D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A BENEFIT FOR THE LENOX HILL NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE
Othon and Kathy Prounis
600th year was in 2013. A dinner had been planned for then. The organizers had lined up major corporate sponsors that would have raised substantial sums for the university. However, there was a moment where the duchess decided that she couldn’t attend for whatever reason. But the corporate sponsors wanted the duchess, and so they withdrew their support. This was a 40 QUEST
Tiziana Lanza and Nicole Mancini
Liz Munson and Kristen Swenson
great disappointment and the duchess did then relent and agree to come. But it was too late—the corporate sponsors had lost interest. So this year was actually the 601st year of the university. I was told that the duchess’s appearance was not always definite. After all, she is five months pregnant. Nevertheless, she appeared. Either way, it was a special evening in New York, albeit
Elisabeth Saint-Amand and Victor Geraci
Emily Leonard and Nyssa Kourakos
made anxious by the everyman curiosity to look at a real prince and his duchess. It is meaningless, although it occurred to me as I listened and watched Prince William speak (on the video screen) that there is potential great value in these two young people as leaders. The British monarchy is non-political (though, not really, seeing as no human is non-political by the very nature of being human).
Linda Pratka and Lacary Sharpe
It also occurred to me that, despite the enormous activity they packed into what was a two-and-a-half-day visit to New York, they never had the opportunity to explore and see the city the way we all do when we come to visit—or even when we live here. Instead, they spent almost all their waking time “attending” events where they played the royal meetand-greet and then went off
A N N I E WAT T
Richard and Kamie Lightburn