Memories of the Waldorf

Memories

New York 1979

OF THE WALDORF

By Ellen Cullen Former Head Librarian

A few months ago, the “Wall Street Journal” wrote about celebrity connections to the Waldorf Astoria hotel. How disappointed I was that there was no mention of our NDP girls along with the likes of Sinatra, Cole Porter, Herbert Hoover, and The Who! Those trips were so special that I decided to write a little history of our experiences. To protect the guilty, no students’ names will be mentioned. You know who you are!

Once upon a time, Sister Ellis Denny received a letter from the Waldorf Astoria inviting students to spend a weekend at the hotel. She accepted the invitation, even though she knew they had made a mistake—the invitation was meant for the college. When the group arrived at the Waldorf, hotel management realized the students were much younger than anticipated. But they had cashed the deposit check, and the rooms were ready. The rest, as they say, is history.

Ellen Cullen

For many years, the NYC trip was always in December, when the city was decorated for Christmas. Eventually, the expense and the difficulty of getting enough rooms and theatre tickets forced us to change the timing of the trip.

We always had dinner after the plays. Back then, each group of friends could choose a restaurant in the theatre district. Four girls whom I chaperoned chose one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. I tried to dissuade them, as I thought they would spend all their money that evening and be broke for the rest of the trip. At the restaurant, they sat next to a nice family and chatted. When they tried to pay their bill, the waiter informed them that the father had picked up their check. The moral of this story is never take the advice of a librarian!

After the 9/11 attacks, many parents were concerned about allowing their daughters to go New York. Sister Helen Marie decided that we would go as planned. Every student who had signed up went on the trip. It was a very special time, and the city felt well protected. We walked past fire houses and saw the shattered remains of engines and commemorative wreaths for the fallen. Despite the sadness, we felt the strength of every New Yorker.

NDP students in NYC, circa 1999

Every year before the trip I would give the girls a little fire drill lesson. When I checked them into their rooms at night, they had to tell me where the fire exits were located. The directions were that if there was a fire, they were to feel the door to make sure it wasn’t hot, then leave their rooms and their belongings. After checking all the girls in one evening, I heard someone running down the corridor. When I looked through the peep hole, I saw a woman in a bathrobe running toward the exit. It was a real fire! We all stood shivering in the February cold for at least 30 minutes. Later, we learned that the fire was only in our wing of the hotel. Once allowed back in, the staff had prepared large tables set up with all kinds of fruits and sweets. We stood there snacking with guests dressed in their pajamas and fur coats.

One morning in 2012 started off with a few snowflakes, but then it just started to come down! It became apparent that it was not going to be possible for us to get back to Baltimore because I-95 had been completely closed. Sister Patricia McCarron asked me to get all the girls together to explain that we would not be going home on Saturday. The only space large enough to address our group was the giant marble staircase at the main entrance to the hotel. Approximately 130 girls sat at the foot of the large staircase, and as I addressed the girls, people entering the hotel gathered to see what was happening. The girls who wanted to leave on Saturday were complaining because they “had to babysit.” I am not the world’s greatest detective, but I suspect it was more about boys than babies!

Sister Helen Marie loved showing off the city of her birth to the girls. She was NDP, and she was NYC. She always said that when celebrities go to the theatre, they go to their seats just as the show is about to begin. Sister told me to always look down the center aisle before the show starts. If there are any vacant seats down that aisle (usually row E), someone important is in the house. On two different occasions Henry Kissinger and Matthew Broderick sat in those seats, as did Donald Trump and his wife one year. Mr. Trump spoke to the girls during the entire intermission. At that time, I think he was hosting “The Apprentice.”

One summer when I was in New York walking across from the Waldorf, the doorman called across to me and asked for Sister Helen Marie. He told me that it was his last day on the job after 30 years, and he was moving to Florida. When I returned home, I told Sister. I later learned that she had called the Waldorf, got his new address, and had sent him a note.

When we were planning to celebrate NDP’s 50th anniversary on Hampton Lane, Sister Patricia asked for suggestions that might make it special. I suggested that since the New York trips were favorite memories, why not start an alumnae trip! The Warwick is not the Waldorf, but it is lovely to be together again with friends. AND there is no curfew! g

Generosity

AT IT’S FINEST

The 1941 NDP yearbook described Nadine Henneberger as “diminutive and dainty” with a love of “novel shoes and sports cars.” Her lawyer and friend, Mr. George Meredith, describes her and her husband, Chuck, whom he befriended in the 1960’s, as a “quiet couple” that spent their time with friends or reading. Chuck and Nadine Sanborn never had children of their own, but upon their passing (she in 2013 and he in May 2019) the longtime residents of Baltimore’s Gaywood neighborhood have helped to secure the futures of many NDP girls through a generous legacy gift. Unrestricted gifts, like that of the Sanborns’, help Notre Dame Prep in good times and in times of great need, with impact felt for generations.

YOUR GIFT MATTERS

A lifetime of happy memories is what many alumnae say drives them to give back to NDP through a bequest or other planned gift. With thoughtful planning, alums continue to make tremendous differences in the lives of the young women who carry on the traditions those members of NDP’s Legacy Circle hold so dear. If you are interested in learning about different planned giving options, please visit www.notredameprep.com/giving or contact the Office of Advancement directly at 410-583-8797.

77% of Americans believe legacy strategies are important, but only 24% have designated beneficiaries.

Source: PLAN ADVISOR, September 16, 2019