Ignorance Central: Who the hell was Antoinette Perry?

My college education wasn't very good. This was probably my fault - I had a little problem with finding studying very, very boring, while things like browsing the produce aisle at Wegman's, watching Iron Chef, producing my own shows, and playing beer pong were quite interesting to me. Fast forward a couple years, and my keen ability to bullshit my way into a passing grade has been an asset in the workplace, but my lack of actual knowlege of stuff like, oh, theater history has been a pesky little problem. So with that in mind, I'd like to share with you the answers to a few questions that I'm always wondering, courtesy of the slacker's best friend, Wikipedia. This may be a continuing column, since the breadth of my ignorance can be pretty expansive at times.

Who the hell was Antoinette Perry, of the Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards?

Well, she helped found the American Theater Wing (which, for thoroughness' sake, started and runs the Tony awards, gives grants and scholarships, and also has a number of programs supporting the arts, like SpringboardNYC). Perry started as a teenage actress in the very early 1900's, and became a successful director and producer, responsible for the Pulitzer-winning play Harvey. She died in 1946, during the play's long Broadway run. After her death, her friends and colleagues commemorated her contributions to the theater, and her producing partner, Brock Pemberton, suggested a series of awards be created in her honor. Thus, we've had the Tony Awards since 1947.