Maryland's most prominent real estate and waterfront restoration planner, Jim Rouse, will be rubbing elbows with national celebs like Alan Alda, Alec Baldwin, Judy Blume, Garth Brooks, HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, outgoing New York City Mayor David Dinkins, Mike Mills, Roger Rosenblatt, and Kathleen Turner at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Sunday night.
But it's Rouse who will be the center of attention. He has been selected by People for the American Way to receive the group's "Spirit of Liberty Award," for his lifelong support of tolerance and diversity. And if you think he's in good company at the party, take a look at the past winners of this prestigious award: Norman Lear, TV producer and founder of People for the American Way; Ted Turner, founder and owner of the Turner Broadcasting System and Cable News Network; journalists Walter Cronkite and Bill Moyers; former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan; former Random House Chairman Robert Bernstein; philanthropist and former Time Inc. CEO Andrew Heiskell; and Arthur Krim, founder of United Artists.
Seven hundred people are expected to attend the dinner, where Harry Belafonte will perform.
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Pam and Jerry Schiavino named their new Timonium restaurant, Palermo's Grill, for Steve Palermo, then threw an opening-night party that raised more than $8,000 for the Steve Palermo Spinal Cord Injury Foundation.
The Schiavinos have been friends of Steve and Beth Palermo for years. Palermo is the former American League umpire who suffered severe spinal cord injury when he was shot while trying to help two waitresses being attacked in a parking lot.
Among those who stopped to say hello to the Palermos and to see the new eatery were National league Umpire Eric Gregg, celebrity mouthpiece Ron Shapiro, author and baseball announcer Rex Barney, Orioles coach Elrod Hendricks, Orioles GM Roland Hemond, Lou Battistone, the restaurant's architect, Alan and Cindy Schiff -- he's an accountant -- and Baltimore police Capt. Michael Andrews and his wife, Carter.
The Teachers Association of Baltimore County, TABCO, is celebrating its 75th anniversary next Friday at Marriott's Hunt Valley Inn. I was amused to see that TABCO has invited Alan Prell to be its master of ceremonies. He's the WBAL-radio talk show host who has been allowed by his station to carry on what I consider to be a relentless campaign to get Baltimore County Superintendent of Schools Stuart Berger fired. Betcha TABCO gets its fill of Berger bites that evening.
