Asian Art Auction Benefits Museum

Auction chairman Nancy King says things keep getting better and better and it certainly looks that way for Pacific Asia Museum’s “Festival of the Autumn Moon” Asian Art Auction on Saturday evening.

More antiques at advantageous prices than ever before--such as the rare 18th-Century Japanese writing box donated by Caroline Ahmanson--will be auctioned off, including lacquered boxes inlaid with semi-precious stones, Chinese porcelain, Japanese netsuke, ivory and jade carvings, prints, ceramics, kimonos and robes.

This week, prior to the auction, the museum hosted a Festival Open House at $20 per ticket to preview the items. Tickets for the Saturday auction and champagne supper catered by Jacolet of Pasadena are $150.

While the real moon glows, guests will step through a Moon Gate into a Chinese palace-style setting. Dr. Richard Byrne will be at his best auctioneering.

We’re told Mrs. Sheldon Ausman (Sandra) is on the inside track to be considered for the post of chief of protocol to replace Margaret Paterson Carr. Everyone including the county supervisors and their staffs are absolutely mum, but, maybe the motion will be introduced Tuesday. A circuitous source commented, “I think she’s very capable.” She’s also co-chairman, with Marc Marcussen, of the Music Center Mercado ’86.

As many as 80,000 infants are born in this country each year with serious abnormalities. Thus SPRINT (Special Preventive Research, Intervention and New Technology for Children at UCLA) sprints Oct. 25 in a major black-tie benefit, “An Evening for Sprint,” starring Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme in concert at Universal Amphitheater. A gala supper follows at the Sheraton Premiere.

Nina Leif, president, is a master-mind. So are Muriel Slatkin, Katherine Price and Polo Roth, benefit chairmen for the evening.

They’ve rounded up wonderful door prizes--such as Gucci luggage, a singing machine, a Harry Winston watch. Mario Machado is honorary chairman.

This will be memorable, and it will make lots: tickets are $250.

A milestone for the 500 Club of City of Hope. For the first time, it holds its annual luncheon, not once, but three consecutive days Oct. 14, 15 and 16. That does say a lot about success.

Carol Lawrence will triply receive the “Silver Spirit of Life Award.”

Dick Rambo of “Dallas” and Norm Crosby (City of Hope ambassador of good will) will be masters of ceremonies, chairman Mrs. Hugh (Evie) Aaronson advises.

Monday chairman is Mrs. Howard Brown, Tuesday chairman, Mrs. Ed Radow and Wednesday, Mrs. Jack Arons. Will Thursday be next? They’ve agreed upon Holly Mitchell Productions to stage the fashion show.

Betty Ford received the first award; Shirley Jones was last year’s recipient.

City of Hope never stops. Another support group, the Jewelry Circle, is promising a 1986 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, a Mazda sports coupe and fantastic jewelry for auction Sunday at its Beverly Hills auction gala dinner. Jim Sirotta of Encino is general chairman and Linda Gordon heads the dinner. Beverly Hills former Mayor Annabelle Heiferman is honorary chairman. More creating a shiny night are Joseph Burg, Jack Gordon, Larry Gans and Sandy Weiner.

California Secretary of State and Consumer Affairs Shirley Chilton will address the second annual California Museum Foundation luncheon Tuesday in the Ralph M. Parsons Plaza of the California Museum of Science and Industry.

Quite a crowd attended the Regency Club party honoring the new music director designate of the Los Angeles Master Chorale Assn., John Currie of Scotland. It’s a major change for the Chorale after 22 years with Roger Wagner at the helm.

Board chairman Clifford A. Miller and his wife Judith and president Marshall A. Rutter and his wife Ginna joined Robert Willoughby Jones, executive director, with the toasts and welcomes to Warner and Carol Henry, Joanne and Roger Kozberg, Thomas and Esther Wachtell, Joan and Bill Boyette, Eaton and Beverly Ballard, the George N. Gibbs Jr., Barbara Schneider, Beverly Thrall, Stephen and Mary Lou Harbison, Nicholas Winslow, Deborah Rutter, Michael Newton, Harrison and Anne Shaw Price, the J. Lyle Cunninghams, the David Schultzes, Maryann McCaffery and Jay and Jessica St. Clair and ever so more.

There have been so many changes in the Los Angeles Consular Corps, a new directory may be in order. At the September meeting, our friend Walter G. Danielson, Corps secretary, informs, the Hon. Andre C. Adam, General Consul of Belgium, was installed as first vice dean, which puts him in position to succeed Consul Gen. Francisco Aguirre of Ecuador.

Aguirre introduced a number of diplomats, newly arrived as consul generals: Kurt Uggeldahl of Finland, Dr. Alberto Boniver of Italy, Zainal Azman of Malaysia, Paul Lagendiji of the Netherlands, and Per A. Tollefsen of Norway.

Also welcomed were Honorary Consul of Tunisia Joseph F. Troy, Ofelia Velasco de Montes, who has been promoted from vice consul to consul general of Guatemala. Friendship trays were presented to Consul General Joseph P. Lustenberger of Switzerland who is retiring after 40 years in the Swiss foreign service, to Consul General of the Republic of Korea Kwang Han Hwang, returning to Korea to a position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and to Leo Ellis Anderson, retiring after serving as honorary vice consul and consul of Latvia 53 years. Also honored was the late Ernst Laur, honorary vice consul and consul of Estonia for 20 years.

In San Francisco on Monday, Lew R. Wasserman, chairman of the board and chief executive office of MCA Inc., received the Distinguished Public Service Award of the American Academy of Ophthamology at the academy’s annual meeting.

Since 1961, when he organized Research to Prevent Blindness’s first nation-wide appeal raising $2 million, RPB’s programs have channeled more than $47 million into eye research at 50 medical institutions. Lew and Edie Wasserman’s personal contributions have exceeded $1 million.

At the opening ceremonies, Wasserman presented the $50,000 Research to Prevent Blindness Jules Stein Award to noted ophthalmic pathologist Dr. Lorenz Zimmerman. The award is named after the late Dr. Stein, founder of RPB. Wasserman became president of RPB in 1976 and chairman in 1982.