Dual milestones for The Duke
Art of the Silver Screen celebrates John Wayne
On Thursday, May 26, Art of the Silver Screen in conjunction with the Searchers Club of New York celebrated John Wayne’s birthday. The event also marked the 60th anniversary of the release of Wayne’s classic John Ford Western “The Searchers.” The evening included a dinner and screening of the film with proceeds going to the John Wayne Cancer Institute, which is chaired by Patrick Wayne. The evening’s special guest was actress Lana Wood, an original member of the cast of “The Searchers.”
The event was hosted by Mike and Beth Connors, along with their son Mike Jr. Mike Connors is an attorney with Connors and Sullivan, PLLC, and hosts “Ask the Lawyer with Mike Connors.” Beth and Mike Jr. welcomed everyone and thanked the Searchers Club and Art of the Silver Screen for promoting the arts and education and helping to entertain, enlighten and encourage students to learn about cinema.
Members of the Boy Scouts of America were among the attendees. There were scouts and troop leaders in the audience from Bay Ridge’s Our Lady of Angels parish (OLA). Justin Rodstrom, field director for the scouts in Brooklyn, told the Brooklyn Eagle that the scouts’ mission was to introduce kids to all the richness of the arts, and he praised Mike and Beth Connors for their support for the scouts over the years.