Daphne Hellman

Photo: Liz Garfield

Daphne Bayne Hellman, the quintessential harpist and long standing HAI performer died on August 4 after being admitted to the Mary Manning Walsh Home following a fall. Daphne was introduced to HAI through a fellow musician, Sean Grissom, and together they performed for HAI in nursing homes, hospitals and mental health centers. Although she was an heiress, she dragged her full-size harp up and down subway stairs on three continents, playing an eclectic mix of music from Bach to the Beatles. She also performed at jazz clubs, most notably the Village Gate, often accompanied by Mr. Spoons on cutlery or Sean Grissom on his homemade cello.

In 1988, as HAI coped with cutbacks and dwindling discretionary funds, Daphne stepped in and offered HAI an unrestricted grant through her family’s philanthropic organization, The Howard Bayne Fund. Since the initial grant, HAI has received continued support through the Fund’s annual giving. Her eccentricities and exploits were profiled many times, including in an article in The New Yorker in 1990 and, most recently, in The New York Times on August 8, where her obituary took up nearly a half page. Daphne will be greatly missed by all of us at HAI, and never forgotten.