(May 27, 1999) — Mary Jaharis has been elected an Honorary Trustee of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, it was recently announced by James R. Houghton, Chairman of the Board of the Museum. The election took place at the May 11 meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Mr. Houghton commented on Mrs. Jaharis's election: "We are delighted to welcome Mary Jaharis to the Board as an Honorary Trustee. Over the past decade she and her husband Michael have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, most especially in their support of the Greek and Roman master plan, the ongoing major renovation and reinstallation of the Museum's presentation of Greek and Roman art."
The Jaharises are longtime members of the Metropolitan. They joined the Philodoroi, the Friends group for the Department of Greek and Roman Art, in 1994 and have been actively involved in Museum programs and events. They were elected Benefactors in 1998 and, in recognition of their leadership gift of $12 million in support of the Greek and Roman master plan, the grand vaulted gallery — the centerpiece of the new Greek Galleries which opened on April 20 — and two galleries housing the Museum's collection of Byzantine art have been designated with the Jaharis's name.
In addition to her involvement with the Metropolitan, Mary Jaharis serves on the Board of Directors of the Jaharis Family Foundation, where she leads the foundation's support of museums and other cultural institutions. She is also on the board of the St. Catherine's Foundation, as a member of the steering committee overseeing the restoration of the St. Catherine monastery in the Sinai Desert. Through her 20 years with the Philoptochos Society — a women's philanthropic organization affiliated with the Greek Orthodox Church — Mary Jaharis has been involved in many programs to improve the lives of economically disadvantaged families and children.
Mary Jaharis was born in Watertown, Wisconsin, but spent the greater part of her childhood in Athens, Greece, where she developed an abiding passion for the arts. After attending Northwestern University, she graduated from The Art Institute of Chicago and later studied at the New York School of Interior Design.
The Jaharises reside in Norwalk, Connecticut, and have two children.
# # #
May 27, 1999