Join us for OUR ANNUAL SPRING BENEFIT & GARDEN PARTY AS WE CELEBRATE
Saturday, June 1, 2019
4:00 - 6:30 pm
Edward Hopper House Garden
Rich Ellis, photo by Chris Carroll
RICHARD ELLISNon-profits and community businesses are natural potential partners. Richard Ellis understands that, and his passion is both.
Richard, real estate broker, exclusive owner and managing member of Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty and Ellis Realty Commercial, has used a marketing and communications background to grow a successful business. Yet it is his deep interest in people, architecture, local history and “everything in between" that is the propelling mojo in his life. With deep roots in the Lower Hudson River Valley (Richard's family settled in New Amsterdam in 1660), he has long intersected concern for and respect for local properties, becoming a steward of sorts for preservation and protecting heritage. An active and connected community volunteer, Richard has collaborated with Jennifer Patton, executive director of the Edward Hopper Museum & Study Center, to develop and fund an arts education program for public schools in Rockland, Orange and Westchester counties. The program aims to give students the opportunity to learn about the realist painter Hopper, to develop art skills, to grow emotionally and to build their self-esteem. Richard has served on various boards, including the Kennedy Child Study Center, a New York school for disabled preschool children. He was a founding member of the Piermont Historical Society and served at the Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service for 14 years, as a board member and, for a period, as its president. He and his husband, Brandon Wagner, enjoy traveling around the world and meeting new people along the way. Vertical Divider
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Raymond F. WrightIt is difficult to think about Nyack's development in the last 50 years without mentioning Raymond F. Wright, son of the co-founder of Wright Brothers Real Estate and Insurance. He has long been a booster of the community, promoting music, the arts and the village's enchanting quality of living.
Born on January 19, 1941, Ray attended Liberty Elementary, Edward Hopper's alma mater. He graduated from Nyack High where he was a track star as a 4:46 miler. Ray then went on to Syracuse University. In 1962, he joined the family business and also became a Nyack Rotarian. He was active in that service group for many years as well as longtime president of the Rockland County Board of Realtors. Ray and his late wife, Barbara Brill, enjoyed a 50-year marriage. He has honored the artistic Barbara, who was one of the hardworking hands-on volunteers that rescued and repaired the Hopper family home in the 1970s, with an exceptionally generous donation to the museum. About 40 years ago, Ray was elected to the Edward Hopper House board. As a fund-raiser, he suggested that the museum offer summer music in the garden-like backyard of the Broadway home, convincing musician Bert Hughes to join him in the effort. As a result, Jazz Music in the Garden has been a village delight for decades. Ray, who also owns a home on upstate Scroon Lake, has long used that locale as well as the Hudson Valley to deepen his interest in photography. His eagle and other bird photographs are noted works of art. You can often see Ray walking in Nyack with a camera "just in case." Raymond F. Wright is a true "Nyacker" who includes the village, its residents, its businesses, its history and community groups such as the Edward Hopper House in every facet of his life. (The Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center is especially grateful for Ray's donation of $250,000, which will continue the legacy he and his wife Barbara have helped guarantee.) |
light fare by Mimi’s Plate, silent auction, live music by John Malino Band
