Basie Center for the Arts Gala Honored Janet and Tom Widener

By: Community Magazine | December 8, 2021 |  Philanthropy , Local | 

FEATURED PHOTO: Basie Center Gala honorees Tom and Janet Widener (center) and family

This fall, the Count Basie Center’s Fall Gala honored former board chairperson Tim Widener and his wife, Janet, in a celebration that took over the entirety of the newly-expanded Basie Center campus, including its new grand lobby, historic theater and The Vogel, the facility’s new performance venue.

San Francisco band Train (Drops of Jupiter, Hey Soul Sister, Drive-by) performed to a packed house, which included a veritable who’s-who of the region’s philanthropists and community leaders. Widener, who presided over the Basie Center board during its $28 million expansion, was recognized for not only his leadership, but his devotion to the arts and arts education – the cornerstones of the Basie Center’s nonprofit mission. As part of the ceremony, the Basie Center revealed that a scholarship in the name of Tom and Janet Widener will be offered in perpetuity at the Count Basie Center’s Academy of the Arts.
 

Gala guests, including Carol Stillwell, Mary Ann Larkin and others met with Train lead singer Pat Monahan before the show

Guests, including Basie Center board chairperson Jeremy Grunin, Jay Grunin and others meet with Train lead singer Pat Monaham before the show

Train lead singer Pat Monahan

Basie Center Trustee Joe Wajda and his wife, Nicole, at the Count Basie Center Fall Gala

State Senator Declan O’Scanlon and his wife, Heather, at the Count Basie Center Fall Gala