Words in celebrities’ books spell cash for Stuart non-profit

Former astronaut John Glenn, the first American in space, sent these books to The Little Auction That Could (Michele Sandberg/Special to Page2Live)
The list of those who signed their favorite childhood books and shipped then to Stuart for a charity auction reads like a pop culture Top 100: Poet Maya Angelou; The Apprentice’s Donald Trump; golfer Tiger Woods; former First Lady Barbara Bush; her son, former Gov. Jeb Bush; chimp lover Jane Goodall; former Miami Heat star Shaquille O’Neal; Pres. Barack Obama; Nike’s Phil Knight; Hollywood stars Sean Connery, Steve Martin and Robert Wagner; TV news readers Katie Couric and Brian Williams; Palm Beach musician Jimmy Buffett; and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, among others.
In all, a total 60 A-listers contributed. It took time, nearly two years, said organizer Karla Preissman. The first to respond to her requests was Jeb Bush, who shipped her The Travels of Babar. The last? The prez. Obama rush-mailed a pop up book of the White House two weeks ago.
Dubbed The Little Auction That Could (after the children’s book The Little Engine That Could), the event ends Nov. 20 with the auctioning of the books at the Lyric Theatre. Proceeds go to the Hibiscus Children’s Center, a shelter for abused and neglected children. Until then, the books are exhibited at Stuart’s Elliott Museum.
For more info about the auction and the celebs, and what they liked to read, check out this website.
And see Page2Live’s photos by Michele Sandberg of Thursday night’s preview of what’s for sale:









– Pensacola model Samantha Burke sold the first picture of her with Cold Mountain star Jude Law’s lovechild, but at least she’ll donate part of the proceeds — rumored to be around $1 million — to the Pensacola Ronald McDonald Houses. The British magazine Hello, which also circulates in the United States, landed the checkbook journalism exclusive. Baby Sophia was born Sept. 22. She’s the beautiful product of a brief but hot fling that Burke, 24, had with Law while he shot the new Sherlock Holmes in New York. The flick, in which Law plays Dr. Watson to Robert Downey Jr.’s Holmes, is scheduled for release on Christmas Day.





