Bucks County Herald – November 01, 2007

Rusty Thomas and Luciano Pavarotti

Dear Friends,

Good morning.

“Rusty, it’s Luciano, “Pavarotti anxiously told Rusty Thomas from Rome. “I’m about to sing for the Pope! Could you please send flowers to Margot.” That cryptic message was typical for the legendary opera singer. Pavarotti was ordering flowers for the famous dancer, Margot Fonteyn.

Rusty Thomas is a Solebury Township resident who became famous as a florist and event designer for the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan. It was at the Carlyle where he first met Pavarotti. Rusty’s name surfaced when I interviewed Franca Warden who knew Pavarotti as a close friend. Franca is very involved with the Bucks County Opera and thought that Rusty would be an excellent subject for a column. Franca's always right.

Rusty Thomas Event Designs’ business headquarters is in Pipersville at Oak Grove, home of Dear Garden Associates, where the walls are filled with photos and letters from famous people and places. Rusty’s been a florist for three First Ladies: Hilary Clinton, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Nancy Reagan.

“Mrs. Onassis had a wonderful sense of humor,” Rusty began, “and had the best taste on the planet.”

In his planning for the 1992 Democratic National Convention, she advised him, “Don’t use red, white and blue,” Let the [American] flags do that. Use red, white and gold…or blue, white and gold instead.”

Rusty reached national prominence with this event. The décor and floral designs at Madison Square Garden, Grand Central Station, and all 18 official events were his creations.

He told me about the negotiations for the expensive project, “I did it on a handshake,” he recalled. Those were the good old days when your word was your bond.

At the Carlyle, Rusty and his assistant sometimes created 200 floral arrangements daily. Every guest received flowers in his room, while retaining patrons also received an engraved card containing the words, “Welcome Home!” (Nice touch, yes?)

The Carlyle is where he first met President and Nancy Reagan. Rusty was arranging flowers in her suite when she suddenly appeared in a bathrobe. “She quickly got dressed and invited me for tea,” Rusty laughed. The First Lady became, and still is, a fan of his topiaries.

On weekends in the 1980’s, Rusty would head for the Hamptons on Long Island. But he soon wearied of the congested traffic and turned westward, preferring the easier drive through New Jersey’s countryside to Bucks County. He moved permanently to Solebury Township in 1997. These days, most of Rusty’s big events are in New York City or in California.

Fifteen years ago, Rusty became the major force behind a tax-free charitable foundation. It’s called The Wildflower Project which has a website, (www.wildflowerproject.org). “Wildflowers [in meadows] purify exhaust, chemicals, and harmful toxins,” he explained. The Wildflower Project has three missions. “We install wildflower meadows in urban, derelict areas,” he began. “Our present sites are in New York City, Los Angeles, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

“We place the [wildflower] meadows near public schools to help students and teachers learn about the environment,” Rusty continued. “And we employ and train homeless people to care for them.” His only requirement is that the homeless must be free of drugs.

His life took a major turn at the Bill Clinton inauguration. Actress Audrey Hepburn had just died. Remembering her movies, often shot in fields of wildflowers, he decided to name The Wildflower Project in her memory. Hoping that Hepburn’s directors, fellow actors, and producers would want to help, Rusty obtained copies of her films in order to discover their names. They did and the rest is history.

Born in North Carolina, Rusty was smitten by the political bug in the ninth grade when his parents took him to Washington, D.C. It was in the early 1970’s and Rusty attended the Watergate trials. Shortly thereafter, he moved to D.C. and worked for Sargent Shriver’s Presidential run in 1976.

His career began in computers but soon turned to high fashion. By the early 1980’s Rusty was opening boutiques for the biggest names in the business all over the country. But he realized that he had a flair for flowers. After all, his mother had beautiful gardens and many of his Washington friends did too.

Rusty’s first entrance into the world of floral decorations was for the annual trustee’s dinner for the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan. That’s where he became an event designer.

“My life has been wonderful,” Rusty concluded. “Events are all about having fun. I try to make them magical. Most important, you make friends for a lifetime. I’ve been very, very lucky.”

The pineapple is Rusty’s logo. No surprise, it is the symbol of hospitality.

“Good luck with the Pope,” Rusty remembered telling Pavarotti.

Ah, what memories! Rusty Thomas is a very connected man.

Sincerely,

Charles Meredith