Mary Jane Pool ’62 and Thomas Poole
Longtime Garden City, New York, residents Mary Jane and Thomas Poole founded and endowed the Poole Family Broadway Series at theÌý¹û½´ÊÓƵ Performing Arts CenterÌýin 2015. The series has welcomed renowned and rising Broadway talent to the Concert Hall at the Performing Arts Center, including Emmy Award-winner Lucie Arnaz, Daytime Emmy Award-winner Susan Lucci, Tony Award-nominee Adam Pascal, Tony, Emmy and Grammy-winner Billy Porter, Outer Critics Circle Award-winner Anthony Rapp, and Tony Award-winner, Kennedy Center Honors and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Chita Rivera, among many other stars of stage and screen.
Mary Jane, who received her bachelor’s degree in English from ¹û½´ÊÓƵ, is a staunch supporter of the performing arts. Her love of the arts, coupled with her experience at ¹û½´ÊÓƵ as a student and her service on ¹û½´ÊÓƵ’s Arts Development Board, inspired her to generously establish this fund in support of the performing arts. Through the Poole Family Foundation, the couple’s philanthropic interests extend beyond arts to healthcare and the local community.
Bringing Broadway to ¹û½´ÊÓƵ’s Performing Arts Center has been extremely rewarding for us. In addition to giving students from a number of academic programs new opportunities to perform and learn, we’ve been able to welcome the Garden City community to ¹û½´ÊÓƵ and transport everyone to a happy place.