Upcoming Events
We host our in-person lectures at the Chrysler Museum of Art with coffee served in Huber Court at 10:30 am before each 11:00 am lecture. The lectures are free and open to the public thanks to our generous membership.
Mon, May 04
|Chrysler Museum of Art
Special Speaker Meryl Gordon, Best-selling Author and Journalist
Meryl Gordon, Best-selling Author and Journalist presents: The Woman Who Knew Everyone: The Power of Perle Mesta, Washington’s Most Famous Hostess
Time & Location
May 04, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Chrysler Museum of Art, One Memorial Place, Norfolk, VA 23510, USA
About the event
Special Speaker Lecture by Meryl Gordon, Best-selling Author and Journalist
The Woman Who Knew Everyone: The Power of Perle Mesta, Washington’s Most Famous Hostess
Chrysler Museum of Art
NSA Meeting at 10:45 AM
Lecture at 11:00 AM
*Book signing to follow lecture
Meryl Gordon, the author of four biographies, will be discussing the rollicking life and political legacy of Perle Mesta, the diplomat and hostess who was close to four presidents and in-demand for four decades.
Bio: Meryl Gordon, an award-winning journalist and professor, has written four biographies about distinguished and influential women: Mrs. Astor Regrets; The Phantom of Fifth Avenue; Bunny Mellon: The Life of an American Style Legend; and her latest, The Woman Who Knew Everyone. A native of Rochester, NY and graduate of the University of Michigan, Meryl is a tenured journalism professor at New York University. She has written for The New York Times, New York Magazine, Vanity Fair and Town & Country.