Adelphi University Presents Its First Adelphi Legends Dinner Headlined by Actress Laura Linney

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - Sept. 29, 2017 - PRLog -- Adelphi University is excited to announce the first ever Adelphi Legends Dinner that will be held during Spirit Weekend, Saturday, October 14, 2017, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Ruth S. Harley University Center Atrium and Thomas Dixon Lovely Ballroom.

The event will recognize three Adelphi faculty, staff and alumni legends including Richard Garner. Ph.D., Nicholas Petron '70, M.A., and Carmen de Lavallade '03 (Honorary) while attendees enjoy a seated dinner featuring remarks by President Christine M. Riordan, Ph.D., recognition of the 2017 Class of 10 Under 10, the Legend recipients and a keynote presentation by headliner actress Laura Linney.

Laura Linney: Award-winning actress and keynote speaker:

Star of stage, film and screen, Laura Linney is an acclaimed actress and legend. She is the winner of two Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards and a SAG Award. Ms. Linney is also a three-time Academy Award nominee and a four-time Tony Award nominee. She attended Adelphi's Olmsted Theatre summer camps as a youth and her stepmother was an alumna, class of 1955. Since then, Ms. Linney has won acclaim in such films as Mr. Holmes, Kinsey, You Can Count on Me, Mystic River, Love Actually and The Truman Show. Her television credits include the Showtime series The Big C, the HBO miniseries John Adams, Tales of the City, Frasier, and Ozark, on Netflix. Prominent Broadway productions include The Crucible, Time Stands Still, Sight Unseen, Six Degrees of Separation and The Little Foxes. Ms. Linney is the keynote speaker and she will present "On Becoming a Legend: How Your Passion Becomes Your Legacy."

Carmen de Lavallade '03 (Honorary):

This renowned dancer, choreographer and actor has been lighting up the stage for more than six decades. In 1950, she made her debut at the age of 17 with the Lester Horton Dance Theatre in the role of Salome, and in 1954 she made her debut in the Broadway show House of Flowers, written by Truman Capote with music by Harold Arlen. Since then, she has worked with some of the world's most exciting choreographers, including Geoffrey Holder, Alvin Ailey, Glen Tetley, John Butler, Agnes de Mille and Sophie Maslow. She has worked with icons of the jazz world including Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, Benny Goodman and Wynton Marsalis. This month she made headlines when she was announced as a 2017 Kennedy Center honoree. Ms. de Lavallade also guided and inspired our students during her tenure as the chair of Adelphi's Department of Dance.

Richard Garner, Ph.D.:

Dr. Garner is an accomplished scholar, educator and author. As founding dean of the Honors College, he has touched the lives of each and every student that has come through the college since its inception in 1994. He has published two books, Law and Society in Classical Athens (1987) and From Homer to Tragedy: The Art of Allusion in Greek Poetry (1990) and his honors include the William Clyde DeVane Phi Beta Kappa Medal for Distinguished Scholarship and Teaching at Yale (1992), all other major teaching prizes at Yale, and selection as the Loeb Lecturer at Harvard in 1994. His name has become synonymous with the Honors College and his continued generosity in establishing seven scholarship endowments to benefit Honors College students has made him the first Adelphi employee ever to join the elite group of Million Dollar Round Table members.

Nicholas Petron, M.A. '70:

Chair of the Department of Theatre, Professor Petron earned his M.A. in theatre from Adelphi University. An accomplished actor and director, he can be seen on the big screen and heard voicing characters for the Children's Television Workshop. On film, he has worked with Al Pacino, John Cusack, Tim Matheson and Kate Capshaw. His stage directing credits include Uncle Vanya; Holy Ghosts; The Rimers of Eldritch; Come Back to the 5 and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean; Moonchildren; Steel Magnolias; SubUrbia; and Uncommon Women and Others. In 2016, he became the first performing arts major to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award from Kansas Wesleyan University, his undergraduate alma mater. Professor Petron is honored to give the commencement address at Kansas Wesleyan in 2018.

The event is open to all, pre-registration is required for this event and include the following fees — Registration before Monday, October 2: $75, Registration on or after October 2: $100.

For further information, please contact: spiritweekend@adelphi.edu

About Adelphi: A modern metropolitan university with a personalized approach to higher learning.

Adelphi University is a highly awarded, nationally ranked, powerfully connected doctoral research university offering exceptional liberal arts and sciences programs and professional training with particular strength in its Core Four—Arts and Humanities, STEM and Social Sciences, Business and Education Professions, and Health and Wellness. Adelphi is dedicated to transforming students' lives through small classes, hands-on learning and innovative ways to support student success.

Founded in Brooklyn in 1896, Adelphi is Long Island's oldest private coeducational university. Today Adelphi serves over 7,900 students at its beautiful main campus in Garden City, New York—just 23 miles from New York City's cultural and internship opportunities—and at dynamic learning hubs in Manhattan, the Hudson Valley and Suffolk County, and online.

More than 100,000 Adelphi graduates have gained the skills to thrive professionally as active, caring citizens, making their mark on the University, their communities and the world beyond.