PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Noel Hankin is a founder of The Best of Friends, Inc. (TBOF), a pioneering business enterprise that promoted discotheque events in New York City starting in 1971. TBOF owned Leviticus, Justine's (formerly Othello), and Bogard's, three of the first black-owned clubs in midtown Manhattan. TBOF also owned Brandi's in Brooklyn and Lucifer's (renamed Trixx) in Queens. These nightclubs paved the way for Studio 54, Saturday Night Fever, and the nationwide explosion of disco in the late '70s. Hankin is a retired senior executive who managed some of the world's most successful brands at Moët Hennessy USA and Miller Brewing Company. He also wrote speeches for CEOs and has been published in Vital Speeches. Hankin is a founder of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and served as its Vice-Chair. Founded in 1987, the Fund has raised over $300 million and helped prepare 260,000 students for career success through leadership training and providing financial scholarships. President Clinton appointed Hankin to his Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), where he provided counsel to the President for seven years. Hankin has a BA from Queens College, a Marketing Certificate from the Wharton School of Business, and an Honorary Doctorate from Medgar Evers College/CUNY. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Hankin lives in East Hampton, NY with his wife Gwendolyn. They have two married daughters and three grandchildren.
Back in the '70s, when nightlife was supreme in the New York area, it was fashionable to go to nightclubs that made you feel good and look good at the same time. It was my privilege to count on Leviticus and its sister clubs - Lucifer's, Justine's, Orpheus, and Bogard's - to have that pleasure. It was a time in my life I will fondly remember always. Leviticus was the most popular nightclub in New York during the early to mid-70s. Back then, people loved to dance and Leviticus had the best dancers. I played there often and the crowd was fabulous. - Cuba Gooding, Sr., a frequent performer at Leviticus with The Main Ingredient As much as I'd like to talk about it, I can't...because it will make me cry. Those days at Leviticus were...wonderful! - Vaughn Harper, former top DJ on WBLS Radio New York After Dark is such a fabulous read about the exciting times when disco dancing was the rage. It's also a deeply researched, first-hand account that immerses the reader in the diverse culture and history of 1970s New York City when the disco movement was born and rose to captivate the nightclub scene. It really will make you want to dance! Written by a co-founder of a social club of college friends, it is also a story about friendship and an amazing lesson in entrepreneurship. Gabrielle Kirk McDonald Put on your dancing shoes and your spiffy clothes. Pack your comb, a clean hanky, and step into Noel Hankin's time machine for a delightful journey to the world of New York City disco dancing parties. Experience first-hand the backdrop of Fun City vs. Fear City by taking this exciting, indeed exhilarating and joyful ride through the pages of After Dark . Noel Hankin makes you an intimate part of The Best of Friends , as they strategically move from the stresses and successes of their ground-breaking business ventures to the roar and the rhythm of the crowded dance floor. As a proud and distinguished Queens College alumnus, Noel has found his true calling as a captivating storyteller. - Jay Hershenson, VP Communications and Marketing and Senior Advisor to the President of Queens College/CUNY Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager's glam palace of disco, Studio 54, was reportedly meant to be a white, Hollywood version of the fashionable black Manhattan disco Leviticus.... - Dr. Alice Echols, historian, author, professor of history at USC, in Hot Stuff After Dark: Birth of the Disco Dance Party by Noel Hankin talks about a significant yet rarely discussed or even written about part of American history: The origins of the disco dance party scene and its contribution to society. What makes this piece of work even more relevant is that author Noel Hankin is a living witness in its evolution and played a major part in it. It goes back to the beginning of the seventies when a group of friends that included Hankin formed a social club called The Best of Friends (TBOF) and built a network of discotheques. Hankin traces back the struggles and triumphs of doing what they love and, with passionate recall, shares stories of the high energy generated by the business that they were not expecting would redefine a nation's dance scene culture. - Vincent Dublado for Readers' Favorite
