Save the Date for the Ridgefield Library’s 2021 Great Expectations Gala Honoring Eileen and Jay Walker – a Virtual Roaring 20s Event on Saturday, May 22, 2021.
After two postponements due to the COVID pandemic, the Ridgefield Library’s 2021 Great Expectations Gala will take place virtually on Saturday, May 22, 2021 and will honor Eileen and Jay Walker with the Hope H. Swenson Visionary Award.
This year’s Gala will be an extraordinary virtual Roaring 20s event including a fun and engaging virtual pre-party, three-course elegant dinner by Sarah Bouissou, a wine selection by Ancona’s Wines and Liquors, a package of Roaring 20s themed table décor, Roaring 20s musical performances by the Ridgefield High School Jazz Combo and the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra, an exclusive personal virtual tour of the Walker Library of the History of Human Imagination by Jay Walker, and more. The Ridgefield Library plans to present a Roaring 20s jewelry and headpiece making virtual program in the weeks leading up to the Gala.
The Walkers have been chosen as recipients of the 7th annual Swenson Visionary Award for their work and philanthropy benefiting Ridgefield and the larger national and global communities. The Walkers’ contributions to the many communities they enrich personify the spirit of the Library’s vision to be the model for a vibrant and vital 21st century community library and its mission to meet the evolving needs of our Ridgefield community as the essential partner and place for people to go to discover, question, learn and connect.
Both Walkers have impressive career résumés. Eileen was a long time executive with IBM in Human Resources, retiring after nearly twenty years to pursue her philanthropic passions. Jay Walker is a U.S. inventor, entrepreneur and curator of one of the world’s great private libraries. He is probably best known as the Founder of Priceline.com and holder of more than 950 issued and pending US and International patents. Jay is the Chairman of ApiJect Systems Corp., the developer of an innovative new compact, prefilled, single-use syringe. He is also the Chairman of Upside, a travel start-up and Chairman of WDTS which utilizes RFID technology in gaming in Asia.
Eileen and Jay touch a broad number of institutions in their philanthropy, with an emphasis on supporting organizations related to education and health. Eileen is a Trustee Emerita of her and Jay’s alma mater, Cornell University and is a director of the Administrative Board of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. She chairs the board of the TEDMED Foundation and is Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Harvey School, in Katonah, NY. She has served on the Boards of numerous local non-profits, including the Ridgefield Library. Eileen is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of RVNAhealth, was recently on the Board of Directors of Kids in Crisis, is on the Advisory Board of the Women’s Center in Danbury and in an advisory capacity with Wildlife in Crisis, a wildlife rehabilitation center in Weston.
Jay is Curator of the TEDMED conference, the health and medicine edition of the world-famous TED conference. He is also co-founder of The TEDMED Foundation, for which he serves as a director. He also serves on the Presidents’ Circle for the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Perhaps closest to the spirit of the Library ethos, Jay is the owner and curator of the Walker Library of the History of Human Imagination housed at their home containing thousands of unique, museum quality artifacts that stir his and his guests’ imaginations in a one of a kind library-like setting.
The Ridgefield Library is delighted to honor the Walkers at the 2021 Great Expectations Virtual Gala and present them with the Swenson Award in May.
The Great Expectations Gala is the Ridgefield Library’s biggest fundraiser of the year and helps support operations of the Library year-to-year. The Ridgefield Library is a 501(c) 3 and must raise 30 percent of its operating budget privately each year. For additional information and sponsorship and ticket opportunities, contact Laureen Bubniak, Director of Development at 203-438-2282 Ext. 11029 or lmbubniak@ridgefieldlibrary.org.