The Rockefeller University was founded in 1901 by John D. Rockefeller Sr. as the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research – the nation’s first bio-medical research institute. At that time, Mr. Rockefeller, who started the Standard Oil Companies, was one of the world’s richest men (annual income: millions/billions into day’s currency) and reviled by not a few millions, and chased around in the press by muckrakers and very good investigative reporters writing to a public that had Had Enough of the robber barons and their wanton avarice. John D. Rockefeller Sr. was at the center of that groundswell that eventually brought about a lot of constructive changes in the economic system (many of which are now seeing, in many cases, being dismantled for the benefit of ... fill-in-the-blank).

Mr. Rockefeller, however, along with his shrewd and tricky (okay, wily), “take-no-prisoners” business tactics, as well as his highly imaginative methods for expansion, was also a man with a religious conscience. He was always a man who gave to his church. But when things got much worse for his public image, as his business got much much much bigger, and he became much much much richer, he also became more seriously engaged in public philanthropy.

Five generations later, Mr. Rockefeller and his surviving interests have donated more than 15 billions to the public good with more programs than almost anyone is aware of. They have virtually articulated the modern definition of philanthropy. Mr. Rockefeller’s initial gifts (or rather, investments in a sound community) have carved out a name only to be carved in marble deservedly. The name Rockefeller today may conjure up the notion of wealth but in fact, the name is also synonymous with American philanthropy because of its resolute focus on the good of the community.

A century after founding the Rockefeller University, Mr. Rockefeller’s legacy (one of the many) has developed a public image of assisting the community in medical science. In 1910 it was a hospital, in the 1950s, it became a model for the clinical research center established by the National Institutes of Health. In 1954 it was chartered as a graduate university to grant a Doctor of Philosophy degree. Today it also sponsors a joint M.D.-Ph.D.

Since its founding 23 scientists associated with the Rockefeller University have won Nobels. These scientists discovered that DNA is the basic material of heredity. They’ve demonstrated that cancer can be caused by a virus. They isolated and first successfully test natural antibiotics, developed meningitis vaccines, developed methadone treatment to manage heroin addiction. Today they also have a comparatively high degree of women scientists – more than a third of the hospital’s 260 scientists. More than 45% of the 355 postdoctoral investigators are women.

Nine years ago, the Rockefeller University started their Women & Science initiative. They had four reasons for the move: to highlight the crucial role of basic and clinical research in addressing the scientific challenges related to women’s health; to showcase the contributions of women scientists, to create a program of support for women scientists and to encourage more women to embrace scientific research as a focus of their philanthropy.

The initiative features two breakfast forums annual, two evening lectures and the spring Women & Science luncheon where guest speakers discuss subjects related to a wide range of women’s health concerns and medical issues. The main thrust of this program is to raise public interest and raise private donations to support the University’s work. So when they formed the “initiative,” they also formed the Partners in Discovery fundraising problem to help raise money to support the women scientists. Focus, focus, resolute, Rockefeller. Missions accomplished; it’s a marvel what that man, so reviled at one moment, gave back to the human race. Even more extraordinary is that five generations later, his descendents are practicing the same philosophy.

This year’s luncheon lecture was “Simple Creatures, Complex Lives: Understanding the Genetic Basis of Behavior.” Ahh, genetics. Now, in my fertile imagination where anything’s possible including the possible, I believe my sitting down and writing this article about the Women & Science lecture luncheon, was in the genes. Ahh, you think I’m kidding. I’m not. But then again I’m not a research scientist. However, that gene of John D. Rockefeller Sr.’s that is still expressing itself long after his passing, is in many of his off-spring and theirs and theirs and theirs. It is quite a remarkable thing because it involves a very high state of consciousness. That was this event and why it is growing in public interest and in fund-raising.

The luncheon’s honorary chairmen were Brooke Astor and David Rockefeller. Its founding chairmen are Lydia Forbes, Isabel Furlaud, Nancy Kissinger and Sydney Shuman. This year’s chairs were Judith Roth Berkowitz, Robin Neustein, Samantha Boardman Rosen and Lulu Wang.

Last Thursday night at the Hotel Gansevoort Rooftop, a big crowd congregated for a surprise party for Larry Herbert marking the 50th Anniversary of his company Pantone. Larry’s wife Michele whom you’ve seen many times on these pages (often with her husband) planned it as a “surprise.”

I’m always suspicious about whether or not the “surprise” is really that surprised. The invitation for this went out to ... I don’t know ... a couple hundred of the Herberts’ nearest and dearest. It read: “Lisa, Vicky, Richard, Loren (the Herbert siblings) and Michele Herbert cordially invite you to celebrate Larry’s 50th Anniversary of Pantone.” Then: “Shhh – it’s a surprise.”

Well, it was. Michele told her husband they were going to a cocktail reception for some friend, some fashion figure in the Meatpacking District. And so they did. But when they arrived at the Gansevoort Rooftop (which if you’ve never been is a great place to have a drink at sunset or thereafter for a view of all of Manhattan north of 9th Street and the Hudson River and the New Jersey shorefront), Larry was surprised to the point of tears.

Larry Herbert is one of those old time success stories that truly defines the word entrepreneur. He didn’t make it in the financial markets, he made it the old fashioned way -- through invention, innovation, imagination, and in the paint and color business. He put himself through college working in a print shop. He went to work for Pantone after college. It was there that he figured out that the color pigment business was not uniform. The red in the Coca-Cola cans in Los Angeles were different from the Coca-Cola cans in Philadelphia because they came from different color catalogues in different parts of the world. When the older owners of Pantone wanted to sell the business and retire, Larry scrapped up the pretty penny needed and he bought it. He also embarked on his new enterprise: cataloguing and making a uniform for every color so that the Coke cans in LA and the Coke cans in Philly were the same red, at all times.

The use of color is so abundant in our world that we are not aware of the immense, almost infinite business that naturally exists in color pigment – garments, household items, architecture, construction, the printed page, advertising, automotive, aeronautic – everything is a color and in order to keep the color uniform, the users go first to Pantone and get specific. The Pantone color catalogue covers the world today. It revolutionized the color business and the advertising business, to name only two. It revolutionized Larry Herbert too – he turned an engineer’s degree into a fortune and made Pantone a world famous brand name. It seems like it was only yesterday to the guy, but it’s been a half-century.

Janet Hanson, a very industrious woman has written a book called More Than 85 Broads, Women Making Career Choices, Taking Risks, and Defining Success On Their Own Terms. It is about her years at Goldman Sachs (the 85 Broads is a play on the address of the company’s headquarters) which is where she started her career building the firm into one of the "world’s most powerful global network communities." In the book she introduces "some of the most incredible women on the planet." It’s about women in business.

Sotheby’s Diamonds, not missing a trick, hosted a cocktail party to launch Ms. Hanson’s book. And what a nice place to go to a cocktail party, surrounded by art and beauty and diamonds and dream-on, dreams-come-true, etc. That way guests got to have cocktails in a very pleasant and aspirational venue to celebrate the lady who wrote the book on aspirational, inspirational, and marketing expertise.

Today Ms. Hanson is Founder of Milestone Capital, the only women-owned firm of its kind in the US. She is also Managing Director and Senior Adviser to Joe Gregory, President of Lehman Brothers. You can learn more by visiting the web site: www.MoreThan85Broads.com.

They held the 32nd annual Dodge Award dinner this year honoring Robert H. Silver, co-Founder of Bravitas Group, and Tiffany Younger, the 2006 YMCA Teen of the Yearat Cipriani 42nd Street.

The Dodge Award is presented annually by the YMCA of Greater New York, as a memorial to the Dodge Family of New York City. The Award is given to outstanding individuals who epitomize the 154-year-old tradition of humanitarian service represented by generations of Dodge family members, who have worked selflessly for numerous causes beneficial to all people.

More than 870 community and business leaders, philanthropists, elected and government officials and supporters of the YMCA of Greater New York attended and they raised more than $2 million to support the YMCA's diverse platform of programs. Jack Lund, CEO of the YMCA of Greater New York, and Barry Salzberg, Chairman of the YMCA Board of Directors and Managing Partner of Deloitte & Touche USA LLP, were on hand to honor this year's Dodge Award recipients.

Honorary Co-Chairs Joseph J. Grano, Jr., CEO of Centurion Holdings, and Mark B. Sutton, Chairman and CEO of Americas UBS, were joined by the evening's emcee, TV personality Consuelo Mack, host and managing editor of public television's WealthTrack.

The YMCA of Greater New York also presented Newton Kwong of the Chinatown YMCA and Itohan Otasowie of the Vanderbilt YMCA, with Vasey Leadership Scholarships. These $10,000 scholarships are awarded annually to YMCA Leaders Club participants who have demonstrated exemplary leadership skills and commitment to their communities by engaging in YMCA program activities, community service projects and volunteerism.

The YMCA of Greater New York is a community service organization that promotes positive values through programs that build spirit, mind and body, welcoming all people with a focus on youth.

It is the largest youth-serving organization in New York City, encompasses 19 YMCA branches, over 180 program sites throughout the five boroughs, and three camps upstate. We serve more than 350,000 New Yorkers of all ages each year, including 175,000 children in a variety of educational, social, health and wellness, as well as recreational and child development programs, each of which reinforce the YMCA values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. Visit www.ymcanyc.org.

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