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ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER
New
York’s Top Dogs
Raise
A Million Dollars
Story by Roger Webster
Photos by Jimi Celeste/PMc
 ORE than 500 of New York’s luminaries and pet lovers enjoyed a
glamorous black tie dinner dance at the Waldorf-Astoria, raising a
million dollars to help the Animal Medical Center provide the
highest quality veterinary care.
AMC
chairman Cynthia Phipps introduced Barbara Walters
as emcee of the annual Top Dog Gala. Wearing a brocade evening
gown nipped at the waist, Walters told how her pal and AMC trustee
Brooke Astor always says, “If I ever get really sick,
take me to the Animal Medical Center.”
She
told how when she interviewed Laura and George Bush
at Christmas time, their dog Barney stole the show by eating the
fake snow under the tree.
A
video featured some of AMC’s biggest fans, including Pasha, the
“miracle dachshund,” who had slipped a disk and was paralyzed
until spinal surgery gave him his mobility back.
Pasha
playfully walked out on stage with his owner Selva Ozelli,
and Jane Seymour, glitteringly beautiful in a silver
mermaid dress by Maggie Norris. Pasha showed everybody what
it was all about when he jumped up and barked for the applauding
crowd.
The
evening’s honorees were Kathy and Alan “Ace”
Greenberg. He is Bear Stearns executive committee chairman, a
well-known philanthropist and animal trainer. He’s been married
for “exactly16 years, 4 months, and 23 days,” and they’ve
had several dogs including their current Papillions, Brutus and
Sampson, “whose names weigh more than they do.”
Co-chairs
Nancy Kissinger and Elaine Langone thanked the
generous group that included their husbands Henry Kissinger
and Kenneth Langone, AMC president Dr. Guy Pidgeon,
Henry and Louise Grunwald, Annette de la Renta; Pauline
Pitt; Kathy and William Rayner, Emilia and Pepe
Fanjul, Donna and William Acquavella, Emilia Saint-Amand
and Fred Krimendahl, Richard Grasso, Jean Doumanian, Henry
and Marie Josee Kravis, Pat and William F. Buckley Jr.,
Carroll Petrie, Wendy Carduner, Jamie Niven, Daisy Soros, Wendy
Vanderbilt, Judge Kimba Wood, Hillary Geary, Jamee and Peter
Gregory, Karen and Howard Clark, Tina Flaherty and Frances
Hayward.
There
was also a strong junior contingent led by co-chairs Page
Hershey and Emilia Fanjul Pfeifler, including President
Bush’s niece and Elite Celebrities model Lauren Bush,
Shoshanna Lonstein and Josh Gruss, Serena Boardman, Dr.
Kelly Posner and David Gerstenhaber, Tory and Christopher
Burch, Eugenie Niven, MSNBC anchor Ashleigh Banfield
and CNBC’s Margaret Brennan.
Also
enjoying the fabulous floral decorations by Bill Tansey and
dancing to the music of DJ Tom Finn were Rick and Kathy
Hilton, Reinaldo Herrera, Alfie Fanjul and Elizabeth Fekkai,
Christine Schott and William Goodman, David Patrick
Columbia, Jeffrey Hirsch, R. Couri Hay, Amy Rosi, Mario Buatta,
Drs. Karen and
Sean Aiken, and Philice and Michael Rosen.
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