The Scene In and Around Boston . . . A group of talented mentors who attend Boston public schools recently celebrated the Boston Public Library (BPL) with Mayor Thomas M. Menino and 300 guests. The event, appropriately titled "Celebrate," surpassed its fundraising goal raising more than $460K to help support youth programs and services at the Central Library in Copley Square and the 26 neighborhood branches. The fun began with a cocktail reception in Deferrari Hall, where guests enjoyed the exhibit "Cool + Collected, Treasures of the BPL," a yearlong exhibition celebrating more than 160 years of collecting by the BPL. Among the items currently on display are an illustration from James John Audubon's "Birds of America"; the painting "Officers at Camp Benton, Maryland," by Winslow Homer; a "Harry Houdini Scrapbook," compiled by a close friend of his; and the original score for the American premiere of "Peter and the Wolf" by Sergei Prokofiev. Musicians from the Boston Conservatory Honors String Quartet serenaded the guests as they walked up the grand staircase in the McKim Building. An elegant dinner followed in Bates Hall, the main reading room of the National Historic Landmark Building. The First Class Band performed music for dancing in the Abbey Room, where murals by the famed artist Edwin Austin Abbey line the walls. Concert pianist Michael Lewin, and Dora Lewin, from US Trust/Bank of America, co-chaired the gala, which was produced by Rafanelli Events and catered by The Catered Affair, the exclusive caterer at the BPL. Andrea Halliday from Table and Tulip created the unique floral designs. Among the guests at the festivities were: Mayor Thomas Menino; Ted Kelly, Chairman, President and CEO of Liberty Mutual; Bob Gallery, Massachusetts State President of the Bank of America; Nick Paleologos, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Film Office; Developer Tony Pangaro; Dr. Larry Cohn and wife Roberta; and Thalia Schlessinger. Also: Chairman of the BPL Trustees Jeff Rudman and wife Susan Fried; BPL Trustee Zamawa Arenas and her husband Murray Forman; BPL President Amy Ryan; Ron O'Hanley, Chairman of the BPL Foundation; BPL Foundation President Brian Clancy and his wife Susan; Committee members Diane Cataldo, Martha Sears, Cynthia Dareshori, Grayson and Alec Stern, Mary Jo Sisk and David Grossman - to name but a few. Janet Wu, of 7NEWS Boston, emceed. Guests celebrated the BPL's "Homework Assistance and Mentoring Program," a winner of the prestigious Urban Libraries Council/Highsmith Award of Excellence for exemplifying the principles of positive youth development. The mentors, a wonderfully diverse group of young adults who often serve in the neighborhoods in which they have grown up, were delighted to be present to tell the guests about how they help other students complete their homework so they can succeed in school. They charmed guests while conducting an on-the-spot special appeal that raised much-needed funds. The Boston Public Library Foundation was founded in 1992 to enhance the public visibility and to raise public and private funds in support of the revitalization of the Boston Public Library. The Board of Directors, composed of business and community leaders, develops the Foundation's strategies and steers its initiatives. Since 1992, the Boston Public Library Foundation has raised more than $80 million. For more information about the Foundation, call 617-247-8980 or visit www.bpl.org. Incidentally, we are all invited to attend the BPL's 2009-2010 Lowell Lecture Series, "World Views," which focuses on notable writers, travelers, and chroniclers who invite their readers to "travel the world without leaving home" to visit distant lands, cultures, and lives via their books. The series, which kicked off in October, continues through April 2010. A book sale and author signing follow each lecture. All "World Views" events are held in Rabb Lecture Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square. The lecture series is generously sponsored by the Lowell Institute, established in 1836 with the specific mission of making great ideas accessible to all people, free of charge. During the series' long history, speakers have included Charles Dickens, William James, Margaret Mead, William Makepeace Thackeray and, more recently, Salman Rushdie, Howard Zinn, Gore Vidal, and Dennis Lehane. Rick Steves, who will speak on Thursday, December 3 at 6 p.m., is known to millions of readers and PBS viewers as an advocate of smart, independent travel as well as an engaging and funny speaker. As host of "Rick Steves' Europe," and author of 22 European travel books, he encourages Americans to dive deep into Europe and become "temporary locals." Arthur Frommer, whose name is synonymous with travel guides, will speak on Wednesday, January 27 at 6 p.m. One of the nation's foremost travel authorities, Frommer is the author of scores of travel books, including 30 consecutive editions of the book initially titled "Europe on $5 a Day," now published as "Europe on $50 a Day." Frances Mayes, who has written highly personal books are about taking chances, loving, and renovating an old Italian villa, and the "voluptuousness of Italian life," will speak on Thursday, March 11 at 6 p.m. Mayes has written four hugely popular books: "Under the Tuscan Sun," "Bella Tuscany," "In Tuscany," and "Bringing Tuscany Home: Sensuous Style From the Heart of Italy." For a complete listing of the Lowell Lecture series, visit www.bpl.org/news/lowell.htm. Enjoy! |
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In addition to events covered and reported by the columnist, "The Scene..." |
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Enjoying the Boston Public Library's "Celebrate" Gala fundraiser on November 6 are, left to right, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino; event sponsor Ted Kelly, Chairman, President and CEO of Liberty Mutual; and BPL Foundation Board chairman Ron O'Hanley. (Photo by Roger Farrington)