Greenway donor: Identity unknown, impact forever

Friends of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy gathered twice over the last two weeks to promote a fund drive that added $500,000 to its coffers. Business leaders and foundation heads received copious praise from the likes of Mayor Thomas Menino. But somewhere in the crowd was an anonymous woman from the suburbs who gave more than three times as much - $1.6 million - and earmarked it for a special purpose: Creating a brilliant new carousel featuring kid-friendly versions of New England animals like barn owls, skunks, cod, whales, harbor seals, and lobsters. She envisioned the distinctive creatures lighting the memories of children for generations - always signifying a certain time and place, the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.