FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM OCTOBER 31, 2019 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 57
VICTORIA’S
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Victoria
SCHNEPSYUNIS
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A visionary leader
It was my honor many years
ago to meet Th omas Chen
when we both served on the
board of the Queens Museum.
Over the years I’ve learned what
a visionary he is, besides being
an extraordinarily successful
businessman, husband, father
and philanthropist.
Our lives have been connecting
in many ways — from his inviting
me to visit China, to honoring
my dearest friend Claire
Shulman by commissioning a
sculptor to create a statue of her
place in the mid-Hudson region
of upstate New York.
On Saturday, Claire and I took
a drive to Th omas’ Crystal Park,
a unique private nature retreat
and outdoor art sculpture gardens
on his mountainous lakeside
property.
I asked him, “How did you
fi nd this place miles from the
main roads hidden away in the
woods?”
And I was touched by his
answer.
“First, it’s only 60 miles from
my home in Queens and it
reminded me of where I grew up
on a farm in Taiwan with mountains
and lakes,” he said.
He is a sentimental man, fi nding
ways to reminisce about his
home and his roots. He even
named the lake on his property
for his mom and dad.
Th omas grew up in rural
Taiwan, but left his home for
the United States, having friends
in Queens. His fi rst job was in
a garage making metal window
guards, but within a few years
he expanded his metal works by
fabricating windows.
During the mid ‘80s, he
acquired property in College
Point as part of the redevelopment
along the Whitestone
Expressway. Today, Crystal
Windows employs 700 people
in factories around the country,
with 500 people in the expanded
Queens location.
But Crystal Windows is more
than just a factory — it has its
own art gallery and the involvement
by Th omas in cultural and
philanthropic activities.
I asked Th omas how he began
collecting art and he said he simply
started collecting old windows
and never stopped!
I fi nd his friendship is bottomless.
He’s admired and appreciates
all Claire
Shulman has
given to Queens,
a true public servant,
who put
more shovels in
the ground creating
countless public
works.
With his love of
encouraging artists
by commissioning
their work, he
decided he wanted
to honor Claire
with a sculpture
of her and have it
installed at his private
retreat.
Being a gentleman,
he invited us
to meet him fi rst
to have lunch and
then to follow him
through the winding
roads to his
property.
As we pulled up to
Th omas’ Crystal Park,
his public relations
guru Bob Nyman and
his wife Carole explained that
the metal gates opening onto the
grounds are a cutout of the map
of Taiwan.
Claire’s sculpture site is part
of where a collection of Notable
Persons like her will be located
overlooking the 12-acre lake
where boats and canoes will
allow for fi shing and rowing.
We heard the ducks and geese
squawking away as we took a
bumpy ride around the property
in a four-wheeler!
Lucky for us, the sun shone
brightly and glistened off the
lake and we delighted in seeing
the ducks, chickens and peacocks
in cages and horseback
Claire and Thomas with
artists who came for the day.
riders enjoying the grounds.
Further adding to our fantastic
day, Th omas’ friend Chloe
Sun brought her artist/scientist
friend Howard — whose
Chinese name is Qiu Zi Hao —
who shared several of his works
with us, including artwork that
has an app that plays music as
your phone travels over the canvas.
Remarkable!
Th e day for both Claire and I
will cherished and remembered
forever!
Thomas Chen poses
with a styrofoam rock
created by artist Andy
Morelein.
The boardwalk to the lake is surrounded by white arches, a
creation of Thomas Chen and Lin Shih Pao.
Hudson and Sloane
dressed up for
Halloween!
Looking through one of Thomas
Chen’s iron work on the bannister
overlooking the lake on his property.
Grandchildren’s
Corner
Jonah (right) starred as one of the
leads in “The Prince and the Pauper.” Addy sings in the chorus.
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