Award Dinners and its Honorees

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Chanel Cathey and Voltaire Sterling

Bill Russell with David and Rachel Robinson

Clive Davis and Julie White

The Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF) hosted its 2008 Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf=Astoria earlier this month, celebrating the Foundation’s 35th anniversary. The star-studded gala paid tribute to individuals who embody the humanitarian ideals of the baseball legend and raised funds for the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which provides four year college scholarships and extensive mentoring to academically distinguished minority students with financial need and records of leadership capacity. More than 1l00 guests attended and they raised more than $1 million.

Bill Cosby served as emcee once again as he has done for nearly three decades. The film producer, director and screenwriter George Lucas was given the ROBIE Achievement in Industry Award presented by actor Jimmy Smits. Higher education trailblazer, Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, President Emerita of both Bennett College for Women and Spelman College was honored with the ROBIE Humanitarianism Award presented by Dr. Camille O. Cosby; and recording industry pioneer Clive Davis, Chairman, BMG Label Group was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Tony-Award winning actress Julie White. The evening was highlighted by a performance by last year’s American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks.

Among those attending the dinner: Spike Lee, Ahmad Rashad, Howard White (former basketball star and current Nike executive), Melody Hobson (ABC’s Good Morning America contributor) and Bill Russell.

Dr. Camille O. Cosby, Inez Jones, Danielle McKinley, and Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole

Spike Lee, Tanya Lee Lewis, Mellody Hobson, and George Lucas

Doug Doescher, Marie Menna Doescher, Linda Blair Doescher, and William F. Doescher

Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole and Spike Lee

Inez Jones and Rachel Robinson

Jimmy Smits and Chanel Cathey

Martin and Nancy Edelman

Clive Davis, Rachel Robinson, and Jordin Sparks

William F. Doescher, Jai Phillips, La'Tonya Johnson, and Barbara Sawyer

Jesse Simms and Ayo Robinson

La'Tonya Johnson, Lance Whiteley, and Barbara Sawyer

Leonard S. Coleman, Jr. and Dr. Camille O. Cosby

David Robinson and Babatunde Akinloye

Jade Smith and Kristin Jones

Barbara Sawyer, Jimmy Smits, and La'Tonya Johnson

Joaquin and Jimmy Smits with Michael K. Williams

Laurie Coleman and Leonard S. Coleman, Jr.

Leonard S. Coleman, Jr., Rachel Robinson, and Della Britton Baeza

Valaida Wynn and Michelle Rowland

Jimmy and Joaquin Smits

Richard Lapchick and Sharon Robinson

Nakia Davis and Reggie Livingston

George Lucas and Jimmy Smits

Rachel Robinson and Clive Davis

The Vilcek Foundation held its third annual Awards dinner last Wednesday night at the Mandarin Oriental and honored Dr. Inder Verman, a researcher and professor at the Salk Institute, as its 2008 prize recipient for biomedical science; and Osvaldo Golijov, Argentine classical music composer, as the 2008 prize recipient for the arts.

The Vilcek Foundation Prizes are awarded annually to foreign-born individuals for extraordinary contributions to society in the United States.

A $50,000 cash award and a commemorative trophy created by designer Stefan Sagmeister were presented to both prize winners at the dinner. Speakers at the dinner included Ara Guzelimian, Provost and Dean of the Juilliard School, and Ellis Rubinstein, President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences.

Gerald Weissmann, Ann Weissmann, Marica Vilcek, Christina Strassfield, and Paul Strassfield

The Vilcek Foundation’s mission is to heighten public awareness of the contributions of immigrants to the sciences, arts and culture in the United States. Former recipients of the Vilcek Foundation Prizes include: the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude; Dr. Rudolf Jaenisch, founding member of the Whitehead Institute at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Dr. Joan Massagué, Chairman of the Cancer and Biology Genetics Program at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; and architect and urban planner Denise Scott Brown.

In addition to awarding annual prizes in biomedical science and the arts, the Vilcek Foundation will also showcase the work of innovative artists, designers, filmmakers, and others, many of them immigrants who have yet to achieve critical or financial success, at its new headquarters at 167 East 73rd Street in New York City. For more information about the Vilcek Foundation please visit www.vilcek.org

James and Robert Venturi

Jan and Marica Vilcek

Herbert Kayden and Gabrielle Reem

Albert and Ruth Goodgold with Rick Kinsel

Inder Verma and Osvaldo Golijov

Dawn Upshaw

Susan Goodman, John Provet, Alan Rosenbaum, Larry Stam, and Jack Saultanian

Marc Feldmann, Tanya Feldmann, Grietje Verma, and Inder Verma

Peter Ludwig

Prabhjot Dhadialla and Rick Kinsel

Marica Vilcek and Franklin Berger

Jeanne-Claude and Christo

Barbara Haskell, Marica Vilcek, and Susan Morris

Peter Tow and Rick Kinsel

Jennie Rains, Rick Kinsel, and Sharu Mundell-Williams

Ara Guzelimian

Lapo Elkann was honored last Thursday evening at a reception at the United Nations as the new global Special Ambassador for Israel’s Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer. Mr. Elkann, a scion of Italy’s Agnelli family, is founder of the luxury fashion company Italia Independent, as well as a marketing expert who helped revitalize the family’s iconi Fiat brand.

Among those attending the reception which was held in the United Nations Delegates Dining Room were Damon Dash, Amy Sacco, Bonnie Fuller, Jason Pomeranc, Jared Kushner, Sharon Stone, Henry Kissinger, Ron Perelman, and Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman.

Israel Ambassador Dan Gillerman and Sharon Stone

Nicky Breelan and Lapo Elkann

Israel Ambassador Dan Gillerman and Dr. Zeev Rotstein

Lapo Elkann and Sharon Stone

Dr. Zeev Rotstein and Lapo Elkann

Yaira Zicoren, Helene Feldman, Aviad Ohayon, Lapo Elkann, and Dr. Zeev Rotstein

Helene Feldman

Sharon Stone, Helene Feldman, and Elliot Feldman

Ruth Reichl and friend

The other night designer/retailer Jackie Rogers gave a dinner party for her nearest and dearest at Jour et Nuit. The indefatigable once-upon-a-time Chanel model (when Chanel chose the models herself) who learned from the Empress of 20th century fashion herself now has shops in New York (on Lexington between 74th and 75th) in East Hampton and in Palm Beach. Mlle. Rogers was also introducing a new collection, and word was going around the room that she’s about to pen her memoirs. Remember that line from Auntie Mame about “life is a banquet”? Well Jackie Rogers knows it by heart.