Public radio personality Terry Gross appears at Princeton Public Library’s Centennial Gala on Oct. 9
National Public Radio personality Terry Gross, host of the popular weekday show “Fresh Air,” will be the featured speaker at the Princeton Public Library’s gala centennial benefit on Oct. 9. The annual fundraising event takes on special significance this year as the library marks its 100th birthday.
More than four million listeners from 500 stations across the country tune into “Fresh Air” on weekday afternoons. What started out as a local program on WHYY-FM in Philadelphia has blossomed into what NPR calls its most listened-to program after “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.” The award-winning interview show pairs Ms. Gross with celebrities from the worlds of politics, music, film, and literature. At the Oct. 9 event, Ms. Gross will play tapes from some of her interviews, including some during which the personalities got so angry that they walked out.
The celebratory evening will begin with Ms. Gross’s talk at 6 p.m. at Nassau Presbyterian Church. The party then moves to Hinds Plaza outside the library, where cocktails will be served and a silent auction will be held under a tent. After the auction, guests will be seated inside the library for dinner, which will be followed by dancing to live music back on the plaza.
Among the items to be auctioned are framed writings, notes, and works of art celebrating the centennial by 35 Princeton notables. Those participating in “In Their Own Hands” include authors Toni Morrison, Jeffrey Eugenides and Chang-rae Lee, astrophysicist Freeman Dyson, singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter, New Yorker cartoonist Henry Martin and basketball coach Pete Carril. Each of the works created by notables with a connection to Princeton have been set down on special parchment paper and framed.
Reservations for the evening range from $200 to $500. Guests at the $500 level will be invited to a private reception with some of the creators of “In Their Own Hands.” For more information and to make reservations, call Mary Wisnovsky at 609-924-9529, ext. 280.