performance consists predominantly of classical dance, characterized by its variety of movement. “It can be soft and gentle and feminine and flowy, as well as energetic and dynamic and explosive—for both the men’s and women’s dances,” says Lemish. Ethnic and folk dance supplement, completing the show with traditions from some of more than 50 ethnic groups across China, including the Huns and the Mongolians; different regions are known for different styles, established over the course of many centuries. Lemish says, “We could perform for years and never run out of dances.” Founded in 2006, Shen Yun Performing Arts has delivered over a thousand shows, touring over 100 cities in 30 countries. In New York, the two-hour performances are received by a growing audience of affluent, well-educated members of the tri-state area who are becoming more and more devoted to the immensely entertaining, beautiful, moving, inspiring artform that is Chinese dance. Can you think of anything more heavenly? u For more information on Shen Yun Performing Arts, please call 800.818.2393 or visit ShenYun2012.org.
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co u rte s y o f s h e n y u n p e r f o r m i n g a rts
By elizabeth quinn brown
c u lt u r e Shen Yun offers classical Chinese dance. Opposite: Everything, including costumes, are originals produced by the company (above); the orchestra (below).
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Money Matters Peter E. “Tony” Guernsey, Jr. Chief Client Advocate, Wilmington Trust, N.A.
how to invest: lessons from the mismanagement of mlb teams much of the world is awash in debt, and financial mismanagement is inhibiting the economic growth of many countries. To be succinct, that is what ails the global economy and, in turn, the financial markets. It would be nice if political leaders alone had been imprudent over the years. Alas, they had company. Consider the dire straits into which even some Major League Baseball clubs have fallen. Forbes did not mince words in its April 11, 2011, edition, declaring, “The Mets and the Dodgers, two of the most important franchises in baseball, are in financial turmoil because of the debt-fueled financial recklessness of their owners, left unchecked by the league.” The tales below are grim, especially for fans, but they offer timeless lessons about sound financial custodians—of personal wealth or even national budgets. The Los Angeles Dodgers trace their lineage to the 1883 founding of the Brooklyn Grays, which became the Brooklyn Dodgers before famously forsaking New York for Los Angeles in 1957. According to baseballreference.com, the team and its predecessors boast the second-best lifetime record in the National League, winning 52.4 percent of their contests. 8 4 Q U EST
Success on the field, however, did not preclude financial woes. In 2009, the Dodgers’ ownership came into dispute in divorce proceedings. This summer, the team filed for bankruptcy protection, saying it could not meet a $30 million payroll obligation. In court papers, Major League Baseball claimed that, at the end of 2010, the team’s owner had “only $264,000 in his personal bank account and owed approximately $9 million in personal debts.” The league also charged that the team’s owner “has long used the Dodgers as the primary source of funding for his lavish lifestyle.” According to Forbes, the Dodgers owe creditors $433 million. Finally, the specter that corporate or personal taxes may have been underpaid hangs over the team. In a divorce court filing, the owner’s accountant noted that “federal and state taxing authorities” are auditing the tax returns of Dodgersrelated entities and their owners. The New York Mets, a younger franchise, dating to 1962, has been less successful on the field than the Dodgers, winning just 47.9 percent of their games. Their finances, however, appear nearly as precarious. In 2010, according to Forbes, revenue from ticket sales dropped 25 percent and the team was one of only three to
lose money on their baseball operations, which exclude stakes in regional sports networks. Beset by a cash flow shortage, the team borrowed $25 million from Major League Baseball. According to a profile last spring in The New Yorker, the team’s primary owner acknowledged that he didn’t know much about investing when he first gave a modest sum to Bernie Madoff in 1985. But “as the years went, [the amount] became more and more and more and more.” A piece of the Mets has been offered for sale in the wake of the scandal. At the time, the Mets and their owners had $550 million in Madoff funds. According to Forbes, the Mets and the regional sports channel in which they have a two-thirds ownership stake have more than $1 billion in collective debt. And the trustee representing Madoff victims is looking to recoup anywhere from $300 million to $1 billion from the holding company for the Mets, arguing that the team’s owners reaped vast “profits” before the Madoff scheme came undone and must have known of the fraud. So, what might we learn from the financial travails of the Dodgers and Mets? Investors should take care in selecting money managers. They also should recognize that diversification, among managers and investment strategies, can limit risk. Business owners should take care to segregate business assets from personal assets. Business owners and individuals alike should recognize the perils of excessive debt. Taxpayers should take care to meet all of their obligations. I might add, “Everyone should take care in their selection of life and business partners.” For more information, call 212.415.0510 or email tguernsey@wilmingtontrust.com.
tv ir ee sm tm en en t .t. s . C. .u. Fr irneanntc E ev . .e . Rnettsi. r . . eI NSURANCE m e n t. . . C u r . .r . setnotc E kv s .e. n . It nsv. e . . si t nm su er nat n s .c. e . F. i. .ns a tn oc ce k .s. . .R. e In tv ir ee sm tm en en t .t. s . C. .u. Fr irneanntc E ev . .e . Rnetts
Paying income tax, circa 1920.
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Money Matters
Wall Street. 2 a.m. Clerks sleeping in a brokers’ office due to excessive work caused by heavy stock business, 1915.
is now the time to invest in real
estate? To be successful, follow the adage, “You make money when you buy it.” It seems a day doesn’t go by when we don’t hear about high levels of distress among owners and lenders of residential and commercial real estate. Prices have dropped to historically low levels. Is this the time to buy? Homeowners, whether first-time buyers or ones that try to trade up, were lured by low short-term inter8 6 Q U EST
est rates and an optimistic outlook into buying property that would have been well out of their reach. Now, as the popular adjustable rate mortgages widely used during the robust years are having rates reset, homeowners are facing much higher costs than anticipated. In a less volatile market, the owner would be able to downsize. However ,with little to no equity remaining, they are unable to sell their homes to satisfy what became an over leveraged asset.
Similarly, savvy real estate investors that were active buyers of commercial assets up through the capital markets derailment in 2008 find themselves with property that cost more than they are currently worth. Valuations have declined significantly on many property types. Stagnant employment growth in all sectors has negatively impacted rental rates in most office markets (major “24/7” environments like New York and Washington, D.C., are the
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The one bright beacon during this trying period is residential properties offered for rent. It is not difficult to understand why more people are interested in renting rather than buying. The oversupply of housing that exists today has the potential to keep home values at depressed levels for the near to medium term. Newly formed households are starting to consider the housing market as a slow to no growth investment and opting instead to invest in alternative investments (stocks, bonds, annuities and the like) since they are more liquid and transacted in total transparency. So, is this the time to buy? The primary focus on real estate investing at this point in the cycle should be the tried-and-true fundamentals of real estate or what I refer to as the ABCs. In the case of real estate, the “A” stands for “Access” or what most call “location, location, location.” The ultimate success of a property is the ability to attract and retain renters. The property that has the best access
today have been strapped for cash and in all probability are selling because they need to. Usually, the first attempt at savings is reducing building maintenance which translates into condition issues. Be sure to conduct an extensive inspection of the property as part of the due diligence effort. The notion of buying low in today’s undervalued market and selling high in tomorrow’s more robust environment needs to be tempered. Valuing real estate investments should be based upon existing income levels (also knows as the going in capitalization rate). Using leverage is an excellent way to enhance returns on equity providing the debt service and full repayment of the loan at maturity are met with existing cash flow. Relying on future rental rate increases and value appreciation of the asset to satisfy debt repayment can work. But as we have observed these past few years, you have to be very smart or better yet lucky. Too many of today’s distressed owners were hoping for luck.
David csontos Senior Vice President, IDB Bank
the abcs of investing in real estate in the current market
exceptions). Rents at most retail venues have declined or remained flat as store owners deal with falling sales. Even the warehousing and distribution assets in historically strong logistic centers are experiencing rental rate declines as inventories drop in response to a lack of demand by consumers. The end result is lower appraised values that make it difficult for investors to qualify for the debt levels adequate to repay their existing mortgage.
to the targeted user market is really the best property to own. The “B” stands for “Basis” or the all in cost of the investment, whether it be the price on a per square foot basis or on a per unit basis in the case of rental apartments. The only reason to buy in this market is to attain a competitive advantage over existing owners that will be vying for the same tenants. Being able to offer the best deal due to a low basis is the advantage needed in a “tenant” friendly market. Finally, the “C” refers to “Condition.” Many owners or sellers
Focus on the ABCs to avoid the pitfalls of distressed asset investing in today’s market, or any market for that matter. This information is intended to assist investors. The information does not constitute investment advice or an offer to invest or to provide management services. Prior to making any investment, a prospective investor should consult with its own investment, accounting, legal and tax advisers to evaluate independently the risks, consequences and suitability of that investment. DECEMBER 2 0 1 1 8 7
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Money Matters Michael G. lavallato Managing Director, Frank Crystal & Company
estate planning: taking advantage of the tax relief act With natural disasters, the global economic crises, government bailouts and credit downgrades fueling a turbulent financial market, 2011 has turned out to be an interesting year, to say the least. All of this uncertainty has made planning for the coming year even more challenging. What many are unaware of is that this is an especially critical time for wealthy individuals and families to review their estate plans. The Tax Relief Act, signed into law last year, provides unprecedented changes in the landscape of wealth preservation, legacy creation, and transfer tax planning. Both Lifetime Gift Tax exemption and Estate Tax exemption levels have been increased, while the Estate Tax rates have decreased allowing married couples can now move up to $10 million out of their estate with zero transfer tax. However, unless Congress passes a subsequent legislation by the end of 2012, these numbers
and percentages will change. The window available to take advantage of these opportunities is expected to be short-lived. In fact, there already are rumblings out of Washington about reducing the exemption thresholds on an accelerated timetable.
on most permanent insurance policies will generate an after-tax effective return of 4 to 6 percent; significantly greater than the return available on a 30-year (or more than 30-year) investment-grade bond today. Investors who redirect a portion of conservative assets toward paying policy premiums can create a stable and predictable foundation for their long term planning, allowing them to explore alternative strategies or risk profiles they may not have been comfortable considering before. Just as important, the guaranteed benefits of life insurance insulate long term retirement and wealth transfer plans from untimely market swings. If investors’ portfolios eventually recover and the global markets stabilize, a well-structured life insurance program offers families great value and flexibility in their estate and legacy planning. The current economic state and expiring favorable tax provisions make planning for the coming year even more trying than years past. As the window is set to close on these benefits, affluent individuals should consider having their estate plan analyzed by a trusted advisor and explore how best to secure their family’s future. Now is the time to review wealth transfer goals and strategies with a trusted advisor. u
“Now is the time to review wealth transfer goals and strategies with a trusted advisor.” The time-sensitive provisions of Tax Relief Act make it imperative for families to take a fresh look at their life insurance portfolio, determine necessary changes, and evaluate ways to capitalize on the current transfer rules using life insurance. Given recent volatility in most capital markets, permanent life insurance is more commonly being viewed as an attractive asset class within a diversified portfolio. At life expectancy the death benefit
For more information, please call 212.344.2444 or visit frankcrystal.com.
Individual Transfer Tax Provisions under TRA: 2011-2012
Sunset / 2013
estate tax exemption
$5 million
$1 million
maximum eState tax rate
35%
55%
lifetime gift tax exemption
$5 million
$1 million
Gift Tax Rate
35%
55%
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The internal revenue tax story, circa 1920.
QUEST HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE it wouldn’t be a white Christmas
without white diamonds, and what better way to deck the halls than with rows of garnets? Happy Holidays! By daniel cappello
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QUEST HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2 1. Antoine Blanchard’s “Les Grands Boulevards et La Porte Saint-Denis” oil painting at Wally Findlay Galleries: 212.421.5390. 2. Ralph Lauren Blue Label’s shawl wrap cardigan sweater. $598: ralphlauren.com. 3. Jack Spade Crews mittens. $85: jackspade.com. 4. Cheer up in Carolina Herrera’s red silk faille strapless dress. $2,290: 212.249.6552. Opposite page: 1. David Yurman’s 18-kt. white gold Starburst necklace. Price upon request: 212.752.4255. 2. Belgian Shoes’s Midinette in zebra print. $350: belgianshoes.com. 3. Montblanc’s Tribute to Mont Blanc Collection cufflinks in steel and onyx. $415: montblanc.com.
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1. Heidi Klum was one of many celebrities who designed a Christopher Rado ornament to benefit the Child Mind Institute. $40: bloomingdales.com. 2. Del Toro’s women’s slipper in leopard print pony is handmade in Italy. $325: deltoroshoes.com. 3. Shimmer in the Tiffany & Co. pavé diamond bangle. $150,000: tiffany.com. 4. 18-kt. yellow gold Rolex timepiece with leather strap and Oysterlock clasp. $23,7000: rolex.com. 5. Have a glorious holiday with nonstop flights on JetBlue from JFK to the luxurious Casa de Campo resort: 800.877.3643.
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c a r lto n dav i s f o r t i f fa ny & co .
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ROBERTA.McCAFFREYREALTY ROBERTA.McCAFFREYREALTY Garrison • Cold Spring, NY • 60 Mins NYC Westchester,Putnam,DutchessMLS Garrison • Cold Spring, NY • 60 Mins NYC Westchester,Putnam,DutchessMLS
Garrison, NY $1,990,000 Built in pre-revolution 1761, and listed in the National Historic Register, this 8800+ square foot home is currently being operated as a well known and respected inn and fine dining restaurant. The building and location are ideally suited to conversion to a wonderful private home. The building, loaded with charm and character, offers 6 fireplaces, wood floors, double deck porches and a separate guest cottage. The 8.7 acre property, on an historic country road, is convenient to local highways and only 1 hour fromNY NYC. GARRISON, - Enjoy the ultimate in condo living in THE CASTLE, a well-known
143MainStreet,ColdSpring,NY10516 143MainStreet,ColdSpring,NY10516 Tel:845.265.4113•www.mccaffreyrealty.com Tel:845.265.4113•www.mccaffreyrealty.com info@mccaffreyrealty.com info@mccaffreyrealty.com
landmark high above the Hudson River. This luxurious 2 floor, 2 bedroom unit offers breathGARRISON, NY - Enjoy the ultimate in condo living in THE CASTLE, a well-known taking views from Bear Mountain Bridge to Newburgh Bay. It has huge open rooms, 12 to 15 landmark high above the Hudson River. This luxurious 2 floor, 2 bedroom unit offers breathfoot ceilings, 4 fireplaces, gourmet kitchen, and sumptuous baths. It also offers outdoor spaces, taking views from Bear Mountain Bridge to Newburgh Bay. It has huge open rooms, 12 to 15 central air conditioning, and garaging for 2 cars. Offered at $2,999,999 foot ceilings, 4 fireplaces, gourmet kitchen, and sumptuous baths. It also offers outdoor spaces, central air conditioning, and garaging for 2 cars. Offered at $2,999,999
EAST FISHKILL, Dutchess County, NY - Wiccopee House. Circa 1894, this beautiful estate on 17.6 acres, includes the 7000 square foot Georgian style main house featuring EAST FISHKILL, Dutchess County, NY - Wiccopee House. Circa 1894, this beau6 bedrooms, gleaming wood floors, multiple fireplaces, period details and a gourmet tiful estate on 17.6 acres, includes the 7000 square foot Georgian style main house featuring kitchen. Additional features include a 100’ x 30’ barn with a 2 bedroom apartment, pad6 bedrooms, gleaming wood floors, multiple fireplaces, period details and a gourmet dock, pool, and tennis court. Offered at $2,495,000 kitchen. Additional features include a 100’ x 30’ barn with a 2 bedroom apartment, paddock, pool, and tennis court. Offered at $2,495,000
GARRISON, NY - Spacious and open country home with fabulous HUDSON RIVER VIEWS to the west and north to Storm King Mt and Newburgh Bay. The living room features GARRISON, NY - Spacious and open country home with fabulous HUDSON RIVER cathedral ceiling and stone fireplace, and all living areas enjoy the views and access to stone terVIEWS to the west and north to Storm King Mt and Newburgh Bay. The living room features races. 4 bedrooms and 2 ½ baths, includes huge master suite privately located on its own level. cathedral ceiling and stone fireplace, and all living areas enjoy the views and access to stone terThe in-ground pool and cabana further enhance the 5.6 acre property. Offered at $1,995,000 races. 4 bedrooms and 2 ½ baths, includes huge master suite privately located on its own level. The in-ground pool and cabana further enhance the 5.6 acre property. Offered at $1,995,000
COLD SPRING, NY - Masterfully designed contemporary offers massive two story entry, living room and dining room sharing a grand floor to ceiling stone fireplace, large COLD SPRING, NY - Masterfully designed contemporary offers massive two story chef’s kitchen and 4 bedrooms. Walls of French doors lead to deck cantilevered over rushentry, living room and dining room sharing a grand floor to ceiling stone fireplace, large ing mountain stream. Delightful details and high quality materials are evident throughout chef’s kitchen and 4 bedrooms. Walls of French doors lead to deck cantilevered over rushthe home which is sited on almost 5 acres. Offered at $1,875,000 ing mountain stream. Delightful details and high quality materials are evident throughout the home which is sited on almost 5 acres. Offered at $1,875,000
GARRISON, NY - Courtside. This rustic stone barn, whose distinctive architecture sets it apart from the ordinary, has been converted into 10,000 square feet of luxurious GARRISON, NY - Courtside. This rustic stone barn, whose distinctive architecture living space. The home features large public rooms, country kitchen, 7-8 bedrooms and sets it apart from the ordinary, has been converted into 10,000 square feet of luxurious a separate 2 bedroom apartment. The beautifully landscaped 4 acre property also offers living space. The home features large public rooms, country kitchen, 7-8 bedrooms and a tennis court and gunite pool. Offered at $1,650,000 a separate 2 bedroom apartment. The beautifully landscaped 4 acre property also offers a tennis court and gunite pool. Offered at $1,650,000
Garrison, NY $2,999,999 Enjoy the ultimate in condo living in The Castle, well-known landmark high above the Hudson River. This luxurious 2 floor, 2 bedroom unit, one of only seven units in the complex, offers breathtaking views from Bear Mountain Bridge to Newburgh Bay. It has huge open rooms, 12 to 15 foot ceilings, 4 fireplaces, gourmet kitchen, and sumptuous baths. It also offers outdoor spaces – a covered balcony and a large deck. Comfort assured with central conditionPutnam Valley, NY - Lovely country is retreat on almost 5 acres. This C.air 1935 home offers 4356 square feet, 5 bedrooms, ing, 4 ½ baths, 2 workingand fireplaces, hardwood floors, and numerous security alarm systems, individual Putnam Valley, NY - Lovely country retreat on almost 5 acres. This C. 1935 home offers window seats, nooks and crannies for added character. The glorious backyard features an in4356 square feet, 5 bedrooms,heating 4 ½ baths, 2and working fireplaces, hardwood floors, and numerous system, generator. ground pool with spa and sizeable barbeque andhot patiowater area. The propertyand also includes a forwindow seats, nooks and crannies for added character. The glorious backyard features an inmer dairy barn and pond. Offered at $1,300,000 The unit hasand garaging cars. also includes a forground pool with spa and sizeable barbeque patio area.for The2 property mer dairy barn and pond. Offered at $1,300,000
Member of Westchester/Putnam, MLS • Mid-Hudson MLS (Dutchess County) Greater Hudson Valley MLS • (Orange, Rockland, Ulster, Sullivan Counties) Member of Westchester/Putnam, MLSand • Mid-Hudson MLSmany (Dutchess County) Greaterand Hudson • (Orange, Ulster, Sullivan Counties) For more information on these other listings, with full brochures floor Valley plans, MLS visit our website:Rockland, www.mccaffreyrealty.com For more information on these and other listings, many with full brochures and floor plans, visit our website: www.mccaffreyrealty.com
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2 1. Send a kiss with Mrs. John L. Strong’s Dew Mistletoe Holiday Card. $105 for a set of 12: mrsstrong.com. 2. Ring in the new year with Sherle Wagner’s Cornucopia doorbell: 212.758.3300. 3. J.Crew and Tourneau team up to launch a Swiss-made Mougin & Piquard timepiece with leather strap. $425: jcrew.com. 4. Bell’Invito’s luxurious offset ($6.50/package) and silkscreen ($15/package) papers are the way to wrap: Bergdorf Goodman and bellinvito.com. 5. Dennis Basso’s café au lait alligator handbag is available in other colors as well. $16,500: 212.794.4500.
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1. Treat your better half to a new customdesigned home. Wadia Associates: 203.966.0048. 2. Moët & Chandon’s gold-leafed 3-liter Jeroboam bottle of Impérial can be hand-signed. $995: moet.com. 3. Dip inside its gold center to discover why the Mendiant Ornament is a work of art. $900: lamaisonduchocolat.com. 4. The holiday sparkle lives
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forever in Tarra Rosenbaum’s Snowflake Cuff. $3,275: 212.420.1062. 5. Wrap it up the Empire Delicious way with a set of 10 gift tags. $12.50: empiredelicious.com.
1. Perk up morning coffee with Kate Spade’s “Make Headlines” mugs. $25 each: bloomingdales.com. 2. A bespoke discovery of New York awaits with The Surrey Hotel’s “Luxury on Madison” shopping packages. From $520: thesurrey.com. 3. Sequin’s signature hinged enamel cuffs. $35-95: 561.328.8405. 4. Give a playful gift with monogrammed playing cards from Pickett’s Press. $75: pickettspress.com. 5. Brighten up your room with Dana Gibson’s Multi
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Ikat chair (42” high; $750) and Emporer Pillow (23” square; $175): danagibson.com.
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1. You’ll be walking in a winter wonderland with Stuart Weitzman’s silver satin and Swarovski crystal sandals. $898: stuartweitzman.com. 2. Michael Aram’s undeniable artistry infuses the Molton menorah, available at Gracious Home. $189: gracioushome.com. 3. If she’s on Santa’s Nice List, be sure to stuff her stocking with Asprey’s stunning diamond line bracelet set in platinum. $64,000: 212.688.1811. 4. Sandy Hill’s magnificent new book, Mountain: Portraits of High Places (Rizzoli), is a breathtaking journey to new heights. $85: rizzoliusa.com.
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Sunny Contemporary - Beautiful bright spaces. Wonderful open floor plan with vaulted ceilings, skylights, hardwood floors and two stone fireplaces. Two-Story Entrance Hall. Fabulous Great Room with Fireplace and skylit Dining Area. Family Room with Fireplace. Skylit Kitchen. Four Bedrooms. Incredible tiered Deck surrounding the Pool. Over five peaceful acres with seasonal views of the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. $840,000
Peaceful Country Setting - Absolutely picturebook grounds with gently rolling lawns, stone walls and magnificent old trees. Beautiful Country Farmhouse with wonderful rocking chair porch. Spacious Living Room with Fireplace. Formal Dining Room. Family Room with Fireplace. Cherry Kitchen. Four Bedrooms. Bonus Room with Bath. Recreation Room. Private deck overlooking the Pool. Over four acres on quiet, country cul-de-sac. $980,000
Twin Horse Cottage - Architect designed Country House. Refined and elegant floorplan, perfect for entertaining and everyday living. Walls of glass, wide board floors and vaulted ceilings. Living Room with Fireplace. Library. Great Room with Dining and Seating Areas. Designer Kitchen. First Floor Master Suite.Three additional Bedrooms. Long drive to two magnificent acres with views and incredible landscaping. Abutting bridle trails. $1,520,000
Stunning Hilltop - Gated drive to beautifully landscaped three acre setting. Meticulous and elegant Colonial with handsome lines. Formal Entrance Hall with French doors to Living Room. Dining Room with raised paneling. Impressive Christopher Peacock Kitchen.Three-Season Porch. Spacious Family Room with Fireplace. Five Bedrooms. Recreation Room. Wine Cellar. Exercise Room. Heated gunite Pool. Terrace with Viking Barbecue. $1,699,000
Nestled in the Treetops - Woodland Contemporary with excep- Pre-Revolutionary Bedford - Charming Antique Colonial, circa tional privacy. Fabulous open spaces and great flow for entertaining. Spacious Living Room open to Formal Dining Room. Renovated Kitchen with granite and stainless. Family Room with skylit, vaulted ceiling and Fireplace. Four Bedrooms. Wonderful Screened Porch and tiered deck with hot tub. Over two peaceful acres in established family neighborhood. $799,000
(914) 234-9234
1750. Spectacular wide board pine floors, extensive millwork and built-ins. Center Entrance Hall. Living Room with Fireplace. Formal Dining Room. Family Room with Fireplace. Sun Room. Over one beautiful acre in top estate area. Landscaped grounds with rolling lawns and extensive stone work. Charming Summer House and hillside Deck perfect for taking in the view. $649,000
493 BEDFORD CENTER RD, BEDFORD HILLS, NY SPECIALIZING IN THE UNUSUAL FOR OVER 60 YEARS
WWW.GINNEL.COM
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1. Ring in 2012 with a staycation at The Plaza for a quintessential New York New Year’s Eve: theplaza.com. 2. The Curtain Cufflinks from the Met Opera Gift Shop are made with fabric from the original curtain that inaugurated the Met stage in 1966. $225: metoperashop.org. 3. Stop by Scully & Scully to purchase one of 150 limited giclée prints from Joseph Sulkowski: 800.223.3717. 4. Hunter Boot’s Short Original Tote. $175: Saks Fifth Avenue. 5. William R. Eubanks Interior Design, Inc. has the chicest tortoise shell frames in various sizes and shades. From $990: 561.805.9335.
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1. The incredible Candy Shank ring from Sotheby’s Diamonds. Price upon request: 212.894.1400. 2. A work of art by Daniel Bottero is a gift for life: botterocollector.com. 3. The Slater black patent leather clutch from Eric Javits. $390: ericjavits.com. 4. Ascot Chang is mad for plaid; suit ($4,000), shirt ($300), and tie ($120): 212.759.3333. 5. Wempe’s white gold, emer-
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We Build THIS CITY By GEORGINA SCHAEFFER
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new york, new york. There must be more songs written about being here, more movies filmed in and about here, and more novels centered here, than anywhere else in the world. New York City is almost mythic in its character— people fantasize about actualizing their dreams here. And for a select few (if you consider eight million people to be a few), we have the opportunity of living our own extraordinary tales here, the metaphorical center of the universe. In the new book New York, New York (powerHouse 2011), two long-time Quest contributors join forces to revel in what Above: Quest covers by Harry Benson have included a portrait of Ivanka Trump, a fashion shoot with Manhattanites Christian and Gillian Hearst Simonds, and a portrait of Robert A.M. Stern. Right: Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Diana Taylor, a managing director at Wolfensohn & Co., at Gracie Mansion, 2010. 1 0 6 Q UE S T
April
2010
makes New York City the most special city of all—its citizens. Quest columnist Harry Benson’s legendary photography, along with text by society editor Hilary Geary Ross, who writes our “Appearances” column, chronicles, with rare behind-the-scenes access, the lives of extraordinary New Yorkers. The city’s past, present, and future are all represented in its pages. And with just over 300 pages, this photo monograph is characterized by its monolithic size, as well as its monolithic character. Each subject is photographed in their own space—either where they work or where they play—and when viewed as a collective, the book walks the reader through virtually every aspect of New York City life. This page, above: Glenn Bernbaum, owner of Mortimer’s, with chef Stephen Attoe, maitre d’ Robert Caravaggi, and staff, 1986; below: chef Stephen Attoe and Robert Caravaggi, owners of the popular Upper East Side restaurant Swifty’s, surrounded by their staff, 2010. Opposite, above: Quest’s own David Patrick Columbia reporting from The Central Park Conservancy Frederick Law Olmsted Lunch for his website newyorksocialdiary. com, 2010; below: Suzanne and Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets, with their son Brick, at the New Meadowlands Stadium, 2010. 108 QUEST
makes New York City the most special city of all—its citizens. Quest columnist Harry Benson’s legendary photography, along with text by society writer Hilary Geary Ross, who writes our “Appearances” column, chronicles, with rare behind-the-scenes access, the lives of extraordinary New Yorkers. The city’s past, present, and future are all represented in its pages. And with just over 300 pages, this photo monograph is characterized by its monolithic size, as well as its monolithic character. Each subject is photographed in their own space—either where they work or where they play—and when viewed as a collective, the book walks the reader through virtually every aspect of New York City life. This page, above: Glenn Bernbaum, owner of Mortimer’s, with chef Stephen Attoe, maitre d’ Robert Caravaggi, and staff, 1986; below: chef Stephen Attoe and Robert Caravaggi, owners of the popular Upper East Side restaurant Swifty’s, surrounded by their staff, 2010. Opposite, above: Quest’s own David Patrick Columbia reporting from The Central Park Conservancy Frederick Law Olmsted Lunch for his website newyorksocialdiary. com, 2010; below: Suzanne and Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets, with their son Brick, at the New Meadowlands Stadium, 2010. 1 0 8 Q UE S T
Dr. Samantha Boardman, psychiatrist, and her husband, prominent real estate developer Aby Rosen, with their children, Alexander and Vivian, in front of their collection of Andy Warhols in their townhouse, 2010. DE C E M B ER 2 0 1 1 1 1 1
Some of the photographs were shot inside the subjects’ own homes, offering an intimate look into the personal world of many notable denizens, such as the Boardman-Rosen family or Wendy Vanderbilt Lehman. Other photographs are important snapshots, often revealing the subject’s mark on the city itself, such as David Rockefeller sitting in Rockefeller Center or the Lufkins sitting on their “adopted” benches in Central Park. Part of Harry Benson’s extensive archives are also included, producing a unique glimpse of New York City since the 1960s, such as Liz Smith dancing in Shubert Alley or Mayor Michael Bloomberg, riding the subway and having his morning coffee. Still other pictures are nostalgia-inducing, such as the photograph of Glenn Bernbaum at Mortimer’s, the well-loved and often-missed canteen of Upper East Siders. But the narrative continues in Benson’s photograph of Robert Caravaggi and the team at Swifty’s, who have carried on Bernbaum’s torch. Some of the portraits are of native New Yorkers (most of this tribe, if asked, would say they proudly wear that badge 1 1 2 Q UE S T
Above: Liz Smith, author, philanthropist, doyenne of gossip columnists, and Q “Living Legend” contributor in the famed Shubert Alley in the Theater District, 1990. Opposite, above: Patricia Murray Wood Ney and Ambassador Edward Ney on their wedding day, 2011. Pat is part of the Murray McDonnell clan and a former scribe for the “Beachcomber” column in the Southampton Press. Ed is chariman emeritus of Young and Rubicam and the former U.S. ambassador to Canada. Opposite, below: Dan and Cynthia Lufkin with their children Aster Lee Lufkin, Daniel Patrick Lufkin, and Schuyler Hazard, seated on three Lufkin-adopted benches near the Peter Jay Sharp’s Children’s Glade in Central Park, 2010. Dan is one of the founders of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.
with honor), but there are probably more portraits of nonnatives who have moved here over the years—people who dreamed big, and made it bigger. Still, no matter who they are or how they got here, one thing is for certain: each face is the face of a true New Yorker. And all of them, in their own way, are the people who have and continue to build this city. u
This page, above: David Rockefeller, Sr., grandson of legendary Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller, sitting next to the ice rink at Rockefeller Center, 2002; below: Wilbur Ross, CEO of WL Ross & Co. and husband of Hilary Geary Ross, taking a call on the Nice and Easy yacht, 2010. He is chairman of the Japan Society, and the library of the Yale School of Management was recently named in his honor. Opposite page: Minnie Mortimer, a young fashion designer and wife of filmmaker Steven Gaghan, in Central Park, 2010.
DE C E M B ER 2 0 1 1 1 1 5
Above: Quest’s naughty but beloved Taki Theodoracopulos—author, columnist, conservative commentator, and prolific writer—at his Mario Buattadecorated house, 1994. Opposite: Wendy Vanderbilt Lehman, artist and descendant of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbit, in her duplex with double-height living room, the perfect venue for displaying her sculptures, Knight Visitors, 2010. 116 QUEST
mixed nuts By christian chensvold Illustrations by richard hudson
Although marius pepita’s 1892 ballet The Nutcracker, with a score by Tchaikovsky, may seem quintessentially European— music by a Russian based on a short story by German Romantic ETA Hoffmann—the work owes its stature as a holiday tradition to the fair city of New York. In 1954 the New York City Ballet debuted a new staging by George Balanchine of what was then a lesser-known ballet by the composer of Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. Balanchine’s simple and elegant storytelling was an instant hit, and within a few years The Nutcracker became inextricably linked with the holiday season, becoming an annual tradition at the NYCB and ballet companies across America. But New York remains The Nutcracker’s polestar, and this year the city is chock full of nuts, with over half a dozen 1 1 8 Q UEST
productions to satisfy every taste, location, and attention span. Productions include New York Theatre Ballet’s truncated and kid-friendly staging by Keith Michael, New England Ballet’s version at the Bronx Zoo, Dances Patrelle’s Yorkville Nutcracker at Hunter College, New American Youth Ballet’s Downtown Nutcracker, Urban Ballet Theater’s Nutcracker in the Lower, and The Bang Group’s Nut/Cracked, which blends ballet with tap and embellishes Tchaikovsky’s score with a smattering of Duke Ellington. But the marquee productions remain those of the city’s two premier ballet companies. American Ballet Theatre returns with its new staging by Alexei Ratmansky, which debuted last year at the Brooklyn Academy of Music to strong reviews and enthusiastic audiences (costume designer Richard Hudson’s charming
Costume design illustrations by Richard Hudson for Alexei Ratmansky’s staging of The Nutcracker for
ALL ILLUSTRATION S COURTESY OF American ballet theatre
American Ballet Theatre.
New York is The Nutcracker’s polestar, and this year the city is chock full of nuts, with over half a dozen productions to suit every taste, location, and attention span.
illustrations adorn these pages). Historically ABT has taken its annual Nutcracker production on the road, but it is now anchored in New York for the first time thanks to a fiveyear partnership with BAM’s Howard Gilman Opera House. Ratmansky’s staging blends the formality of his Russian training with sensitivity and humor, says ABT artistic director Kevin McKenzie.“Alexei is very sympathetic to family dynamics and how people interact with one another. The staging is very human and tender.” Protagonist Clara gets a dash of up-to-dateness through a more active role on her trip to dreamland. Rather than having the action dictated by her subconscious, McKenzie says, Clara instead actively imagines herself as an adult. “So as opposed to merely witnessing everything, she experiences it,” he says.
This page: Costume designs for Harlequin and Clara. Opposite: Drosselmeyer; Clara’s father; Clara’s mother.
DE C EM B ER 2 0 1 1 1 2 1
This page: The Mouse King. Opposite: Bee costume.
American Ballet Theatre’s new staging by Alexei Ratmansky is inventive and dynamic, says Maria Riccetto, who reprises the role of Clara. “It’s very physical: on every beat of the music, you move.”
Interpreting Clara’s experiences is ABT’s star soloist Maria Riccetto, who reprises her lead role from last year (other personal highlights from 2010 include performing as Mila Kunis’ double in the film “Black Swan”). Riccetto calls Ratmansky’s choreography inventive and dynamic, adding, “It’s very physical: on every beat of the music, you move.” But while her body must follow the choreographer’s steps, Riccetto can let her personal interpretation shine through with facial gestures. “Every time I go on stage I know I’m interpreting a character,” she says, “but I also have my own thought processes at the same time. And every day is different, so it’s nice to be able to make the role your own.” At NYCB, which performs at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, the company will present Balanchine’s archetypal staging just as it’s done for the past half-century. “Balanchine told the story in a clear and concise way, and the show flows beautifully without any gimmicks,” says Marguerite Mehler, who’s worked the past 16 years as NYCB’s production stage manager. “Our production is very low-tech. It’s very simple, from the tree growing to the snow scene, when suddenly you’re in a different place, it’s all done in an old-school simple way, and that makes it really beautiful. We’re the opposite of Spider-Man.” People say New York is nuts, and every Christmas our fine ballet companies give them another reason why. u
Concert pianist Lola Astanova, who makes her Carnegie Hall debut on January 19, photographed here at Steinway Hall.
whatever lola wants photographed and written by Nancy ellison Is concert pianist lola Astanova even remotely daunted by making her Carnegie Hall debut this season? “I wouldn’t say I am daunted or nervous about the concert, but rather I am very emotional about it,” says the young and mysteriously beautiful Astanova.
On January 19, Astanova will debut with a concert honoring Vladimir Horowitz, the legendary pianist who made his own Carnegie Hall debut on January 12, 1928. Her selection of pieces incorporates many of Horowitz’s own famous performances, including Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 62, No.
1 in B, the piece he recorded just several days before he died. She will also be playing on Horowitz’s personal Steinway & Sons concert grand piano (the same piano he brought to the White House for his concert there in 1978). If she is awed by the ghost of Horowitz, we will never
D ECE M B ER 2 0 1 1 1 2 5
Astanova stands in front of a portrait of Horowitz. She will debut with a selection of pieces that encompass Horowitz’s famous performances. Opposite: Astanova will also play on Horowitz’s original grand piano.
know; this concert pianist is possessed of an enigmatic poise. Like Horowitz, Astanova brings power, intelligence, and a shadowy erotic passion to her performances. On set at Steinway Hall, she brought the same intense focus and power that she conveys in her technical virtuosity at the piano to the photographs seen here. Astanova was born in Tashkent and was trained in the classic Sovietstyle Romantic piano repertoire by Lev Naumov, whose pianistic lineage traces back to Franz Liszt. While she remains devoted to 19th-century composers, she has also become a YouTube sensation with her own composition, inspired by Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop The Music,” which has received over a million views. Her other YouTube videos have also done remarkably well, thanks in part to her edgy outfits that are changing the fashion of concertizing. (And another reason to rush to Carnegie Hall for tickets!) Astanova arrived in Houston, Texas about 10 years ago with only $200 in her pocket. She had no connections and no prospects. Nor did she even have the English language at her disposal. “I’ve been living in the U.S. for 10 years now and didn’t speak English at all when I first arrived,” she says. “Watching ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Frasier’ helped!” Joking aside, this young woman faced some major cultural challenges. “I purposefully wanted to immerse myself into the American way of living and thinking,” she says, “and somewhat disconnect from what I knew growing up in the Soviet Union. It became obvious to me that the two cultures have very little in common, so I really had to change my mentality.” Her big break came in October of 2007, when Astanova was asked to be part of the Classical Superstars Fantasy Concert, alongside Valery Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra. The concert was featured in the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book with a ticket price of $1.6 million. Indeed, Lola’s star is only rising. “Looking back, I was a completely different person 10 years ago, and when I got here I realized I had to start everything from scratch. I still have my Russian side, of course, but the experiences I’ve had here have given it a whole new twist.” And this new twist is what her fans—and Horowitz fans—are waiting to see. u
“I was a completely different person 10 years ago. I still have my Russian side, of course, but the experiences I have had here have given it a whole new twist.�
DECEMBER 2011 127
yuletide callings A historical survey of Christmas cards tells the story not only of Christmas, but of American culture. By daniel cappello
DECEMBER 2011 129
christmas cards have been called “little messengers of
goodwill,” but that description, charming though it may be, is perhaps an oversimplification. In an age when the human is slowly being displaced by the digital—when the handwritten note is being forsaken for Facebook, and emotions are being expressed more expediantly in an email, a text, or even a tweet— the Christmas card stands strong as that occasion-specific form of correspondence that even the prophets and proponents of Paperless Post refuse to submit with a click of the Send button. When it comes to Christmas cards, cardstock is still king. Indeed, nothing combines both words and images, or conveys both greetings and feelings, better than a Christmas card. And, in a new book, American Christmas Cards: 1900-1960 (published by the Bard Graduate Center of Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture, and distributed by Yale University Press), we are treated to a walk back in time via Christmas cards past. The book, edited by Kenneth L. Ames, is the first to offer a
systematic survey of Christmas card imagery, and traces trends and themes from throughout the first six decades of the 20th century. Like Christmas itself, which embraces disparate beliefs, customs, and activities of multiple origins, the cards featured here are numerous and varied, from candles and poinsettias to Santa Claus and three kings, from snowy scenes to warm-weather locales, from Medieval revels to modes of transportation. This, in the end, turns out to be more than the mere exploration of images and cards, but rather is a historical survey of the American Christmas and of the larger American culture over time. Along the way, we learn why we feel an almost compulsory need to partake in the ritual of exchange, especially at this time of year. From calling cards to family photos, from the religious to the humorous, in handwritten notes and engraved fonts alike, Christmas Cards, like its subject, is a pictorial playground of the past—a joyful journey into the world of imagination, benevolence, and beauty that is that little messenger of goodwill. u
D e co r at i v e A rts , D e s i g n H i s to ry, M at e r i a l C u lt u r e
a ll i m a g e s co u rt e s y o f b a r d G r a d uate C e n t e r :
Christmas cards, as a new book makes clear, are more than just a joyful combination of images and words. These seasonal greetings help explain our human need to partake in the ritual of exchange. DECEMBER 2011 133
winter dreams By Arianne Berger and camilla bradley
1 3 4 Q U EST
the 2012 ski season marks the 50th anniversary of Gorsuch, a family-owned Alpine lifestyle company. Its landmark stores are prime destinations in Aspen and Vail, and skiers around the world avidly await its glossy catalogs. But in the 1960s, when Gorsuch began, there were only a handful of mountains to ski in the U.S.; skis were made of wood, bindings had leather straps, and ski clothing was made of wool. Renie Cox from upstate New York and David Gorsuch from Climax, Co., met in Jackson Hole when they were 14 years old. They were married shortly after the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley, where both raced on America’s ski team. The young couple settled in Gunnison, where David became the mountain manager of Crested Butte Mountain Resort. David tuned skis for extra money, and soon their apartment was stacked with equipment. One night, a pair of skis fell and broke one of their wedding presents. That was enough for Renie and shortly thereafter the first Gorsuch store opened in an old pool hall. When Vail opened its slopes in 1962 it attracted a new This page: The Gorsuch store in Vail. Inset, above: the Gorsuch boys, with the family dog, would often appear in the company’s catalogue. Today they are partners in the business; Renie Gorsuch with Averill Harriman and one of her teammates; David Gorsuch on course during a ski race in Aspen in 1957.
international crowd. The Gorsuchs packed up their store and moved to Vail. As the company grew, so did their family. Three boys were born into the Gorsuch clan: John, Jeffrey, and Davy. In the early ’70s Renie began taking annual buying trips to Europe. The Gorsuchs already knew Willy and Maria Bogner, and soon their friends’ line was added to the store. (David still wears a cherished coat Willy Bogner gave him as a member of the 1958 World Ski Championships team in Badagestine.) The winter of 1976 brought little snow to Vail. Without snow, sales suffered, and a catalog was born. Now the Gorsuch style could be had by anyone, snowbound or not. The catalog is photographed at Rivergate Ranch, the family’s Colorado home, with grandchildren and family dogs included in the photos. What started as Renie and David’s dream evolved into a generational brand with all three Gorsuch brothers part of the family business. If you happen upon one of their stores this season, stop in and you may even meet the former Olympic teammates whose love affair led to a thriving family business inspired by a shared passion for skiiing and the desire to live their dream. u This page: David Gorsuch on course during a race; the Gorsuch romance began when the couple both skied for the United States Olympic Ski Team. Here, their team picture as published by Sports Illustrated in 1960. Opposite: the youngest of the three Gorsuch boys, Davy Gorsuch, before a race. DECEMBER 2011 137
tidings of great joy in 1964, loretta hines howard donated her collection of Neapolitan Baroque crèche figures to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For many years, she installed “The Angel Tree” herself in the Medieval Hall of the city’s most famous museum in the two weeks before Thanksgiving. This season, a new book, The Angel Tree: Celebrating Christmas at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Abrams), honors this most treasured landmark and tradition that heralds the beginning of the Christmas season. Co-written by Howard’s daughter Linn Howard and Mary Jane Pool, author and former long-time editor of House & Garden, the book brings to life the history and tradition of the 1 3 8 Q U EST
abrams
By Georgina Schaeffer
A bejewled noble lady, attributed to Giuseppe Gori, arrives on camel led by a young attendant. Opposite, from top: a shepherd dressed in homespun attends his goats; the Angel Tree at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Nativity scene. The Infant Jesus is attributed to Giuseppe Sanmartino. The Virgin Mary and St. Joseph are attributed to Salvatore de Franco. Left, above: the King, who has brought along his white poodle; below, the cover of the
ABRAMS
new book, The Angel Tree.
the Nativity scene, which began in Naples during the 18th century. The photography of Elliott Erwitt celebrates this truly extraordinary collection of 18th-century Neapolitan crèche figures—a collection that began with just three figures, Mary, Joseph, and the Christ Child, which were given to Howard as a wedding present by her mother in 1924. Today, the Angel Tree comes to life each year with hundreds of figures. In 2008, the tree received a redesign with new fiber-optic lighting allowing for the scene to be viewed in its full glory. Some 50 angels appear to soar from above, watching over the manger below. Each year, something new is added to that scene: a new thatched roof on a cottage or a new animal may appear (the deer to the right of the crib was a gift to the museum from Linn Howard). Linn, and her daughter Andrea Selby, continue the work of their mother and grandmother, collecting new pieces, installing the tree each year, and creating new vignettes, much to the delight—and great joy—of new and veteran visitors to the museum alike. u DECEMBER 2011 141
among Giants By audax
Rooting for the Giants is a multi-generational religion in my tribe. The team’s founder, Tim Mara, was a bookie who often plied his trade at my great grandfather’s Empire City race track in Yonkers. In 1925 he plunked down $500 for the New York franchise in the new National Football League. At the time, the Giants were one of only five franchises and is the only one to still exist today. “Anything in New York is worth $500,” Big Tim reasoned shrewdly, and today that investment is worth over a billion dollars. My father went to grade school at Loyola with Jack and
Wellington Mara, and the early lore of the Giants—Red Grange, the first 1927 Championship, the 1934 “Sneaker” Championship Game in the snow against the Bears, Pearl Harbor Day, the sudden-death loss to Johnny Unitas and the Colts in the 1958 championship game—were passed along and constantly reanalyzed among my five brothers and me as the sports equivalent of Torah commentaries. Along the way there were many successes as well. Under the legendary coach Steve Owens we won eight divisional and two league championships. Our MVPs over the decades have
L I B R A RY O F CO N G R E S S
included Mel Hein, Frank Gifford, Charlie Connerly, Y.A. Tittle, and Lawrence Taylor. The first game I ever attended was at the Polo Grounds. Afterwards Dad took us up to the Harry M. Stevens catering office for some refreshment. When we got there, the voice of the Giants on television in that era, Chris Schenkel, had preceded us, the day’s proceeds were being counted, the bank notes laid out on a long table and the silver whirring in a coin counting machine. “What’ll it be?” asked Mr. Frank, the Stevens patriarch, lugging some bottles out of the safe. As Red Smith wrote, “This is the first place I’ve seen where the money’s out in the open, but the whiskey’s in the safe!” Later the Giants moved to Yankee Stadium, and my brother Schuyler drove us in there on a freezing rainy Sunday just This page, from top: Jonny Unitas with the ball on December 28, 1958, in a legendary game between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants; Giants quarterback Eli Manning with coach Tom Coughlin. Opposite: The New York Giants winning their first Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos, 1987. DECEMBER 2011 143
This page, from top: David Tyree catches the ball during the 2008 Super Bowl game aginst the Patriots; Charlie Conerly, New York Giants quarterback 1948-1961. Opposite, clockwise from top left: linebacker Sam Huff; Huff in action against Green Bay; NFL owners and coaches, including Tim and Jack Mara, meet with the League Commissioner in Pittsburg; Frank Gifford with the ball against the Steelers; New York Giants halfback Tuffy Leemans breaks away in a game against the Brooklyn Dodgers at the Polo Grounds, 1937; quarterback Y.A. Tittle against the Cardinals; MVP Y.A. Tittle.
Christmas in 1961 to watch Sam Huff, Andy Robustelli, and Roosevelt Grier neutralize Jimmy Brown and sew up the divisional title against Cleveland in a ferociously fought 7-7 tie. Our seats were in the front row at the end zone. In those days after a victory you could still run out onto the field and take down the wooden goal posts, saving splinters for souvenirs. I kept mine for 30 years until I gave them to my nephews, but the shoe I lost getting trampled as I ran happily through the excited mob that day has never resurfaced. When we got back to Long Island, my mother was not nearly as amused as my older brothers were. There was a 75-mile blackout of TV coverage for NFL home games in those years, so as not to cannibalize stadium attendance. The result was that motels up and down the upper Connecticut Turnpike sold their rooms for ten times the normal rate on Sundays as Giants fans flocked to watch the games on grainy black-and-white TVs with rabbit ears. From the middle ’60s on, the Giants endured a heartbreaking decline during a long simmering family ownership feud, only to come storming back under the leadership of Coach Bill Parcells and General Manager George Young in the 1980s. Our first Super Bowl victory was over the Denver Broncos by a score of 39-20 in 1986. Then the Super Bowl victory we won in 1990, 20-19, when the Bills’ last second field goal went just a tad wide, got most of the credit for causing my wife and 1 4 4 Q U EST
sister-in-law to go into labor the next week. Moving to the Meadowlands was a large step forward in 1976. Although, every time I took my kids as they grew up the weather was around zero degrees, the wind swirled crazily, and their vocabularies were enlarged in undesirable ways. Wellington Mara lived to a venerable age and was known as the “Conscience of the NFL” until his death in 2005. Who can ever forget the 2007 season, where, under a maturing Eli Manning, we came storming through the stretch to finish 106, beat Tampa Bay, Dallas and Green Bay in the playoffs, and went into the Super Bowl as 12-point underdogs against the 18-0 New England Patriots? Somehow we managed to hang in the game for the first three quarters against the Patriots’ confident and furious assault. And then things began breaking our way, first with a circus catch by David Tyree on his helmet, and then Plaxico Burress’ reception of Eli’s winning touchdown with less than a minute to play. The defense held on to win another Super Bowl, vindicating the disciplined yet often creative coaching style of veteran Tom Coughlin. The normally lowkeyed managing owner, John Mara (Wellington’s son), called it “The greatest victory in the history of this franchise, without question.” After a disappointing end to last season, the Giants came alive in September, stomping Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles, and then making a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Arizona Cardinals thanks to a cool-handed Eli and great catches by Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks. Then, on November 6th, Eli lead the Giants to a victory over New England that was reminiscent of our Super Bowl upset, with the defense shutting Brady down and Jake Ballard making key catches almost as acrobatic as Tyree’s. So we’re heading into the stretch with a clear lead in our division and playoff hopes very much alive. Today the Giants have a brand new stadium—one of these days the operations crew may learn how to keep its lights on. My kids are old enough to get to the game on their own and most of my viewing is done from the couch. I’m inclined to keep it that way until grandchildren come along. But if there were another blackout I might sally forth. The Harry M. Stevens Company is long gone, but I like to think the ghost of “Mr. Frank” would emerge from his safe with a little liquid encouragement for the electricians and the rest of us. Let’s go Giants! u
Food Allergy Ball 2011 Monday, December 5, 2011
The Fourteenth Annual Food Allergy Ball, presented by the Food Allergy Initiative (FAI), takes place on Monday, December 5, 2011 at The Waldorf=Astoria. The evening’s proceeds will benefit FAI’s research, education, and public policy programs, aimed at finding a cure and raising awareness of life-threatening food allergies. The Ball is one of the winter season’s most spectacular fundraisers, attended by some 500 loyal supporters every year.
ner Chair. Liana Silverstein Backal and Arthur Backal, Abbey and Steven Braverman, Patricia and James Cayne, Nina Rennert Davidson and Mitchell Davidson, Mary Richardson Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Roxanne and Dean Palin, and Stephanie Winston Wolkoff and David Wolkoff are the Benefit Dinner Chairs. There will be a special performance by Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis, stars of Broadway’s The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess.
This year’s event honors Douglas L. Braunstein, Chief Financial Officer, JPMorgan Chase & Co., for his dedication to FAI’s mission. Renowned chef Alfred Portale (Gotham Bar and Grill) will receive the FAI Lifetime Achievement Award for his commitment to excellence and to food allergy education for restaurant and food service staff.
Page 148 features highlights from the 2010 Food Allergy Ball, which honored The Mount Sinai Hospital for its leadership in food allergy research and treatment. Wayne Keathley, President & COO, accepted the award on behalf of the hospital. Acclaimed chef/restaurateur Tom Colicchio received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Kathy Franklin, a longtime advocate for FAI’s mission, received the FAI Legacy Award. A special performance by Broadway’s Million Dollar Quartet concluded the evening’s festivities.
Julia Koch, Sharyn Mann and Todd Slotkin are the Gala Dinner Chairs. David H. Koch is the Corporate Din-
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ABOUT THE FOOD ALLERGY INITIATIVE (FAI) Founded in 1998 by concerned parents and grandparents, the Food Allergy Initiative (FAI) is the world’s largest source of private funding for food allergy research. FAI is committed to finding a cure for life-threatening food allergies, which affect up to 15 million Americans—including 1 in 13 children. In addition to funding research worldwide, FAI supports clinical activities to improve diagnosis and treatment; public policy initiatives to increase federal funding for re-
search and create safer environments; and educational programs to heighten understanding and awareness. FAI has committed more than $75 million toward its mission. A national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, FAI is supported solely by donations from corporations, foundations, and dedicated individuals, including our 2011 honorees, chairs, and guests. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has helped make FAI’s Fourteenth Annual Food Allergy ball an outstanding success.
FAI: Key Accomplishments Research
Education and Patient Services
1999: FAI begins supporting food allergy research worldwide.
2001: FAI funds The Food Allergy Training Guide for Restaurants and Food Service.
2002: FAI begins to support the development of a Chinese herbal therapy that could prevent reactions to multiple food allergens; the therapy enters FDA Phase 2 clinical trials in 2010. 2008: To further the careers of gifted young investigators, FAI and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology launch the AAAAI/Food Allergy Initiative Howard Gittis Memorial Research Fellowship/Instructor Award Program. 2010: FAI brings together 40 leaders in research, industry and government, who develop “Roadmap to a Cure,” a strategy that will lead to an FDA-approved therapy to protect most people with food allergies against life-threatening reactions. 2011: Researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine publish the results of the largest national study of food allergies in Pediatrics. This FAI-funded research shows that food allergies affect 1 in 13 U.S. children—two in every classroom.
Clinical Activities 1998: FAI begins to provide an annual grant to expand clinical activities at The Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine, enabling this center of excellence to double its patient base. 2010: FAI underwrites the publication of “Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Food Allergy,” a definitive document produced by an NIH Expert Panel.
2002: FAI establishes a philanthropic program to provide MedicAlert® bracelets for needy food-allergic children and adults. 2008: FAI Northwest and FAI Chicago begin funding community health education programs at Seattle Children’s Hospital and Children’s Memorial Hospital. 2011: FAI partners with other food allergy advocacy organizations to produce “How to C.A.R.E. for Students with Food Allergies,” a free e-learning program for educators, available at www.allergyready.com.
Public Policy 2004: FAI helps lead the national effort to pass legislation requiring all food labels to state, in plain language, whether or not a product contains any of the eight major allergens. 2007: As a result of statewide campaigns led by FAI, New York and New Jersey enact legislation requiring schools to adopt food allergy management policies; later, FAI participates in successful campaigns in Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Texas, and Washington. 2010: As a result of FAI campaigns, New York City restaurants are required by law to display a food allergy education poster for employees, and ambulances statewide must carry epinephrine. 2011: Thanks, in large part, to FAI’s efforts, the federal government’s investment in research increases from $4 million in 2004 to nearly $27 million.
To learn more, please visit www.faiusa.org or contact us at 212-207-1974 or info@faiusa.org. D E C E M B E R 2 011 147
Highlights from the 13th Annual Food Allergy Ball Monday, December 6, 2010
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1. Aryan Shayegani and Frank Bruno; 2. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Sharyn Mann, Todd Slotkin and Julia Koch; 3. Sharyn Mann, Todd Slotkin, David Bunning and Denise Bunning; 4. Christian Delouvrier, Alain Sailhac, André Soltner and Jean-Louis Dumonet; 5. Lori Stokes and Tom Colicchio; 6. Mary Richardson Kennedy and Kyra Kennedy; 7. Performance by Broadway’s Million Dollar Quartet; 8. Dean and Roxanne Palin; 9. Stephen and Sharyn Mann; 10. John and Judy Hannan; 11. Nina Rennert Davidson and Inge Rennert; 12. Drew Nieporent, Julian Niccolini, Tom Colicchio, André Soltner and Alain Sailhac; 13. Abbey and Steven Braverman; 14. Judy and Todd Slotkin; 15. Stephen McKenna and Amie Rappoport McKenna with Christine and Stephanie Rappoport; 16. CeCe Cord and Kimberly Yaseen; 17. Tom Colicchio, Sharyn Mann and Todd Slotkin; 18. Ingrid Vandebosch and Jeff Gordon; 19. Helen and David Jaffe 20. Dennis Askwith, Kathy Franklin, Liana Silverstein Backal and Arthur Backal; 21. Roslyn and Elliot Jaffe; 22. Wayne Keathley and Dr. Hugh Sampson. 148 QUEST
Patrick M c M u llan / J u lie S karratt
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Julia & David Koch salute the
Food Allergy Initiative for presenting
Douglas Braunstein — Guest of Honor Alfred Portale — Lifetime Achievement Award
Food Allergies By The Numbers Number of... Children with food allergies: 1 in 13 That’s two in every classroom.
Children with food allergies who have a history of a severe reaction: 40%
Children with food allergies who are allergic to multiple foods: 30%
Number of... Emergency room visits caused by food-allergic reactions each year: 203,000 That’s one every three minutes.
Number of... Cures available to people with food allergies: 0 But there is hope. The Food Allergy Initiative (FAI)—the world’s largest source of private funding for food allergy research— Sources: Gupta, R., et al. (2011). “The Prevalence, Severity, and Distribution of Childhood Food Allergy in the United States.” is dedicated to finding a cure. To learn how you can help, call Pediatrics, 128(1), e9-e17. Clark, S., et al. (2004). “Multicenter Study of Emergency Department Visits for Food Allergies.” Journal of Allergy and 212-207-1974, email info@faiusa.org, or visit www.faiusa.org. Clinical Immunology, 113 (2), 347-352.
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www.faiusa.org
The search for a cure begins with
YOU.
Participate in a Clinical Trial. The good news: Never have there been so many studies of promising treatments for food allergies.
The bad news: Researchers are struggling to recruit the patients needed to complete these studies. A survey showed that 86% of all U.S. clinical trials fail to recruit the required number of participants on time.* That’s where you come in. As a person with food allergies—or the parent of a food-allergic child—you can contribute directly to the search for better treatments and a cure. You’ll help researchers expand our understanding of food allergies. And if the study results in a breakthrough in treatment, you’ll make medical history. Best of all, you’ll make a real difference in the lives of the millions of people affected by food allergies … including yourself. How do you know if a study is right for you or your child? Participating in a research study is an important commitment. You’re sure to have questions about the therapy being tested, the tests you’ll need to take, the demands on your time, safety issues, and more. That’s why FAI has developed a section of our Web site dedicated to food allergy clinical trials. Here, you’ll find the information and resources you need to make an informed decision.
Learn more. Visit www.faiusa.org/clinicaltrials * www.Centerwatch.com
Klopp
What the Chairs Wear This month, Karen Klopp continues to address the eternal question of “What to wear?” in her What the Chairs Wear column, suggesting outfits for mothers and daughters ™
attending the Nutcracker Family Benefit, co-hosted by New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet. Follow her advice and you’ll be a vision of sugarplums!
Every december, New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet join one another to co-host the Nutcracker Family Benefit. This festive event includes a matinée performance of The Nutcracker, choreographed by George Balanchine to music composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, and a luncheon featuring photo opportunities with dancers in costume and a visit from Santa Claus. At 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 3, Sandra Lee, honorary chair, and co-chairs 152 QUEST
Danielle Ganek, Joyce Giuffra, Julia Koch, Elizabeth Miller, and Ana Pincus will host the party for parents and children of all ages, the proceeds from which support New York City Ballet’s education and outreach programs and the School of American Ballet’s scholarship fund. u For more information, call New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet’s special events office at 212.769.6610.
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When snowflakes fall and the Mouse King arrives to the sound of the grandfather clock striking midnight, you and your Clara can keep cozy in matching Milly faux-fur leopard-print coats (4, 5)—so chic and so flattering with any outfit. With the drop in temperature, Stuart Weitzman suede boots (6) are a must to keep your toes warm, and a GlamourpussNYC Puff Purse (2) is not only soft, but makes a statement. If you have earned a spot on Santa’s Nice list, you might just decorate yourself with a necklace and earrings by Elsa Peretti from Tiffany & Co. (1, 3).
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a p p e a r a n c es
british invasion
by hilary geary
From left: Carl and Gail Icahn are supporters of the Blenheim Foundation; a belly dancer at a Boys Club of New York event at The Pierre.
The british are coming! More than a handful of our favorite Brits arrived in the Big Apple to celebrate historic Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston Churchill, at a benefit held at Sotheby’s. Of course the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough—Sunny and Lily—were there, as the Blenheim Palace is where they rest their heads at night. Plus, the 154 QUEST
Duke’s younger brother, Lord Charles Spencer-Churchill, also flew over the pond, as did Sunny’s beauteous daughter Henrietta Spencer-Churchill. Other guests from London included Usha and Lakshmi Mittal, Hilary and Galen Weston, and Luce Churchill, widow of the legendary prime minister’s grandson. In addition, Sir Mark Weinberg and his
famed designer wife Anouska Hempel were there, as Mark is a longtime trustee of Blenheim. Wilbur and I toasted the board members and supporters at a small warm-up dinner the night before. Among the guests were Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Diana Taylor, plus Gail and Carl Icahn, board member Peter Lyden, and others.
The following night was the Blenheim Foundation dinner at Sotheby’s, where guests sipped cocktails and “Blenheim Palace water” (aqua brought over for the event), while gazing at the fabulous Impressionist art on display. Then into dinner to find long silver lamé-covered tables topped with arrangements by florist extraordinaire Andrew Pascoe. After dining on beet niçoise salad, roast chicken, and a scrumptious chocolate dessert, we were treated to an auction hosted by Jamie Niven, who quickly sold a beautiful bejeweled Harry Winston watch, Cartier necklace, and fabulous weekend at Blenheim as guests of the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough. Among the revelers were Kari and Carl Tiedemann, Barbara and Tommy Bancroft, Reinaldo Herrara, David Koch, Susan Lloyd, Mario Buatta, Jamee and Peter Gregory,
Gilbertson, Audrey Gruss, Scott Snyder, Harriet and Ronald Weintraub, Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, John Loeb and Sharon Handler, Alexandra Lebenthal and Jay Diamond, Somers and Jonathan Farkas, Bettina Zilka, Leslie and Daniel Ziff, and more. Speaking of palaces, that same night Julian Robertson opened the doors of his palatial penthouse overlooking Central Park to toast the supporters of the American Friends of Versailles. The group later fêted its supporters at a luncheon at 21 and a dinner at Pilar and Juan Pablo Molyneux’s spectacular townhouse. And speaking of benefits, one of my favorites is the Boys Club of New York’s annual fall dance. This year’s theme was “Rock the Casbah,” which took place at The Pierre. It must be the most attractive young group of committee members, and
Knicks’ assistant general manager Allan Houston and his wife, Tamara, and vice chairman of Newmark Knight Frank, Mark Lewis. Deborah Norville, my favorite Emmy Award-winning journalist and “Inside Edition” anchor, was the emcee for the benefit, and Wonder Woman actress Lynda Carter performed—this gal can sing! Among the guests were Deb’s husband Karl Wellner, Kara and Peter Georgiolopos, and more. Another evening, Cornelia and Marty Bregman celebrated Cornelia’s birthday with a cocktail party. Marty is the famed film producer of Scarface, Sea of Love, and Carlito’s Way, and Cornelia (née Cornelia Sharpe) starred in Serpico. Among the guests were Al Pacino, Mario Buatta, Allison and Leonard Stern, Sharon Sondes and Geoffrey Thomas, Ann Rapp, Jackie and Rod Drake, and Ann
Blaine Trump, Tom Quick, and Lynda Carter dined together at the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s “Protecting Kids First” gala.
Dailey and Gordon Pattee, David Patrick Columbia, Muffie and Don Miller, Karen and Richard LeFrak, Liz and Jeffrey Peek, Christine Schwarzman, Grace and Chris Meigher, Pauline Pitt and Jerry Seay, Blaine Trump and Steve Simon, Jenny and John Paulson, John Mashek, Joanne and Roberto de Guardiola, Ambassador Mary and Mandy Ourisman, Mark
includes Elizabeth Pyne, Travis and Nick Acquavella, Nicole and Matthew Mellon, Charlie and Sarah Ayres, and Averell and Gigi Mortimer. Antony Todd set up long tables covered in Moroccan silk and everyone danced the night away. Another terrific benefit was the New York Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children, which honored the New York
Dexter-Jones. That same night Sandy Hill was fêted by her son, Bo Pittman, and André Balazs at the Boom Boom Room, as Sandy just published a new book, Mountain: Portraits of High Places. Among her well-wishers were David Koch, CeCe Cord, Blaine Trump, Christopher Mason, Barbie Bancroft, Shirin von Wulffen and Frédéric Fekkai, and others. u D E C E MB E R 2 0 1 1 1 5 5
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THE YOUNG & THE GUEST LIST From the hallowed halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the thumping basement of Southside, Elizabeth Quinn Brown hits up all the parties uptown, downtown, and all around town. by Elizabeth quinn Brown
Samantha Lim and Eleni Meneve at RIff Raff ’s for CHROMEO.
Becka Diamond and Nick Hunt at Sons of Essex for a Cinema Society after-party on November 16.
CHROMEO fans gathered for a concert at Riff Raff’s on November 4. Alessandra Brawn enjoyed a Grey Goose cocktail after the Cinema Society screening of Breaking Dawn: Part 1.
Andie MacDowell and Rainey Qualley sat with Calvin Klein for Breaking Dawn: Part 1.
CHROMEO’s DJ DL and DJ Kieran Taylor performed for a
Nikki Reed and Ashley Greene wore DKNY
crowd of body-painted partiers on November 4.
to a screening of Breaking Dawn: Part 1.
KirillWasHere.com; patrick mcmullan
Nothing says november like Christmas-themed cups
at Starbucks. Well, maybe not nothing, but, you know. This month, I’m giving thanks for Elizabeth and James sample sales, my Klout score (also, Twitter), and mashed potatoes. On October 28, the Adeona Foundation hosted its fifth annual Cowboys and Indians Halloween Hoedown at 548 West 22nd Street. The organization—named for goddesses Abeona and Adiona of safe departure and safe return, who together form the goddess “Adeona”—was founded by Charles Burdette, Clark Finney, Grant Hewit, Chris Quick, and Coly Smith in 2008 to support New York charities for children. The sold-out event was a success, and people accessorized their costumes with everything from Cleveland Indians shirts to fur coats. Bartenders mixed drinks with Mercy for Lauren Ruddy and me while DJ Reach mixed tracks.
On November 3, the Apollo Circle chairs Genevieve Kinney, Alejandro Santo Domingo, and Laura Zukerman invited guests 21 to 39 to its benefit, “POP!,” sponsored by Carolina Herrera at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Dressed in Kara Janx—corsetry, satin, and tulle, oh my!—I strolled the couple of blocks from my apartment in the East 80s to the event with Medora Hartz and Nick Ventura. There, Amanda Hearst, Lara Meiland-Shaw, and Lauren Santo Domingo encircled the Temple of Dandur wearing designs by Carolina Herrera. Juggling champagne and a Tootsie Pop, I danced around the room, visiting with Paul Johnson Calderon, Jenny Cuminale, Anne de la Mothe Karoubi, Billy Farrell, Elizabeth Grimaldi Kurpis, Raymond Steuert, and Julia Katherine Wetherell. At midnight, I after-partied with Micaela English and Nina Mayfield for a bit. DECEMBER 2011 157
On November 4, CHROMEO’s DJ DL and DJ Kieran Taylor performed at Riff Raff’s, where body-painted partiers enjoyed tiki-themed drinks. On November 12, I celebrated my birthday at ’inoteca, cucina with Carver Diserens, Sean Hotchkiss, Caroline Smith, Jonathan Thompson, and others. We toasted with red and white and glasses of port. The party continued at Automatic Slims and Southside with some limo-ing in the middle, and I woke up feeling oldish the following morning. On November 16, the Cinema Society and DKNY screened The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1. I departed wondering whether or not Robert Pattinson can smile—physically, I mean—and, seriously, anybody who compares all of this
hosted the Apollo CIrcle Benefit “POP!”
vampire-ness to Harry Potter needs an anti-stupidity potion. At the after-party at Sons of Essex, Gus Spaulding and I mingled with Carson Griffith, Nick Hunt, and Daisy Prince as waitresses served Grey Goose cocktails and truffley pizza. Later, I chatted with NHL hockey player Brian Boyle about ice hockey, from New England Championship games to the New York Rangers. In December I’m looking forward to the merry, merry swirl that is the season. So far on my calendar: Project Sunshine’s “Naughty & Nice” holiday party on the 8th, and the Grosvenor Neighborhood House Y’s “Dancing at Doubles” event on the 16th. But now, I’m headed home for Thanksgiving—Happy Turkey Day! u
B e n j a m i n G u s ta f s s o n ; b i lly fa r r e ll a g e n c y
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Greg Krelenstein and Leigh Lezark DJed on November 3; The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Ryan Dinsmore and Grant Hewit, co-founder of the Adeona Foundation, at the organization’s event on October 28.
Peter Smith, Austin Boykin, Cryder DiPi-
Alex Polkinghorn, Juliet Izon, and Emily Fincke
etro, and Rich Sgalardi on October 28.
together at ’inoteca, cucina on November 12.
A group of friends gathered for a family-style dinner at ’inoteca, cucina on November 12, enjoying each other’s company and Nutella sandwiches.
Drew Fulton and Hanna Stagg (center) and friends dressed as cowboys and indians for an event on October 28.
KJ Anderson and Emily White at the Adeona Foundation’s fifth annual Cowboys and Indians Halloween Hoedown on October 28.
DJ Reach performed for a crowd dressed as cowboys and indians before Halloween.
Hayes Miller and Richard Boudria at the Cowboys and
Hannah Steele, Emily Steele, and Sean
Indians Halloween Hoedown on October 28.
Delaney at an Adeona Foundation event. DECEMBER 2011 159
SNAPSHOT
old Long since every december 31, millions of people raise their voices
with family and friends to sing a chorus of “Auld Lang Syne” (which translates literally to “Old Long Since,” but more colloquially means “long, long ago” or “days gone by”). Opening on December 14 at the Morgan Library is a unique exhibition that explores the origins of this well-known and beloved Scottish folk song. On view at the library are the manuscripts and letters of the great Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759–1796), author of the version as we know it today, as well as earlier versions of the poem and song, rare manuscripts, and multimedia features. But the tradition of singing “Auld Lang Syne” on New Year’s 160 QUEST
Eve (or “Hogmanay” in Scotland) actually began in New York City. Canadian bandleader Guy Lombardo performed the song at midnight on January 1, 1929, at the Roosevelt Hotel. His orchestra continued to play the song every New Year’s Eve, with a live broadcast from New York, until 1976. It is this recording that has been played ever since as part of the Times Square “ball-drop” celebration. —Georgina Schaeffer This page, clockwise from top left: Robert Burns (1759-1796); “Should auld acquaintance be forgot” as we sing it today, published in 1799; an earlier poem, “Auld Lang Syne,” by Allan Ramsay, published 1724.
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