On the evening of June 6, ten hosts and hostesses will open their homes for a dinner party to honor a Luminary. This exciting Gunn Library fundraiser is not to be missed.

Every year the Gunn Memorial Library in Washington holds its annual fundraiser called Library Luminaries to honor visionary men and women who have excelled in their fields and inspired us. Unlike other public libraries, the more than one-hundred-year-old Gunn Memorial Library raises most of its operating budget through individual philanthropy and annual events.

For more than 20 years, the Library Luminaries fundraising event has featured men and women who have excelled in their fields and inspired us with their vision, commitment and excellence. They include actors, educators, doctors, writers, artists of every stripe, architects, restaurateurs, entrepreneurs, designers, public servants, and business people. The list of past luminaries is stellar— Jerry Adler, Linda Allard, Christine Baranski and Matt Cowles, Polly Bergen, Candace Bushnell, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Joseph Califano, Cesare Casella, Martha Clarke , Bill C. Davis, Frank Delaney, Mia Farrow, Milos Forman, Peter Gallagher, George Grizzard, Pete and Molly Gurney, James Ivory, Henry Kissinger, Larry Kramer, Ann and Dennis Leary, Michael Maren, Frank McCourt, Danny Meyer, Carolyne Roehm, Scott Rudin, Dani Shapiro, Alfred Uhry, and Karen Valentine, Ambassador William vanden Heuvel, Simon Winchester to name a few. Needless to say, tickets to the event are a precious commodity.

This year, 10 simultaneous dinner parties will take place – all hosted by generous and interesting area residents in their homes, and each highlighting a notable “luminary.” Dinner guests ante up a contribution to the library for the privilege of attending. Seating is naturally limited by the size of each home (usually between eight and twenty guests), and competition is brisk to get a seat. Prior to the individual dinner parties all the hosts, luminaries and dinner guests gather at the library for cocktails before heading to their respective dinners.

Celebrity schedules can be demanding and personal time is precious, but the library has been fortunate that an invitation has struck a chord and inspired professionals to lend a hand when able. The Gunn Memorial is one of the great treasures of our community, and thanks to the generosity of the benefactors that hold and attend these dinners each spring, we can continue to enjoy everything it has to offer. Recent Connecticut statistics reveal that Gunn Memorial Library boasts double the number of visits per capita of towns of its size and performs at the top of library measures statewide. This means that the community values the library and takes full advantage of its services and resources.

Tickets are now on sale, and the list of Hosts and Luminaries is as follows:
Sandra Canning hosts Ward Landrigan. Sandra Canning is a Gunn Memorial Trustee, and a fine art and antiques dealer. Ward Landrigan is a celebrated jewelry expert and the co-owner of Verdura.
Pamela & Dick Cantor host Elizabeth Esty. Dr. Pamela Cantor is the Founder, President & CEO of Turnaround for Children and Dick Cantor, a retired investment manager, has been  Trustee of the Cantor Foundation since October 1999. Elizabeth Esty is the U.S. Representative for the 5th Congressional District of Connecticut.
Suzanne & Douglas Day host Marcia DeSanctis & Mark Mennin. Suzanne is Director of the Washington Scholarship Fund. Marcia is the New York Times bestselling author of 100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go, a former television producer, and a travel writer. Her husband Mark Mennin is a sculptor.
Holly Flor & Rudy Mangels host Ken Salaz. Holly and Rudy are enthusiastic supporters of Gunn Memorial and this is their fifth time hosting a Luminaries Library Dinner. Ken Salaz is the “Master of Astonishment”, a premier entertainer with his demonstrations of impossible phenomenon.
Susan & Larry Kessler host Dawn Mello. Susan is the former co-editor of the Zagat London Restaurants Survey, an editor, and cookbook author. Larry advises public and private companies operating in the financial sector. Dawn Mello founded her own consulting company in 1999 after an illustrious career in fashion merchandising.
Christina & Peter Klemm host Moses Pendleton and Cynthia Quinn. Christina and Peter are actively involved in the community while working in their family real estate business. Moses Pendleton is a choreographer and director, a co-founder of the ground-breaking Pilobolus Dance Theater, now with his own dance company Momix.
Cynthia Quinn is a dancer for Momix, as well as teevision programs, music videos, and film.
Abby & Robert Levine host Victor S. Navasky. Abby is a residential real estate broker with the Corcoran Group, and Bob is an attorney and entrepreneur. Victor has served as editor, publisher, and now publisher emeritus of The Nation, as well as Professor of Magazine Journalism at the Columbia University’s School of Journalism.
John Michael Murphy & Jack Rosenberg are Hosts and Luminaries this year. John Michael is a world-renowned interior designer and Jack is an award-winning artist and art instructor.
Nina Teicholz & Gregory Maniatis are Hosts and Luminaries this year. Gregory is a Senior Fellow at the Open Society Foundations and the Migration Policy Institute, co-director at Columbia’s Global Policy Institute. He also serves as senior advisor to the United Nations. Nina is an investigative journalist and author of the the New York Times bestseller The Big Fat Surprise.
Shannon & Brett Wheeler host Terry & Kelley Pillow. Shannon was a long-time biometric technology professional and Brett is a real estate developer. Terry Pillow is CEO of Tommy Bahama Group, Inc.
Guests choose from among the ten dinners when submitting their RSVPs. With donations ranging from $150 per person and up, in the case of a sell-out, placements are determined by a supporter’s contribution level, as well as their date of reply. Event Co-Chair and President of the Board of Trustees Barbara Kohn says, “The diverse programming provided by the library and museum throughout the year is always free of charge, thanks to our generous donors. We are grateful to the steadfast supporters of Gunn Memorial who come together on this night every year to make all of that free programming possible.”

The 20th annual Library Luminaries event to raise funds for the Gunn Memorial Library and Museum is scheduled for Saturday, June 6th. The pre-dinner cocktail party is held at the library, open for a contribution of $75 to those who may not be attending dinners but is included in the cost of a dinner.

For information on how to participate, consult the library’s website at GunnLibrary.org or call 860-868-7586.

Gunn Memorial Library & Museum
5 Wykeham Road
Washington
GunnLibrary.org
860.868.7586