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- Katherine Wolpe
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- Honoree Annette Zaner
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- Keen Berger, here with Brad Hoylman, opens her home to Presidential Debate viewing party, Wednesday Oct. 3rd.
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- Catherine Abate, Keen Berger and Brian Kavanaugh
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- Georgina Christ and Celia Woo
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- Jonathan Geballe, Deborah Glick and Honoree Gale Brewer
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- Jonathan Geballe, Laura Morrison, Tom Duane
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- Jonathan Geballe and Honoree Yvonne Sherell
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- Guests
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- Tony and Nadine Hoffmann
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- Julie Menin
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- Letitia James
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- State Committee Member Rachel Lavine and Friends
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- Honoree Norman Siegel, Esq.
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- Welcome Table: Eli Hausknecht, Peter Crosta, Georgina Christ
To see all the pictures of our friends, click here
It was a great turn-out for our 55th Anniversary, with warm feelings all around. Long-missed faces, like William Stricklin and Chad Marlow…and our honorees Norman Siegel, Friends In Deed and Gale Brewer were clearly wowed by the celebration.
Thanks to all who attended and who donated. Some deserve special recognition for making this happen. Our Gala Committee of Katharine Wolpe, Ellen Peterson-Lewis, Tom Conner and Sharon Woolums put in the long hours of planning, strategy and arranging. Extra help was provided by Deley Gazinelli, who set up the award placques. Eli Hausknecht monitored the ticket purchases and arranged the event check-in and revenue. Eli, this could not have happened without you.
Celia Wu also worked on the tickets and brought our prominently displayed VID banner to the event, and helped me set up Paypal on the VID website. Reinforcements for the phone tree included Nadine Hoffmann, Tony Hoffman, Keen Berger, Brad Hoylman, Frieda Bradlow, and Kathy Jacobson. And our top table team, taking tickets, was attended by Peter Crosta, Georgina Christ, Tim McNerney and Teresa Hommel. Sharon handed out drink tix and Katharine Wolpe directed traffic. Tony Hoffman served as photographer. Our well-placed and elegantly presented Villager ad was designed by Yayoi Tsuchitani.
I want to say a special word about our outstanding District Leaders, Keen Berger and Brad Hoylman. Somehow during my opening remarks I lost a card and thus skipped over their leadership over the past year on the St Vincent’s matter and the park and the new middle school at 75 Morton, the opposition to NYU2031, and so many other issues. Brad and Keen exemplify the heart and soul of VID. Thank you both for turning our ideals and goals into realities.
It was honoring Annette Zaner and Yvonne Sherwell, who have been two of the pillars of VID that was the sweetest verse of this song. This was our moment to embrace you. Annette, Yvonne, it is far too little recognition for your many years of fierce and longstanding dedication to VID, but I know that it lifted us — all of us — and so I hope it lifted you as well.
Happy 55th Gala, VID.
Jonathan