The untold stories of Nelle Fabyan’s life will be presented at an upcoming dinner in her honor.

The dinner takes place at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17 at the Batavia Park District’s Shannon Hall at 14 N. Van Buren St.

“Colonel” George Fabyan was famous for Riverbank Laboratories, where he pioneered modern cryptology. The site served as the training ground for the nation’s first dedicated code-breaking experts during World War I. Their Fox River property in Geneva started with 10 acres, then expanded to an estate and working farm of nearly 300 acres, according to a news release.

But what about his wife Nelle? She was a socialite, farmer, sculptor and philanthropist, according to the research of Geneva History Museum Executive Director Terry Emma.

“She was not really a society girl,” Emma said. “She really didn’t like society life. She’d rather be in coveralls and a floppy hat being with the animals. She loved it on the farm.”

Much of Emma’s research came from a 1920s interview with Nelle Fabyan for a magazine that covered women who ran farms.

“That’s what really told me who Nelle was,” Emma said. “This was Nelle saying what she did every day, and what her passions were.”

Fabyan Villa (pictured) was the home of Col. George and Nelle Fabyan from 1908 to 1939. The house is notable because of its remodelling in 1907 by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was the centerpiece of the Fabyans country estate, which they named Riverbank.

Nothing was brought in that didn’t make money. She made it a working farm, Emma said.

“They had a greenhouse to grow flowers to sell in Chicago. They trained pigeons to bring messages in World War I. She raised Jersey cattle,” Emma said. “She raised and showed dogs and hogs. … She was not a woman who sat home and sipped tea on the porch.”

The dinner is a fundraiser for Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley, with cocktails starting at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and Emma’s presentation at 7:30 p.m.

The event will also continue to celebrate the installation of Nelle’s Parisian couture 1910 gown designed by Georges Doeuillet, creator of the cocktail dress, according to a news release.

The rose-colored silk satin gown included exquisite silk and metallic thread embroidery, handmade rosettes and beading along the neckline, and a slender bodice ending in a short train.

The dress is on permanent display at Fabyan Villa Museum, the only one with a Doeuillet design on display and one of six in the world to have such a garment in its collection.

The Kane County Forest Preserve District owns the Fabyan Forest Preserve, which includes the Fabyan Villa Museum and the Japanese Garden. Preservation Partners owns the Fabyan collection and operates the Fabyan Villa Museum for the Forest Preserve District.

Tickets are $85 and are available online at ppfv.org/dinner or by calling 630-377-6424.

All proceeds will benefit Preservation Partners’ historic preservation efforts.

Dinner sponsors are Jack and Pamela Muirhead and Drendel and Jansons Law Group. AlphaGraphics of St. Charles provided in-kind sponsorship, according to the release. Additional sponsorship opportunities and patron tables are also available.