Trump Ball for Jeanine Pirro Scores Home Run
By LYNNE AMES
Published: November 3, 1996 | N.Y. Times
BEDFORD— YOU might think no one in his right mind would voluntarily leave Yankee Stadium in the middle of the sixth and final game of the World Series. But Donald Trump did just that to attend a giant costume ball fund-raiser for the Westchester County District Attorney, Jeanine Pirro.
True, Mr. Trump had a personal interest in the glittering event. The party, which was attended by 600 Pirro friends and supporters who paid $250 each, took place at Seven Springs, a 55,000-square-foot Georgian-style mansion which Mr. Trump bought, along
with the surrounding 213 acres last year. If he gets approval from North Castle, Newcastle and Bedford, the towns in which the property is situated, he will build a golf course and 11 luxury homes there and restore the limestone mansion for use as a clubhouse. Albert J. Pirro Jr., Mrs. Pirro's husband and a partner in Pirro, Collier, Cohen & Halpern, a law firm in White Plains and Darien, is the Trump organization's lawyer for the project.
''I was at the ballgame with George Steinbrenner and it was great, just great,'' the celebrity developer said. ''But this,'' he said, gesturing to the crowd, ''is just great, too.''
Nor did Mr. Trump have to miss seeing the final out and the ensuing happy pandemonium when the Yankees clinched the world championship. At Mr. Pirro's suggestion, a wide-screen television had been set up in one of the rooms and the game was holding virtually everyone in rapt suspense. Mr. Trump was right there cheering the Yankees and groaning when it looked like the Braves might be rallying.
As he watched the on-screen action, his wife, Marla Maples Trump, held court in the mansion's front hallway, giving friendly, Southern-accented greetings to the dozens of people clamoring to meet her. She wore a pastel green ruffled silk dress with a plunging neckline and a full skirt, and an elaborately curled white wig, and she carried a beaded, hand-held mask. ''The costume is 'Dangerous Liaisons,' '' she said, referring to the period movie that was popular several years ago. ''I thought the grandeur of the clothes was appropriate for the grandeur of this house.''
Mrs. Trump also said she liked the gown's color, which matched her eyes -- ''I felt maybe it brought out the green a little'' -- and explained that she was there to show support for Ms. Pirro. ''I love this woman,'' she said, pointing to the District Attorney. ''The truth is, huge crowds can get a little scary -- I prefer more intimate gatherings -- but I would not have missed this for anything. I love Jeanine.''
Ms. Pirro was dressed as Queen Isabella of Spain. Her off-the-shoulder black velvet gown and black lace headpiece turned out to be more esthetically appealing than the garb she would have worn as Abigail Adams, the Colonial-era President's wife and advocate she had first contemplated dressing as.
''I like Abigail Adams because she was a strong supporter of women's rights, even then,'' Ms. Pirro said. ''But I went to the library and researched her clothes and they were a bit drab, a bit mundane. This costume is more festive, and besides, I suppose Queen Isabella had to have been pretty smart. After all, she did fund Christopher Columbus's trip to the New World.''
Mrs. Pirro, District Attorney since 1993, has hardly been the retiring type. Even before she assumed the post, she was well known for her work as Assistant District Attorney specializing in the prosecution of domestic-violence cases. She has appeared on several national television programs to comment on the O. J. Simpson trial and other high-profile cases, and, along the way, drawn some criticism for her outspoken style.
Asked whether this bothered her, she replied: ''You have to keep reminding people of the rights of victims, you have to keep speaking out on their behalf whatever opportunity you have. Look around this place tonight -- it's full of fun and laughter and fantasy costumes. But any one of us here could have his or her life destroyed in an instant by a violent crime. I see so much pain and tragedy in my work, and I know the line between having a happy, normal life and being totally devastated is a very fine one.''
For those at the party, the dark side of things seemed to be well in the background, at least for the evening. Mr. Pirro was dressed as King Ferdinand in a jeweled red velvet tunic, knickers and crown, and laughed at the juxtaposition of the costume and the fat cigar he carried with him constantly. Over and over, people dressed as Cleopatra or the Phantom of the Opera or Scarlet O'Hara pushed through the crowd to compliment his finery, and over and over he said, ''I just stopped in from the office.''
Elizabeth Bracken, executive vice president of Thompson & Bender, a public relations and marketing consulting firm based in Pleasantville, was wearing a slinky silver and black beaded gown and across her chest, a sash reading, ''Miss America.'' In 1974 Ms. Bracken competed in the Miss America contest as Miss New Jersey, and she thought the costume would be an amusing reference to the fact that Mr. Trump had just bought Miss Universe, a rival beauty pageant.
Ms. Bracken and Geoff Thompson, chairman of Thompson & Bender, also spoke about the mansion. Built in 1919, it originally belonged to Eugene Meyer, former publisher of The Washington Post. (His daughter, Katherine Graham, was married in the mansion, Mr. Thompson said.) In 1970, it was willed to Yale University, then in 1982 it went back to being owned by the Meyer family in the form of the Eugene and Agnes Meyer Foundation; in 1983, it was given to Rockefeller University, which operated it as a conference center until 1994. When it was put on the market later that year, it was listed for $9.5 million; Mr. Trump bought it last year for ''about $7.5 million,'' Mr. Thompson said.
Mr. Thompson also said that the golf course Mr. Trump wants to build would be ''world championship caliber'' and that the house would be restored to its former glory. Mr. Pirro said that the proposed country and golf club would be ''very, very exclusive'' and that the criteria for admission would be ''character and money.''
On this night, however, it appeared that fun, not cash, was on the minds of most of the partygoers, as they danced to rock and Latin music and nibbled shrimp, asparagus, pepperoni and pastries. The party was held to garner funds to retire debt incurred during Ms. Pirro's last campaign, said Jennine Dowling, one of the party's organizers. But talk of fund-raising per se seemed almost nonexistent. Rather, people gazed at the Trumps, joked with the Pirros and talked about -- what else -- the Yankees.
''I couldn't have worn this costume if they hadn't made it to the sixth game,'' said Jimmy Kornreich, an insurance broker from Harrison who was dressed in a copy of the famous pinstripe uniform. ''And now look, they won. What a phenomenal New York night -- watching the Yankees win the World Series and to think, I'm watching it on TV in the same room as Donald Trump.''
From The N.Y. Times
By LYNNE AMES
Published: November 3, 1996 | N.Y. Times
BEDFORD— YOU might think no one in his right mind would voluntarily leave Yankee Stadium in the middle of the sixth and final game of the World Series. But Donald Trump did just that to attend a giant costume ball fund-raiser for the Westchester County District Attorney, Jeanine Pirro.
True, Mr. Trump had a personal interest in the glittering event. The party, which was attended by 600 Pirro friends and supporters who paid $250 each, took place at Seven Springs, a 55,000-square-foot Georgian-style mansion which Mr. Trump bought, along
with the surrounding 213 acres last year. If he gets approval from North Castle, Newcastle and Bedford, the towns in which the property is situated, he will build a golf course and 11 luxury homes there and restore the limestone mansion for use as a clubhouse. Albert J. Pirro Jr., Mrs. Pirro's husband and a partner in Pirro, Collier, Cohen & Halpern, a law firm in White Plains and Darien, is the Trump organization's lawyer for the project.
''I was at the ballgame with George Steinbrenner and it was great, just great,'' the celebrity developer said. ''But this,'' he said, gesturing to the crowd, ''is just great, too.''
Nor did Mr. Trump have to miss seeing the final out and the ensuing happy pandemonium when the Yankees clinched the world championship. At Mr. Pirro's suggestion, a wide-screen television had been set up in one of the rooms and the game was holding virtually everyone in rapt suspense. Mr. Trump was right there cheering the Yankees and groaning when it looked like the Braves might be rallying.
As he watched the on-screen action, his wife, Marla Maples Trump, held court in the mansion's front hallway, giving friendly, Southern-accented greetings to the dozens of people clamoring to meet her. She wore a pastel green ruffled silk dress with a plunging neckline and a full skirt, and an elaborately curled white wig, and she carried a beaded, hand-held mask. ''The costume is 'Dangerous Liaisons,' '' she said, referring to the period movie that was popular several years ago. ''I thought the grandeur of the clothes was appropriate for the grandeur of this house.''
Mrs. Trump also said she liked the gown's color, which matched her eyes -- ''I felt maybe it brought out the green a little'' -- and explained that she was there to show support for Ms. Pirro. ''I love this woman,'' she said, pointing to the District Attorney. ''The truth is, huge crowds can get a little scary -- I prefer more intimate gatherings -- but I would not have missed this for anything. I love Jeanine.''
Ms. Pirro was dressed as Queen Isabella of Spain. Her off-the-shoulder black velvet gown and black lace headpiece turned out to be more esthetically appealing than the garb she would have worn as Abigail Adams, the Colonial-era President's wife and advocate she had first contemplated dressing as.
''I like Abigail Adams because she was a strong supporter of women's rights, even then,'' Ms. Pirro said. ''But I went to the library and researched her clothes and they were a bit drab, a bit mundane. This costume is more festive, and besides, I suppose Queen Isabella had to have been pretty smart. After all, she did fund Christopher Columbus's trip to the New World.''
Mrs. Pirro, District Attorney since 1993, has hardly been the retiring type. Even before she assumed the post, she was well known for her work as Assistant District Attorney specializing in the prosecution of domestic-violence cases. She has appeared on several national television programs to comment on the O. J. Simpson trial and other high-profile cases, and, along the way, drawn some criticism for her outspoken style.
Asked whether this bothered her, she replied: ''You have to keep reminding people of the rights of victims, you have to keep speaking out on their behalf whatever opportunity you have. Look around this place tonight -- it's full of fun and laughter and fantasy costumes. But any one of us here could have his or her life destroyed in an instant by a violent crime. I see so much pain and tragedy in my work, and I know the line between having a happy, normal life and being totally devastated is a very fine one.''
For those at the party, the dark side of things seemed to be well in the background, at least for the evening. Mr. Pirro was dressed as King Ferdinand in a jeweled red velvet tunic, knickers and crown, and laughed at the juxtaposition of the costume and the fat cigar he carried with him constantly. Over and over, people dressed as Cleopatra or the Phantom of the Opera or Scarlet O'Hara pushed through the crowd to compliment his finery, and over and over he said, ''I just stopped in from the office.''
Elizabeth Bracken, executive vice president of Thompson & Bender, a public relations and marketing consulting firm based in Pleasantville, was wearing a slinky silver and black beaded gown and across her chest, a sash reading, ''Miss America.'' In 1974 Ms. Bracken competed in the Miss America contest as Miss New Jersey, and she thought the costume would be an amusing reference to the fact that Mr. Trump had just bought Miss Universe, a rival beauty pageant.
Ms. Bracken and Geoff Thompson, chairman of Thompson & Bender, also spoke about the mansion. Built in 1919, it originally belonged to Eugene Meyer, former publisher of The Washington Post. (His daughter, Katherine Graham, was married in the mansion, Mr. Thompson said.) In 1970, it was willed to Yale University, then in 1982 it went back to being owned by the Meyer family in the form of the Eugene and Agnes Meyer Foundation; in 1983, it was given to Rockefeller University, which operated it as a conference center until 1994. When it was put on the market later that year, it was listed for $9.5 million; Mr. Trump bought it last year for ''about $7.5 million,'' Mr. Thompson said.
Mr. Thompson also said that the golf course Mr. Trump wants to build would be ''world championship caliber'' and that the house would be restored to its former glory. Mr. Pirro said that the proposed country and golf club would be ''very, very exclusive'' and that the criteria for admission would be ''character and money.''
On this night, however, it appeared that fun, not cash, was on the minds of most of the partygoers, as they danced to rock and Latin music and nibbled shrimp, asparagus, pepperoni and pastries. The party was held to garner funds to retire debt incurred during Ms. Pirro's last campaign, said Jennine Dowling, one of the party's organizers. But talk of fund-raising per se seemed almost nonexistent. Rather, people gazed at the Trumps, joked with the Pirros and talked about -- what else -- the Yankees.
''I couldn't have worn this costume if they hadn't made it to the sixth game,'' said Jimmy Kornreich, an insurance broker from Harrison who was dressed in a copy of the famous pinstripe uniform. ''And now look, they won. What a phenomenal New York night -- watching the Yankees win the World Series and to think, I'm watching it on TV in the same room as Donald Trump.''
From The N.Y. Times
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