Scene Last Night: Mack, Weill, Charlotte Ford, Kelli O’Hara
Last night the annual fundraiser for the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center transformed the Park Avenue Armory into a cabaret.
From the ceiling hung custom-designed three-tiered chandeliers. For the striped curtains, 10 people with rollers had painted material laid out on the floor of a New Jersey warehouse.
The amount raised was a record $3.4 million, including nine gifts of $100,000 each, said gala co-chairman and New York- Presbyterian Hospital trustee, Charlotte Ford.
The honorees were Dr. Herbert Pardes, who recently retired as president and chief executive of New York-Presbyterian Hospital and is now executive vice chairman of the hospital’s board of trustees; and Dr. Antonio Gotto, who is soon retiring from his post as dean of Weill Cornell Medical College. Students at the college train at the hospital.
John Mack, chairman of Morgan Stanley and of New York- Presbyterian, recalled how he joined the board. He’d said no a couple of times, when a Morgan Stanley colleague put it to him this way: “How would you feel if one of your employees really needed health care?”
“I said, ‘You’re right.’ I joined the board in 1983,” Mack said.
Since then Mack has forged a companywide philanthropic relationship with the hospital. “We got our employees to raise the money to build a new children’s hospital,” Mack said. “I’ll give you a tour.”
Wild Mushrooms
It was time for dinner. Not surprisingly, the menu for the 1,000 guests, many digestive specialists among them, was health- conscious: wild mushroom soup and herb-roasted chicken with kale, catered by Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group.
It was the kind of meal Sandy Weill, former chairman of Citigroup Inc. (C) and chairman of Weill Cornell Medical College, could appreciate: He was wearing his smaller tuxedo and it was a “little tight,” he said.
Teresa Teague, a partner at Goldman Sachs, wore a navy lace dress by The Row, purchased from the website Net-a-Porter.
“It got here this afternoon,” the unabashed last-minute shopper said before taking her seat at the Gotto table (honoree Gotto is her father).
Kelli O’Hara, the Broadway star known for her turn in “South Pacific,” walked on stage in a shimmering black gown, singing Stephen Sondheim’s “What More Do I Need?”
“It’s about the joys of living in New York,” O’Hara said.
‘Wonderful Guy’
The blonde soprano stirred the crowd’s romantic impulses with “A Wonderful Guy” from “South Pacific” and Irving Berlin’s “Always,” a song that was sung at her grandparents’ wedding, she said.
Then came “The Sun Went Out,” from her first solo CD, “Wonder in the World.”
“It’s by my favorite songwriter, my husband, Greg Naughton,” she said. “He writes around the subject of being in love.”
Banter, a staple of cabaret around town, was minimal.
“I perform at a lot of charity events and this one may mean the most to me,” O’Hara said. “When my mother was sick, I brought her here from Oklahoma. She got a second chance at New York-Presbyterian.”
O’Hara sent off guests with “I Could Have Danced All Night” from “My Fair Lady.”
“We’ll dance all the way home,” said Anita Gotto, the dean’s wife.
(Amanda Gordon is a writer and photographer for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. Any opinions expressed are her own.)
To contact the writer on this story: Amanda Gordon in New York at agordon01@bloomberg.net or on Twitter at @amandagordon.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.
New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
John Mack, chairman, Morgan Stanley, and chairman, New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Mack has forged a company-wide philanthropic relationship with the hospital. “We got our employees to raise the money to build a new children’s hospital,” Mack said. “I’ll give you a tour.”
John Mack, chairman, Morgan Stanley, and chairman, New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Mack has forged a company-wide philanthropic relationship with the hospital. “We got our employees to raise the money to build a new children’s hospital,” Mack said. “I’ll give you a tour.” Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Dr. Herbert Pardes, executive vice chairman, New York-Presbyterian Hospital; and Dr. Antonio Gotto, dean of Weill Cornell Medical College.
Dr. Herbert Pardes, executive vice chairman, New York-Presbyterian Hospital; and Dr. Antonio Gotto, dean of Weill Cornell Medical College. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Teresa Teague, partner, Goldman Sachs Group Co., in a dress by The Row purchased from the website Net-A-Porter.
Teresa Teague, partner, Goldman Sachs Group Co., in a dress by The Row purchased from the website Net-A-Porter. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Ivan Seidenberg, chairman, Verizon Communications Inc.
Ivan Seidenberg, chairman, Verizon Communications Inc. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Sam Greene, partner, Centerview Partners, and Nicole Greene, director for the New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Center for Advanced Digestive Care.
Sam Greene, partner, Centerview Partners, and Nicole Greene, director for the New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Center for Advanced Digestive Care. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Katie Buck, executive director, WP Carey & Co.; and Brent Buck, architect, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects.
Katie Buck, executive director, WP Carey & Co.; and Brent Buck, architect, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Michael Rankowitz, senior adviser, Morgan Stanley; Sheila Rankowitz, retired school teacher; John Mack; and Cheri Mowrey and Todd Davison, managing directors at Morgan Stanley.
Michael Rankowitz, senior adviser, Morgan Stanley; Sheila Rankowitz, retired school teacher; John Mack; and Cheri Mowrey and Todd Davison, managing directors at Morgan Stanley. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
The Park Avenue Armory decorated for cabaret by Van Wyck & Van Wyck. From the ceiling hung custom-designed three-tiered chandeliers. For the striped curtains, 10 people with rollers had painted material laid out on the floor of a New Jersey warehouse.
The Park Avenue Armory decorated for cabaret by Van Wyck & Van Wyck. From the ceiling hung custom-designed three-tiered chandeliers. For the striped curtains, 10 people with rollers had painted material laid out on the floor of a New Jersey warehouse. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Kelli O'Hara performed at the gala. The blonde soprano stirred the crowd’s romantic impulses with “A Wonderful Guy” from “South Pacific” and Irving Berlin’s “Always,” a song that was sung at her grandparents’ wedding, she said.
Kelli O'Hara performed at the gala. The blonde soprano stirred the crowd’s romantic impulses with “A Wonderful Guy” from “South Pacific” and Irving Berlin’s “Always,” a song that was sung at her grandparents’ wedding, she said. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Anita Gotto; Sandy Weill, chairman, Weill Cornell Medical College; and Dr. Jennifer Gotto, a psychiatrist.
Anita Gotto; Sandy Weill, chairman, Weill Cornell Medical College; and Dr. Jennifer Gotto, a psychiatrist. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Charlotte Ford, a NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital trustee and co-chairman of the gala, with Dr. Rahul Sharma, assistant director for operations in the department of emergency medicine, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Charlotte Ford, a NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital trustee and co-chairman of the gala, with Dr. Rahul Sharma, assistant director for operations in the department of emergency medicine, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Dr. Jeffrey Milsom, executive director, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Center for Advanced Digestive Care; and Dr. Christine L. Frissora-Rodeo.
Dr. Jeffrey Milsom, executive director, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Center for Advanced Digestive Care; and Dr. Christine L. Frissora-Rodeo. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
The healthy meal by Union Square Hospitality Group: Herb roasted chicken with house-preserved tomato, glazed cipollini, polenta and kale.
The healthy meal by Union Square Hospitality Group: Herb roasted chicken with house-preserved tomato, glazed cipollini, polenta and kale. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Hannah McFarland and Mario Grauso, president, Vera Wang.
Hannah McFarland and Mario Grauso, president, Vera Wang. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Ellen Corwin, a nurse, and Dr. Steven Corwin, CEO, New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Ellen Corwin, a nurse, and Dr. Steven Corwin, CEO, New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Dr. Anna Kelly and Dr. Robert Kelly, president, New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Dr. Anna Kelly and Dr. Robert Kelly, president, New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Rate this Page
Bloomberg moderates all comments. Comments that are abusive or off-topic will not be posted to the site. Excessively long comments may be moderated as well. Bloomberg cannot facilitate requests to remove comments or explain individual moderation decisions.