Central Park Conservany's 28th Annual Frederick Law Olmsted Awards Luncheon

The Central Park Conservancy
28th Annual Frederick Law Olmsted Awards Luncheon
photo: Evelyn Lauder, Karen LeFrak and Gillian Miniter –by Nick Hunt/Patrick McMullan.com

(May 5, 2010, New York, NY) The 28th Annual Frederick Law Olmsted Awards Luncheon, hosted by the Women’s Committee of The Central Park Conservancy was held in the six-acre Conservatory Garden, the Park’s only formal garden. It was a smashing success, raising nearly $2.5 million dollars to support the Conservancy’s work in maintaining and preserving Central Park. Guests filled 120 tables, including corporate tables sponsored by Chanel, Dior, Graff, Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters.

Co-Chairs Noreen Buckfire, Anne Harrison, Marcia Mishaan and Sarah Robertson greeted over 1,200 supporters. Most of them wore glamorous hats, which is why the event has been nicknamed the “Hat Luncheon.” Looking from above, it was a sea of color.

Women’s Committee President Gillian Miniter opened the Awards program, welcoming guests and acknowledging Norma Dana and Jean Clark, two of the four Women’s Committee founders; Tom Kempner, current Chairman of the Board of Trustees; the Conservancy’s founder Betsy Barlow Rogers; and Douglas Blonsky, President of the Central Park Conservancy and Central Park Administrator, who is celebrating his 25th year with the Conservancy.

Honorees of this year’s event included Corporate Chairman Tom Glocer, Thomson Reuters CEO, who has raised vital funds for the Conservancy. The Frederick Law Olmsted Award, given to individuals whose remarkable leadership contribute to the Park’s lasting health, was presented to Betsy Messerschmitt, past president of the Women’s Committee. The Award was also presented to Patsy and Jeff Tarr, longtime supporters of Women’s Committee initiatives. The Tarrs recently funded the renovation of the Park’s West 100th Street Playground, renamed the Tarr Family Playground.

The Women’s Committee thanked Evelyn Lauder, Richard Mishaan and Thorunn Wathne for their in-kind contributions. Also Abigail Kirsch Catering and Andrew Pascoe Flowers.

Leading the applause were Sigourney Weaver, Martha Stewart, Michelle Paige Paterson, Silda Wall Spitzer, Hilary Geary Ross, Deputy Mayor Patti Harris, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Karen LeFrak, Fe Fendi, Allison Rockefeller, Tara Rockefeller, Blaine Trump, Susan Rudin, Fiona and Eric Rudin, Suzanne Johnson, Alexandra Lebenthal, Susan Fales-Hill, Amy Fine Collins, Eric Javits, Michelle Smith, Wendy Carduner, Eleanora Kennedy, Sheila Labrecque, Gail Hilson, Jessie Araskog, Kamie Lightburn, Lally Weymouth, Marlene Hess and Muffy Miller.

About the Central Park Conservancy:

The Women's Committee is an association dedicated to fundraising for Central Park and enhancing the Conservancy's programs in education, conservation and horticulture.

The Central Park Conservancy is a private, not-for-profit organization founded in 1980 as a public-private partnership with the City of New York. Thanks to the generosity of many individuals, corporations, foundations, and the City, the Conservancy has invested more for than $530 million to date into the Park, transforming it into a model for urban parks worldwide. The Conservancy provides 85% of Central Park’s annual $25 million operating budget and is responsible for the maintenance and management of the Park.

See Hamptons.com feature.