Her 1955 tone poem, Safari Suite, was performed at Carnegie Hall, and in 1957 she released an album titled Music With a Heartbeat. Name variations: Betty Harkness. She attended finishing school at the Fermata School for Girls in Aiken, South Carolina, whose other alums included Roosevelts and Auchinclosses. Upon her death in 1982, Rebekah Harkness was called many things in her New York Times obituary. [7] In addition to founding the Harkness Ballet, Harkness launched a ballet school and home for the company called Harkness House,[8] as well as a refurbished 1,250-seat theater, which presented the Harkness Ballet and other dance companies to New York audiences. Rebekah married William Hale Harkness, the heir to the Standard Oil fortune. [17], In 1961, Harkness married Ben Kean (c. 1912–1993),[18] a physician who was a professor of Tropical Medicine at the Cornell Medical College. The Return of Concorde: Is this the most glamorous Christmas present for 2020? [20] They divorced in 1977. Ad Choices. Rebekah West Harkness (April 17, 1915 – June 17, 1982) also known as Betty Harkness, was an American composer, sculptor, dance patron, and philanthropist who founded the Harkness Ballet. Rebekah Harkness was born in 1915 to a rich, emotionally frigid St. Louis family. In the first verse of “The Last Great American Dynasty”, Swift sings that the ceremony “was charming, if a little gauche / There’s only so far new money goes”. (Her reasoning was thus: “I hope the beauty of Harkness House will persuade some of these people that ballet need not be dingy and that by their patronage they are contributing to the splendid and glamorous.”) Yet disagreements over artistic direction led to the company’s disbanding in 1970. She also studied orchestration with Lee Hoiby and received a Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, New Hampshire, in 1968. Meet the previous resident of Swift's stately mansion in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. In December 1956, she even appeared in the pages of Vogue. [2][4] During her final days, Harkness began to reconcile with her children. [4], On October 1, 1947, Harkness married William Hale Harkness (1900–1954), the son of William Lamon Harkness, both Standard Oil heirs. A philanthropist, Harkness supported the Joffery Ballet for years, as well as the Harkness Ballet Foundation and the William Hale Harkness Foundation. She used much of her inheritance to become a patron of the ballet, as well as to compose music. Before his death in August 1954, they had one child together; Edith Hale Harkness (1948–1982). She even started a company of her own in 1964: the Harkness Ballet. Her grandfather founded the St. Louis Union Trust Company, ensuring she grew up comfortably. [14], Known for having many lovers throughout her life, her final lover was a man by the name of Bobby Scevers,[14] a dancer who was 25 years her junior and a self-identified homosexual. It tells the story of Standard Oil heiress Rebekah Harkness. The two purchased a mansion in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, which they nicknamed Holiday House. Harkness was friends with a young Potter Stewart, whom she affectionately called "Potsie," and their relationship was written about by her biographer Craig Unger. Being a patron of the ballet was Rebekah’s passion. She even hosted a ballet workshop there for 20 dancers from the Robert Joffrey Company (now known as the Joffrey Ballet) in 1965. Harkness drew glares for her parties at Holiday House, as did Swift: Who could forget the frenzy over her celeb-studded Fourth of July bash? A philanthropist. [1] Her grandfather founded the St. Louis Union Trust Company. All rights reserved. [13] Many of her neighbors at her Holiday House in Watch Hill, RI complained about her extravagant parties and how she would allow her dancers to practice under a geodesic dome she had placed on her front lawn. She was born Rebekah Semple West in 1915 to a wealthy family in St. Louis, Missouri. Here, we … Reportedly, the rest of her remains were placed in a Gristedes bag. In 1946, when Annabelle was 2, her mother divorced Dickson Pierce. [3] Swift explains it briefly in a verse—Harkness once owned Holiday House, the singer’s current Watch Hill, Rhode Island, home. A patron of dance and medicine. Swift and Aaron Dessner co-wrote The Last Great American Dynasty based on the eccentric life of socialite Rebekah Harkness, who was known to … They picked out a home and called it "Holiday House" Their parties were tasteful, if a little loud. She filled a pool with Champagne. Following her death, a memorial was held at the family home before Harkness was cremated, and her ashes were placed in a $250,000 spinning urn designed by Salvador Dalí, then placed in the Harkness Mausoleum in Woodlawn Cemetery. But the result was disastrous. Rebekah Harkness, as seen in the December 1956 issue of. The Holiday House was once owned by Rebekah Harkness. Rebekah West Harkness, a philanthropist who gave millions to the dance and to medicine, died of cancer Thursday in her Manhattan home. In 1947, Rebekah married husband number two, Standard Oil heir William "Bill" Harkness, whom she met at Watch Hill, her parents' summer holiday mansion in Rhode Island. Rebekah Harkness inherited the vast Standard Oil fortune after her husband William Harkness died in 1953; the couple purchased the seaside mansion in … Now she has one more posthumous title: muse. Harkness supported medical research on Parkinson's disease. Rebekah the Socialite Though Harkness came from money, she achieved a new status level with her marriage (Harkness’ second) to William Hale Harkness, courtesy of … [24], "Anne Pierce, 1962 Debutante, Married to Anthony McBride", "Rebekah West Harkness, 67, Patron of Dance and Medicine", "Harkness, Rebekah (1915–1982) | Encyclopedia.com", "Harkness Ballet Takes the Bid Step to Broadway", "Patrician of the Dance; Rebekah West Harkness", "The Dance: Rebekah Harkness Ballet Goes Dutch; Madrigalesco' Given American Premiere 3 Other Works Offered as Troupe Returns", "Harkness House Opened as Home For Ballet Arts; Lynda Johnson Attends -- City s Medal Given To Woman Donor", "The Humble Beginnings Of an Elegant Mansion", "The story of Rebekah Harkness is way more complicated than Taylor Swift lets on", "Spoiled Facts About Rebekah Harkness, The Last Great American Heiress", "Miss Edith H. Harkness Wed To Kenneth Mckinnon, Lawyer", "Benjamin H. Kean, Shah's Physician, Dies at 81", "Notes on People; Gov. Harkness had three husbands. When she died in 1982, Harkness had demanded her ashes be put in a $250,000 jeweled Salvador Dalí urn. Iyengar[4] and Salvador Dalí, who would design her urn upon her death. Her parents hired a nanny for Harkness specifically because she "had worked in an insane asylum," and then Harkness went to finishing school, where she decided to "do … 1944). [2] Neither parent was involved in the upbringing of the children, leaving them to be raised primarily by nannies. That’s why Swift says people are already gossiping about Harkness and wondering how a … Born Rebekah Semple West on April 17, 1915, in St. Rebekah Harkness, who also went by Betty, was the previous owner of Taylor Swift's Rhode Island home and serves as the inspiration for the third track on her latest album The Robert Joffrey Company summer workshop at Rebekah Harkness' Watch Hill estate in Rhode Island, July 1962. But equally unapologetic as Swift. Let’s start from the beginning. [22], Harkness' "Holiday House" in Watch Hill, Rhode Island was acquired in 2013 by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. She married her second husband, Standard Oil heir William Hale Harkness, in 1947. Rebekah Harkness married heir to Fortune Standard Oil. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Scevers had a disdain for Harkness's family, and was one of the last people to speak with Harkness alive. The subject of “Folklore” song “The Last Great American Dynasty,” Harkness — née Rebekah Semple West — was born in 1915 to “a rich, emotionally frigid St. Louis family,” according to the New York Times, and in 1947 married William Hale Harkness, her second husband and … Where Harkness had her Bitch Pack, Swift’s group of friends had a much-scrutinized squad. But why? She was the second daughter of three children to Allen Tarwater West, a stockbroker and co-founder of G. H. Walker & Co., and Rebekah Cook (née Semple) West. In her obituary, she’s credited with supporting the Joffrey and Jerome Robbins ballet companies. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Your California Privacy Rights. NEW YORK -- Rebekah West Harkness, noted patron of the dance and medical research, is dead at 67. [4], In the 1960s, Harkness became well known as a philanthropist and patron of the arts. The wedding was charming, if a little gauche There's only so far new money goes The newly married couple moved into "Holiday House," but after suffering two heart attacks William Harkness died in 1954 leaving Rebekah an exorbitantly wealthy widow. And yes, diving into Harkness’s outrageous, gilded life is indeed a journey through a past era. Harkness took up dancing and ice skating to lose weight and was highly disciplined in both endeavors. 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