Bowl Patronesses Host an Upbeat Party

Support for the Hollywood Bowl comes in more ways than money: It comes from purchasing tickets, from attending concerts and taking friends to picnics, from talking up the music, the ambiance. Hollywood Bowl Patronesses are excellent at all. For years, they’ve hosted their Patroness party as the prelude to the Bowl opening.

Sunday evening, about 360 were in fine form, mingling on the lawn at Ragnar and Mollie Qvale’s Mary Pickford home in Fremont Place for an evening garden party as the sun went down. It was the fanfare before the Bowl’s traditional opening gala Tuesday evening when lots of the city will ascend and descend with picnic hampers--caviar and cheeses, the pastas and flambes. That evening, Hollywood Bowl Volunteers headed by Sharon McNalley and opening-night chairman Meredith Porter plan pre-concert activities, including the parade of “Balloons by Treb.” And 100 hosts and hostesses from city schools will distribute 18,000 pieces of See’s candy during the “Picnic in the Park” festivities before conductor Lawrence Foster and flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal team up with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for Beethoven, Vivaldi, Mozart, Bernstein and Previn.

Patroness president Mrs. Warren Williamson paid tribute to Sir Charles Groves and Lady Hilary Groves at the garden party. Each summer Patronesses salute famous musicians: The affable Sir Charles was in the spotlight for myriad reasons, but most particularly because he is artistic director of the L.A. Philharmonic Institute, which culled 100 young instrumentalists and conductors (ages 16-25) from 2,000 nationwide applicants for the institute at Cal State Northridge and the Bowl. During the six-week session the students work with Philharmonic members, soloists and conductors. They will perform three Sunday-night concerts at the Bowl, as well as one this Saturday evening, playing with the Philharmonic with Sir Charles conducting. They’ll also do concerts at Royce Hall and chamber concerts at the Getty Museum, the University of Judaism and Cal State Northridge.

It was a silk dress sort of party, with people such as Marge and Allen Barnum of Temecula arranging their box for opening night, and James and Dorothy Meyler in town from Temecula, too. A Pasadena crowd came over with the Williamsons--Sis and Lou Jones, Jean Higgins. Bobbie and Kennedy Galpin chatted with Ernest Fleischmann, artistic director of the Philharmonic, just back from Washington lobbying to keep tax deductions for charitable donors but dismal about the turn of politics in new tax changes.

Sidney Adair joined Beverly at the reservations table with Missy Crahan and Lorna Gentile. And the cocktail hour was pleasant among the roses and citrus trees for a crowd including Janice and Bob Carpenter, David and Norma McIntyre, Sally and Bob Brant, Mrs. Madsen Peeler, Glen and Martha Mitchel, the Robert Meylers, the Howard Martins, the John Mortons, the Marmaduke Mortons, Nancy and Frank Payne, Gerald and Carol Patterson, the Harold Ramsers, the Robert Snoddys, Romus and Ann Soucek, the Malcolm Stuarts, Beverly and John Tarr, Elayne and Tom Techentin, Alexander and Oliver Varga, John Welborne and Chrissy Brant, who lives but a skip and a hop away and might have climbed the wall for the party, she thought.

They all sat down to luscious lamb chops by Rococo (the same firm that catered the County Museum of Art’s Russian Impressionist opening last week), then dessert with crumbled macaroons under peaches and ice cream. Enjoying were new members Carlotta Keeley, Mrs. George M. Cox and Mrs. Clifford Lord, as well as John and Mary Ann Heidt, Dorothy and Bud Kemps, the David Ludwicks, Fern McAlister, the Norman Williamsons, Miss Ruth Chandler Williamson (home from medical school in Puerto Rico) escorted by Ronald Jernigan, the William Armisteads, Dr. and Mrs. Charles Witt, the Alex Atanasoffs, John and Patsy Austin, Alice Avery, Mrs. William Clayton, Ed and Wendy Borcherdt (he wearing a President Reagan tie clasp), the Charles Bergesches (he arranged the flowers for the party), Nancy Dinsmore, the Carl Dumboltons, the Paul Erskines, David Gill Evans, the Terrill Gloeges, the Bradford Halls and the David Browns.

His Royal Highness the Maharaja of Jaipur will be guest of honor for the Day Nursery Auxiliary’s (Assistance League of Southern California) third annual Golden Mallet Invitational Polo Tournament on July 13, benefiting the Children of the Day Nursery. It’s a pageant of international polo and fabulous festivities, mixed with a gourmet buffet luncheon alfresco at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club in Carpinteria. Dress is definitely garden variety and hats for ladies, elegant sport for gentleman, according to benefit chairman Gloria (Mrs. Glen) Holden of Bel-Air, a polo enthusiast whose husband is past governor of the Pacific Coast Circuit and the current ambassador for the United States to the international Federation of Polo. Members of the auxiliary committee include Marilyn Moulton, Yvonne Cazier, Dr. Esther Hays, Beverly Thrall, Karen Reese, Eva Elkins, Joanna Rice, Evelyn Sampson, Jackie Hill, Georgianne Stone, Teran Davis. The ocean breezes will unfurl for the event.

Peter and Ginny Ueberroth are not only involved with the upcoming marriage of their daughter Vicki to Bill Booth of Birmingham, Mich., but they’re in the midst of moving to another home in Laguna Beach. No summer reading time for Ginny. The wedding will be tres formal, with the reception at the posh Four Seasons. Vicki’s sisters Heidi and Keri, who go to Vanderbilt and Dartmouth, will be bridesmaids, and brother Joe will be an usher. Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters Julie Freshman of Beverly Hills and Janette Reid will be bridesmaids, Nancy Tamkin of Encino maid of honor. Nancy and her mother Sandy Leiman hosted a high tea at Trumps for the bride-elect. Good Ueberroth friends Babs Reich and Jane DeVore gave a luncheon at the Bel-Air Country Club.

Wednesday evening, Jerry Buss, owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Theodore Saenger, president of Pacific Bell, will receive Retinitis Pigmentosa International’s 1986 Humanitarian Awards at a dinner dance at the Century Plaza. Lydia and Charlton Heston are honorary chairman of the 12th annual “fighting blindness benefit.” Chick Hearn will be master of ceremonies. Laker superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, former Olympian Rafer Johnson and TV star Kevin Dobson will be among presenters at the $150-per-person dinner, according to Helen Harris, president and founder.

Kudos:

To Charles O. Parker III and John Harrigan, named chairman and vice chairman of the Natural History Museum’s $30-million 75th-anniversary capital campaign . . . Stanley Hirsh, president of the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles . . . Mary Alice Stumpt, president of the Pasadena Philharmonic Committee . . . Linda Ryan, president-elect of the Adoption Guild . . . Madeline Moore, president Children’s Service League . . . Mrs. Albert R. Weigel, president of Ebell Club . . . Rue Pine, president of the Affiliate Board of UCLA . . . Mrs. Arthur D. Williams, president of Saint Joseph Medical Center Guild.

Update on Past Perfect:

Permanent Charities Committee of the Entertainment Industries awarded more than $1 million in benefit grants to 45 Los Angeles-area health and human services groups at a brunch at 385 North restaurant with Paul C. Masterson, president, in charge, Tom Bosley emceeing and Carol Burnett, John Beard, Joseph Campanella, Art Gilmore, Tom Kennedy and Kevin O’Connell in the crowd. . . .

La Coterie of Friends of French Art dined at Elin Vanderlip’s Villa Narcissa to see photos of the Brittany houseparty and plan for the Garden Gala on Nov. 12 in the Crystal Ballroom at the Biltmore. . . .

Founder Frederic Duchatelet, star in the custom auto design world, flew in for the champagne unveiling of “Carat” by Duchatelet, the ultimate custom car conversion company (they modify the Mercedes-Benz and Rolls Royce), this week in Beverly Hills. . . .

And much more . . . The British Commonwealth Organization hosted the Queen’s Ball at the Beverly Wilshire for 600. . . . Reuben Pannor, director of community services, was honored for 30 years of service to Vista del Mar Child-Care Service. . . . The National Arts Assn. presented Cole Porter’s portrait by Artis Lane to USC’s Doheny Library (Librarian Dean Ritcheson), and then president Jeanne Johnson presented the Kate and Cole Porter Art Scholarship from the association. . . . Jackie Hill headed the Dynamic Donors black-tie dinner for the Whittier Boys and Girls Club. . . . Cuisine A Roulette held its fund-raiser at the home of Katherine Kilroy to raise money for “Meals on Wheels.”