Art Buchwald's dream comes true

Possible Dreams raises $730,000 ... and counting

By Susan Vaughn - August 10, 2006

Art Buchwald was the star of the show, drawing a record crowd to the 28th annual Martha's Vineyard Community Services Possible Dreams Auction Monday, but his heartening story of survival did not eclipse the event's focus and generous community spirit.

By Tuesday morning, Community Services had taken in $730,000 - with more to come - to benefit hundreds of Island families through its six core programs, MVCS director of development Jan Hatchard said. The tally did not include all receipts from ticket sales, concessions, or the online auction, which continues until Aug. 21. Last year's complete tally was $780,000. Ms. Hatchard did not have a definite attendance count, but noted that there were only 120 programs left of 1,500 printed.

The syndicated humor columnist was as jolly as ever as he was wheeled into the Harborside Inn's beautiful summer garden venue. Decked out in casual attire and straw hat, Mr. Buchwald joked as he propped his one leg onto a white wicker hassock. Immediately, he took the focus off himself and his now well-known story of miraculous survival after a series of life threatening incidents and turned his and the audience's attention to the business at hand.

After saying he was supposed to go to heaven, but returned to Martha's Vineyard instead for his 26th appearance as one of the Dreams' auctioneers, Mr. Buchwald said he never expected to be using the MVCS's visiting nurse service, which now comes to his Vineyard Haven home three times a day. "We never see these people," he said, as he asked the 100 Community Services staff members to stand to be recognized.

Of course Mr. Buchwald himself drew a standing ovation from the crowd after auctioneer Susan Klein introduced him as "not only one who traffics in Pulitzer Prizes, but also in miracles."

Mr. Buchwald's first remarks drew laughs from the crowd.

"My fellow Americans, I am your born-again auctioneer," he quipped. He then offered his personal list of "best prizes," including free drinks with Mel Gibson, a drive for two through the Big Dig, and tickets to the Vineyard Haven movie theater (closed for two years).

As the bidding began about 4:45 pm, it immediately became clear that the stakes were going to be higher than ever this year, especially for the celebrity offerings. Although the lowest bid of the day was $1,000 for a ride on the Oak Bluffs carousel and sightseeing trolley, the second item offered by Bill and Nancy Ellison Rollnick, opening night seats for "Madame Butterfly" at the Metropolitan Opera, drew a winning bid of $15,000 and the fast, competitive bidding didn't let up from then on.

Mr. Buchwald's own dream, offering of writing a family's history based on interviews with him, quickly brought $21,000. Later, he offered the same bid again for the same amount.

Auctioneers Klein and Rick Lee kept the bids moving along with their fast-paced chatter and humorous remarks. "We've got 20 (thousand), baby. You must have another 40 tucked away," Ms. Klein said, cajoling the crowd to up the ante on a bid.

Although Island celebrities weren't as numerous as in previous years, a few auction veterans - former CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite, actress Patricia Neal and singer Carly Simon - were on hand to comment on their offerings.

Actress Mary Steenbergen also stepped up to the podium to plug several prizes, including a visit to her and husband, Ted Danson's, Malibu home and former President Bill Clinton's favorite putter. The putter was pulled out of a long UPS box in front of the crowd with "a return address of the Secret Service," Mr. Buchwald added. Ms. Steenbergen explained that Bill Rollnick convinced Clinton to donate it to the auction.

"He didn't want to give it up, but said he would do anything for Art," she said. In lively bidding, with Mr. Buchwald waving the putter back and forth, Mr. Clinton's longtime friend and political ally Chuck Parrish of Vineyard Haven and San Francisco got the putter and the box for $22,000.

Later, Mr. Parrish commented on his prize, saying, "I won't be playing golf with it." He said he has known Mr. Clinton since 1976, when he was attorney general in Georgia and working on former President Jimmy Carter's campaign. Mr. Parrish's wife Nancy was Georgia campaign manager for President Clinton's 1992 election campaign.

When Cronkite's dream luncheon sail aboard the "Wyntje" came up, Mr. Buchwald introduced him as "the most trusted man in America," and added, "He may be the only trusted man in America."

From the front row, Mr. Cronkite added in his well-recognized deep reporter's voice, that he sometimes reveals a lot of secrets during the sail, especially when it gets close to the primary elections.

The bidding on Mr. Cronkite's dream offering started at $5,000, and to keep it going, former opera singer Joanna Simon, sitting next to him, said, "Walter and I will do a duet and Walter plays the drums as well." The "dream" drew $30,000.

Compare that with his similar offering in 1982, which went for $1,200, the second highest winning bid of that auction after a "dream visit" with his CBS compatriot, Mike Wallace, which got the high bid of $1,250 that year, according to the program notes.

Ms. Hatchard said the CBS veterans have had a personal competition going for the highest bids for years. This year Mr. Cronkite's bid bested Mr. Wallace's by $5,000. Mr. Wallace's absence Tuesday evening may have been one reason. Mr. Buchwald revealed that his competitor was in Iran.

One of the auction's most poignant moments - as in previous years - came when Buchwald pal Carly Simon suddenly appeared at the podium, about two hours into the event. She explained why she was late.

"I ended up in the hospital last week," she said. She explained that she had received a call from Mr. Buchwald that morning begging her to come to the auction. She didn't disappoint him or the crowd, immediately breaking into singing, at his request, "I'll be seeing you." Mr. Buchwald had also asked her to write a song to coincide with the book he has written on his recent experiences, titled "Too Soon to Say Goodbye," also the title of the big banner behind the podium.

In a Marlene Dietrich voice, Ms. Simon sang a few teaser lines from notes she had started for the song - "Too soon to say goodbye, auf wiedersehen, au revoir, no, no" - to egg on the bidding for her dream offering, a ride around the Vineyard in her antique red Mercedes while singing some of her old songs chosen by the winning bidder, as well as the completed "Art's song."

The shtick worked, drawing the highest bid for a single item of the day, $37,000. Shortly after winning it, a stunned Carol Guthrie of Darien, Conn., said her husband, Don Rode, kept bidding on the coveted prize much to her surprise.

"It never occurred to me to do this. This is amazing," Ms. Guthrie said, noting that she has been a "huge, huge fan" of Ms. Simon since her college years. "We're the same age. I can't wait (for the ride)," she said. Like so many others in the audience, Ms. Guthrie said, "I wanted to be here because of Art. I grew up with my parents reading Art's column in the kitchen."

Other attendees expressed similar comments. Sitting behind the donor's circle in the front row, Ann Kirby of Arlington and her friend Patricia Ward of Tewksbury were just walking by the Harborside Inn, saw the signs for the auction and realized it was the event with Art Buchwald, whose story they had read about in the Boston Globe.

"The fact he came back is remarkable," Ms. Kirby said.

Ms. Ward added, "What an attitude the man has. I admire him."

Ellie Soltz, a long-time Vineyard summer resident, has attended the auction for several years, although she admitted that she could never bid on anything, but she loves the event and the Vineyard. "The spirit here is incredible," she said. "The community spirit is so strong."

That generous spirit was displayed many times Monday, such as when Lucy and Sheldon Hackney returned the $10,000 they won in the $100 raffle to Community Services. Immediately, raffle prize donor Marty Homlish, president and CEO of SAP Global Marketing, offered the alternative prize to the couple, a trip to the Mercedes Golf Championship in Maui.

Mr. Homlish also offered one of biggest dreams, an all-expenses paid trip to the Australian Grand Prix next spring. That prize drew a $30,000 winning bid. Ms. Hatchard said Mr. Homlish has been at every auction and comes up with new creative dream ideas every year.

Another popular draw was "Arthur" creator Marc Brown's offering, one of few for children, he noted. It was a premier showing of the new "Arthur" movie, a visit to a child's school to talk about his creative process and a donation of the entire "Arthur" collection to the school's library. The fierce bidding between two mothers ran to $36,000 when Ms. Klein asked Mr. Brown if he would consider a double donation. He jumped to the podium smiling and immediately agreed to do it. The two bids drew the largest total for one dream Monday - $72,000.

One of the most unusual dreams was an archaeological dig in "secret caves" outside Paris with pre-historian and archaeologist Duncan Caldwell, which added $10,000. Sporting events, pro baseball, football and golf events, as well as fishing trips, also were popular, drawing up to $8,500.

The final two offerings, Mr. Buchwald's autographed hat and a Possible Dreams poster signed by celebrities in attendance, brought in $7,000 and $2,000, respectively, ending three hours of bidding.

Susan Vaughn is a freelance writer who recently moved to the Vineyard.