Richard Norton Smith to speak at symposium dedicated to the legacy of Nelson Rockefeller

Events planned at MoMA, Kykuit, Rockefeller Archive Center

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. (Sept. 3, 2008) - Author, historian, and political commentator Richard Norton Smith, a nationally recognized authority on the American presidency and a familiar face to viewers of C-SPAN, as well as The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, will be the keynote speaker at a two-day symposium dedicated to Nelson A. Rockefeller.

The Sept. 20-21 event, the Nelson A. Rockefeller Centennial Weekend, hosted by Historic Hudson Valley and the Rockefeller Archive Center, will be a celebration marking the 100th year of the birth of Nelson A. Rockefeller, the former four-time governor of New York and United States vice president under Gerald Ford.

The symposium will explore the lesser-known aspects of Mr. Rockefeller's legacy in the arts, in conservation and the environment, and in public education.

Events on Saturday will take place at the Museum of Modern Art, while Sunday will be devoted to special tours of the Rockefeller Archive Center, and Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate, both in Pocantico Hills, N.Y.

This weekend also celebrates the opening of the Nelson Rockefeller papers through the Rockefeller Archive Center, as well as marking 100 years since John D. Rockefeller first took occupancy at Kykuit.

Saturday events

Saturday's events take place from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at MoMA and feature Keynote Speaker Richard Norton Smith, the author of an upcoming biography of Nelson Rockefeller. Other speakers include: Kykuit Curator Cynthia Altman; Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell, Chair, New York State Council on the Arts; Dr. Clifton Wharton, Jr., noted economist, presidential appointee, and former Chancellor, State University of New York; Robert R. Douglass, former legal counsel and Secretary for Governor Rockefeller; and an introduction by Nelson's son Mark F. Rockefeller.

Sunday events

On Sunday, tours at Kykuit will focus on Governor Rockefeller's art collection. Tours at the Rockefeller Archive Center will focus on Governor Rockefeller's contributions.

Subscription information

Subscriptions for the Nelson A. Rockefeller Centennial Weekend are $125 per person, or $100 per person for members of Historic Hudson Valley or the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and are available online at www.hudsonvalley.org.

Each subscription includes one ticket to the symposium, one timed ticket for a NAR-focused tour at Kykuit, and one timed ticket for a tour at the Rockefeller Archive Center. All subscriptions will help defray costs for this Centennial weekend.

Program themes

Nelson Rockefeller believed deeply in the transforming power of art and wanted to share his vision with everyone; he understood the need to protect the environment and worked to create both legislation and action to accomplish this goal; and he understood the critical importance of higher education and its role in shaping a successful society. His life in the arts was shaped by his mother, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, a founder of the Museum of Modern Art, and his concerns for the environment and conservation were influenced by his father, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. His commitment to higher education for all grew out of his understanding of what it takes to succeed in an increasingly complex world.

Key accomplishments of Mr. Rockefeller in the arts include: development of the New York State Council on the Arts, the forerunner of the National Council on the Arts; support of arts organizations and major museums; development of the Empire State Plaza art collection; and a lifelong passion for collecting and sharing art with the public.

Accomplishments in conservation and the environment include: the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the National Water Quality Commission, and the Conservation Bond Acts, as well as the major expansion of the New York State Parks system. The symposium will also focus on his influence in the field of education, including the development and expansion of the State University of New York.

Historic Hudson Valley is a network of six historic sites in Sleepy Hollow Country and the Great Estates region; Washington Irving's Sunnyside; Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate, a historic site of the National Trust; Philipsburg Manor; the Union Church of Pocantico Hills; Van Cortlandt Manor; and Montgomery Place Historic Estate.

The Rockefeller Archive Center is the leading archives of American Philanthropy as well as Rockefeller family history.

-30-