SNAPSHOT
Wendy Vanderbilt Lehman died at home on May 10. Her daughter Sage Lehman was with her. Wendy was the eldest child of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, Jr., and his first wife, Palm Beach socialite Molly Hudson. She had once been married to the late Orin Lehman, with whom she had two daughters, Brooke and Sage. She was the great-granddaughter of Alice Gwynne and Cornelius
From left to right: Wendy Vanderbilt Lehman arriving on a red carpet with Kenneth Jay Lane; photographed by Slim Aarons in Palm Beach; as a child; and modeling Lilly Pulitzer.
Vanderbilt II and grand-niece of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. Like her great-aunt, Wendy was an artist, painter, and sculptor, committed and hard-working. Wendy was a familiar figure all of her life around New York, Southampton and Palm Beach. She had a quiet elegance about her, accompanied by a wide smile and bright, sparkling eyes. She was a very friendly lady who, whatever the hardships she endured, could always find a laugh or a chuckle and warm words for friends. Among her friends she was famous for daily distributing bawdy jokes people had sent her over the Internet. You knew when you got them that Wendy— this very proper yet modern lady—had already found them hilarious. After her divorce from Orin Lehman, she bucked up and moved on, concentrating on her art, her daughters—who were grown—and her friends and new friendships. For years she had a studio on the corner of 82nd and Third, and when she found a new apartment at 66th Street and Lexington Avenue, she turned it into a studio-residence.
In spite of how she modestly characterized herself, she was a remarkably courageous person. She never lost her sense of humor or her interest in what was going on with those she loved, or the world at large. The following is an excerpt from the obit published in the Times, written by someone who knew her long and well: “Although she enjoyed the social circuit, Wendy chose to devote her time to her children and her art. In addition to her work as an artist, she was a founding member of STOP: Stop Traffic Offenses Program, having witnessed a red light runner nearly kill a friend’s child. A natural born tinkerer, in the 70s Wendy made her friends light dinners out of margarine containers for Christmas. She spent countless hours working on benefits for institutions like the New York Studio School. She was also a spirited member of both The Century Association and the Junior Fortnightly.” The Editor and Publisher of Quest will dearly miss her salty wit, authentic style and immense charm. —DPC
PAT R I C K M C M U LL A N ; S L I M A A RO N S
REMEMBERING WENDY VANDERBILT LEHMAN