Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker Celebrate Neil Simon's Career at Library of Congress
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Carl Timpone John Benjamin Hickey, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick
Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick are celebrating Neil Simon's storied career.
The couple — who are currently starring in a revival of Simon's Plaza Suite on Broadway — were on hand Monday night in Washington, D.C., as the late playwright's papers and manuscripts were added to the Library of Congress.
In a set of photos shared exclusively with PEOPLE, Parker, 57, and Broderick, 60, pose with Elaine Joyce Simon (Simon's widow, who donated the papers) and Plaza Suite director John Benjamin Hickey, who moderated a discussion during the event that included Parker, Broderick and Joyce Simon.
"Neil Simon's work has left an undeniable mark on American culture and theater," Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden says in a release shared with PEOPLE. "The donation of Simon's papers to our nation's library is a treasured addition to our holdings that enhances our performing arts collection as one of the best in the world."
"It also ensures Simon's legacy is preserved for generations to come," Hayden adds.
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Carl Timpone Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick
RELATED: Neil Simon, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright Known for The Odd Couple, Dies at 91
According to the release, other items in the donated collection include "dozens of notebooks" featuring Simon's handwritten notes, a Tony Award, his Pulitzer Prize and more.
Joyce Simon, 76, says in the release that "There was only ever one answer to the question, 'What do I do with all of Neil's stuff?' "
"I am delighted that his brilliant work, his prized possessions and his personal artifacts will live alongside so many of the world's treasures in the Library of Congress," she adds.
The actress hopes "that by providing access to these materials for students, researchers and educators, Neil's singular mind will continue to inspire generations of theater makers and comedy writers well into the future."
Carl Timpone Matthew Broderick, Elaine Joyce Simon and Sarah Jessica Parker
Simon was 91 when he died in August 2018, after a battle with pneumonia.
The playwright's first work to arrive on Broadway, Come Blow Your Horn, premiered in 1961. He followed it up with a string of plays including Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, They're Playing Our Song, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Jake's Women, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, and Lost in Yonkers.
Simon, who was born in the Bronx, New York, to a salesman and his wife, also wrote screenplays, sometimes based on his plays, such as Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Sweet Charity and The Sunshine Boys.
"I'm grateful but not overwhelmed," Simon said after winning a Tony Award in 1985. "I put more emphasis upon longevity than awards. We don't know if Shakespeare ever won one. Did they say, 'Best Play 1594: Taming of the Shrew'? "
"You don't go around being funny gratuitously," he added. "It's a private thing — like being loving."
