Art Institute Salutes Richard and Maggie Daley With Heartfelt Speeches, Customized Brownies

Friday night's tribute to Mayor Richard Daley and his wife, Maggie, hosted by the woman's board and board of trustees of the Art Institute of Chicago, drew quite the influential crowd. Among the 900 guests were New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel, White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, White House chief of staff Bill Daley, former White House social secretary Desirée Rogers, and throngs of local business leaders and socialites. As one guest put it: "If you locked the doors to this place, Chicago would shut down."

Beginning with cocktails in the museum's Modern Wing and progressing to a sit-down dinner and speaking program in Millennium Park, the evening was all about its honorees. "The event served as a genuine thank you from the city of Chicago," for the mayor's 22 years of service, which will come to an end in May, and for Maggie Daley's commitment to culture and philanthropy, said Mary Lou Perkins, assistant director of the woman's board. "The Daleys have had such a deep impact on this town, we thought it fitting that we celebrate their legacy in the arts," added board coordinator Allison Muscolino.

Planners brought the dinner to Millennium Park—marking the first time the museum hosted a dinner there—because they viewed the landmark as "one of Mayor Daley's greatest achievements."

To kick off the program, Kurtis Productions produced a video tribute that showcased the Daleys' work in several aspects of local culture, including theater and visual and literary arts. Deeply felt speeches came from family members Bill Daley (the mayor's brother) and Maggie and Richard's daughter Nora. Broadway star and Chicago native Heather Headley, who donated her time, sang a song personally requested by the Daleys: "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?"

Mayor Daley himself also addressed the crowd, tearfully ending his speech by saying: "Thank you for letting me be your mayor." As a surprise to Daley, whose birthday is in late April, staffers wheeled out a multitier prop cake topped with a candle, which Daley blew out with gusto. "I wished to to be mayor again," he said.