Emma Walton Hamilton And Julie Andrews To Be Honored By Stony Brook

Best-selling children’s book author, professional editor and arts educator Emma Walton Hamilton knows that there is something to be said for building a strong support system for students—especially the youngest children—when it comes to the wide world of words.

On Monday, April 4, Ms. Hamilton and her mother, Dame Julie Andrews, will be honored at the 12th annual “Stars of Stony Brook Gala” at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. The honor comes as a result of both Ms. Hamilton’s and Ms. Andrews’s continued persistent efforts to keep literacy and the arts at the forefront of studies available at Stony Brook University and around the globe. The pair has coauthored 17 children’s books, four of which have been on the New York Times Best-Seller list.

Ms. Hamilton is the Editorial Director for The Julie Andrews Collection publishing program, which is dedicated to providing quality books for young readers. She was also a founder of Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor in 1991 and served as the theatre’s Director of Education and Programming for Young Audiences until 2008. She continues to act as Education Consultant for the theatre.

At Stony Brook Southampton, Ms. Hamilton is the Director of the Children’s Literature Conference, the Executive Direc

tor of the Young American Writer’s Project and the Co-director of the Southampton Playwriting Conference. Her mother, who has earned the Golden Globe, Emmy, Screen Actors Guild and the Academy Award amongst other honors, has been a longtime contributor to the Stony Brook Southampton’s Writer’s Conference. Earlier this year, the mother-daughter team won a Grammy Award for “Best Spoken World Album for Children” for “Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs and Lullabies.”

“Every year Stony Brook honors one of their own,” Ms. Hamilton said during a telephone interview in March. “Both myself and my mother are pleased to be honored because it’s a great opportunity to shine light on literature as well as the continually expanding programs, like graduate arts, theater, film and the visual arts, available at Stony Brook.”

Diana Hannan, Stony Brook’s Director of Advancement Events, said in a recent email interview that the Stony Brook honor seemed especially appropriate since both women are authors whose children’s books nurture the imagination and cultivate a sense of wonder.

The “Stars of Stony Brook Gala,” which will be emceed by Alexis Glick, CEO of the GenYOUth Foundation, will also feature a cocktail reception overlooking the Hudson River and a special water display tribute performed by Fireboat 343—the Fire Department of New York’s newest and largest fireboat named for the 343 firefighters killed on September 11. Dinner with live entertainment will also be included in the event, which will benefit scholarship funding and as well as Stony Brook Long Island’s Children’s Hospital.

The development of the children’s hospital is a process that is close to the heart of both honorees, Ms. Hamilton said, adding that her daughter, Hope, was born two months premature and was cared for at the hospital.

“My daughter was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for five weeks after she was born and if it wasn’t for them, she might not be here,” Ms. Hamilton said.

Ms. Hamilton and her husband, Stephen Hamilton, their daughter and son, Sam, live in Sag Harbor. The entire family loves to read, Ms. Hamilton said.

According to Ms. Hannan, proceeds from this year’s gala will be earmarked for creating a dedicated facility for extensions of the children’s hospital.

“This will attract even more specialists, support vital research, bring hope to families and ensure that area children continue to receive the best care possible,” she said.

She added that over the years, the gala has raised more than $20 million in scholarship funding for students.

“Recent state budget cuts have increased the importance of private support which provides tuition assistance to students who may not otherwise have access to a world-class education,” Ms. Hannan said. “[Ultimately,] the gala supports scholarships to make a Stony Brook education more attainable to outstanding future innovators in all fields and it also supports the dedicated, caring professionals and their patients at [the children’s hospital].”

Ms. Hamilton said that she and he mother are both honored to be the recipients of this year’s award.

“It’s a great moment for my mother and I. This event is so close to our hearts. And it’s a great moment for Stony Brook,” she said.

The 12th annual “Stars of Stony Brook Gala” will be held on Monday, April 4, at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. The gala will start with a cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m. and dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $750. For additional information, call (212) 245-6570, ext. 15 or e-mail tamaral@eventassociatesinc.com.