Syrian Art to Be Previewed at Museum

Governors and trustees of the Natural History Museum are hosting the preview opening of “Ebla to Damascus: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Syria” next Thursday at the museum.

Ed N. Harrison is president of the governors, and Robert S. Attiyeh is president of the trustees.

Over lunch at the Rex, Olga Guptill and Mary Ellen Metwalli were upbeat about the Affiliates of the Webb Schools in Claremont major fund-raiser March 15 at the Hotel Meridien in Newport Beach. The goal is $125,000, enough to complete the pledge Affiliates made last year to convert an historic campus building into a modern student center.

Actor Wayne Rogers, whose son is a Webb School student, is on the steering committee. Southland artists such as Millard and Tony Sheets and Milford Zornes have contributed pieces for the auction that Barry and Bob Abell will conduct. Trips to Rome, Paris, the Caribbean and Hawaii will highlight “The Possible Dream II.”

They’re already at break-even on $100 raffle tickets on the $50,000 Porsche.

Affiliates president Linda Ahn is helping. So are Irene Lee and Carol Anderson, Lillian Singelyn, Whittier; Lesley and John Van Borssum, Monrovia; Connie Grund, San Marino; Robin Leonhard, Claremont; JoAnn Henriksen, Corona; Kim McGowan, Glendora; Janet Tong, Redlands; Mort Walco and Beverly Shpall, West Covina; Sue Hutchison, Rancho Santa Fe; Saralee Rudnick and Kay Selzer, Palm Springs; and Victoria Browne, Newport Beach.

Rotary Club of Los Angeles plans to make its “Distinguished Citizen Award Luncheon” March 14 in the Pacific Ballroom of the Los Angeles Hilton an annual affair. It gives the first award to Caroline Leonetti Ahmanson because, says president Robert Jordan, “she has applied the ideal of service to her personal, business and community life in such a manner it can be said that she truly typifies the Rotary motto of ‘Service Above Self.’ ”

Heading the committee are William L. Plunkett, John C. Argue, Stephen C. Bilheimer, R. Noel Hatch, Robert Jordan, Donald A. Koeppel and Bartine A. Stoner.

The shamrocks are proliferating in anticipation of the St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon and children’s fashion show March 15 at the Beach Club in Santa Monica. It’s OK that Susan Miller, Bonnie McClure, Laurie Griff, Joan Graves, Tink Cheney and Ann Barrett are turning green for the fund-raiser. Chapter IV/Confetti, Sunshine Kids and Westwood’s At Ease will do the fashions.

Nancy Fields O’Connor is on a busy schedule. The other night, she and husband Carroll were the stars at the Southwest Museum’s opening night of “Fred E. Miller: Photographer of the Crows.” Miller was her grandfather, who moved to Montana in 1896 and photographed the Crow Tribe, which is the main focus of the photographs in the show.

Nancy lectures on the life and works of her grandfather at 7:30 p.m. March 20.

But, Wednesday, she’ll also be honored by the Women’s Auxiliary of the John Wayne Cancer Clinic at a luncheon at the Beverly Wilshire for her outstanding work and dedication to the clinic. Since she established the first support group seven years ago (Friends of the John Wayne Cancer Clinic), nearly $3 million has been raised.

Author and poet Dr. Natasha Josefowitz (“Paths to Power”) will speak.

Co-chairing the luncheon are Mmes. Harvey Rosen and Seymour Masur.

At the Valley Hunt Club, Mrs. Kennedy Galpin assumed the presidency of the Pasadena Guild of Childrens Hospital for a second year, and welcomed new actives Mmes. James Bolton, Samuel Coleman, James Crabtree, Murray Marsh, Phillip Matthews and Bruce Stewart.

Immersed in spring plans are new officers and directors, among them Mmes. Bradford Hall, Hugh Wilson, Robert Warfield, Richard Sinclair, Louis Jones, Ulysses Buchanan, John Boyle, Larry Forsch, Boyd Higgins, Danford Baker, Richard Van Vorst, William Struble, John McGhee, Merle Banta, Leroy Sanders, Jack Whitehead, Jefferson Arnett, Franklin Simmons, Kingston McKee, Warren Williamson, Frank Payne Jr., Robert Gillespie and L. B. Harbour.

Moroccan feasting without utensils, community platters, belly dancers, and a hand-washing ceremony put a twist on the 20th anniversary Encore Committee party Sunday at Dar Maghreb restaurant in Hollywood.

Chairman Marlene Billington plans the event for the committee, comprised of past presidents of Philharmonic affiliate committees. The event follows the Los Angeles Philharmonic Music Center concert, and music director Andre Previn will be there.

Past presidents assisting are Mary Brady, Fran Buchanan, Mary Anne Chappelear, Ruth Le Sage, Bobbie Galpin, Connie Gee, Collette Witt, Marge Cleveland, Virginia Contarsy, Elloree Findley, Marion Malouf, and more.

The next evening Westside Junior Philharmonic members host a public event at Dar Maghreb for the Music Center Unified Fund. Tickets are $50.

The Dance Gallery Guild, which exists to nurture The Dance Gallery, joins I. Magnin Los Angeles to launch “Body, Beauty and Brains” from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday at I. Magnin. The cocktail buffet is a membership event with entrance from $25 to $125.

Chairman Joan Nicholas plans yoga performances and dancing of different kinds.

The Dance Gallery will be a first-of-its-kind facility and will house a dance theater, an institute, a library and a resident company in California Plaza, Bunker Hill.

Among those devoted to the cause are event cochairmen Dorothy Wolk and Celeste Van Myers, Geneva Trifon, Clarice Alexander, Marianne Berman, Sharon Bloch, Zoe Brown, Mazie de Beaulieu, Wendy Du Bose, Judy Henny and Carol Smith.

As he lay in state last week at his mass of Christian burial at Church of Our Saviour in Beverly Hills, the late Hernando Courtright was in white tie, as he appeared at so many parties at his Beverly Wilshire, with top hat, wearing his medallions, including the Mexican Aztec Eagle, a sword by his side. Bagpipes played “Amazing Grace,” Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” was sung with orchestral accompaniments, mariachis soloed. Religious orders filed in procession into the church in their dark robes--the orders of Saint Gregory, Saint Lazarus, the Holy Sepulchre, Malta, Saint Hubert. It was, as Bishop John Ward observed, “a privileged farewell” as the hotelier “changed his address from Wilshire Boulevard to Heaven.” The Charros were in their huge hats, and the Chevaliers du Tastevin were among the friends in wine societies with their shiny sterling tastevins hanging from their necks. The after-gathering in the Beverly Wilshire Grand Ballroom was as Hernando had wanted--a gala.

Lynda Share speaks on “Recognizing Depression in Adolescence Before It’s Too Late” at 8 p.m. today at Reiss-Davis Child Study Center. The center and Vista del Mar Child-Care Service host the lecture.