This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: Embedded in the sidewalk along Delmar Boulevard in The Loop are some of St. Louis' most distinguished names, representing a range of endeavors: Joseph Pulitzer, Scott Joplin, T.S. Eliot, Ulysses S. Grant and Chuck Berry to name a few.
On Monday night the Dixieland band River Critters ushered in yet another notable to the starry walk, theater owner and theater producer Rocco Landesman.
Landesman, wearing a seersucker suit and his signature cowboy boots, was accompanied by his wife, Debby, and his son, Dodge, 22. He told the group assembled in front of the Regional Arts Commission, "I see these names on this list and think, there's no way I belong on here."
But Joe Edwards, the unofficial mayor of the Loop, who created the Walk of Fame, described Landesman as "larger than life" -- an owner of race horses and baseball teams, as well as a producer. The placement of the Landesman star in front of the RAC building acknowledges his involvement with the arts.
Landesman, just retired as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, noted the location. He said the term “creative placemaking" has great currency at the Endowment and it means exactly what Delmar has become -- a place that nourishes and encourages creativity.
Born and reared in the Central West End and in Clayton, Landesman brought to life Broadway successes Big River(1985 Tony Award for Best Musical), Angels in America: Millenium Approaches (1993 Tony Award for Best Play), Angels in America: Perestroika (1994 Tony Award for Best Play), and The Producers(2001 Tony Award for Best Musical).
After graduating from Clayton High School, Landesman went to Colby College in Maine and the University of Wisconsin, before earning a doctorate in dramatic literature from the Yale School of Drama, where he stayed for four more years as an assistant professor.
Success of his first major production, Big River, attracted the attention of James H. Binger, then owner of the Jujamcyn Theatre Group in New York. The two quickly became friends and Landesman became president of the group, harnessing an enviable business model for theater production. Moving away from just renting the facilities, Landesman worked as theater owner and producer.
As chairman of the Endowment, Landesman was an outspoken advocate for retaining art in schools. In a time of thinning budgets, Landesman battled to keep creativity at the forefront of elementary and high school curricula.
The family's artistic roots in St. Louis are deep. Rocco's grandfather, Benjamin Landesman, came to the St. Louis World Fair in 1904 to paint murals in one of the pavilions.
His uncle, Jay Landesman, and his father, Alfred, founded the Crystal Palace and helped to make Gaslight Square St. Louis' hub of art and culture in the 1950s and '60s.
"Growing up in St. Louis really helped shape who he is today," said Dodge Landesman, Rocco's son and vice president of Marriage Equality New York and a member of Manhattan Community Board 2. "Being around the likes of Lenny Bruce, Barbra Streisand and Woody Allen, this place just harbors artistic talent," he said.
Landesman had always been touted for success, even from a young age.
"I always knew he'd be going places," said Carolyn Losos, one of Landesman's elementary school teachers. "He was cute, charming, smart, but most of all, creative."
The St. Louis Walk of Fame is a non-profit organization founded by Blueberry Hill owner Joe Edwards in 1988. It was created as a way for St. Louisans to commemorate some of their greatest contributors to the world of politics, art, literature, music, sport and entertainment. Each bronze star, which contains an inductee's name, is accompanied by a small plaque, outlining the person’s achievements.
"It's such a sentimental and meaningful moment for me," said Landesman. "All my family and friends are here; it will always remain home for me."