Daily News from New York, New York • 69

f.1 IL.U. I Daily News. Friday, May 6, 1983 PEMOKI PARES By KATHY LARKIN DT IS, AFTER ALL, everyone's backyard. So, to celebrate Central Park's renaissance, a crowd of New Yorkers John and Mary Lindsay, Vincent Sardi, Mrs. Douglas Mac Arthur, among others jammed into Tavern on the Green earlier this week.

The restaurant could not contain the happy crowd, which spilled out into the sunshine where "The Village Maidens" danced around a maypole, strolling musicians played and costumed mimes amused the luncheon guests. The luncheon, underwritten by Warner LeRoy and whipped up by Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franay, was held to honor three outstanding The conservancy touch is much in evidence in the renovated Dairy. program, helped fund summer interns and restored the Bethesda Fountain. Wallace, who was not able to attend the luncheon, is funding a major portion of the Central Park Management and Restoration Plan now under way. Sulzberger, an active park supporter since Robert Moses was the commissioner, began the summer intern program later adopted by the conservancy.

Accepting her award, she said: "It's wonderful to be 90. The only disadvantage is I haven't many more years to serve. I shall try my best." Accepting awards for herself and proves the appearance of the park. This summer, we will be making a special effort to recruit disadvantaged youths from the areas surrounding the northern end of the park." All three women, in their 90s, are recipients of the first Frederick Law Olmsted award. Moses, whom Stern called the "Florence Nightingale of the trees," and Wallace have, in partnership, paid for the restoration of the cast-iron JBow Bridge and relandscaped park grounds south of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; separately, Moses has sponsored a tree care park "helpers" Lucy G.

Moses, Iphigene Ochs Sulzberger and Lila Acheson Wallace. The event raised $178,000, which will be used for the Central Park Conservancy Ranger program and for the hiring of high school students who will work as summer interns. Said Parks Commissioner Henry Stern: "The Conservancy Summer Intern program provides high school students with jobs which teach them the discipline of work and at the same time greatly im- Wallace, Moses said: "When the annals of New York are written, the name of Lila Wallace will be written in gold." Olmsted was the designer of Central Park and its 843 landscaped acres. Once the New York State Legislature had authorized the creation of a city park Olmsted and his assistant, Calvert Vaux, got to work reclaiming a swampy wasteland inhabited by squatters living in over 200 shacks. As Olmsted said: "The low ground was steeped in an overflow and a mush of pigsties, slaughterhouses and bone-boiling works." To be sure, it was a far different scene as park-lovers left the awards program for a bus tour through the new flowers and greenery of New York's famous landmark.

Standing in the sunshine as the buses arrived, the park's administrator, Elizabeth (Beisy) Barlow, said: "Central Park is 125 years old, (counting from the year Olmsted and Vaux won the design competition in 1858), and there are many aspects that have deteriorated. If we don't rebuild it in this generation, we won't have a park in the 21st century." She added: "We are rebuilding the park and making it safer and cleaner, as well. We removed 15,000 square feet of graffiti thanks to the Central Park Conservancy. We're taking care of the trees. We have over 24,000 trees over six inches in diameter in the park.

They need a lot of care; fertilizing, pruning, all the horticultural work the city can't do any longer. That's the kind of work the Central Park Conservancy is responsibile for. "We have to restore maybe 15 of the park. Look at the Sheep Meadow. Look at Belvedere Castle.

These are recent restorations. But we have a large agenda. It will probably take the next 10 to 15 years to completely rebuild the park, but it is like restoring a beautiful old house it needs to be done thoroughly and completely." Barlow estimated, "We will need maybe $100 million to rebuild Central Park." Some funds and funs, park lovers hope, will come from the May 14-15 "You Gotta Have Park" weekend that is being sponored by the three-year-old, nonprofit conservancy. Every person entering the park on those days between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

will be encouraged to contribute at least $1 to preserve New York's favorite playground. There will be 12,000 volunteers in booths stationed at the entrances to the park. Of course, as always, the park will be free to those who cannot afford a donation. 1 1 li A 'f Having a party for to R) Iphigene Ochs Sulzberger, Betsy Barlow, Henry Stern and Lucy Moses. I "ifinffi.ii Hi iITim' i.