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 For Immediate Release Media Contact: Lauren BeyeaFebruary 3, 2009 (202) 434-9543/LBeyea@fords.org
FORD’S THEATRE HOSTSGRAND REOPENING CELEBRATIONFEBRUARY 11, 2009
 
Sidney Poitier 
 
and
 
George Lucas To Receive Lincoln MedalSpecial Performance Will Honor Lincoln’s Legacy andCelebrate the Reopening of Ford’s Theatre
Washington, D.C.— Ford’s Theatre Society will host a Grand Reopening Celebration onWednesday, February 11, 2009, at Ford’s Theatre (511 10th Street NW). The invitation-onlyevening will include the presentation of the Lincoln Medal to filmmaker 
George Lucas
and screenlegend
Sidney Poitier 
, whose accomplishments exemplify the character and lasting legacy of President Abraham Lincoln. The evening’s performance, titled
Birth and Rebirth: A Celebration of the Lincoln Bicentennial and Reopening of Ford’s Theatre,
will be followed by a seated dinner atthe National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum (750 Ninth Street NW).The evening’s events will begin at Ford’s Theatre, where invited guests will enjoy aspecial performance in tribute to Abraham Lincoln and his legacy, including appearances by
Katie Couric
,
Kelsey Grammer 
,
James Earl Jones
,
Ben Vereen
,
Jeffrey Wright
, the
 President’s Own Marine Band
,
Patrick Lundy and the Ministers of Music
,
Audra McDonald
and
Jessye Norman
. Following the performance, guests dine at the
National Portrait Gallery.The performance will be attended by donors to the
Abraham Lincoln BicentennialCampaign
, which supports the renovation and expansion of Ford
ʼ
s Theatre, as well as bypolitical supporters of Ford
ʼ
s Theatre.
 
Lincoln Medal
 
The Lincoln Medal is an annual award given by the Ford’s Theatre Society to a person(or persons) who, through their body of work, accomplishments or personal attributes, exemplifythe lasting legacy, and mettle of character embodied by the most beloved President in our Nation’s history, President Abraham Lincoln. Recipients of the 2008 Lincoln Medal included Dr.
 
Reopening Celebration, p 2
Maya Angelou, Civil Rights activist, author, dancer and actress; actress Ruby Dee; Dr. BenjaminS. Carson, Sr., Director of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, The Johns Hopkins Hospital;and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Former Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court.Ford’s Theatre Society is grateful to ExxonMobil for their additional support of the Ford’s Theatrereopening and Lincoln bicentennial activities and events.
Limited space is available for press wishing to cover this event. Press should contactLauren Beyea at (202) 434-9543.Lincoln Bicentennial Campaign
The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Campaign
is a $50+ million capital campaign that willsupport the renovation of Ford’s Theatre and its museum as well as the building of the newCenter for Education and Leadership, an education center focused on the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. To date, the campaign has raised more than $49 million.The Ford’s Theatre renovation and expansion project has been made possible primarilythrough donations from private sources—individuals, foundations and corporations—as well as$8.9 million in federal funding and a recent $10 million grant from the District of Columbia. As thelead corporate donor, ExxonMobil has awarded the campaign a $5 million Leadership Circle grantand the State of Qatar has joined them with a $2.5 million gift. More recently, the LeadershipCircle has expanded to include Ronald O. Perelman, Chairman and CEO of MacAndrews &Forbes Holdings Inc., with a $2.5 million pledge. BP America Inc. has provided a $2 millioncontribution, as well as $1 million dollar donations each from AT&T, Foster Wheeler; GeneralDynamics, Sheila C. Johnson, Founder of Salamander Hospitality, LLC; T. Boone PickensFoundation; The Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation/Wayne and Catherine Reynolds; David andAlice Rubenstein; The Paul Singer Family Foundation; Samsung; and Toyota.The following corporations, individuals and foundations have also generously providedgifts of $500,000 or greater to this project: The Adelson Family Charitable Foundation, AmericanAirlines, BAE Systems, Carl and Edyth Lindner, The Freed Foundation, Lockheed MartinCorporation, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, O’Melveny & Myers, RaytheonCompany, Southern Company and Sunoco, Inc.
Ford’s Theatre Society
Since its reopening in 1968, more than a hundred years after the April 14, 1865,assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Ford’s Theatre has been one of the most visitedsites in the nation’s capital. Ford’s Theatre has enthralled visitors because of its unique place inUnited States history, and its mission to celebrate the legacy of Abraham Lincoln and explore theAmerican experience through theatre and education. For its accomplishments, the organizationwas honored in 2008 with the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given by the U.S.government to artists, arts institutions and arts patrons.
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