Thursday, December 2nd marked the 107th Annual National Institute of Social Sciences Gold Medal Gala honoring Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah.
Cocktails and dinner were served in the President’s Hallway and President’s Ballroom overlooking Central Park at the Metropolitan Club, followed by a panel discussion of the honorees moderated by NISS President Fred Larsen.
Gala chairs for the evening were Michelle and Fred Larsen, Angela Cason and Rod Hickey and Angel Blue-Mielke and Adam Mielke. Guests included Agnes Gund, Catherine Gund, Henry Finder, Stephen Schiff, Emily Rafferty, Jeffrey Eugenides, Lynn Nesbit, Robert Weil, John Makinson, Elbrun Kimmelman, Nasrin Zahedi, Linn Mehta, Jennifer Raab, Paul Boghossian, Tamsin Shaw, Nandana Sen, Mariana Cook, Karen Wagner, Lucien Rothenstein, Robert and Cynthia King, Gregory Peterson, Tommi Salmela, Indrani Sen, Doug Larson, Joshua Graham Lynn, Virginia Dean and Marcia Sells.
The Gala Committee raised monies for the National Institute’s ongoing educational activities, as well as its grants program which awards monies to deserving students in the social sciences. Founded in 1865, the National Institute of Social Sciences is a congressionally chartered not-for-profit organization registered under Section 501(c)(3). Donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. For more information visit: www.socialsciencesinstitute.org.
Christy and John J. Mack hosted a holiday cocktail at their home for Fairplay (formerly CCFC). The evening’s host committee included Mack Abbot, Kathleen Lauster, Ellie Manko Libby, John C. Mack, Melanie Manko, Debra Peltz and Charlotte Pilaro. The intimate evening raised over $400,000 to support their mission advocating a childhood beyond brands.
Executive director Josh Golin explained how Fairplay is committed to helping children thrive in an increasingly commercialized, screen-obsessed culture, and the only organization dedicated to ending marketing to children. A truly independent voice for children, Fairplay’s advocacy is grounded in overwhelming evidence that child-targeted marketing — and the excessive screen time it encourages — undermines kids’ healthy development.
Since its founding by Dr. Susan Linn in 2000, Fairplay has grown from a small group of concerned parents, health professionals, and educators into a powerful force for children and families. Working closely with policymakers, health and child development experts, and nearly 40,000 members, Fairplay is bringing to life a new vision of childhood. Fairplay does not accept donations from Big Tech or any corporation.
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On Friday, November 12th, 2021, French Heritage Society hosted their annual Gala Dinner Dance — A Cabaret Evening Celebrating the City of Lights — at a private club in Manhattan. From the guests’ joyful reunions over cocktails to the kinetic dance floor that kept the Alex Donner Orchestra playing well into the night, the evening warmly celebrated the return of in-person French-American amitié.
The evening honored Bonnie Comley and Stewart F. Lane, Tony Award-winning writers, producers, and founders of BroadwayHD.com, for their impressive contributions to the theatre. Special Events Chairman CeCe Black awarded the couple with a stunning Daum Crystal trophy. The cabaret portion of the program, introduced by FHS Executive Director Jennifer Herlein, featured Robbie Fairchild, multi-talented star of An American in Paris on Broadway and beyond. Fairchild held guests enraptured with intimate set of beloved Gershwin classics, accompanied by the gifted musician Kate Davis.
The elegant fete was held at the behest of Gala Chairmen Liz McDermott Barnes, CeCe Black, Stark D. Kirby, Jr., Jay R. Paul, and Jean Shafiroff, and in the presence of Consul General of France in New York Jérémie Robert and Cultural Counselor Gaetan Bruel. Gala Co-Chairmen included Geoffrey Bradfield, Elisa Fredrickson, David and Susanne Gray, Michael Kovner and Jean Doyen de Montaillou, Bruce Horten, and Ann Van Ness. Further flair was added by New York Chapter Co-Chairmen Guy N. Robinson and Odile de Schietere-Longchampt and the event’s wine consultant, FHS Board Member George Sape.
Guests included: Board Chairman Elizabeth Stribling and President Comte Denis de Kergorlay, Board Members Timothy Corrigan, Christian Draz, Ronald Lee Fleming, Kazie Metzger Harvey, Michel Moscovici, and Young Patrons Circle Chairmen Blake Funston and Johnsonie Casimyr. Also attending: Christine and Max Ansbacher, Susan and Gerald Baker, Sharon Bush, Patricia Duncan, Susan Gutfreund, Mai Hallingby Harrison, Margaret and Gregory Hedberg, Rolf Heitmeyer, Sylvia Hemingway, Marife Hernadez and Joel Bell, Daniel Hurstel, Paul and Ursula Lowerre, Kenneth and Ellen Roman, Thomas and Patricia Shiah, Lynn and Pascale Franchot Tone, Kelly Williams and Andrew Forsyth.
Proceeds from the Gala Dinner Dance benefit French Heritage Society’s mission to ensure that the treasures of our shared French architectural and cultural heritage survive to inspire future generations. Beginning in 2022, FHS will celebrate its 40th Anniversary year with a full calendar of events leading up to a highly curated trip through Paris and gala evening at the Petit Palais, a stunning Belle Epoque masterpiece, in October 2022.
French Heritage Society (FHS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit American organization in operation since 1982 whose mission is to protect the French architectural and cultural legacy both in France and the United States. Over the past 39 years, our generous members and patrons have helped us ensure that these treasures survive to inspire future generations by supporting our three-fold mission: Preservation, Education and Cultivation of French-American Friendship.
Photographs by Michael Ostuni/PMC (Fairplay).
