It was a day before a full moon in Charlottesville and the orb shone bright in the night sky.
Masses of people assembled on the Lawn on Oct. 12, 2019, to watch crooner Tony Bennett, a 20-time Grammy Award winner, help the University of Virginia launch its Honor the Future campaign.
On that cool fall night, Bennett was introduced to the crowd by UVA’s head basketball coach, who shares the same name.
University Communications’ Senior Photographer Sanjay Suchak was there to capture the evening. He also asked the singer to pose for some portraits.
“I thought we should get coach Tony Bennett in the photo as well. He agreed and this photo happened,” he wrote on Instagram Friday.
“During (singer) Bennett’s performance, I printed out two copies and asked him to sign them for me. One went to (coach) Bennett as a thank-you from me for going along with my crazy ideas, and coach signed the second one for me.
“What a gentleman, what a voice,” Suchak concluded.
Jerilyn Teahan, the communications director in the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, was in the crowd that evening with her husband and two children.
“It was amazing to sit on the Lawn and watch a legendary performer singing some of his greatest hits with the Rotunda as his backdrop,” she said. “Listening to Tony Bennett sing brought memories of my grandparents to mind. It was incredible to share that with my children and to have the music span generations.”
Bennett died Friday at the age of 96.
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Article Information
May 7, 2024
