BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP NOVEMBER 17 - NOVEMBER 23, 2017 29
VICTORIA’S
SECRETS
Victoria
SCHNEPS-
YUNIS
vschneps@gmail.com
tweet me @vschneps
Sadness and Joy
With the passing of my dear
friend Rhona of a massive
heart attack, it made me
think a lot about my life between
family, friends and colleagues, work
and play!
I’ve always believed in balance and,
after a stressful week, on Sunday I
went to see Bette Midler in “Hello
Dolly.”
Talk about fun and joy. That’s the
Broadway revival of an old show that
is truly a classic with songs to sing as
you leave the theatre.
I cried. I laughed. I cheered. That’s
what great theatre is all about. It made
my heart soar as I watched Ms. Midler
prancing and dancing and singing her
heart out .
I related
to the story
of a widow who
recreated herself
as a matchmaker and
whatever else she could do to
make money and make people happy.
Finally, she decided she was ready
to remarry and set her sights on a
“rich half millionaire.”
The show-stopping scene in which
she walks down a red-carpeted stairway
bedazzling in a red satin sequined
gown and red feather headdress singing
“Hello Dolly“ was worth the price
of my very expensive third row seat!
It reminded me that about five years
ago the Josephine Foundation put on
“Hello Dolly” and asked me to do that
scene as Dolly.
I wore a red satin dress and went to
Alicia’s Jewelers in Bayside and they
outfitted me in over $200,000 worth of
diamonds. Did I bedazzle the crowd at
Flushing Town Hall. Such fun!
That’s what makes a life -- to begin
the week at the graveside funeral of
my dear friend and end it with a magical,
magnificent musical.
On a serious note, after Rhona’s
death, my friend and cardiologist Dr.
Perry Frankel is checking my records
for the last time I had a coronary artery
calcium checkups and rechecking
my last stress test, heart sonogram
and Doppler test of my carotid artery .
When was the last time, dear reader,
that you had a check-up?
Rhona ran to the doctor for her
loved ones but never for herself!
Love yourself enough to take time
to care about you so you will be here
to care about those you love!
Rhona forgot that ….
David Hyde Pierce as Horace Vandergelder in “Hello Dolly.”
Ed O’Donnell with his daughter and team.
The Kings of Kings
What a joyous night of honoring outstanding men
who make a difference in Brooklyn.
It was particularly sweet to honor Chase Bank’s
Senior Vice President Ed O’Donnell by inducting him into
our Hall of Fame.
For a decade, he led as board chair Life’s WORC, the organization
I founded in 1971. During Ed’s tenure, the agency
grew and flourished. He devoted endless hours to bring his
business acumen to a non-profit devoted to people with
developmental disabilities and autism. He truly earned his
place as a King!
Julian Hagmann and Joseph Cavalcante
brought 80 people to celebrate with them
as they were honored as “Kings of Kings.”