Judith Peabody
Encyclopedia
Judith Dunnington Peabody (May 6, 1930 – July 25, 2010) was an American socialite
and philanthropist
who was best known for her involvement as a volunteer with causes ranging from the legal defense of Lenny Bruce
to assisting families with AIDS
.
Judith Anne Walker was born on May 6, 1930 in Richmond, Virginia
. After her parents were divorced, her mother, Elizabeth Taylor Walker, married attorney Walter Grey Dunnington at a January 1937 ceremony conducted in the bride's apartment at the Carlyle Hotel
, where the couple would continue to live. She attended Miss Hewitt's Classes
in Manhattan
and the Ethel Walker School
in Simsbury, Connecticut
and was introduced to society in September 1947 at the Piping Rock Club
in Locust Valley, New York
. She was a member of the Colony Club
and the New York Junior League
. She met her future husband at a dinner party and they were engaged a week later. After her future husband picked her up for a date at a youth center for juvenile delinquents where she had been working, she pleaded with him not to tell her mother where she had been, saying "she thinks I'm having French lessons".
After two years at Bryn Mawr College
, she married Samuel Parkman Peabody at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Manhattan in a ceremony officiated by the groom's father, Malcolm Endicott Peabody, a Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York
.
A notable socialite in Manhattan who was frequently mentioned in the press, she was known for wearing clothing designed for her by Bill Blass
and Donald Brooks
, with the latter once saying that "she epitomizes the simplicity of our type of customer". Peabody was active in causes ranging from serving on the board of the New York Shakespeare Festival
and the Dance Theatre of Harlem
, and was a patron of the American Ballet Theatre
. After reading an article about the legal troubles faced by comedian Lenny Bruce
in the 1960s, she sent him a contribution towards the costs of his legal defense and assisted him with research.
She earned a certificate in psychology from the Postgraduate Center for Mental Health and established Reality House together with her husband, as an organization in Harlem
dedicated to assisting heroin addicts who were trying to overcome their addiction. Three mornings each week she led groups of heroin users who were tryng to deal with the personal issues that led to their addiction. The organization operated from a network of storefronts and established programs at two maximum security prisons, reaching out to over 250 participants. As of 1971, 50 former addicts who had undergone the intensive 18 month program of counseling and work therapy had completed the program and none of them returned to using drugs.
She also worked with the Renegades Housing Movement, which had started as a youth gang and was attempting to focus its efforts on social activism in East Harlem, where they worked on renovating a deteriorating building. After a friend died of AIDS, Peabody became involved at the Gay Men's Health Crisis
, where she helped raise funds for the organization and conducted support groups. Marjorie J. Hill, chief executive of GMHC, described Peabody as "someone who recognized the challenge of AIDS long before it was fashionable" who "did everything she could, on a personal level and an institutional level, to combat the stigma of the disease". In 1987, Richard Dunne, executive director of the Gay Men's Health Crisis, compared her influence to that of Betty Ford
on alcoholism
, saying that "when Judy Peabody talks about AIDS, it gets people attention". As part of her volunteering at GMHC, she served as the care partner for ten people with AIDS, and would drop everything to attend to them in cases of need, saying her "number one concern is always my friends who have AIDS", whom she would often visit in the hospital. She was an active fundraiser for GMHC, as well as with the People With AIDS Coalition, care programs at Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center
and the development of an AIDS research laboratory at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center
.
Peabody died at age 80 on July 25, 2010, at her apartment on Fifth Avenue, due to complications of a series of stroke
s that she had suffered in previous years. She was survived by her husband and a daughter.
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
who was best known for her involvement as a volunteer with causes ranging from the legal defense of Lenny Bruce
Lenny Bruce
Leonard Alfred Schneider , better known by the stage name Lenny Bruce, was a Jewish-American comedian, social critic and satirist...
to assisting families with AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
.
Judith Anne Walker was born on May 6, 1930 in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. After her parents were divorced, her mother, Elizabeth Taylor Walker, married attorney Walter Grey Dunnington at a January 1937 ceremony conducted in the bride's apartment at the Carlyle Hotel
Carlyle Hotel
The Carlyle Hotel, known formally as The Carlyle, is a combination luxury and residential hotel located at 35 East 76th Street on the northeast corner of Madison Avenue, in the Upper East Side area of New York City...
, where the couple would continue to live. She attended Miss Hewitt's Classes
Hewitt School
The Hewitt School is an independent, K-12 girls school in New York City, New York.The school serves girls from Kindergarten through 12th Grade, in three divisions: Lower School , Middle School , and Upper School .-History:...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and the Ethel Walker School
Ethel Walker School
The Ethel Walker School is a college preparatory school for girls in grades 6 through 12 in Simsbury, Connecticut.-History:Founded in 1911, the school was one of the first college preparatory schools for girls in the United States. The school sits on ; an additional of school land has been...
in Simsbury, Connecticut
Simsbury, Connecticut
Simsbury is a suburban town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 23,234 at the 2000 census. The town was incorporated as Connecticut's twenty-first town in May 1670.-Early history:...
and was introduced to society in September 1947 at the Piping Rock Club
Piping Rock Club
Piping Rock Club is a country club in Locust Valley, New York.-History:The Piping Rock clubhouse was designed by American designer Guy Lowell, and built in 1911. Lowell based his designs on American colonial architecture a desire to link the house with the landscape...
in Locust Valley, New York
Locust Valley, New York
Locust Valley is a hamlet located in Nassau County, New York. Locust Valley is an unincorporated area of the Town of Oyster Bay...
. She was a member of the Colony Club
Colony Club
The Colony Club is a private social club in New York City. Founded in 1903 by Florence Jaffray Harriman, wife of J. Borden Harriman, and modeled on similar clubs for men, it was the first social club established in New York City by and for women, although today male members are admitted.- History...
and the New York Junior League
Junior League
The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. is a non-profit organization of 292 Junior Leagues in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom and the United States. Junior Leagues are educational and charitable women's organizations aimed at improving their communities through volunteerism and...
. She met her future husband at a dinner party and they were engaged a week later. After her future husband picked her up for a date at a youth center for juvenile delinquents where she had been working, she pleaded with him not to tell her mother where she had been, saying "she thinks I'm having French lessons".
After two years at Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
, she married Samuel Parkman Peabody at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Manhattan in a ceremony officiated by the groom's father, Malcolm Endicott Peabody, a Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York
Episcopal Diocese of Central New York
The Episcopal Diocese of Central New York is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the area in the center of New York....
.
A notable socialite in Manhattan who was frequently mentioned in the press, she was known for wearing clothing designed for her by Bill Blass
Bill Blass
William Ralph "Bill" Blass was an American fashion designer, born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is known for his tailoring and his innovative combinations of textures and patterns...
and Donald Brooks
Donald Brooks
Donald Brooks was an American fashion designer. Though he was very successful, if not as famous as some of his contemporaries, his passion was his work for the stage and film, designing over 3500 costumes...
, with the latter once saying that "she epitomizes the simplicity of our type of customer". Peabody was active in causes ranging from serving on the board of the New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival is the previous name of the New York City theatrical producing organization now known as the Public Theater. The Festival produced shows at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, as part of its free Shakespeare in the Park series, at the Public Theatre near Astor Place...
and the Dance Theatre of Harlem
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Dance Theatre of Harlem is a ballet company and school of the allied arts founded in Harlem, New York City, USA in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook...
, and was a patron of the American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre , based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century. It continues as a leading dance company in the world today...
. After reading an article about the legal troubles faced by comedian Lenny Bruce
Lenny Bruce
Leonard Alfred Schneider , better known by the stage name Lenny Bruce, was a Jewish-American comedian, social critic and satirist...
in the 1960s, she sent him a contribution towards the costs of his legal defense and assisted him with research.
She earned a certificate in psychology from the Postgraduate Center for Mental Health and established Reality House together with her husband, as an organization in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
dedicated to assisting heroin addicts who were trying to overcome their addiction. Three mornings each week she led groups of heroin users who were tryng to deal with the personal issues that led to their addiction. The organization operated from a network of storefronts and established programs at two maximum security prisons, reaching out to over 250 participants. As of 1971, 50 former addicts who had undergone the intensive 18 month program of counseling and work therapy had completed the program and none of them returned to using drugs.
She also worked with the Renegades Housing Movement, which had started as a youth gang and was attempting to focus its efforts on social activism in East Harlem, where they worked on renovating a deteriorating building. After a friend died of AIDS, Peabody became involved at the Gay Men's Health Crisis
Gay Men's Health Crisis
The Gay Men's Health Crisis is a New York City-based non-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based AIDS service organization that has led the United States in the fight against AIDS.-1980s:...
, where she helped raise funds for the organization and conducted support groups. Marjorie J. Hill, chief executive of GMHC, described Peabody as "someone who recognized the challenge of AIDS long before it was fashionable" who "did everything she could, on a personal level and an institutional level, to combat the stigma of the disease". In 1987, Richard Dunne, executive director of the Gay Men's Health Crisis, compared her influence to that of Betty Ford
Betty Ford
Elizabeth Ann Bloomer Warren Ford , better known as Betty Ford, was First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977 during the presidency of her husband Gerald Ford...
on alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, saying that "when Judy Peabody talks about AIDS, it gets people attention". As part of her volunteering at GMHC, she served as the care partner for ten people with AIDS, and would drop everything to attend to them in cases of need, saying her "number one concern is always my friends who have AIDS", whom she would often visit in the hospital. She was an active fundraiser for GMHC, as well as with the People With AIDS Coalition, care programs at Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center
Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center
Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers ' was a healthcare system, anchored by its flagship hospital, St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan, locally referred to as "St. Vincent's". St. Vincent's was founded in 1849 and closed in 2010...
and the development of an AIDS research laboratory at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center
NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital
NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital is a prominent university hospital in New York City affiliated with two Ivy League medical schools: Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons and Cornell University's Weill Medical College. It is composed of two distinct medical centers, Columbia...
.
Peabody died at age 80 on July 25, 2010, at her apartment on Fifth Avenue, due to complications of a series of stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
s that she had suffered in previous years. She was survived by her husband and a daughter.