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Alice Provan
A lice Provan was in many ways the quintessential New York woman. Born in New York City in 1916, she lived on the Upper East Side all her life. Alice
was fun loving, globetrotting, wellread, highly intelligent, opinionated, married
three times and generous.
According to Roy Tumpowsky — whose late wife, Marcia, was like
a daughter to Mrs. Provan — Alice was also highly unusual for her time.
She was an astute business woman who, when already in her 50s, opened
Sequin Mirror and Brass in partnership with a noted designer, Joseph Sequin.
Located on 63rd Street and Third Avenue, it catered to New York’s high society,
providing custom-made furniture, glass and wall-to-wall mirrors to a client
list that included the likes of Jackie Kennedy. The business operated into the
late 1980s when Alice was in her 70s.
The Tumpowskys were very close to Alice. Roy fi rst met Alice in 1964,
when he was dating Marcia. Alice wanted to give Roy the “once over”
before the wedding could take place. Fortunately, Alice gave her approval
and the Tumpowskys stayed closely in touch with her for over 40 years.
Roy’s son, Paul, remembers Alice as a woman who did not treat him or talk
to him like a child, even though he was a small boy when they fi rst met. It
was Alice who exposed Paul to a world beyond New York City — a world
that was fascinating to explore. Paul, who studied and worked in Japan, is
today an entrepreneur in New York City and often quotes Mrs. Provan’s
favorite maxim, “that’s why they race horses.”
Alice loved talking about current events, the stock market and the races. She was a gambler
and throughout her lifetime owned several race horses, most notably “Ski Dancer,” a first class
racer who raced at both Aqueduct and Belmont. Roy fondly remembers Alice complaining
about her expensive hobby, half joking about the cost of Tide detergent, which was used to wash
down the horses. Her love of gambling, Paul noted,
took her to Las Vegas for two weeks every year.
 Alice’s third husband, Richard Provan, was thought
to have Alzheimer’s disease. Over the years, Alice
supported the New York City Chapter with consistent
$100 gifts. She did not have children of her own and
those she cherished most, including Marcia Tumpowsky,
had predeceased her. When Alice died in 2007, at the
age of 92, she left the New York City Chapter over $3
million in her will.
Roy, a CPA, who serves as executor of Alice’s estate,
has said that Alice knew exactly what she was doing when
she left the New York City Chapter this magnanimous
gift — and he emphasized that it was Alice’s business
savvy, not her marriages, that enabled her to leave the Chapter a sizeable bequest.
Alice Provan was generous throughout her life. Her gift to the Chapter, the result of her
business acumen and independent spirit, leaves a legacy of a life well lived.
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