Person
Biography
Irene Hunter enjoyed a lifetime of community volunteerism and philanthropy before her death in October 2008 at the age of 90. She was born to Irene and William Mennen, the founder of the Mennen Company, in Newark, NJ, and was married to James "Bing" Hunter for 57 years. She served on the Pillow board for two extended terms, from 1979 to 1987 and 1998 to 2002, spending much of the time in between those two terms as a member of the Pillow's Board of Overseers. When the category of Directors Emeriti was established in 2004, she was one of its charter members, continuing in that capacity until her death. In addition to a host of other charities, she also supported the Paul Taylor Dance Company for many years, and she is seen above with Paul Taylor in a 2007 Christopher Duggan photo. She was able to bring her passions for "Paul and the Pillow" together by commissioning two Taylor works that premiered here: Fiends Angelical in 2002, and De Suenos in 2007. Hunter House was renamed in the 1980s to honor her family's major gifts to the Pillow's first capital campaign. Irene Hunter's legacy was described by her family in this way, "From those to whom much has been given, much is expected." And that legacy continues to be carried forward by her daughter-in-law, Joan Hunter, Chair Emeritus of the Pillow board.