By Judy Carmack Bross
Steffie Madigan, right, welcomes Brooke Shields
Actress and icon Brooke Shields enthralled the 520 guests at the RUSH Woman’s Board’s Annual Spring Luncheon at the Four Seasons Chicago with her candid conversation about her modeling career which began at age 11 months, the fame and controversy of Louis Malle’s film “Pretty Baby”, the tumultuous relationship with her mother Teri, her marriage to tennis star Andre Agassi, and her struggles with postpartum depression. With her two-part biographical documentary “Pretty Baby” surging on Hulu and a new movie, “Mother of the Bride” trending on Netflix, Shields was a timely choice for the 29th annual luncheon.
Melanie Madigan, Margie Stineman, Meg Leydon, and Bethany Crocker
Emily Sturgess, Casey Waddell, Read Lancetot, Paige Spearin
Benefit Chair Riley O’Neil, RUSH’s CEO Dr. Omar Lateef, Brooke Shields and Woman’s Board President Wendy Herb
Spring Luncheon Chair Riley O’Neil commented afterwards:
“The Woman’s Board was absolutely thrilled to have Brooke Shields as our featured guest at the 29th annual Spring Luncheon. For 28 years, our guests have come to expect dynamic and exciting speakers, and Brooke Shields did not disappoint! Her candid and truthful conversation with former WGN anchor Julie Unruh was both hilarious and heartwarming. I am so grateful for the generous support of our guests and sponsors who made this special day possible and helped the Woman’s Board reach our fundraising goal for RUSH.”
Rush Woman’s Board President Wendy Herb welcomed guests, including RUSH doctors, patients and students, saying that proceeds will fund the Woman’s Board Endowment Fund for Research and Clinical Trials to make possible more of these pioneering advances.
Susan Mateja listens to welcome by Wendy Herb
Herb described their commitment:
“RUSH is a leader in medical and healthcare innovation, as evidenced by its cutting-edge research and clinical trials. The information gained from these trials has the potential to positively impact the medical field not only in Chicago but also nationally and globally. For many years, the Woman’s Board has been at the forefront of supporting groundbreaking research at RUSH, championing critical treatments at their earliest stages and helping to propel them beyond proof-of-concept. We are proud to continue our support of this trail-blazing research.”
From his humor to his championing of the Woman’s Board as “the first of the first group to always step forward,” Rush CEO Dr. Omar Lateef proved once again that he is the best opening act for the always sold-out event.
Dr. Lateef spoke about how the Woman’s Board’s contributions will help RUSH to advance medical treatment and care in ways that will positively impact the future of healthcare for decades to come. He told about the partnership between RUSH and MD Anderson, forming the RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center. This new center will provide RUSH patients even greater access to cancer treatments and research considered the best in the world.
During her talk, Ms. Shields added that her own father had received treatment from MD Anderson, and that she was inspired by the great work of that institution and hopeful for the tremendous impact the partnership of MD Anderson and RUSH could have on patient outcomes.
Donna Brunso and Lee Thinnes
Dr. Najia Shakoor looks on as her husband Dr. Omar Lateef addresses the audience
Erika Sandner and Abby Funk
LJ Savarie, Mary Grant, Ruthie Beam
Throughout its history of Spring Luncheons, the Woman’s Board has presented spellbinding speakers from Doris Kearns Goodwin to Geena Davis, Laura Bush to Nora Ephron. One of the oldest woman’s boards in the country, the board was founded in 1886 and currently has over 200 members.
Brooke Shields and Julie Unruh
Brooke Shields started her career before she was a year old when she was selected as the Ivory Snow Baby. She has starred in critically acclaimed films and television series, graced the covers of hundreds of magazines, and published several best-selling books. Her latest entrepreneurial project “Commence” inspires women over 40 to live their best lives with beauty and wellness products developed for this age bracket. She also hosts her hit iHeartRadio podcast “Now What? With Brooke Shields,” featuring insightful conversations with a variety of guests. In addition to her professional career, Brooke continues to be a strong advocate for women’s issues and keeping the arts alive in schools.
Shields talked about her controversial mother, her own daughters and how Agassi, whom she married at the peak of his fame, “very kindly helped me separate from my mother.” When Shields entered Princeton as a freshman she was perhaps the most famous college student and would write her senior thesis, in French, about the voyage from innocence to experience, in part about her role in “Pretty Baby”. “There is so much objectification and sexualization of young girls in our culture, even now, and is part of a bigger picture. Something that my documentary addresses,” she said. “My whole life has been commented on by people.”
Before the seating, guests were treated to a preview of some of the incredible pieces from Freeman’s Hindman upcoming Important Jewelry auction. Sponsors for the Luncheon were: The Garlands of Barrington, Freeman’s Hindman, ITW, Bulley & Andrews, Wintrust, and Jones Road.
Guests at the reception
Meg Wellford, Shimul Lahoti, Kristina Mulhall, Genevieve Hillis, Sowsan Schulte, Kelly LaGrange, Demetra Vassilatos, Alex Shomber
Photo Credit: Robin Subar Photography and RUSH.
