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Boston's Birthday Bash Raises
$1 Million for Library

Over 700 guests gathered in Boston's Copley Square May 8 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Boston Public Library. Established on April 3, 1848, by an act of the Boston City Council, BPL was the first publicly funded municipal library in America.

The fundraising gala began with a cocktail reception in the library's newly restored McKim Building, followed by dinner in a huge, flower-filled tent erected across the street. Keynote speaker was Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Halberstam, who said "It'll take a long time before the Disney Channel matches the creative ideas that are housed across the street," pointing to the McKim Building. The Boston Pops orchestra saluted the library with a rendition of "Happy Birthday to You."

The $1,000-a-ticket, black-tie event, hosted by the Boston Public Library Foundation, raised some $1 million.

Posted May 18, 1998.

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