D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A YE L L O W STO N E PA R K FO U N D AT I O N ’ S A N N UA L B E N E F I T
Caroline Shumway and Jessica Gimbel
as well as attending. What originally was mainly a ladies lunch now has a large percentage of men attending. Paula Zahn was emcee. This is not a festive affair, considering the subject matter, but thanks to Diana, her co-chairs, and the honorees, it’s a very touching, forward-looking event that brings out the best in everyone attending. So, in that way, it’s a pleasure. Suzanne Wright would have been honoree in life but she died this past July of pancreatic cancer. She was a major advocate for autism and co-founder in 2005 with her husband Bob Wright of 30 QUEST
Alex Manfull and Arielle Patrick
Elsa Pfaff, Saunders Ketcham and Gussie Bryan
Autism Speaks, after their grandson was diagnosed with autism. Since its founding, Autism Speaks has grown into the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization. Mrs. Wright’s devotion to the subject led the United Nations to establish April 2 as World Autism Day, calling for all nations and faiths to “walk next to the 70 million children, teens, and adults with autism around the world everyday. Dr. Forese is executive vice president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian, with operational responsibility that comprises more than
Meg Niemann, Carolyn Niemann and Patty Niemann
Jackie Rooney and John Tass-Parker
$6.5 billion in total operating revenue and 3,500 hospital beds throughout Manhattan. An orthopedic surgeon herself, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton, she was also a full-time faculty member for ten years at Columbia University, and mother of three children with her husband, Dr. Downey. She is also a breast cancer survivor, and spoke with great affection and gratitude for her father and her late mother who had fought the disease for 15 years. The third honoree Karen Walsh is currently standing in for is Mary-Louise Parker
in Heisenberg on Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club. The mother of two, ages seven and three, and married to Todd Rullman, Ms. Walsh was also diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer last year two weeks after her 40th birthday. Ironically at the time she was also producing an American Cancer Society benefit honoring her late friend, actor James Rebhorn. During the past year she has approached her chemo treatments creatively, referring to them as “healing treatments” and gaining international attention. Her friend Blythe Danner, who presented her with her award, spoke with
PAT R I C K M C M U LL A N
Adair Landy, Tyler Seeger and Alice Ryan