She also helped book local and touring acts to perform at military hospitals.
[1] In 1953, Crawford hired Abelson to work on the premiere production of Tennessee Williams' "Camino Real," directed by Elia Kazan.
[1] In the 1960s, she helped open the Vivian Beaumont Theater at New York's Lincoln Center.
But after her husband died in 1980, leaving behind wealth from his liquor business, Abelson financially supported many theaters and causes.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra created the Hope Abelson Artistic Initiative Fund.