Rebekah Harkness facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rebekah Harkness
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Harkness in 1972
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| Born |
Rebekah Semple West
April 17, 1915 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
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| Died | 17 June 1982 (aged 67) New York City, U.S.
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| Other names | Betty Harkness |
| Education | John Burroughs School Fermata |
| Alma mater | Franklin Pierce College |
| Known for | Harkness Ballet |
| Spouse(s) |
Dickson W. Pierce
(m. 1939; div. 1946)William Hale Harkness
(m. 1947; died 1954)Benjamin H. Kean
(m. 1961; div. 1965)Niels Lauersen
(m. 1974; div. 1977) |
| Children | 3 |
Rebekah West Harkness (born Rebekah Semple West; April 17, 1915 – June 17, 1982) was an American composer, socialite, and supporter of the arts. She was also known as Betty Harkness. She founded the famous Harkness Ballet dance company.
In 1947, she married William Hale "Bill" Harkness. He was a lawyer and inherited a large fortune from the Standard Oil company. This made Rebekah one of the richest women in America. She was known for her unique personality and for giving a lot of money to support artists. The 2020 song "The Last Great American Dynasty" by Taylor Swift is about her life.
Contents
Early Life and Interests
Rebekah Semple West was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1915. She was the second of three children. Her father, Allen Tarwater West, was a stockbroker. Her mother was Rebekah Cook West. Her grandfather started the St. Louis Union Trust Company.
Rebekah and her siblings were mostly raised by nannies. Rebekah loved dancing and ice skating. She worked very hard at both activities to stay fit. She went to the Rossman School and John Burroughs School in St. Louis. Later, she attended the Fermata School for Girls in Aiken, South Carolina, graduating in 1932. She continued to study dance and piano. She learned ballet from Victoria Cassau, who was a student of the famous dancer Anna Pavlova.
Supporting the Arts
In the 1960s, Rebekah Harkness became well known for helping artists. She gave money to many art groups through her Rebekah Harkness Foundation. She supported choreographer Jerome Robbins and the Joffrey Ballet.
When the Joffrey Ballet did not want to change its name to honor her, she stopped her funding. Instead, she hired many of the Joffrey dancers. She then started her own dance company, the Harkness Ballet.
Besides the Harkness Ballet, she also opened a ballet school. This school was called Harkness House and was a home for the dance company. She also renovated a large theater in New York City. This theater, with 1,250 seats, showed performances by the Harkness Ballet and other dance groups.
Through the William Hale Harkness Foundation, she also helped build a medical research building. This building was at the New York Hospital. She also supported many important medical research projects.
Education and Creative Pursuits
Later in her life, Rebekah Harkness continued her studies. She studied music in Fontainebleau, France, with Nadia Boulanger. She also studied at the Institut Jaques-Dalcroze in Geneva. In New York, she attended the Mannes College of Music.
She learned about arranging music from Lee Hoiby. In 1968, she received a special degree. It was a Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, New Hampshire.
Public Life and Giving Back
After her second husband, William Hale Harkness, passed away, Rebekah inherited his wealth. She became the owner of many properties and enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle. Her love for dance and music continued throughout her life. She used much of her money to support ballet and to compose her own music.
In 1955, her musical piece called Safari Suite was performed at Carnegie Hall. In 1957, she released an album of her music titled Music With a Heartbeat. Rebekah Harkness also spent time with other famous creative people. These included yogi B.K.S. Iyengar and artist Salvador Dalí. Dalí even designed a special urn for her ashes after her death.
Newspapers and magazines were very interested in Rebekah Harkness. She was known for being quite unique. For example, she once dyed her neighbor's dog green after an argument.
Rebekah Harkness was a generous person. She supported the Joffrey Ballet for many years. She also founded and supported the Harkness Ballet Foundation. Her William Hale Harkness Foundation donated $2 million to the William Hale Harkness Medical Research Building. She also helped fund research into diseases like Parkinson's disease.
Marriages and Family
Rebekah Harkness was married four times.
- On June 10, 1939, she married Dickson W. Pierce. They had two children: Allen (born 1940) and Anne Terry (born 1944). They divorced in 1946, and Rebekah gained custody of her children.
- On October 1, 1947, she married William Hale Harkness. He was the son of William Lamon Harkness, who was an heir to the Standard Oil fortune. They had one child, Edith Hale Harkness (born 1948). William Hale Harkness passed away in 1954.
- In 1961, Rebekah married Ben Kean. He was a doctor and a professor at the Cornell Medical College. They divorced in 1965.
- In 1974, she married Niels H. Lauersen, who was also a doctor. They divorced in 1977.
Later Life and Legacy
Rebekah Harkness passed away from stomach cancer in her Manhattan home on June 17, 1982. She was 67 years old. In her final days, she spent time reconciling with her children.
After her death, a memorial was held at her family home. She was cremated, and her ashes were placed in a special spinning urn. This urn was designed by the artist Salvador Dalí. Her ashes were then placed in the Harkness Mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery.
Images for kids
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Harkness in 1972
See also
