Bruce Ratner, "extraordinary trailblazer," honored at Jackie Robinson Foundation dinner

He's made the (strained) connection between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Brooklyn Nets, and has helped promote Jay-Z as the latter-day heir to Jackie Robinson. Let the circle be unbroken.

A press release from the Jackie Robinson Foundation:

NEW YORK, Feb. 20, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF) announces the recipients of the 2013 ROBIE Awards, to be presented at its Annual Awards Dinner on Monday, March 4 at 6:30pm at New York's Waldorf=Astoria Hotel. Hosted by legendary entertainer Bill Cosby, the iconic event pays tribute to individuals who embody the humanitarian ideals of Jackie Robinson and raises funds for the Jackie Robinson Foundation. JRF provides generous, four-year college scholarships, graduate school grants, and comprehensive mentoring services to academically-distinguished minority students with financial need and leadership capacity.

As in prior years, the 2013 star-studded event promises to be an unforgettable evening as the Foundation honors four extraordinary trailblazers. The ROBIE Achievement in Industry Award will be presented to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Legendary Pictures, Thomas Tull. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Bruce Ratner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Forest City Ratner Companies. The ROBIE Humanitarian Award will be presented Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the W.E.B. DuBois Institute at Harvard University and Carole Simpson, pioneering Network News Anchor and Senior Leader in Residence at Emerson College. The evening will also include a musical performance by award-winning artist Jeffrey Osborne accompanied by the Ray Chew Band featuring Onree Gill.

Why was Ratner honored?

Bruce Ratner will be saluted for his transformative contributions to the renaissance of downtown Brooklyn and the architecture of New York City, as well as his commitment to the arts and our city's hospitals.

As opposed to, of course, a "master of subsidy." Or a guy who famously said of the unfriendly Atlantic Center mall design, according to the Times:

“It’s a problem of malls in dense urban areas that kids hang out there, and it’s not too positive for shopping,” Mr. Ratner said. “Look, here you’re in an urban area, you’re next to projects, you’ve got tough kids.”

An award from a friend

As the photo indicates, Ratner received his award from his friend Betsy Gotbaum, the former Public Advocate, noted for her fervent defense of Ratner in a letter to the Times.

The sponsors

According to the press release, the event sponsors include: Major League Baseball, The Omnicom Group, Praxair, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, The Coca-Cola Company, Credit Suisse AG, Deloitte, Martin L. Edelman, Esq., Fisher Brothers, Ford, General Electric, New Era Cap Co., The New York Mets, Nike, Northrop Grumman, The North Ward Center, Perella Weinberg Partners, The Foundation for Global Sports Development, The Windmill Foundation, Air Products, BNY Mellon, BMO Capital Markets, Brown Shoe Company, Citi, Discovery Communications, Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs, Gregg Gonsalves, Prudential, UBS and Avis Budget Group.

Neither Forest City Ratner nor the Brooklyn Nets are among the sponsors, but who knows, maybe allies like Goldman Sachs, who marketed the arena bonds, pitched in.

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