U.S. Ambassador to Finland Sworn In

Rockwell Schnabel officially became the United States’ Ambassador to the Republic of Finland this week at the swearing-in at the State Department by Deputy Secretary of State John Whitehead. Now, he and Marna are delighting in Mexican cuisine and Malibu life style before the anticipated salmon and reindeer. They also are being feted before they leave mid-February to take up residency in the embassy in Helsinki.

Rock joins the titular rank of all those other ambassadors from California--John Gavin (Mexico), William A. Wilson (the Vatican) and Geoffrey Swaebe (Belgium).

Friends William and Nadine Tilley have invitations out for a champagne reception and dinner Tuesday at the Bistro. Among the acceptances are Holmes and Virginia Tuttle, Richard and Jill Riordan, David Murdock, Richard and Janie Crane, John and Julie Karns, Ed Nelson, Michael and Suzy Niven, Peter and Becky Smith, Boni and Charles Blalack, David and Marilyn Armor, and Marna’s parents, Bruce and Mary Del Mar of Corona del Mar.

During the holidays an intimate group of friends, including the Nivens, and their youngsters, had brunch together at Saddlepeak Lodge in Malibu.

The Schnabels’ daughters--Mary Darrin, a student at Orange Coast Junior College, and Christy Ann, a student at New York University--flew to Washington with their parents for the ceremony. Their son Evan, 15, was away at school in Switzerland.

Andre Previn said he wasn’t “used to groups this large unless they’re holding instruments.” Nevertheless, it was “just family” he was addressing Sunday evening at the Music Center. The occasion was supposed to be a chance for the leadership (the Chairman’s Council, the Cabinet and the major gifts team members) of the Music Center Unified Fund Campaign ’86 to rub elbows with the new maestro of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Joseph J. Pinola, campaign chairman; his wife Dorie; Esther Wachtell, vice chairman of the United Fund, and Harry Hufford, acting president of the Performing Arts Council, greeted guests, due to Previn’s late arrival because of his afternoon concert. Then there was a gentle crush to meet the guest of honor before all sat down to chicken tarragon in the Blue Ribbon Room of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

It was clear Previn will be a huge inspiration in helping volunteers meet the final $3 million to go in the just-announced $9.5 million campaign. Said Pinola, “Campaigns fail, not because people say no, but because not enough are asked to say yes.”

Previn (his wife Heather was in England) seemed to provide nice vibes: returning to Los Angeles after a 20-year hiatus, he said it was wonderful to “come back where I got the bulk of my early musical listening pleasures.” The orchestra, he added, “is a truly remarkable group of musicians--they are remarkable players . . . they have to be shown off everywhere.”

Liking what they heard were Pat and Walter Mirisch, Bob and Ann Wycoff, Dan and Mia Frost, John and Joan Hotchkis (he noting that Previn had played the piccolo in the San Francisco Presidio Army band), W. J. and Isabel Arnett, Peter Barker (Robin was at home with a sick child), Ernest Fleischmann (the Philharmonic executive director introduced Previn), John and Bonnie Green, Terry Herst, the Ben Kurtzmans, the David Ludwicks, the Joseph Mitchells, Dr. and Mrs. Franklin D. Murphy (she sat next to Previn, with Ann Wycoff on the other side), the Sidney Petersens, the Sydney Rosenbergs, the Dickinson Rosses (Gabriele had celebrated a “big birthday” that afternoon), the Joseph Saunders, the Richard Sherwoods, the Rocco Sicilianos, the Tim Vreelands, Tom Wachtell (he was praising his wife for staging a dinner that ended by 8 o’clock), Olive Behrendt and Roddy McDowall, Dr. and Mrs. Michael McNalley, and the people who put the artistry on the line--Gordon and Judi Davidson of the Mark Taper, John Currie of the Master Chorale, et al.

Picking a stray pine needle from the living room rug, a remnant of Christmas, it’s fun to reminisce about the superb fun at Carol and Warner Henry’s Twelfth Night festivities at the California Club. Betsy Egan found the bean in her white mousse cake and Terrill Gloege the pea in his chocolate mousse cake, so they’ll reign as queen and king for the year.

In on the fun (“probably the 27th or 28th year” for this tradition begun by his parents) were Janice and Bob Carpenter, Suzy and Don Crowell, John and Joan Hotchkis, Bill and Daryn Horton, Dan and Joni Baker, and his parents, the Richard Bakers, Olin and Ann Barrett, Geoff and Binnie Beaumont, Clay and Barbara Sheedy, Jean Keely, Don and Betty Becker, Peter and Eliane Berger, Joe and Alice Coulombe, Phil and Mary Hawley, George and Gretchen Gibbs, Drew and Carla Fagan, Elinor Griffin, John and Lucille Hadley, Preston and Maurine Hotchkis, Hubert and Shirley Laugharn, Dee and John Maechling, Ruth and Ed Shannon, Elayne and Tom Techentin, and ever so many.

The same evening Les Dames de Champagne hailed its 21st birthday with klieg lights at a black-tie reunion at the revamped Hollywood Roosevelt--the setting for the first Academy Awards in 1929.

Mrs. Glen Wills, in Ruben Panis dazzle, proclaimed a Bal Masque, and some revelers came as their favorite movie stars.

The traditional highlight for these international hostesses, headed by President Toni Webb, is the presentation of the Host and Hostess Awards. Sharing the coveted accolade for 1985 were Don Hernando Courtright, proprietor of the Beverly Wilshire, and journalist Jody Jacobs (Mrs. Barney Leason), who recently retired as society editor of the Los Angeles Times. She was inducted as Les Dames’ first Life Member and received her Les Dames gold cherub pin from Founder Wanda Henderson.

Sleek as a Mercedes--that’s the way the dinner party celebrating the opening of the Mercedes-Benz Centennial Exhibition was this week at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Between the stuffed trophies behind glass, two galleries of guests--560--dined at elegant tables on cuisine from Robert Emerson Catering, and there was a gasp of merriment when the dessert arrived--rounds of chocolate topped with discs of white chocolate imprinted with the Mercedes symbol.

The evening rated high approval from the James Cheneys, the Otis Booths, the Gordon B. Crarys, the A. F. Osterlohs III, Waller Taylor and Sheila Bullock, and Dr. Craig C. Black, museum director, and his new bride, Liz.

Automobile collectors were abundant. Some exhibiting the 20 vehicles chosen for the show, which is a six-month event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the invention of the automobile by Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, were there: Geri and Jules Barsotti of San Fracisco (unabashedly taking snapshots of their two entries), Bruce and Raylene Meyer, Gordon Howard, Fred and Anita Lustig, Kurt Hillgruber, Richard Wesselink (both senior and junior), Bill Evans, Bobbie’dine Rodda and Harold Skramstad Jr., president of the Henry Ford Museum.

Hans-Juergen Hinrichs of the Mercedes board, and Walter Bodack, president of Mercedes-Benz of North America (he’s an expert on Lewis & Clark history), were much in demand, and were being introduced by Robert S. Attiyeh, president of the museum trustees, and his wife Linda.

Many of the cars have been lent by the Daimler-Benz, Henry Ford and Briggs Cunningham museums and some have never been seen in the United States. Among the attractive crowd inspecting racing cars and Cabriolets, as well as roadsters and the replica of the original 1886 Benz Patent Motor Car were Nancy and Richard Call and their son-in-law and daughter, the Ray T. McCulloughs; the Otis Chandlers, the Leo Levines, the Charles Griffin Cales, the Vincent Cullens, the Kenneth J. Dapontes, Laurence Deutsch (who designed the exhibit), A. Frederick Gerstell, the John Harrigans, A. W. Harriman, the Lewis N. Mitchells and the Thomas Reddins.

Milton L. Goldberg will be honored for “40 years of devotion and service as executive director” by the Jewish Big Brothers Assn. at its 70th annual meeting and installation of officers Wednesday evening at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Goldberg is retiring from the agency after 40 years as executive director and 50 years with United Way agencies.

Lauding Goldberg will be Leonard A. Goldman, Rabbi Alfred Wolf of Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Charles I. Schottland and Dave Schwartz, president, who will present the annual report.

The Bob Mitchell Singing Boys are scheduled to perform, and others saluting will be Walter F. Beran, chairman of United Way Campaign; Francis X. McNamara, president of United Way Inc.; Jewish Federation Council executive vice president Ted Kanner and Jewish Big Brother of the Year Lee Stacel and Little Brother David Freisleben.

Lots of activity for Smith College supporters. Wednesday evening the Los Angeles Smith College Club hosts Professor Peter Rose, who will speak on Asian refugees at a 7:30 p.m. public meeting at Westwood Presbyterian Church.

Feb. 5 the Smith College Club of Pasadena hosts a dinner at the Valley Hunt Club to honor Jill Conway, immediate past president of Smith, and Katherine Gabel, president-elect of Pacific Oaks College and immediate past dean of the Smith College School of Social Work.

The former is here to install the latter on Feb. 6 at Pacific Oaks, according to Mrs. Thomas Reilly, president of the club.

The 1,400 children involved with the Palm Springs Youth Center benefit from the First Tournament of Club Champions at the Racquet Club of Palm Springs Jan. 25-26. Tennis pro Larry Kast is tournament director. A cocktail party Jan. 24 precedes the competition.

Saks Fifth Avenue in Palm Springs will sponsor the event. Saks general manager Larry N. Buchanan will be in on the trophy-giving Jan. 26 at the gourmet awards dinner and fashion show.

With entry fees $100, Kast is predicting $50,000 for the center.