Elizabeth (Schultz) Rigg (1921–2001) was a singer and pianist who was a direct descent of Francis Lightfoot Lee, a signer of the

United States Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America in the original printing, is the founding document of the United States. On July 4, 1776, it was adopted unanimously by the Second Continen ...

. Rigg worked as a

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

actress. Adopting the stage name of Suzanne Gilbert, she performed at the

American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...

, the Biltmore Hotel, and the Stage Door Canteen in New York City. Performing in the Fred Astaire ballroom dance competitions, Rigg won multiple first place awards. She also starred in the play Toys in the Attic, performed at the Hudson Guild in Manhattan in 1972.

Early life and education

Rigg was born in New York City on June 9, 1921 to Mabel LaVie Schultz and William Lightfoot Schultz. She grew up in

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a Town (New Jersey), town in and the county seat of Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

and then

Short Hills, New Jersey Short Hills is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) situated within Millburn, in Essex County, within the U.S. state of New Jersey, and part of the New York metropolitan area. The community is a commuter town for resi ...

. Her father, William Schultz, founded Shulton Inc., the original maker of the

Old Spice Old Spice is an American brand offering male grooming products including aftershaves, deodorants and antiperspirants, shampoos, body washes, shaving cream, and soaps. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble. Old Spice was launched as Early Amer ...

brand of deodorant. During her childhood, Rigg constructed a model airplane with a 12-foot wingspan in her family's basement. She also wrote letters about her aviation interests that she sent to aviator

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( ; July 24, 1897 – January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. During her li ...

, President

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

, and the U.S. War Department. The letters requested the creation of a

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

Air Corps for women who could not afford to purchase their own planes." In 1939, Rigg graduated from the Beard School in

Orange, New Jersey The City of Orange (known simply as Orange) is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 34,447, an increase o ...

(now Morristown-Beard School). After studying at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

in New York City, she completed her bachelor's degree with a concentration in music at

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York, United States. Founded as a Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in 1926, Sarah Lawrence College has been coeducational ...

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...

in 1943. During her time at Sarah Lawrence College, Rigg served as president of the Voice Club and vice president of the chorus. She also chaired the Sarah Lawrence College War Board, which aimed to support U.S. troops fighting in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Rigg's later philanthropy for Sarah Lawrence College established the Betty Schultz Rigg Scholarships, which primarily support students with high financial needs and students studying music.

Schultz Foundation

Rigg served as the vice president of the Schultz Foundation and as a member of its

board of trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

. The family foundation provided financial support to medical and educational organizations, as well as other nonprofit organizations. In 1992, the Schultz Foundation gave $3 million to endow facilities for

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

research at

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK or MSKCC) is a oncology, cancer treatment and research institution in Manhattan in New York City. MSKCC is one of 72 National Cancer Institute–NCI-designated Cancer Center, designated Comprehen ...

in Manhattan. That year, the Schultz Foundation also gave $10 million to construct a laboratory building for

molecular biology Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecule, molecular basis of biological activity in and between Cell (biology), cells, including biomolecule, biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactio ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

Princeton, New Jersey The Municipality of Princeton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Pri ...

Family

Elizabeth Rigg married William Cecil Rigg on January 8, 1960. They had three children: William, Geoffrey, and Douglas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rigg, Elizabeth Schultz American cabaret performers American ballroom dancers Sarah Lawrence College alumni Juilliard School alumni 1921 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American singers 20th-century American pianists American women pianists Morristown-Beard School alumni 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American dancers 20th-century American philanthropists People from Millburn, New Jersey 20th-century American women philanthropists Musicians from Essex County, New Jersey