As she hosted the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s annual luncheon, actress Julianna Margulies was holding space for her grandmother, Henrietta, in her heart.
“She lived with [breast cancer], but her struggle with it [was that] she wasn’t allowed to talk about it in her time,” Margulies shared with The Knockturnal, “Breast cancer wasn’t something you mentioned back then. And they didn’t treat it very well, or the patients who had it. And so I hope she’s with us today somehow and is glad that I’m here advocating for this important cause.”
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The presence of another also loomed large over the luncheon: Leonard Lauder, who passed away over the summer.
”Under Leonard’s extraordinary leadership, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation became the largest private funder of breast cancer research in the world,” Margulies said in opening remarks. “This delighted Leonard, a man who deeply enjoyed being number one at every labor. So much so that the year that the year the statistic was announced, he tasked the BCRF team with providing every researcher a cookie with a huge number one written old pink icing upon their arrival for the event that year.”
In posthumously presenting Leonard Lauber with the Sandra Taub Humanitarian Award, Tommy and Dee Hilfiger echoed similar sentiments.
“He always had a grand vision for everything he set out to do,” Dee Hilfiger said, ‘And he never lost his focus. Even with a goal as lofty as rid the world of breast cancer. He used to say, if you can’t see the future, you’ll never get there.”
Tommy Hilfiger shared words of admiration for Leonard. “He was like a father figure to me. He taught me to always weigh the risks and the rewards in any situation in business.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 30: William P. Lauder, Karen Hale, Julianna Margulies, Donna McKay, and Kinga Lampert attend the Breast Cancer Research Foundation New York Symposium & Awards Luncheon at New York Hilton Midtown on October 30, 2025, in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Breast Cancer Research Foundation)
It was Leonard’s son William, however, who painted the most vivid picture of his father’s advocacy.
“October was always his favorite time, marked by his signature pink shirts, pink ties, and pink pocket squares,” he shared. “He also lived a life guided by purpose and deeply believed in the power of giving back and supporting causes that improve lives and strengthen community, making an enormous impact for the future.”
“My father’s leadership and commitment to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation brought him an enormous sense of pride. It was about helping people and saving lives. He knew, as we all do, that BCRF is the most powerful vehicle of hope for millions of people impacted by this disease and their families around the world.”
This year’s BCRF Symposium and Awards Luncheon raised $4.4 million toward lifesaving research. To learn more about the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and to get involved, you can visit their website here.
