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They were moments to savor and remember with a smile. It was a night promising great music, camaraderie, and above all, dollars raised for a good cause. And no one was disappointed. More than 2,000 attendees packed the glittering New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on Wednesday, November 18, to laugh with Master of Ceremonies Tony Randall, sing along (quietly) with Linda Ronstadt and her 39-piece orchestra, and to sit just a little taller when it was disclosed that more than $2 million had been raised. The funds will be used to further research in multiple sclerosis (MS) at UMDNJ's Neurological Institute of New Jersey by endowing a Chair in Neurosciences. Lee Kushner, who co-chaired the event with her husband, Murray, was diagnosed with MS five years ago. It was her vision and energy teamed with her husband's fundraising expertise and drive that made it all happen. The couple was also tipping their hats to her physician, Stuart Cook, who has invested more than 30 years investigating MS and caring for those who are afflicted with it. He was recognized with the Concert Gala Committee's Medical Excellence Award for his good work. Also recognized were Lodewijk J.R. de Vink, President and COO of Warner-Lambert Company, with the Corporate Excellence Award for his fund-raising leadership and commitment to corporate philanthropy, and Emily Mann, Artistic Director of McCarter Theater, with the Artistic Excellence Award. What no one expected was that Tony Randall would throw himself into the spirit of the event by auctioning off his services as a butler for an evening party, as well as a night at the opera with him and his wife. The bidding was intense, the audience responsive, and the total funds raised for the event rose by $23,300. And even for those who did not successfully bid, there were several tangible items to take home - a Musical Moments T-shirt, Linda Ronstadt's latest CD, and a "goody bag" of Warner-Lambert products - as well as the many intangible rewards. Major underwriters of the event were Berlex Laboratories, Inc; Gale & Wentworth, LLC; Johnson & Johnson; Lee and Murray Kushner; Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc; Karen and Kenneth Segal; and Warner-Lambert Company. |
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1. Sorosh Roshan, MD; Ruy V. Lourenco, MD, dean, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School; Tony Randall and Evelyn Self, Director of Community Affairs, Warner-Lambert Company. |
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2. Harold L. Paz, MD, Dean, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School with Lawrence A. Feldman, PhD, Acting Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and wife, Patti. |
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3. Harvey Holzberg, president and CEO, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and member, UMDNJ Board of Trustees, and wife, Janice Chiantese; Stephen S. Weinstein, Esq., member, UMDNJ Board of Trustees (center). |
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4. Marianne McConnell, RN, Assistant VP for Patient Care, UMDNJ-University Hospital; William Vazquez, MD, Vice President and CEO, University Hospital; Peter Carmel, MD, director, Neurosurgery, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, and his wife, Jacqueline A. Bello, MD. |
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5. Donald L. Moore, PhD, Senior Vice President, Foundation of UMDNJ; Harold Oberkfell, VP, Warner-Lambert and member, UMDNJ Foundation Board of Trustees (right), and his wife, Verity. |
 6. Peter Carmel, MD, co-director, The Neurological Institute of New Jersey; Isabel Miranda, Esq., Chair, UMDNJ Board of Trustees; Lee and Murray Kushner, co-chairs, Musical Moments; Tony Randall, Master of Ceremonies; Stuart Cook, MD, founding chair, department of neurosciences, New Jersey Medical School. |
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