20th July, 2013

Nantucket Celebration 2013

On Saturday, July 20, 2013, The American Ireland Fund hosted 150 people at its annual Nantucket Celebration, held at the home of AIF Board Director Bob Reynolds and his wife Laura.

This year’s Nantucket Celebration was co-chaired by Bob & Laura Reynolds, Chris & Ann Quick and Guy & Dede Snowden. The Honorees were Jack & Suzy Welch, who were introduced by their good friend and former Nantucket Celebration Honoree (2007) Mike Barnicle.

Among the guests were AIF Board Director Anne Finucane of Bank of America and her husband Mike Barnicle of MSNBC, Congressman William Keating and his wife Tevis, AIF Board Director Jack Manning (Boston Capital Corporation) and his wife Lyle Howland, Chairman & CEO of The Boston Company Bart Grenier and his wife AIF Board Director Lesley King Grenier, Vanity Fair feature writer Maureen Orth, Irish Ambassador Michael Collins and his wife Marie, AIF Board Director Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, President and CEO of The American Ireland Fund Kieran McLoughlin and The American Ireland Fund New England Director Steve Greeley and his wife Jan. Also attending were Nantucket Celebration Committee members Bob Crowe, Bob Wright, Bob & Laurie Monahan, Tom & Leslie Bresette, Scott & Sheila Knight, Kevin Callahan, Danielle deBenedictis, Kelly & Brian McKernan, Bruce & Elisabeth Percelay, Chris Drake, Linda Holliday, George Albrecht, Ben Barnes and Steve & Susan Burbage.

In addition to Mike Barnicle, past honorees of the Nantucket Celebration include, among others, President Bill Clinton and Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Nobel Peace Laureate John Hume, MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews, Special Olympics President and CEO Tim Shriver, the late author Frank McCourt and the late political commentator, author, and Meet the Press host Tim Russert.

About Jack & Suzy Welch, 2013 Nantucket Celebration Honorees
Suzy & Jack Welch, summer residents of Nantucket, have shared distinguished business and philanthropic careers. Jack Welch was appointed Chairman and CEO of General Electric Corporation in 1981, becoming the youngest CEO in the corporation’s history, and continued to lead in this position until 2001. Suzy Welch is a bestselling author and business journalist and former editor-in-chief of the Harvard Business Review. The couple is involved with several non-profit organizations, including Boston Health Care for the Homeless. Their business and philanthropic leadership, career success, and generosity were highlighted by MSNBC’s Mike Barnicle in his remarks to those gathered.

It was a spirited Irish night on Nantucket, accented by a mild Nantucket Sound breeze and a glorious sunset.

Photo Credit and Captions: Laurie Richards, Pixel Perfect Nantucket