Without Lenora De Sio, this book might not exist. Teacher, guru, editor, and friend, Lenora makes, in the works of her beloved T. S. Eliot, “a raid on the inarticulate.” With her guidance, ideas and feelings become words, one’s own voice emerges. All the way, from the beginning through many revisions, she has been with me. She has helped me to provide a context for the events I was writing about, and to develop and deepen my ideas. Always ready for discussion, in a thick stack of eloquent letters she inspired, urged, edited, and gave me the confidence to continue. I am deeply grateful to Lenora for her wisdom, insight, and goodness.
Joan Clark’s enthusiasm and generosity led directly to this book, through her introduction and warm words about my manuscript to Jeannette and Richard Seaver. I am infinitely grateful to her, for that and for her friendship.
Heartfelt thanks go to B. H. Friedman, an accomplished writer with an acute mind, who improved its shape and substance, page by page. He also allowed me to quote from the biography he wrote about my grandmother, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (Doubleday, 1978), and I have used many of its pages, almost verbatim, in writing about my Vanderbilt and Whitney ancestors.
Joan Weakley and her husband Rob Ingraham were greatly encouraging. A proficient editor, Rob gave me helpful pages of articulate notes.
Anabel Davis-Goff, a superb writer who is also an adept editor, was kind enough to make excellent suggestions for strengthening this book.
Arthur Danto, pellucid philosopher and critic, scrutinized my pages, and elucidated the book’s shape and meaning, increasing my resolve to publish it.
Susan Gofer, gifted artist, faithful friend, was by my side during all these years of writing, challenging me in thoughtful letters and discussions to analyze, dig, question, and — above all — to finish.
I am extremely grateful to my son-in-law Mark Donovan, an expert editor, for his insight, and for all his incisive, affectionate, and eloquent advice.
Tom Armstrong’s acceptance was vital, especially since I know that reliving the late ’80s through this book was painful for him. His enthusiasm means a great deal to me. He is, after all, the hero of this story.
Friends who read versions of the manuscript and whose responses and encouragement were precious include Mei Mei Bersenbrugge, Lesley Dill, Gabriella de Ferrari, Brendan Gill, Barklie Henry, Jacqueline Hoefer, David McIntosh, Doris Palca, Christine Taylor Patten, Lisa Phillips, Jennifer Russell, Patterson Sims, Julie Sylvester, Linda Tarnay, Richard Tuttle, Adam Weinberg, George and Betty Woodman, and Paul Wolff. Several friends read certain chapters, and I appreciate their bolstering: Pamela McCarthy, David Michaelis, Elizabeth Seydel Morgan, Happy Price, June Roth, and Bill Valentine.
I appreciate the help of many people at the Whitney Museum, especially that of Anita Duquette, who located many photographs and arranged for permissions to use them.
My sons and daughters and their spouses: Michelle and Bill Evans, Duncan Duer and Linda Stern Irving, Macculloch Miller Irving and Libby Cameron, and Fiona and Mark Donovan, have been abundantly supportive. I’m profoundly thankful to them, not only for their outpouring of love now, but over all the years of their being. And for giving me such fabulous grandchildren and even a great-grandchild!
Fiona has read more than one revision, and her pertinent comments have been indispensable to its final form. She has picked up stylistic and factual errors, mistakes in wording and interpretation, and lapses of inclusion and exclusion. Her willingness to discuss many aspects of the Whitney has helped me to formulate and adjust many of my ideas and conclusions, since she knows the Museum and its cast of characters so very well, and her commitment to my project has been of measureless value.
My editor, Jeannette Seaver, is wondrous. Her faith and her experienced enthusiasm enabled me to believe that the manuscript would become a book, and I feel tremendously blessed by her brilliant editing. She has improved the book very much. It has been a joy to work with both Jeannette and Richard Seaver, publishers extraordinaire, and I’m deeply grateful to them for their confidence in the book and in me.
My final editing was done at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Its serenity, warm embrace, and beauty made it possible to concentrate and work productively.
Last, but definitely not least, I thank my husband, Sydney Francis Biddle, for bearing with my Museum life and love, and for participating eagerly in dinners, lunches, symposia, lectures, national committee meetings, and Whitney tours here and abroad — a seemingly endless flow of events and people. Sydney has been entirely supportive during the making of this book, and his comments have always been cogent and thought-provoking. He makes me know that he’s proud of me for writing it — and this has been a powerful incentive. Heartfelt thanks, Sydney, for that, and for our eighteen years of adventuresome, lively, and loving married life.
While I’ll appreciate forever the help and support I’ve received from all these wonderful friends and family members, I want to emphasize that all errors, lapses, inconsistencies, and other faults are mine alone.