King Legacy Knight

Fashion Police

Police Commissioner William Gross and Marilyn Barrett at the King Legacy Night.

Long overdue, refreshingly diverse, elegant beyond reckoning and fun AF are just a few of the ways to describe the King Legacy Night, a star-studded, black-tie gala to celebrate the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, who met when they were college students in Boston.

So eagerly anticipated was the evening that a shocking number of people arrived at the Museum of Fine Arts before the doors even opened, and the high-wattage crowd included the likes of co-chairs Linda and Bill Forry, tech mogul Paul English, Emerson grand pooh-bah Lee Pelton, power couple Wayne and Jacqui Budd, branding guru Daren Bascombe and his questionable companion Christopher Myers, mega-developer Arthur Winn, Back Bay nabobs Jeryl and Steve Oristaglio, the devastatingly handsome Mark Murphy, travel titans Harriet and Alan Lewis, tennis fanatic Kathy Taylor and the dapper Richard, doctor in the house Lisa Owens and her other half, hospitality mogul Darryl Settles, smoke show Eugene Scott, design hottie David DiCicco, soon-to-be newlyweds Brandon Patrick-Sigh and Neil Hagen, financial guru Ron Walker and his stunning wife, Shawnda, and pretty much everybody else who’s anybody in this town.

The party, where guests could see renderings of the five final proposals for the planned King Memorial on Boston Common, started with cocktails and a buffet dinner in the Koch Gallery and continued with a concert and speaking program in the Shapiro Courtyard that culminated in a performance by Earth, Wind & Fire. It also featured appearances by Grammy-winning jazz goddess Esperanza Spalding, rapper Common, underappreciated pop princess Taylor Dayne singing with the New England Conservatory Gospel Ensemble and appearances by TV eminences Bakari Sellers and Tamron Hall.

The evening’s best remark: The Rev. Liz Walker, after being introduced by the chronically underdressed Marty Walsh, said, “Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And next time, we’re going to work on that black tie.” 


Avez-vous dish? Dirt? A spectacular social occasion? Call J.S. at 617-859-1400, ext. 303, or send an email to jonathan@improper.com.


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