HARRIET NEEDLEMAN
HARRIET'S 50TH BIRTHDAY PARTY
Harvard Medical School
Courtyard Cafe
April 24, 1999
HOWARD
On behalf of Harriet and myself, I want to welcome all of your to Harriet's 50th birthday party. We are so glad that so many of you have come to help us celebrate this milestone. It means so much to both of us to have virtually ALL of our family and close friends in one place at one time to remind us of how fortunate we have been over all the years. Speaking of years........... In fact, one week from Monday, May 3rd, Harriet and I celebrate the exact day, 32 years ago that I will never forget when I met Harriet on the steps of Douglass College, thanks to my oldest college friend, Joe Bonanno who made that possible. In addition to Joe, we want to recognize all the groups represented here today.
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HARRIET
Firstly I want to thank, my family, my mom, Dorothy, sister Bev, brother-in-law, nephews and cousins. Secondly, Howie's family whom I know love me very much, my brother-in-law Barry and his family, his aunts, uncles and cousins who have traveled from Texas, NJ, and Maryland Next, all of my friends from Fort Lee, NJ and their husbands. I not only attended middle school, and high school, with these women, but also went to college with most of them along with my "newer" Douglass friends of 33 years who are also here today, The multitude of friends we have had for the past 25 years, whom we met through Temple Aliyah, my Speech & Language profession, our Israel adventures and from the dental world via Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Children's Hospital and Howie's Needham group practice And last but not least, our dear sons, Joel and Jesse! We thank you for ALL the love and support you've shown us especially over the past few months. It means so much to us.
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HOWARD
And lastly before we start to party, I want to mention that thanks to your most generous contributions, enough money was donated to the Dana Farber, that a fund in Harriet's name is being established. This fund will support promising basic scientific research and will provide seed money for innovative scientists and physicians, embarking on new research paths. The Harriet Needleman Innovation Fund will make awards to one or more investigators for two years each to support innovated research. Please enjoy with us the food, camaraderie, and entertainment for the evening.
50TH BIRTHDAY PARTY PHOTOS
THEATER SHOW DEDICATION
HOWARD
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Thank everyone for joining us this evening
I want to thank Linda and Barry Nelson for arranging the evening and providing this wonderful meal. Linda is a trustee of the New Repertory Theatre which graciously donated these tickets
For those of you who don’t know Linda, she is a fellow pediatric dentist who has worked with me in my Needham dental practice in the past. In addition, and until my recent medical leave of absence from my academic activities, we worked together at Harvard and Children’s Hospital for the past 15 years. Most importantly, she is a good friend.
Linda was made aware of Harriet’s love of theatre from Joan’s eulogy of Harriet given, now almost 3 months ago. And Linda wanted to something fitting in Harriet’s memory in this regard.
In fact, Harriet and Joan were subscribers to this theatre group for many years and had tickets for this very performance. Although the subject matter of this show is a serious one, I know that Harriet would be thrilled that many of her closest friends are together this evening enjoying each other and a theatrical performance. So lets not be sad about our loss of our dearest Harriet and the events depicted in the performance, but rather celebrate life and all that it has to offer as depicted in the recent film, "Life is Beautiful".
Thanks,
Please see Linda’s son Gene who has the tickets and can make sure you sit in groups as you’d like.
activities, we worked together at Harvard and Children’s Hospital for the past ??15 years. Most importantly, she is a good friend.
Linda was made aware of Harriet’s love of theatre from Joan’s eulogy of Harriet given, now almost 3 months ago. And Linda wanted to something fitting in Harriet’s memory in this regard.
In fact, Harriet and Joan were subscribers to this theatre group for many years and had tickets for this very performance. Although the subject matter of this show is a serious one, I know that Harriet would be thrilled that many of her closest friends are together this evening enjoying each other and a theatrical performance. So lets not be sad about our loss of our dearest Harriet and the events depicted in the performance, but rather celebrate life and all that it has to offer as depicted in the recent film, “Life is Beautiful”.
Thanks,
Please see Linda’s son Gene who has the tickets and can make sure you sit in groups as you’d like.
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BARBARA ROSEMARK
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Tonight was a moving tribute to both you and Harriet. This play was of the caliber that Harriet would have loved-well acted and thought provoking Also, the fact that your friend and colleague, Linda Nelson, chose to share this particular play with you and your friends says a lot about her respect for your friendship. Transporting these bewildered and frightened children at a time when the world was topsy-turvey must have left an indelible impression on her father. This experience must have impacted his children either through stories or in his interaction with them growing up. These experiences are oftentimes very difficult to share.
Thanks for including us tonight. It was very nice to get to speak with Harriet's mother. She seems to be doing as well as can be expected.
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CAROL GREENFIELD
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Many thanks for a memorable evening. What a fitting tribute to Harriet. It was better than I imagined. Being a subscriber to the New Rep for many years, I must admit I worried a little about whether Kindertransport would be fitting as a celebration of Harriet's love of theatre. The New Rep always is well acted but many times it is too long and often leaves
the viewer wondering what was the meaning of the performance they had just seen.
Not the case last night. Everything, from the reception with friends to the very thoughtful and extremely well-acted performance, was a wonderful way to " celebrate." Harriet would have loved this play; it was both personally and culturally appropriate. Personal decisions are so difficult and who are we to second guess what is right and what is
wrong. Harriet would have related to this closely - being one to always understand why someone else may have responded to a situation differently from the way she might have.
Howie, it was a terrific evening. Thank you so much for making it happen.
You're the best,
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