Wendy Russell Reves
Encyclopedia
Wendy Russell Reves was an American philanthropist
, socialite
, and former fashion model.
, and adopted the name Wendy as an adult.
Her modeling career began in 1939, and she appeared in Harper's Bazaar
and Vogue
. Virginia Pope, the fashion critic of The New York Times
, described her as "one of New York's most-seen manikins [sic]."
. Wendy was barely sixteen when they discussed marriage, but was persuaded by her mother to wait until her seventeenth birthday to marry. One year later they had a son, Arnold Leon Schroeder.http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/DN-revesobit_14met.ART.State.Edition1.44747ee.html
, Nanette Fabray
, Jane Froman
, Elvira Rios, Mildred Bailey
, and Lupe Vélez
and was co-writer of the popular song Rum and Cola Cola, which was performed by, among others, The Andrews Sisters
.
(né Emery Revesz, 1904–1981), a Hungarian-born writer, publisher, financier, art collector, founder of the anti-fascist Cooperation Press Service, and advocate of world federalism. The couple married in 1964 in Thonex, Switzerland
.
A first cousin of the conductor Sir Georg Solti
and a literary agent for and close friend of Winston Churchill
, Emery Reves described his wife as "a woman with a brilliant mind and imagination, tempered by much common sense. She is a woman who never bored me". In 1953, the couple bought La Pausa, a villa in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France
, which had been built for Coco Chanel
by the Duke of Westminster
.
in 1985 (a 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) recreation of six rooms of the Reveses' villa), which displays the Reveses' extensive art collection as it was originally displayed at their villa, and the Wendy and Emery Reves Center for International Studies at the College of William & Mary (established with a $3 million grant). She also donated $25,000 to begin the Wonderland of Lights
which has become one of the largest light festivals in the United States. She was instrumental in convincing Janine Michelson, the widow of Leo Michelson
, to found the Michelson Museum of Art
in Marshall, Texas to house the Russian American's art collection.
Other philanthropic gifts included a $2 million endowment to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
and UT Southwestern Medical Center establishing an international breast cancer
symposium and a diagnostic and treatment center.
An additional $2 million went to the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
, which features an entry arch named for Emery Reves.
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...
, socialite
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 former fashion model.
Early life and career
She was born Wyn-Nelle Russell in Marshall, TexasMarshall, Texas
Marshall is a city in Harrison County in the northeastern corner of Texas. Marshall is a major cultural and educational center in East Texas and the tri-state area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Marshall was about 23,523...
, and adopted the name Wendy as an adult.
Her modeling career began in 1939, and she appeared in Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
and Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
. Virginia Pope, the fashion critic of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, described her as "one of New York's most-seen manikins [sic]."
Al Schroeder
Wendy's first husband, Al Schroeder, was a West Point graduate she met when he was stationed in Randolph Field in San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. Wendy was barely sixteen when they discussed marriage, but was persuaded by her mother to wait until her seventeenth birthday to marry. One year later they had a son, Arnold Leon Schroeder.http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/DN-revesobit_14met.ART.State.Edition1.44747ee.html
Paul Baron
In 1940, she married Paul Baron (b. 1911), a pianist and conductor who was the leader of the Paul Baron Orchestra, a well-known studio band of the 1930s and 1940s. He was a vocal arranger for Fifi D'OrsayFifi D'Orsay
-Biography:Born Marie-Rose Angelina Yvonne Lussier in Montreal, Quebec, as a young typist, filled with the desire to become an actress, she went to New York City. There, she found work in The Greenwich Village Follies after an audition in which she sang the song "Yes, We Have No Bananas' in French...
, Nanette Fabray
Nanette Fabray
Nanette Fabray is an American actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, and activist. She began her career performing in vaudeville as a child and then became a musical theatre actress during the 1940s and 1950s, winning a Tony Award in 1949 for her performance in Love Life...
, Jane Froman
Jane Froman
Jane Froman was an American singer and actress. During her thirty-year career, Froman performed on stage, radio and television despite chronic injuries that she sustained from a 1943 plane crash...
, Elvira Rios, Mildred Bailey
Mildred Bailey
Mildred Bailey was a popular and influential American jazz singer during the 1930s, known as "The Rockin' Chair Lady" and "Mrs. Swing"...
, and Lupe Vélez
Lupe Vélez
Lupe Vélez was a Mexican film actress. Vélez began her career in Mexico as a dancer, before moving to the U.S. where she worked in vaudeville. She was seen by Fanny Brice who promoted her, and Vélez soon entered films, making her first appearance in 1924. By the end of the decade she had...
and was co-writer of the popular song Rum and Cola Cola, which was performed by, among others, The Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters were a highly successful close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews , soprano Maxene Angelyn Andrews , and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie "Patty" Andrews...
.
Emery Reves
From 1948, she was the mistress of Emery RevesEmery Reves
Emery Reves was a writer, publisher, literary agent and advocate of world federalism.-Youth:Reves was born in Bácsföldvár, Hungary, and educated in Berlin, Zurich and Paris.-Publishing career and Winston Churchill:...
(né Emery Revesz, 1904–1981), a Hungarian-born writer, publisher, financier, art collector, founder of the anti-fascist Cooperation Press Service, and advocate of world federalism. The couple married in 1964 in Thonex, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
A first cousin of the conductor Sir Georg Solti
Georg Solti
Sir Georg Solti, KBE, was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor. He was a major classical recording artist, holding the record for having received the most Grammy Awards, having personally won 31 as a conductor, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to his...
and a literary agent for and close friend of Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, Emery Reves described his wife as "a woman with a brilliant mind and imagination, tempered by much common sense. She is a woman who never bored me". In 1953, the couple bought La Pausa, a villa in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France between Monaco and Menton. The name was changed from Roquebrune to differentiate the town from Roquebrune-sur-Argens in the neighboring Var Department.-History:In pre-Roman times the area was settled by the...
, which had been built for Coco Chanel
Coco Chanel
Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel was a pioneering French fashion designer whose modernist thought, menswear-inspired fashions, and pursuit of expensive simplicity made her an important figure in 20th-century fashion. She was the founder of one of the most famous fashion brands, Chanel...
by the Duke of Westminster
Duke of Westminster
The title Duke of Westminster was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. The current holder of the title is Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster....
.
Philanthropy
Following her husband's 1981 death, Reves chose to devote her energies to charitable endeavors. Among her philanthropies is the establishment of the Wendy and Emery Reves wing of the Dallas Museum of ArtDallas Museum of Art
The Dallas Museum of Art is a major art museum located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, USA, along Woodall Rodgers Freeway between St. Paul and Harwood. In 1984, the museum moved from its previous location in Fair Park to the Arts District, Dallas, Texas...
in 1985 (a 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) recreation of six rooms of the Reveses' villa), which displays the Reveses' extensive art collection as it was originally displayed at their villa, and the Wendy and Emery Reves Center for International Studies at the College of William & Mary (established with a $3 million grant). She also donated $25,000 to begin the Wonderland of Lights
Holiday Trail of Lights
The Holiday Trail of Lights is a festival held in Northwest Louisiana during the Christmas season.Six North Louisiana cities participate in the Trail: Natchitoches , Shreveport, Bossier City, Minden, Monroe-West Monroe, Alexandria-Pineville....
which has become one of the largest light festivals in the United States. She was instrumental in convincing Janine Michelson, the widow of Leo Michelson
Leo Michelson
Leo Michelson was an American artist considered part of the École de Paris, although his works span many periods and styles.-Biography:Michelson was born in Riga, Latvia. He attended the Imperial Academy in St...
, to found the Michelson Museum of Art
Michelson Museum of Art
The Michelson Museum of Art is a museum in Marshall, Texas originally founded to permanently house the works of the Russian-American artist Leo Michelson....
in Marshall, Texas to house the Russian American's art collection.
Other philanthropic gifts included a $2 million endowment to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
Susan G. Komen for the Cure, formerly known as The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, often referred to as simply Komen, is the most widely known, largest and best-funded breast cancer organization in the US....
and UT Southwestern Medical Center establishing an international breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
symposium and a diagnostic and treatment center.
An additional $2 million went to the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center is a concert hall located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas . Ranked one of the world's greatest orchestra halls, it was designed by architect I.M. Pei and acoustician Russell Johnson's Artec Consultants, Inc...
, which features an entry arch named for Emery Reves.