North teacher chosen for exclusive dinner with Oprah
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

It was 6:30 a.m. Lisa Carney, dressed in a bathrobe, was still in "a fog" as she stumbled to her front door, slightly annoyed with who was bothering her household so early in the morning.

Behind the door were a producer and a cameraman from "The Oprah Winfrey Show," there to invite Carney to The Dinner of a Lifetime with Winfrey and Sidney Poitier, the first black man to win an Oscar for best actor.

"I was surprised, I literally had just woken up," the Amherst resident said.

Greeted with a dozen roses and a velvet invitation to the private dinner in Beverly Hills, Carney was one of only seven people, from thousands of entries, to receive the honor.

Carney entered an essay contest after reading Oprah's Book Club selection "The Measure of a Man," an autobiography by Poitier.

"I have boys in my life whom I would like to have the qualities that Sidney Poitier has. He has dignity and is just an amazing human being," Carney, the mother of two boys and stepmother of one, said. "The book had life lessons for my kids - and me."

The story told in "The Measure of a Man" so moved the Williamsville North High School English teacher that she decided to enter the 200-word essay contest posted on Winfrey's Web site.

At 10 p.m., just two hours before the deadline, Carney submitted her essay.

"Whether I was considered for the dinner or not, I wanted them to know how much the book meant to me. I loved it so much," she said.

The next day she was called by a producer from Winfrey about her essay and insight into the book in the show's search to find seven people to attend The Dinner of a Lifetime.

For the next week and a half, Carney was in contact with the production staff, talking about the book and how she felt about it. In all, she said she submitted 25 pages analyzing "The Measure of a Man."

The production staff even requested an interview with Carney's husband, Steve, for his opinion of his wife's personality and characteristics. Or so she thought.

Later, Carney found out that Steve was informed she had been chosen and a crew would be there at 6:30 a.m. He was told to make sure she answered the door.

"I should have known something was up when he was already showered and shaved that early," she said with a laugh.

Carney's insight on "The Measure of a Man" would take her from a bathrobe in Amherst to a gown in Beverly Hills and to the meal with Winfrey and Poitier, to be prepared by famed chef and restaurateur Wolfgang Puck.

"There was a limousine at the airport and to the hotel, and we had our own individual drivers to the dinner," she said. "I was really living the high life."

It was a private dinner for nine. Looking around the table, Carney said she was thinking, "These are such amazing people ... I can't believe I am lucky enough to be here."

A diverse group was chosen to dine together, and each one was individually selected by Winfrey.

"She is wonderful. You wonder if someone will be the same way in person, and she is very accessible and down to earth," Carney said of Winfrey.

Poitier, who was celebrating his 80th birthday, is very humble despite everything he has accomplished, Carney said.

"He has this way to talk to you so you feel like the only person in the room," she added.

The show featuring the dinner and the guests was aired on March 28. Carney said she viewed it at home with friends and family. Of course, the now-famous bathrobe was featured as Carney read her invitation aloud for the program.

Since the taping, Carney has stayed in contact with her fellow winners, who plan to meet again.

"I'm still in a fog about it; I still can't believe it happened," Carney said. "I was very, very honored that I was chosen."

Books have already been a big part of Carney's life. In her classes, she tries to help her students find a piece of themselves in a book - to make a personal connection to literature.

Several of her students have since started reading "A Measure of a Man."

Prior to reading it, Carney said she knew very little of Poitier's life, besides a few movies she had watched. After completing the book, she said she recorded as many of the movies he was in as she could on her TiVo.

Poitier is an actor and director. He won an Oscar for "Lilies of the Field" (1963), the first Oscar awarded to a black actor. He also starred in "In the Heat of the Night" (1967), "The Defiant Ones" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967). In 2001, he received a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for "The Measure of a Man."

e-mail: jfinch@beenews.com