‘Kidnaping Caper’ Nets ‘Ransom’ for Music Scholarships at UCSD

Law enforcement officials remain baffled by the Feb. 14 mass kidnaping that rocked Rancho Santa Fe right down to its fashionable roots. Dubbed the “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre of ‘85” by several area residents, the crime took place at the luncheon hour and concluded hours later when each of the victims paid the $1,000 ransom required for release.

The Times has unearthed several details that may lead to a solution of this unusual crime. Perpetrated by the notorious Over-the-Hill Gang (alias “the Friends of Music,” a group that raises funds for the department of music at UC San Diego) the kidnaping netted a handful of prominent victims, among them attorney Ted Graham, financier Joseph Hibben and national triathlon champ Carol Winner. Snatched from their homes and from restaurants, they were hustled by vintage limousine to a Capone-era mansion owned by the gang’s ringleader, Marianne McDonald Mori.

Mori, who usually masquerades as a respected intellectual (the holder of a pair of Ph.D.s, she speaks eight languages and wrote the well-received “Euripides in Cinema: The Heart Made Visible”), planned the caper with the collusion of fellow former Chicagoan Dotti Smith. This duo, evidently incapable of shaking their Chi-town heritage, arranged the abductions according to the best Windy City traditions.

Accompanied by 2 Men

The scenario was fairly simple. Shortly before noon, Mori and Smith, accompanied by partners-in-crime Ed Smith and Chuck Conners (these two carried ominous-looking violin cases) set out in a ’41 Packard and a rather newer Rolls-Royce. As they pulled away, Dotti Smith shifted the wad of gum she was chewing and called out, “Ain’t this just the cat’s meow,” which seemed a flippant enough description of so desperate an undertaking.

The dangerous-looking crew stormed through the Rancho Santa Fe countryside in search of prey, striking wonder into the hearts of all who saw them. Swooping like so many James brothers upon the Marie Callender restaurant in nearby Lomas Santa Fe, the desperadoes grabbed Graham and another victim, Kathy Franzese (her name translates as “French,” a language she teaches at Our Lady of Peace), and then continued to Del Mar, where they hauled Winner from her swimming pool. Later raids netted Diane Carnes, Nancy Norgren, and Roswitha and Roger Woolley.

Ringleader Mori, whose only goal was loot (the money raised by the kidnaping will help fund a pair of graduate scholarships at the UCSD music department), treated her victims well. The cars were stocked with caviar and champagne, and back at the hide-out the Shanghaied guests were treated to more champagne, a formal luncheon and a spirited musical presentation. Jean-Charles Francois, who chairs the UCSD music department when he’s not busy kidnaping well-heeled music lovers, prepared the elaborate lunch; his wife, Nancy, assisted. He called the meal “trois en trois” because it consisted of a geometrical configuration of courses and dishes: a trio of seafood terrines preceded by a trio of salads and followed by a trio of desserts. The victims and gangsters sat down together at tables arranged in the ‘20s-styled dining room.

The group reassembled for coffee in Mori’s dining room (the ransoms having been paid, everyone seemed quite relaxed) where UCSD music Prof. Cecil Lytle charmed the grand piano into producing some of the more scintillating ballads of the Jazz Age. The music continued for a while, then the victims, feeling the demands of the world that lay outside the confines of this elaborately staged charade, began slowly drifting away.

Assisting with the planning and execution of this Valentine’s Day escapade were Carol Plantamura, Roger Reynolds, Bert Turetzky, Gail Conners, Bonnie Harkins, Frances Burgar and Eva Hough.

CORONADO--Mim and Al Sally enjoy a solid reputation as thoughtful, considerate hosts who give their guests’ comfort top priority. But they nearly lost this reputation on Valentine’s Day, when they gathered about 120 pals for a sweetheart’s dinner-dance at the Naval Amphibious Base Officer’s Club here.

The Sallys provided their guests with fine food, a whimsically romantic atmosphere and a band that seemed to gain momentum with every tune it played. But they failed in their hostly duties--and this was a serious, almost unforgivable omission--when they neglected to supply their guests with sunglasses.

The invitations, it should be mentioned, specified red or white attire for the women, and black tie for the men. Since it is difficult to imagine a woman in this particular crowd who, given her Valentine’s druthers, would choose not to be the woman in red, it goes without saying that nearly every female in sight was decked out in her most passionately crimson gown. The overall effect was startling, but it also was a sight for sore eyes.

This ruby-tinted collage of revelers illuminated the room so brilliantly (the glow nearly edged off the spectrum into ultraviolet) that subsidiary lighting seemed unnecessary and pointless. And since even the candles were tucked into red globes, some sort of eye-protecting gear definitely seemed in order. But was any provided? No.

Even the Food Was Red

But the sight really was beguiling. Mim Sally, who glittered in a cascade of cherry-red spangles, centered the tables with arrangements of manzanitas sprigged with vermilion bows (she said that she used 600 yards of ribbon, which just shows the lengths some people will go to), and larger decorations in the same theme flanked the bandstand. Even the menu was built around the day’s color, so that red chunks of apple brightened the Waldorf salad and strawberry rainbows swirled through the vanilla parfait dessert.

Since Valentine’s Day is an occasion upon which it is not only appropriate but even desirable to wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve, the romantics in the crowd (which included newlyweds Cindy and Jim Ingham) all sang along when the band struck up “Let Me Call You Sweetheart.” Later, three couples who had recited their wedding vows on earlier Valentine’s Days--Allene and Tom O’Brien, Alma and Bill Spicer, and Patti and Ron Mix--took to the floor when the “Anniversary Waltz” was played in their honor.

The guest list included many of the friends the Sallys have made in their years of laboring for the symphony, the opera, the Mission San Diego de Alcala and other organizations. Among them were Vicki and Haley Rogers (Vicki promises great things for the upcoming Opera Ball, which she chairs March 16 at the Hotel del Coronado), Shirley and David Rubel, Bea and Bob Epsten, Anne and Michael Ibs Gonzalez, Reba Brophy, Margaret and Roland Christensen, Tom Fleming, Betty and John Mabee, Phyllis and John Parrish, and Lee Crimmins with Ed Watkins.

Also attending were Emma Lee and Jack Lewis Powell, Kay and Bill Rippee, Lynn and James Kinder, Elaine and Walter Steidle, Belle and Eddie Wiegle, Alice Zukor, and Jean and Chuck Healy.

The 750 community activists who assembled Saturday at the San Diego Hilton for the Women of Dedication benefit luncheon seemed just like so many jack-in-the-boxes. They simply could not sit still.

First, centenarian Grace Klauber brought the crowd to its feet, in a spontaneous outpouring of affectionate respect, the moment she appeared onstage. Later, noted designer David Hayes forced the group to its knees when he admonished it to always dress well --in his fashions, of course.

The Women of Dedication luncheon (this was the 20th annual, sponsored by the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary of the Door of Hope) easily could be subtitled “All About Volunteerism,” because it honors volunteers and is supported by more of the same. About 15 women, each of whom has given of her time over the years to any number of the myriad cultural and charitable foundations that enrich the San Diego area, are chosen as honorees each year. Emmy Cote, the event’s founder, noted in the program that “Volunteers are a city’s lifeblood. A Woman of Dedication is a friend of her community. Her payment is in seeing her efforts materialize in beauty and growth.”

Her payment also lies in being feted at this luncheon, which traditionally has one of the best draws of any of the annual events on the calendar. The guest list normally is filled with the names of the county’s busiest volunteer workers (many of whom have been honored at this luncheon), and numerous organizations such as the Junior League and Country Friends take tables as an expression of gratitude and support. The Salvation Army’s Door of Hope benefits; this year, approximately $17,000 was raised.

The day had three highlights, including the presentation of past chairmen, the formal introduction of the honorees and their escorts, and the fashion show, which was sponsored by Saks Fifth Avenue and exclusively featured the David Hayes collection. Betty Bass chaired and Georgette McGregor co-chaired, Burl Stiff served as master of ceremonies, and Door of Hope Auxiliary President Leonor Craig assisted in welcoming the guests.

Grace Klauber, escorted by her son Phil, was the first of the Women of Dedication to be introduced to the crowd. Following her down the runway, each with her spouse, were Ruth Carpenter, Alison Gildred, Dorothy Helm, Dorothy Hom, Verna St. Clair King, Karon Luce, Ofelia Mayo, Virginia Monday, Anne Otterson, Betty Peabody, Muriel Roston, Eileen Schall and Alma Spicer. Honoree Lois Roon was unable to attend.

Exhorted to Buy

Hayes then took the stage to narrate a rather witty presentation of his latest creations (He repeatedly exhorted the crowd to “buy, buy, buy,” teased the models mercilessly and was described by one spectator as the “Richard Simmons of the apparel circuit.”). Hayes dresses, among other celebrities, First Lady Nancy Reagan, and he constantly urged the audience to, as he said, “Give up your blue jeans and return to elegance.”

The event’s committee included Athena May, Dian Peet, Marjorie Toillion, Pat Keating, Ernie Grimm, Connie Hedges, Eleanor White, Dixie Unruh, Ruth Mulvaney, Ralphine Greaves, Marian Trevor, Marge O’Donnell and Betty Tharp.

Virginia Monday held a pre-luncheon reception in the Hilton’s Presidential Suite for 30 of the friends and family who had come to cheer her as she made her way down the runway. Among those she welcomed were her husband, Jack; her mother Catherine McCormick; her sister Kay Derrick; Jane Baker; Dorene Whitney; Nancy Hester; Kate Adams; Marti Boney; Jean Vinson; Michele Broekema; Nina Prestgard; Cuilly Burdett, and Mary Moeller.