Wednesday, April 19, 2023. A grey cloudy morning turning to sunny midafternoon, yesterday in New York. With temps in the chilly mild mid-50s. I miss the warm, summery days of last week. However, the green is all over town now, even the tree in front of my apartment, not to mention the magnificence of the flowers and flowering trees on Park Avenue and of course throughout the Park, my local Carl Schurz Park by the river here to remind us.
Meanwhile. The Palm Beach season is just about flurried out but only a few days ago (like two weeks by the time you read this) at the Colony Hotel, Robin Baker Leacock hosted a book party for herself and her new book Radiance or Radiance; Worth Reimagined.
I haven’t read it (or seen it) yet but it’s described as “the perfect self-help book to soothe the constant chaos inherent to our lives in our current historical moment.”
The book is “designed to be especially helpful to women, helping them powerfully connect with their inner beauty in order to live a more authentic and fulfilling life.”
What I, back here up north away from the “sturm und drang” of Palm Beach life, found most interesting was the author’s description of how people are feeling these days. She’s referring to this whole world of ours and how so many are feeling – about themselves, about life, about the living it.
Many of us are having a difficult time adjusting or acclimating to the vibe around us. It’s not mass-expressed, it’s even private with many if not most. They don’t talk about it. But it’s there, in this land of plenty and abundance.
Meanwhile back at the Colony Hotel, there were more than 100 present having a sip and some wonderful hors d’oeuvres at Swifty’s by the pool. I think there were quite a few of them who basically were having a very good time, no matter what. At least for the moment.
Meanwhile up north in our nation’s capitol at The Schuyler at the Hamilton Hotel in Washington, the National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) hosted its 12th annual Women Making History awards program honoring trailblazing women who have made — and continue to make history — through their achievements and contributions to our nation.
Cheri Kaufman (Co-founder of Kaufman Astoria Studios and the New York Chair of the National Women’s History Museum) put together an incredible night in our country’s capital.
The ceremony was designed to celebrate, amplify, and uplift the stories and voices of women, past and present. This year the museum honored Uma Thurman, Sharon Stone, Ashley Graham, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Willie Pearl Mackey King, with additional programming including performances by Broadway actresses Laura Bell Bundy and Shayna Steele, with remarks by trailblazing women throughout.
The day before the dinner, the National Women’s History Museum also opened its inaugural exhibit, We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in downtown D.C.
Founded in 1996, the National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) is dedicated to uncovering, interpreting, and celebrating women’s diverse contributions to society.
A renowned leader in women’s history education, the Museum brings to life the countless untold stories of women throughout history, and serves as a space for all to inspire, experience, collaborate, and amplify women’s impact — past, present, and future.
NWHM fills in major omissions of women in history books and K-12 education, providing scholarly content and educational programming for teachers, students, and parents. They reach more than 4 million visitors each year through their online content and education programming.
Then back in Palm Beach. American Humane, the nation’s first and largest animal welfare organization, paid tribute to Palm Beach philanthropist Lois Pope during a celebration of advocacy also over at The Colony Hotel.
Ms. Pope has long had a passion for helping U.S. Veterans. She’s often referred to as The Pope of Disabled Veterans. This is not a subject spoken of frequently or even knowingly. She’s long-supported life-saving programs like the Pups4Patriots initiative, which pairs highly trained service dogs with veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury – at no cost to the veteran.
American Humane’s president Dr. Robin Ganzert put it clearly:
“Tonight is a celebration of Lois’ incredible work, and it’s an honor to celebrate her love for animals and beneficent legacy.”
Notable guests included Lois and Tova Leidesdorf, Herb and Rita Krauss, Herb and Sharon Jablin, Gail Worth, Arlette Gordon, John and Nancy Payne, Patty Martin, Simone Bonutti, Florence Seiler, Bill McBride, Lloyd Schiller, Brooke Samples, Maude Cook, and Susie Goldsmith.
A few weeks before there was a luncheon at Swifty’s at The Colony which was hosted by Jean Shafiroff, who serves as an American Humane Board member. Among those attending were Executive Director Dr. Ganzert, Ava Roosevelt, Kim Dryer, Kathleen Gannon, Sharon Jablin, Pamela O’Connor, Lauren Roberts, Janet Levy, Pamela Wright, Elizabeth Steinberg and Rashnee Sharma.
Founded in 1877, American Humane is committed to ensuring the safety, welfare and well-being of animals. For more information or to support their work, please visit www.americanhumane.org.
Photographs by Jerry Lacay/AnnieWatt.com (Radiance); CapeHart Photography / Jessica Lawten (American Humane); Getty Images (National Women’s History Museum).
