Mrs. Norma T. Dana
We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Lyford Cay Foundation, Inc. Board member Norma Dana, wife of the late Charles A. Dana, Jr., who served as Foundation President and then Chairman from 1979 until 1995 and remained an honorary chairman until his death in 2001.
The Dana family have been steadfast supporters of the Foundation from the beginning — not only through their financial gifts but also by dedicating a great deal of their time to offering advice on the Board, encouraging others to give, and generally promoting the Foundation’s work.
“The Danas’ contributions are immeasurable, really,” said Foundation Chairman Manuel J. Cutillas. “Mrs. Dana is a very influential philanthropist in the United States who does tremendous work for the New York Central Park Conservancy, the Bronx Zoo, the Sloan-Kettering Memorial Cancer Center and the Library of Congress, among many other important institutions, and we are very, very privileged to be able to count on her support and expertise.”
At the time of his death, Mr. Dana was actively involved in more than 30 nonprofit organizations, including the Museum of the City of New York, the Hospital for Special Surgery and the Central Park Conservancy. Mrs. Dana is one of the co-founders of the Women’s Committee of the Conservancy, which has become a model for public-private partnerships for parks around the world.
In 1950, Mr. Dana persuaded his father, Charles A. Dana, Sr., a legislator and businessman from New York State and CEO of the Dana Corporation, to establish the Dana Foundation. The organization’s principal areas of work are brain science, immunology, and arts education.
Two other people who played a pivotal role in shaping Mr. Dana’s interests were Henry Viscardi, Jr. and Orin Lehman, both of whom worked tirelessly on behalf of the physically disabled. Through meeting these men and learning about their work, Mr. Dana developed a lifelong commitment to assisting the disabled.
During our visit with Mrs. Dana at her home in Lyford Cay, which her husband bought 45 years ago, she reminisced about the years her family has spent in The Bahamas and discussed her husband’s legacy, her own philanthropic projects, and why she feels it’s important for all Lyford Cay residents and Club Members to support the work of Lyford Cay Foundation, Inc. and The Canadian Lyford Cay Foundation.
When did your husband first come to The Bahamas?
He came here in 1949 and he fell in love with the country. I think he stayed at the Balmoral on Cable Beach, and he just thought it was so great, because it was only three hours from New York — maybe four at that time. And he figured out it was five degrees warmer here than in Florida, and it was not social here as it was in Florida. So he definitely fell in love with the island, and he thought the people were so gentle and so nice, and he really liked their attitude. And then he kept coming. He joined the Club in 1959 and in 1964 he purchased the house.
The Club recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. What are some of your memories of its early days?
The Club was hardly finished when we joined, and the Yacht Club was just being finished. (Lady) Annie Orr-Lewis was doing an incredible job with the décor. The Main Club was fabulous, because she decorated that, and it was very Bahamian looking, with great style. And then the Atrium, next to the dining room, they were just building that. And my husband said to (Club founder) E. P. Taylor, “Oh, Eddie, you’ve got to have a ceiling that opens up, so you can dance under the stars!” And that’s the way that happened. And that was great, because for years you didn’t see the ceiling closed very often. Everyone liked dancing under the stars. They couldn’t care less about the air conditioning at night; they liked that tropical feeling that it offered.
How did your husband first become involved in Lyford Cay Foundation, Inc.?
When the Foundation was started, Lucia (Mrs. Gilbert) Greenway was one of the first Board members. And she insisted Charlie join, because of the Dana Foundation. She felt that would be very good, to have someone that understood Foundations. So he was very helpful to them in helping them organize and to understand the fundamentals of putting a Foundation together.
How would you say he saw the Lyford Cay Foundation and its mission?
He liked the fact that they were working on local projects, and he thought that was great, to help with the Red Cross and the handicapped. He liked to help the handicapped, and he always liked to help smaller institutions where the people really needed help. That was one of his great goals in life. He wanted to make the world a better place to live, and he really meant it. He worked at that very diligently, even though he never discussed any of those things.
What motivated his philanthropy?
In terms of working with the handicapped — Orin Lehman and Eleanor Roosevelt went to Charlie years ago. They had just founded a group called JOB (an acronym for ‘Just One Break’), which was getting jobs for the handicapped boys who were coming back from the war, and Charlie felt that was a great idea. Then he met a man by the name of Henry Viscardi, who was the head of a group called Abilities Inc., and he had a school for the handicapped. And (the students) would etch beautiful glasses — I have some here — and a lot of them didn’t have hands, so some of them would paint or etch using their mouth or their toes. And Charlie was always very touched by that, and the fact that these people, no matter what their needs were, found a way to do something with their lives.
And then later he met a man by the name of Dr. Sidney Farber. That was in the ’60s. And Dr. Farber was doing research at that time with chemotherapy for children who had leukemia. Charlie was just fascinated with that, and he introduced him to his father, who was Chairman of the (Dana) Foundation at the time. They decided to start to fund him, and then to help build a wing at the Children’s Hospital in Boston, and finally they helped him to build a cancer center, which became the Dana-Farber Cancer Center. Charlie’s heart belonged in all these things. And again, it was things he never discussed with people. They were just things that he really cared about and really did something about.
Was his father the same way, in terms of thinking that philanthropy was important?
He learned to be, because in the beginning he was purely a businessman. He’d never given more than $15 to anything. And a woman by the name of Kim Yardley, who had a house here, went to my father-in-law and said, “Mr. Dana, I’m with the Norwalk Hospital, and I understand you have an awful lot of money that you’re not enjoying using; you’re giving it to taxes. And I would like to help you learn the joy of giving.” And so she sat there and she left about five or six hours later and she had explained to him the joy of giving, and she walked away with a million dollars for the hospital, which was unheard of at that time. And that caused him to become interested.
But before that, Charlie and he were on a train and Charlie said, “You know, Dad, you’ve got all this money, why don’t you start a Foundation so you can enjoy giving it away?” And that’s the way the Dana Foundation really started, at the suggestion of my husband. And Mr. Dana told me these stories; they were not stories Charlie told me.
Tell us a bit about your work for the Central Park Conservancy.
Oh, that was great fun. Because in the ’70s they came to me and said they wanted to start a Women’s Committee and I said I really didn’t have time, because I was working for the zoo, and I was working for the hospital and for JOB and various things and I really didn’t want to do anything else. And so they said, “Well, at least give a party. You won’t have to raise money, just help us give our first party, and we will talk to Maggie Purnell, because we understand that the two of you are the best at raising money in New York.” And I said, “Well, we’re not, but that’s very nice of you.”
So anyhow, we gave the first party and we invited a couple of hundred people. And it was sort of a drizzly afternoon but they still came. I think it was the opening of Belvedere Castle (at the Park). Brooke Astor had just underwritten the refurbishing of it. So the next day we received notes from so many other people, and we received $138,000 in unsolicited gifts. We were just stunned that people had sent in that much money, and just said, “We want to be a part of this.”
And then they talked us into doing the first luncheon to help get them get started. And again I was very reluctant, being so busy. But we gave the first party. And they were negotiating with Warner LeRoy, who had the (landmark Central Park restaurant) Tavern on the Green, and I said, “Well, let me talk to him for five minutes.” So I said, “You know, Mr. LeRoy, you’ve really enjoyed this park, haven’t you?” And he said, “A lot.” And I said, “Don’t you think it would be a great idea to sort of sponsor this party and help us with all of it and maybe just charge us 20 or 30 dollars a person so we can make money for the park?” And he said, “How the hell can you negotiate like that!” And I said, “Well, because I think you should do that.” And he said… “OK, I will!” It was amazing.
So we got that going and then we gave the party there for about three years and every year he would come up with ideas and he would underwrite practically everything except the price of the meals, and that was it. And he was a lot of fun to work with. And the first time we raised money for that party it was around $200,000. Now we raise at least two million dollars from the luncheons. And, instead of 200 to 300 people, we have 1,200 who attend. It’s called ‘The Hat Party,’ because all the women vie and wear these incredible hats and it’s really something.
And because of our great success, people have come from all over the world, other parks wanting to know the formula, how to go about it and how to raise money.
What projects are you working on now?
Right now the Park, and the Zoo, and Memorial (Sloan-Kettering), they’re all very important, and the Library of Congress is very important in my life. They have a new project that started about 10 years ago — they go into all the schools throughout the United States and help them set up computer programmes, and inspire the kids in these rural communities to do something with their lives through the computer and to learn. They’ve been very instrumental in helping the education programmes in the United States and elsewhere in the world.
Speaking of education, how would you characterize the impact that Lyford Cay Foundation, Inc. and The Canadian Lyford Cay Foundation have had over the years?
It’s been unbelievable what they’ve been able to do, to really enable the young people to seek education in other parts of the world and to enhance their future. And I’m crazy about that idea. But I think we also have to work even harder now, especially, on the trade schools here. And that’s going to be one of the fundamental things, so far as I’m concerned, for the next generation of people to focus on. Recognizing these kids who have the ability to learn a trade, and inspiring them.
Why do you feel it’s important for people to support the Foundations’ work?
If we’re part of the Lyford Cay community, either as property owners or Club Members, we have a responsibility to make a contribution to The Bahamas and its people. Because many of us have homes here, we belong here, we enjoy the game of golf, we enjoy the hospitality; we have great service at the Club. And we have a responsibility to maintain all of this.
I have personally written to many homeowners and Club Members saying that as longtime Lyford Cay residents, our family has taken on the responsibility of supporting the Lyford Cay Foundation every year without fail, since it began. And that as people who are enjoying the lifestyle here at Lyford Cay, that we really should demonstrate that we care about the larger Bahamian community and that, as a group, we should make a special gift in recognition of the Club’s 50th anniversary. And no matter what amount they’re going to give, to please give it so that we can be very proud of the fact that we’re the ones who have done it.
We have four generations of our family here now. And I know my great-grandchildren are going to feel the same way I do, because when they get down here they can’t wait to get to the beach to build their castles. It is a very unique place, and we must take care of it.
Knowing that you’re making a difference gives you a great sense of fulfillment, doesn’t it?
Yes, absolutely. And you want to inspire people, you don’t want to be the one doing all of it, you know. That’s what it’s all about to me — nurturing the future generations and helping them to accept the responsibility (of contributing). You’re not patting yourself on the back for something, but you want the people to feel, “Oh my gosh, this is not hard after all, this is easy.” And the truth is that if you just go in and talk to people you can usually walk out with something, no matter what the amount may be.
Is there anything else you would like to say to our readers?
No, no. I talk too much — but it’s because I want to get other people involved. I don’t have anything else to add. (Laughing.) As Charlie always said, “Today’s rooster is tomorrow’s feather duster. Don’t be a peacock.”
