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Monday night at Lincoln Center
two hundred friends joined Barbara Tober to celebrate
the naming of The Metropolitan Opera’s seven lobby
chandeliers in memory of her beloved husband, Donald
Gibbs Tober. At 6:15 promptly the Met’s General
Manager, Peter Gelb made a toast:
“As you know, we are here to
celebrate the memory of Donald Tober with tonight's
dedication, which is the result of a generous gift to The
Met from Donald’s loving wife, Barbara. Besides being the
genius behind Sweet'N Low, and according to Leonard Lauder,
no less, the best fellow salesman he ever knew, Donald was a
world traveler, sportsman, magnanimous, philanthropist to
The Met and other causes, and an avid dancer. It was here
on the Grand Tier that Donald and Barbara danced under the
famous Met chandeliers above us, celebrating the New Year.
Following the premieres of various Met productions over the
years, it was inspiration that guided Donald's success as
the business magnet of Sugar Foods. And it was a
serendipitous inspiration that was responsible for The Met’s
chandeliers. Their design actually was an accident. The
result of an ink spill on an architectural rendering of the
new Met Lobby that was on a deadline to be presented to The
Met board. Thinking fast, and was no time to lose,
architect Wallace Harrison's assistants drew spokes
connecting the ink spots, [laughs]. Thus, the Sputnik design
for the iconic Met chandeliers, under which Donald and
Barbara danced, was created. The plaque reads, in part, “May
these joyful lights shine forever in memory of Donald Gibbs
Tober. Love, Barbara.”
Mrs. Tober also
spoke,
“Opera is the
singing of a story. That is why we come to experience that
special drama. You Are the Sunshine of My Life and
many other songs about light and the sun, and the glory of
life. We’re playing many of them during this party on the
piano, Donald’s favorite instrument. Nothing is more
apropos. Donald and I had a beautiful life together. A life
of love, work, travel, and art, all of which enriched our
relationship and helped us grow both individually and
together. Something led to the spiritual moment that greets
us today. We always supported the opera, but especially
now. Donald's light will shine, in such a glorious place in
the city he loved and nurtured, forever. This is the way he,
and everyone else who comes through the doors, will continue
to enjoy the graceful lifting of the lights each night when
“The House” is in play. And Peter, if these lights ever
start twinkling just wave back; he’s probably just taking a
walk.”
In closing, she
mentioned the magical element of “Donald Dust” which she
hoped would endow this project with a potent magic.
Guest included Afsaneh
Akhtari-Smith, Richard Armstrong, Carrie Barratt, Ariane
Batterberry, Geoffrey Bradfield, Noreen Buckfire, Young Yang
Chung, Cece Cord, Machine Dazzle (stopping by on his way
to pick up an Obie), Jamie deRoy, Charles Fabius,
Florence Fabricant, Helen Fioratti, Maria and Kenneth Fishel,
Helen Fisher and John Tierney, Carole and John French, Mr.
and Mrs. Ali Wambold, Mark Gilbertson, Archduchess
Emmanuella Habsburg-Lothringen and Archduke Dominic
Habsburg-Lothringen, Isabelle
Harnoncourt-Feigen, Dr.
and Mrs. William Haseltine, Sylvia Hemingway, Mary Hilliard,
Cynthia Hornblower, Dr. Nizam Kettaneh, Michele Gerber
Klein, Sheila C. Kotur, Judy Lauder, Linda Lindenbaum, Helen
Little, William Ivey Long, Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Manocherian,
Tinu Naija, Peter Olsen, Liane Pei, Maestro Martin J.
Piecuch and Elizabeth Moxley Falk, Sana Sabbagh, Dr. Brian
R. Saltzman, Mr. and Mrs. Bryant W. Seaman III, Mr. and Mrs.
Thomas J. Shiah, Toni Sikes, Bradley Strauchen-Scherer,
Elizabeth Stribling and Guy Robinson, Oscar Tang, Barbara
Taylor Bradford OBE, Saundra Whitney, Barbara Winston, Ann
Ziff and many many more
The Metropolitan Opera
Chandeliers is one of a number of recent memorials to Donald
Tober; the Admissions Building at the Culinary Institute of
America (where he served as Vice
Chairman) and
the board room at Citymeals-on-Wheels (where
he was a founder) soon will also proudly bear his name.
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