Planning the Celebration

The idea was conceived last September at a TIME editors' lunch. "Impossible." was the general reaction, but soon a party planning staff that ultimately reached 40 fulltime people went to work. From the start, one thought predominated: whatever the logistical and protocol problems, the party must be as friendly as a college reunion. Of TIME'S 40 years of cover subjects, many were dead and many others were foreign political, business, religious, scientific and intellectual leaders unable to make the journey to the U.S. In sifting through the remainder, the planning staff searched for excellence and for those whose impact in their fields had been constructive and lasting. Each invitation included the spouse of the cover subject, and many invitations were personally delivered by TIME representatives. Churches & Hairdressers. As acceptances poured into TIME'S offices, long-distance telephone calls were made to prospective guests to see when they would arrive in New York. TIME staffers were assigned to meet the cover subjects on arrival in the city and to take care of their needs throughout the period they were in town. To ease transportation difficulties, a fleet of 150 limousines was put at the guests' disposal, and a central switchboard set up for their convenience answered queries ranging from the time of church services to the names of good hairdressers. The weekend began with the Regency Hotel reception and President Linen's outdoor party on Sunday in Greenwich. The Linen party was a breathtaking spectacle. Four yellow and white plastic-sided tents clustered about his yellow clapboard house and surrounded a huge barn. Guests wandered from house to tent to barn, from tables to dance floor, from bar to buffet, all the while meeting and greeting people whose faces they recognized. A nearby polo field was transformed into a vast parking lot complete with a fire engine, two tow trucks, a chow tent for chauffeurs, overhead electric lighting, and a walkie-talkie system to call cars. Close touch was maintained with the U.S. Weather Bureau (it sprinkled on Sunday), and a doctor and registered nurse were on hand in case any of the 1,000 or so guests suddenly took ill. "If I had had staff work like this in Italy," said General Mark Clark, "I could have cleaned up that theater of action in two weeks." Trout & Candles. As the Linen party lasted into the night, a final flurry of preparations was going on in New York. Ready for the tables were 680 handmade, solid-wax candles with a five-hour burning capacity. In the Waldorf kitchens, the staff was preparing 1,800 small brook trout raised specifically in a Long Island hatchery for the appetizer: Truite de Riviere en Gelee `a la Muguette. In the ballroom, a team of theater directors and producers rehearsed spotlighting cues for introduction of guests until 6:30 a.m. Monday. Last-minute acceptances and cancellations kept the seating plan in a state of flux until just before the dinner began. But when the 1,668 guests finally filed into the Grand Ballroom, most tables were arranged to mix cover subjects, special guests, a TIME host, and all their spouses. Despite all the planning, there were inevitable mistakes and failures. Considerable confusion marked efforts to get guests onto the dais; planned for four hours, the program ran half an hour long. One highly notable cover guest present, former NATO Commander Lauris Norstad, was never introduced. But the impossible idea had turned out to be possible, and there was every indication that the guests, many of whom danced on into the morning hours to the music of Meyer Davis' orchestra, enjoyed it all.

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