C of C VIPs Will Visit Expo in August

California will swell the ranks attending the Vancouver/Expo 86 in August. A blue-ribbon group of California Chamber of Commerce board members, headed by chairman James F. Dickason, chairman and chief executive officer of the Newhall Land & Farming Co., and his wife Linda, will be among those participating in three days of touring, receptions, excursions, VIP dinners, all culminating in California Day ceremonies.

One highlight will be the Hotel Meridien VIP dinner with special guests Gov. and Mrs. George Deukmejian, Ambassador and Commissioner General of the U.S. Exhibition for the International Exposition Fred Hartley, and his wife Peggy; Hartley’s Canadian counterpart Patrick Reid and Mrs. Reid; Jim Pattison, Expo chairman, and his wife, and Expo 86 California Commissioner John Hay and Mrs. Hay.

The agenda includes a tour of the Ramses II exhibit, a tour of the Canadian and California pavilions, a boat tour of Vancouver Harbor via the Malibu Princess, with a catered buffet luncheon aboard.

Other Southern Californians participating will be Willard Z. Carr Jr. and Margaret, former Los Angeles County chief of protocol; Gordon and Mary Crary, Walter and Speedy Beran, the Stanley A. Wainers, the William T. Hustons, the James Miscolls, the Thomas S. Maddocks, the Paul A. Millers, the David E. Andersons, the Gerald Grinsteins, the Tom Nielsens, the Thomas P. Kemps, the Walter A. Clemens, the Carl N. Karchers, the George Babikians.

Among those representing San Francisco will be Robert E. Welk, the Thomas C. Patons, the Peter F. Scotts, the Alan Furths; Bakersfield delegates include the Robert C. Abrams, the Lloyd G. Ottemans, and from Sacramento, the John V. Diepenbrocks and the Al Wicklands Jr. Expected from other areas are the Henry Triones, the William Joneses, the John Derdivanis, the Howard P. Marguleases, the Rodger B. Jensens and Helen Smades and her husband Robert Klein.

Chamber President Kirk West and his wife Kathy will attend. Special guests will include Edward and Sue Glad (she’s the governor’s scheduling secretary), the Robert Monagans, the George T. McCoys. Joan Price Winser, Canadian consul general in Los Angeles, and her husband, Frank, also will join the group. The Steven A. Merksamers (he’s the governor’s chief of staff) will attend certain functions.

Save the date--Sept. 20. That’s the night of the YMCA Red and Black Gala and the special preview of the Stuart M. Ketchum Downtown YMCA. It’s a benefit for YMCA child-care programs.

Sunday will mark a dream come true for children of the Children’s Bureau of Los Angeles. Thanks to Vin Scully, the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers and a member of the bureau’s advisory committee, children in the bureau’s foster and therapeutic group homes will enjoy an afternoon of baseball featuring the Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds. Mrs. Rodney F. Williams chairs the advisory committee, founded in 1984. She has the assistance of Sybil Brand, Gordon B. Crary Jr., Peter W. Dauterive, Stuart Davis, Dr. Glenn S. Dumke, J. Howard Edgerton, Fred L. Hartley, Mrs. Laynard L. Holloman, Mrs. William F. Kieschnick, Lilly Lee, Ignacio E. Lozano Jr., Elton Rule, Andrea Van de Kamp and Bonita Granville Wrather.

Past Perfect:

It was blue, white and red for the three-night Bastille Day celebration at Marina del Rey’s LeBordeaux restaurant. Donald O’Connor and his wife Gloria (he’s started rehearsals with Debbie Reynolds for their new show in Reno) hosted a table. So did Tom Illius and Fred Mock of the William Morris Agency dining with Al Alwhile, Jim Reisse and Sal Lazerow. On another night, Jackie Applebaum, with Ray Rosenthal, and Travis Kleefeld, accompanied by Claire Smith, joined friends Ernest and Veronica Chambers (late because of the television production of his “American Dream Girl USA”), Georgina and Alan Rothberg (president of L.A. Clippers), L.A. Master Planner’s Liz Familian with Mitch Rosenthal, Carrie Winston with investment banker Fred Roberts, Ron Leif (wife Nina was on a two-month holiday in Mexico), interior designer Roy Sklarin, Barbara Bain and the Abe Luries (still elated after the opening of their new Marina Beach Hotel). And on another evening Joyce Bogart Trabulous and her husband, Dr. Josh Trabulous, were at the helm for a Neil Bogart Memorial Laboratories for Children Cancer Research evening. The group’s “Night of the Races III” is coming up Nov. 14. Bette Midler is honorary chairman. . . .

The hard-working cast of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s “Nicholas Nickleby” was honored this week at a cocktail party at Le St. Germain restaurant. It was all a part “Nicholas Nickleby Day,” sponsored by the Melrose Avenue merchants association. . . .

Celebrity bandleader Peter Duchin flew in from New York to entertain guests at the new Club Grill and Bar at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. Celebrating were Carol and Henry Schielein (he’s general manager of the Ritz-Carlton), Veronica Hamel, Nicole and O. J. Simpson, Robert Loggia, Robert Culp, Erik and Peggy Estrada and about 80 more. . . .

Jane and Robert Kramer and Lynne and Irwin Deutch hosted 60 friends for a “Tango Hollywood” celebration marking Irwin’s 45th birthday. The quartet took over the Cinegrill of the Hollywood Roosevelt, booking Osvaldo Barrios and his Argentine band Tres Para El Tango and the dance team “Miranda & Royo.” . . .

Film producers Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus and Tarak Ben Ammar joined with the International Council of the American Cinematheque for a black-tie party marking the American premiere of Roman Polanski’s “Pirates.” Walter Matthau was in the honored spot at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Pasadena Public Library Foundation celebrated completion of phase one in the library restoration project, and it was a unique evening, with Mayor John Crowley announcing he would contribute his annual salary to the project’s second phase. Foundation President Tempe Brooks said $2.4 million must be raised to complete the next step: restoring the Myron Hunt public rooms to their original beauty and function. Of that, $440,000 is promised, including the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation pledge of $300,000 for the restoration of the auditorium, a memorial to the late Chief Justice Donald R. Wright. State Librarian Gary Strong gave a floral gift to Betty Keatinge, foundation campaign chairman and first president of the California Library Services Board.

Summer Action:

Los Angeles El Padrino John Bowles and his wife Norma went coaching recently at Hampton Court Palace as guests of Lt. Col. Sir John Miller, the Crown Equerry who will retire Feb. 5 after 35 years in the key role. Prince Philip drove a team on the delightful route, says Bowles. The Crown Equerry is in charge of the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle and is responsible for the ceremonial horses and carriages (including cars) used by the queen and the Royal Family. The Bowleses also reveled at center court on opening day at Wimbledon, attended the Royal Ascot opening, saw polo at Windsor, were in key spots at the Trouping of the Colours at Whitehall and for the Order of the Garter Procession at Windsor. They followed that with three days boating on the Thames and a few days in the Leicestershire hunt country. Well, you can’t have it all!

Patte Barham Boyne of Hancock Park is back from Saratoga, N.Y., where she and husband Harris enjoyed the racing season as guests of Liz Whitney Tippett and attended Sonny and Mary Lou Whitney’s party. They’ll return to Saratoga in August, go on to New York to confer with publishers about a book she’s co-authored about the late David Janssen.

The Metropolitan Associates love famous and funny films. Five times each summer they grab their blankets and picnic suppers and plop down on the grass for their Summer Film Festival. Already they’ve seen “Boudu Saved From Drowning” at Joan and Frank Thompson’s house in Pasadena and “My Man Godfrey” at Lois and Archie Miller’s in Arcadia. Coming, “Passport to Pimlico” on Aug. 2 with Amy and Tom Callister in Pasadena; “The Sheep Has Five Legs” with Joyce and John Penido in Flintridge, and “Genevieve” with Kittie and Bill Ballard in Pasadena. Films roll at sundown.

The Helm:

Sally Hinckley of San Marino becomes the 15th president of the Assistance League of Southern California, and members of the Nine O’Clock Players, one of the league’s 22 auxiliaries, are boasting proudly of their fellow Player. On the executive committee will be Claire Baumen, Yvonne Cazier, Tenita Christensen, Barbara Devine, Carol Durst-Winther, Sylvia Feldman, Jo Gifford, Barbara Harris, Ingrid Hedberg, Peggy Hemings, Janey Hicks, Gloria Holden, and many more. . . . Charles Axelson has been elected president of the Crippled Children’s Society, succeeding Judy Maller, now chairman. . . . Lew W. Goodwin will head volunteer directors of Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Center. . . . Carole Kaye, outgoing president of the Golden Key Foundation, saluted new president Ronnie Kassan at an installation luncheon at Scandia. They’ll support programs of Reiss-Davis Child Study Center.

High Marks:

Pepperdine University’s School of Business and Management honors three community leaders at graduation ceremonies Aug. 2 at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu. Howard P. Allen, Southern California Edison’s chairman and CEO, and Royce Diener, chairman of American Medical International, will receive honorary doctor of laws degrees. Allen also will deliver the commencement address. William C. Shepherd, president of Allergan, will receive the school’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. . . . Tuesday the Imperial Grand Sweepstakes support group at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center will see the results of three years of fund-raising when the new Surgical Laser Laboratory opens. Sue Lapin is president of the group, which has raised $500,000 for the lab. Attending the ribbon-cutting will be Zena Hoffman, Leona Palmer, Ruth Karp, Carole Kaye, Dena Schechter and Sandy Ausman, Dr. H.J.C. Swan, Dr. Leon Morgenstern, Dr. Jim Forresters. . . . The Crippled Children’s Society Long Beach Center combines a mortgage-burning ceremony and a garden party to celebrate its 20th anniversary Saturday.