Sotheby’s C. Hugh Hidesley to Conduct Benefit Auction in Greenwich on May 9
Raising Awareness and Support to Protect the Front-Line Soldiers

GREENWICH, Conn. — C. Hugh Hildesley, a Director of Sotheby’s (Canada) Inc. and Chairman of Sotheby’s (Canada) Advisory Board, as well as directing Sotheby’s International Advisory Board, will help raise more than awareness at SFTT’s B.E.S.T. cocktail reception on May 9. Mr. Hildesley will conduct a benefit auction during the event at Richards in Greenwich to support the front-line troops by ensuring that they have the best available equipment to make it home alive and in one piece. In 2007, Mr. Hildesley conducted 62 benefit auctions, raising over $17 million for charitable purposes.

Hosted by SFTT Chair Eilhys England Hackworth and Scott Mitchell of Richards, B.E.S.T. will be held at Richards, 359 Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich, from 6:30 PM to 9 PM on Friday May 9. B.E.S.T. (Best Equipment to Support the Troops) pays tribute to the late Col. David “Hack” Hackworth by raising funds to protect the troops ‘out at the tip of the spear’ that he loved and continues to fight for through his nonpartisan, apolitical, nonprofit legacy foundation, SFTT. Its unique educational and advocacy mission is to see that the Pentagon and our elected leaders in Washington get the right equipment, training and leadership for our US troops by giving a public voice to and providing a candid forum for America’s front-line forces.

Mr. Hildesley has lectured widely on the art market and is author of The Complete Guide to Buying and Selling at Auction, published by W.W. Norton in 1996. He is Chairman of the Executive Committee of the American Associates of the Royal Academy Trust and a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (F.R.S.A.). At Sotheby’s, he participated as an auctioneer in the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Sale and the sale of the Property of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

Among the donated items that guests may bid on are: a painting from Ernest Garthwaite, a collectible Connecticut artist known for his evocative wetlands and landscape paintings; tickets to a Giants football game; a fall foliage weekend retreat in the southern Berkshires; learning how your stars are aligned, in a reading with astrologist Arlene Marcia Nimark; and dinner prepared by chef Michel Nischan at the Dressing Room restaurant.

L’escale Executive Chef Francois Kwaku-Dongo and Pastry Chef Wendy Laurent are contributing their time and five-star culinary talent by preparing the hearty cocktail fare and pastries that B.E.S.T. benefit guests will enjoy at the event.

Honorary Event Co-Chairs include former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, former Greenwich First Selectman Jim Lash, TV journalist and best selling author Catherine Crier, and FOX News personality Geraldo Rivera. Shelly Tretter Lynch, a Greenwich resident, is B.E.S.T. Committee Chair.

During the reception, SFTT will be introducing its new Fathers For The Truth initiative and honoring the 2008 recipient of SFTT’s Support the Troops with More than Lip Service Award. The B.E.S.T. minimum donation is $250. To RSVP or receive information on SFTT and B.E.S.T., visit www.sftt.org or call 203-629-0288.

(Pictured are C. Hugh Hildesley and Shelly Tretter Lynch)