Las Madrinas Planning 52nd Deb Ball

Las Madrinas (the Godmothers), that outstanding support group that has done so much for Childrens Hospital, met recently to make plans for its 52nd debutante ball Dec. 22 at the Beverly Hilton. Programs for the white-tie affair will celebrate the group’s 53rd anniversary--it was founded in 1933, but missed on one ball during the World War II years. In intervening years, members have volunteered their time and raised funds for the hospital through donations and proceeds from the annual presentation.

Mrs. Gabriel Duque, a Las Madrinas founding member and president of the hospital’s board of directors, spoke. It was announced that 12 of this year’s 24 debutantes have volunteered at the hospital since June in radiology, the coffee corner recovery rooms and toddler playroom. They are Robin Baker, daughter of the Robert Bakers; Kelly Bedford, daughter of the William Bedfords; Amy Hubanks, daughter of the John Hubanks; Hilary Judd, the Howard Judds; Jane Kranwinkle, the Douglas Kranwinkles; Ann Liebig, the Anthony Liebigs; Stephanie Lindus, the Clay Linduses; Anne McWilliams, the George McWilliamses III; Andrea Niven, Mrs. Henderson Niven and Michael Niven; Serena Palmieri, Mrs. Ragnhild Palmieri and Alain Palmieri; Katherine Watkins, Mrs. Charles Berwanger, John Watkins, and Jennifer Weber, the Nicholas Webers.

Mrs. Peter Reich is president. Mrs. Christopher S. Cord is ball chairman and Mrs. William Horton, debutante chairman. Others in leadership roles are Mrs. William Mingst, Mrs. Thomas Techentin, Mrs. Stephen Ackerman, Mrs. Joseph Keon Jr., Mrs. J. Thomas McCarthy and Mrs. Fulton Haight.

GOOD CHEER: The svelte Bistro in Beverly Hills becomes (believe it or not) a Christmas village Sunday evening when Les Amies toasts the holidays with its annual Christmas cocktail buffet. Diana Murphy each year gives her professional touch to the decorations; later the Christmas trees will be sent to Children’s Institute International, which aids abused children. Mrs. Ruloff Cutten and Mrs. Dwight Hirsch, party chairmen, are expecting at least 400 for the annual yuletide exchange of good cheer, according to Virginia Rogers, wife of the four-star general. Nancy Heintz Russell of Les Amies (which supports the Colleagues in their annual Glamour Sale) is boasting a sumptuous buffet and dancing downstairs.

CHRISTMAS IVIES: No snow here, but the Ivy League Assn. of Southern California will think Eastern with bells, festoons of greenery and Ivy League banners Sunday evening for their annual holiday dinner dance at the Biltmore’s Crystal Ballroom. Chairman Sid Turkish (Cornell) and his wife Michele and association president Joseph A. Fontana (Columbia) and his wife Pauline are among the planners, as well as Reeve E. Chudd (Pennsylvania), W. Edgar Jessup Jr. (Brown), John E. Cumings (Princeton) and Valerie Cummings (Brown), William H. Schnaer (Harvard), W. Snow Hume (Yale), James and Marilyn Kindelan (both Brown) and Robert C. Brown (Dartmouth). The Harvard singing group will serenade with carols. Expect a slide reprise of the eighth annual Ivy/Ensenada Regatta in April, when Brown took the cup. Midst the lobster bisque and roast sirloin, emcee H. Randy Atherton (Cornell) will ensure an optimum of merriment. The night always closes with nostalgic alma maters and unforgotten glee.

CENTER STAGE: Susan Chandler, chairman of the Junior League of Pasadena Center Stage extravaganza in 1987, will be at the forefront tonight at a private kickoff reception at I. Magnin’s newly decorated Pasadena store. The idea will be to generate $100,000 for community projects from the duo luncheon and black-tie dinner dance March 14 at the Bonaventure.

SWINGING: No stuffed shirts Saturday evening at the Boogie Woogie Bugle Ball. It’s ‘40s swingtime attire, pin-up girls, jitterbug contests. Gretchen Wyler will host the affair at the Cave de Roi in West Hollywood to benefit the H.E.L.P. Group. Tickets are $200, and the net will go to the New School for Child Development and Project Six Therapeutic Group Homes.

FLASHBACK: Basketball hoops and pom-pom girls contribute to the hoopla next Thursday for the “Hoosiers” Orion Pictures West Coast premiere at the Cineplex Odeon Plitt Theater in Century City. It stars Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey and Dennis Hopper and is a flashback to a 1951 championship basketball game. Kathy Iacocca Hentz (Lee Iacocca’s daughter) is honorary chairman of the benefit for Los Angeles Chapter of the American Diabetes Assn. Marcia Caden, benefit chairman, is creating the sporty aura for the supper party later at the Century Plaza, with aid from her committee: Annette Shapiro, Jackie Pearlson, Marcia Harrow, Judy Simon, Edith Familian, Romelle Dunas, Iris Dart, Shirley Firestein, Beverly Firestein and Diane Carr.

HOLIDAY GALAS: President Jack Stark and his wife Jil are inviting trustees, friends and supporters for Claremont McKenna College’s Madrigal Feast Sunday evening in the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum. It’s only one of the six evenings of Madrigal Feasts, always sell-outs. . . .

Decorations are going up for the Loyola High School Guild’s annual Christmas gala Saturday. It’s under the tutelage of Mrs. Thomas Napier, guild president, and Mrs. Robert Pernicky, Mrs. Thomas Doran, Mrs. Robert A. Smith Jr., Mrs. Richard Vanis and Mrs. Thomas Viola. The Wayne Ratkoviches, the Gilbert Sheas and the Roger Sullivans will all be there, along with the Rev. Patrick Cahalan, SJ, president of Loyola. . . .

Ilona Geiger is hoping to raise at least $100,000 Saturday at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital’s Christmas Tree Ball at the Sheraton Grande. The auxiliary recently gave an all-time record annual $300,000 to the hospital. . . .

Proceeds from the Women United International “Christmas Fairy Gala” Saturday evening headed by Rebel Randall, Jessica Simmons and Vicki Randall are designed to provide Christmas for 1,000 needy children in the desert areas. Guests will dance to the Pat Rizzo orchestra and be entertained by Shahna Carre of Las Vegas. . . .

The Candle Light Ball at Lake Arrowhead Hilton Saturday evening will culminate all the good work the Mountain Community Hospital Auxiliary has completed during the year, according to Elizabeth Beekman. The mood will be a “Mountain Christmas.” In the spotlight will be Dr. Richard and Mary Abts, who have been involved with Lake Arrowhead for 40 years--since he was a young intern and resident at San Bernardino County Hospital and drove the old mountain road on medical missions. He currently is a pathologist at Huntington Memorial Hospital. . . .

Iceland native Halla Linker will be presented the Scandinavian of the Year award by the American Scandinavian Foundation of Los Angeles at the dinner dance Friday evening at the Bel-Air Hotel. She’s Iceland’s honorary consul, and also happens to have a son David who’s doing research under a Fulbright scholarship as a pediatric-cardiologist at University of Trondheim in Norway. . . .

Ebell of Los Angeles celebrates its Red Ribbon Christmas Ball Dec. 19 at the Wilshire Ebell Clubhouse. Mrs. Vincent P. Swackenberg and Mrs. Harry Anhorn are co-chairmen.

VINTAGE: Proceeds from the sale of vintage wines will benefit the Betty Clooney Foundation for the Brain Injured this evening when James C. Leake, Lester Braunstein and Ben Hoberman host cocktails at Dodger Stadium, in the company of prestigious motorcars to be auctioned in a three-day First Los Angeles Antique Car Auction Friday through Sunday. One estimate is that bids for the cars will top $12 million total.

YULETIDE FUN: People are converging at San Juan Capistrano Library to view the Libros y Artes exhibition of doll houses, dolls, bears and antique toys. It features the collection of Alice O’Neill Avery, a devotee of miniatures and antiques. Suzanne Rheinstein of Hancock Park escorted an Art Council of Los Angeles County Art Museum group down to preview the show and tour the award-winning Michael Graves library. The exhibit is open to the public through Jan. 4. . . .

Holiday Look-In Tour, the annual fund-raiser for the Pasadena Symphony, opens its doors Saturday and Sunday to the public (tickets are $12.50). The halls will be decked at four diverse homes and guests will drift through the houses to the holiday music of Pasadena Youth Symphony ensembles. Chairman Mrs. Eli J. Shetler and her assistants Mrs. Owen H. Peters, Mrs. Thomas K. Caughey and Mrs. Edwin J. McNamara have chosen the four homes: the Dann Angeloffs’ New Orleans colonial, Dr. and Mrs. Richard Kroop’s mission-style abode by J. J. Blick; the William Leslies’ Mediterranean mansion by Wallace Neff and the Franklin Ulfs’ Victorian cottage by Blick. Florists Liz Merrill, Silver Birches and Jacob Maarse will do the decorations. Refreshments will be served at the Angeloffs. It’s the 20th year for the tour, which last year raised $47,000. Tickets are available at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium box office or at the homes. . . . Steve Allen, Dinah Shore and Connie Stevens are expected for the Jeffrey Foundation Holiday Cheer open house Saturday at the Bel-Air home of Dr. and Mrs. Jaroslav Marik. Debby Schwartz is chairman.

HOLIDAY LUNCHEONS: Doug and Clare Barr host the annual Los Angeles Orphanage Guild Juniors Christmas party and luncheon Saturday for 65 girls from Maryvale, the Los Angeles orphanage. The party will pay tribute to Sybil Brand, a member of the Los Angeles Orphanage Guild, who has donated a doll for each Maryvale girl at Christmastime over the past 30 years. Co-chairmen Cathy Jones and Chip Selby will decorate the Barr home with chili-pepper wreaths and straw and tin ornaments. . . .

Anne Banning Auxiliary of the Assistance League presents “The Night Before Christmas” holiday luncheon Sunday in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton. Robinson’s will show chidren’s fashions. Joan Aldrich and Terry Baldwin are co-chairmen. . . . Mrs. James T. Halkias of San Marino and Mrs. Kimon K. Trigonis of Bradbury co-chair the Philoptohos Society of Saint Anthony Greek Orthodox Church’s annual Christmas benefit luncheon Saturday at the Bonaventure. Festivities begin with a Christmas boutique before the Holly Mitchell production and the Citrus College Singers. . . . Opera Guild of Southern California honors Dorothy Warenskjold at its holiday luncheon Saturday in the Grand Ballroom of the Bverly Wilshire.

AND GLITTER: Descanso Gardens Guild will host a Charles Dickens Christmas Saturday through Dec. 14 in La Canada Flintridge with Christmas fantasies for the public. . . .

More than 100 will sip cocktails in the lobby of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium today before lunching on stage around red poinsettias inserted by Jacob Maarse in inverted black top hats. It’s a part of the festivity surrounding the California Music Theatre’s new support group, FirstNighters. Performing will be the star of California Music Theatre’s upcoming musical, “The Most Happy Fella,” and that’s John Raitt. Judy McDowell is luncheon chairman with Kathy Arntzen Roat.