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Spring Gala Estimated to Have Raised Over $1.6 Million For Financial Aid;
Emcee Chevy Chase Keeps Crowd in Stitches
updated
07.10.08
Left to right: President Judith Shapiro, Chevy Chase P'11, Diana Vagelos '55, Anna Quindlen '74 |
New York, NY (June 17)--Barnard alumnae and friends of the College gathered last night at Pier Sixty in the Chelsea Piers complex to help raise funds for Barnard's financial aid program, and to honor its outgoing president, Judith Shapiro, and longtime trustee Diana Vagelos '55. The annual Scholarship Gala and Auction, this year entitled A Night on the Town, was emceed by Emmy Award-winning comedian, writer, and television and film actor Chevy Chase, whose daughter Emily will be a sophomore at Barnard in the fall.
Spring Gala featured on Page Six and in NY Observer
Left to right: Cheryl Glicker Milstein '81 and Jolyne Caruso-FitzGerald '82
The Gala, chaired by trustees Jolyne Caruso-FitzGerald '82 and Cheryl Glicker Milstein '81, was attended by over 550 guests including former editor-in-chief of Seventeen and CosmoGirl!, and founder of Big Momma Productions, Atoosa Rubenstein '93, President of the American Museum of Natural History Ellen Futter '71, fashion designers Phillipe and David Blond, and best-selling author and journalist Anna Quindlen '74, who is also the Chair of the Board of Trustees. One of the eldest Barnard alumnae in attendance was Ruth Goldenhein '35. "My granddaughter graduated in '82 from Barnard and invited me here tonight. I'm so happy to be here. It's so important to raise funds for the women who need them," said Goldenhein.
Media entrepreneur Atoosa Rubenstein was once a recipient of such generosity. "I was one of those girls who went to Barnard on financial aid and grants. I feel an incredible responsibility and obligation to be here tonight at the Gala," Rubenstein said, proudly. "I can't imagine what my life would have been like without Barnard." Last year, approximately 54 percent of Barnard students received some form of financial aid. "It's amazing how generous people are with their bids," said Toni Coffee '56. "We hope to raise a lot of money this evening."
 Left to right: David Blond, Atoosa Rubenstein '93 and Phillipe Blond The party got started with passed hors d'oeuvres, champagne and cocktails as guests took part in a silent auction. Among the items bid upon by guests included lunch for 10 with renowned magazine editor Tina Brown at Phyllis Grann's Fifth Avenue apartment; a complete makeover with celebrity stylist David Evangelista; and a visit with celebrity designer Heidi Weisel, who will help the winner choose an item from her Fall 2008 collection. An online auction is also open until June 26 for those who were unable to attend Monday's Gala. All combined, the online, silent, and live auctions are estimated to have raised over $1.6 million for recipients of financial aid
Throughout the evening, emcee Chase kept the crowd in stitches with his irreverent humor. He frequently, and unapologetically, referred to Barnard women, and his wife and daughters, as "girls" and he often veered off script. "I'm so happy to be here tonight so you can raise money…for me…," he joked. When he spoke in glowing terms of Shapiro, who was seated next to him for dinner, he added with a leer, "I'm really enjoying dining with President Shapiro…and the night is still young so who knows where this could go..." After making an off-color remark, Chase apologized to the crowd, "Just because my daughter [Emily] got into Barnard, doesn't mean I'm smart."
Bidding during the live auction
One of the evening's highlights was the pre-dinner live auction presided over by former Sotheby's auctioneer Harmer Johnson. Among the items on the auction block was a week of skiing at a three-bedroom slope-side condo at the Ritz Carlton, in the Aspen Highlands. This vacation was snapped up by the witty master of ceremonies, Chase, for $11,380. But the undisputed hottest item of the auction was the opportunity to name a character in Anna Quindlen's next novel. After a frenzied bidding war, the right sold for a whopping $20,000.
"I love this event because it is so important. We have to do this if we want to keep educating uncommon women at Barnard," said Quindlen, who announced the awards section of the evening after dinner.
Diana Vagelos, a 1955 graduate of Barnard, received the Frederick A.P. Barnard Award, one of the College's highest honors. She received a standing ovation for her tireless work on behalf of the College and her visionary philanthropy. Earlier this year, she and her husband, former CEO of Merck & Co. Roy P. Vagelos, donated $15 million to Barnard's new award-winning multi-use campus center, currently under construction and known as the Nexus.
Shapiro received the Margaret Mead '23 Award, named after the famed cultural anthropologist, who coincidentally was Shapiro's own mentor when she attended graduate school at Columbia. At the end of this month, Shapiro will step down from her presidential post, which she has held for the past 14 years. She leaves behind a tremendous legacy of academic innovation and financial growth at Barnard.
To honor Shapiro's outstanding accomplishments, the Board of Trustees and several friends of the College surprised Shapiro with a special gift: the endowment of the Judith R. Shapiro Scholarship, which will go to students of anthropology. "Without Judith, this college would not be what it is today," said Quindlen. "We don't just honor you with this award. You honor us by accepting it," said Quindlen.
Shapiro received a lengthy standing ovation. As she took to the microphone, her characteristic sly humor was right on target. "I'm Judith Shapiro. And you're not," she said in a nod to tablemate Chase, who coined a similar phrase on Saturday Night Live in the mid-seventies.
"What a wonderful event, what can I say but thank you," said Shapiro. "It has been glorious to be the president of Barnard College. It has brought me great happiness."
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