Les Dames Hosts One for the Smithsonian

When megamillions go for Van Gogh sunflowers and Duchess of Windsor baubles, why not at least “a basting fund” for restoring and preserving America’s priceless originals: the First Lady inaugural gowns in the Smithsonian Institution? After all, we hear, quite of few of them are drooping and sagging, including Nancy Reagan’s Galanos gown, which needs support because of the weight of the heavy beading.

Thus, Les Dames International Hostesses will salute America with the “Silver Kite Inaugural” for the Smithsonian on Sept. 18 as a highlight of Constitution Bicentennial Week. The benefit in the Beverly Wilshire Ballroom will launch the Pacific Coast Preservancy, a permanent volunteer action group to address the needs--not necessarily fashion--of the National Museum of American History.

Les Dames president Toni Webb and founder Wanda Henderson plan that this East meets West premiere event will fund the restoration and preservation of six First Lady inaugural gowns--those of Sarah Yorke Jackson, Julia Gardiner Tyler, Frances Folsom Cleveland, Jane Appleton Pierce, Ida Saxton McKinley and Nancy Davis Reagan. It takes about $12,000 to restore each gown, and Les Dames plans to give $72,000. The First Lady gowns are said to be the most popular exhibit in Washington.

Deans of gems and fashion--Sol Laykin and Jean Louis--will be honorary hosts. And the Hostesses have chosen six designers--Nolan Miller, Galanos, Estevez, Novarese, Travilla and Edith Head (June Van Dyke’s collection)--to each present three “Great Entrance Originals” of the past at the Silver Kite.

Why titled Silver Kite? Wanda Henderson explained: “The kite is synonymous with American symbolism--Benjamin Franklin, children--and the kite will become significant as our emblem.”

The other day at “dress rehearsal” time at Louise and Barry Taper’s home, Les Dames executive board and chairmen welcomed Smithsonian Renee Kortum, external affairs director, and Edith Mayo, curator First Ladies’ Hall, to Los Angeles.

They were there to inspire the Yankee Doodle committee including Francine Maroney, Sheila Riddell, Elise Pasetta, Carol King, Hildegard Lindsey, Harriet Luckman, April Sgro-Riddle, Allen Dormaier, Margaret Larkin, William Holzhauser, Alex Villicana, Charles Elkins, Angelo Pappas, Jacques Camus, Francis Ravel, Happy Franklin, Ruth LeSage, Joan Armstrong Williams, Sachi Irwin, Dale Snodgrass, Sue Villicana, Jiva Mody, Beryl Danielson, Marie Humphreys, Liliane Ravel, Maria Hodgson and Erik Laykin.

SANTA FE GALA: A four-day opening celebration benefiting the Santa Fe Opera’s apprentice program for singers and technicians will inaugurate the 1987 Santa Fe Opera season in New Mexico on July 1-4, and it’s drawing lots of Californians. Flora Thornton, a former singer and a regional gala chairman, and Mrs. Murray Ward will attend. The Ernest O. Ellisons will join the E. Carson Bealls of Palos Verdes, the Alexander Powers of Santa Ynez, and the Mark Yorstons and the James Colachises, all of La Jolla, as a tensome. More Californians attending will be the Theodore Flickes, Walter Pick, Dr. and Sidney Franklin of Irvine, the Melvin Scherrs of Newport Beach and A. R. Riolo of Arcadia, father of the opera’s executive director, Tony Riolo Jr.

The four-day festivities begin July 1 with the opening night of the new production of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly,” conducted by the opera’s founder and general director, John Crosby. All first-nighters will be treated to pre-performance champagne and starlight dancing post-opera to the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra. A black-tie dinner dance at the Hotel Eldorado follows on July 2. The third day calls for the opening reception at the New Mexico Museum of Fine Arts of “Impressions of a New Civilization: The Lincoln Kirstein Collection of Japanese Prints, 1860-1912.” “Impressions” originated at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Santa Fe is the first stop on a nation-wide tour. That evening opera-goers will see Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro.” On July 4, the gala culminates with a Southwestern-style barbecue at the hacienda of Fritz and Ramona Scholder at Galisteo.

Charles S. von Stade Jr. heads the national committee for the celebration. Mrs. Ralph Levy and Mrs. Paul C. Frank are co-chairs of the Santa Fe committee, headed nationally by Mrs. William Zeckendorf and by Judith Dow Alexander of Ann Arbor, Mrs. William Egolf of Oklahoma City, Mrs. Jerry D. Geist of Albuquerque, Mrs. Arnold Horwitch of Scottsdale, Karen A. G. Loud of New York and Mrs. Marlis E. Smith of Denver.

KUDOS EXTRAORDINAIRE: It’s just the icing on the cake, they say (the total is yet to come), but Louise Strnad, president of the Pasadena Junior Philharmonic Committee, and Christine Varner, chairman of the Pasadena Showcase House of Design, have announced the first donation to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Assn.: $275,000. Other recipients are the Braille Institute, the Music Mobile Program, and the Philharmonic’s annual Youth Concert for fourth grade school children in the San Gabriel Valley. . . .

The Permanent Charities Committee of the Entertainment Industries will award checks totaling more than $1 million to 49 Los Angeles-area health and human services organizations Thursday at the 385 North Restaurant in West Los Angeles.

FRIENDLY NIGHT: The crowd attending the National Conference of Christians and Jews had to sacrifice a Lakers game, but it was for a good cause--”to stamp out bigotry and promote brotherhood.” And Jack Heidt, chairman, was able to announce a $200,000 net before the black-tie audience at the Beverly Wilshire. He also had gathered the Rt. Rev. Oliver B. Garver Jr., suffragan bishop, Los Angeles Episcopal diocese, to pronounce the invocation, Harvey Korman to be master of ceremonies, Ken Berry to tap dance, Jimmy Stewart to present the Brotherhood awards, his own brother, Horace Heidt, to conduct the orchestra and Dr. Norman Vincent Peale to pronounce the benediction.

The 39th ball was a tribute to a trio: Lester B. Korn, co-founder and chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Korn/Ferry International; Robert M. McIntyre, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Southern California Gas Company; and Bonita Granville Wrather, chairman of the board of the Wrather Corp., and former screen and television star.

The Hon. Mildred L. Lillie, presiding co-chairman of the NCCJ, and executive director Robert M. Jones helped spearhead the night. In the audience were Mary Ann Heidt, Gloria Stewart, Carolbeth Korn, Marilyn McIntyre and Bonita’s family including son Christopher and daughter Molly Dolle, and Linda and Tony Finocchiaro, as well as Stan Ratzlaff, John and Chris Westwater, Morgan Harris, Linda Hartwick, Stender and Polly Sweeney, Tom and Ruth Jones, Beverly and Joe Mitchell and Maud and Richard Ferry.

DESERT POLO: World-class polo players, Hollywood celebrities and jet-setters mingle Oct. 18 for the Barbara Sinatra Polo Classic at the Eldorado Polo Club in Indio. Mrs. Frank Sinatra has enlisted the support of Jacque Coveny and Nelda Linsk to co-chair the benefit for the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center at Eisenhower Medical Center, Rancho Mirage. Tickets are $2,500 for a table of 10 for the afternoon luncheon, entertainment and auction. A gourmet box-lunch goes for $150 per ticket and a reserved seat for $15. A cohesive committee will include Beverly Lewis and Hal Broderick, decorations, and Barbara Kaplan, Cal Vander Woude, Dorothy Tenney, Judy Gelfand, Mario Gardner, Michelle Byer, Pat Oygar, Mimi Albert and Lynn Mallotto.

HONORED: Robert Kramer, founder of Kramer Motors, will be honored by the Anti-Defamation League on Thursday at a dinner at the Beverly Wilshire, and expect some fun with the Kramer hometown connection with President Reagan. Kramer not only listened to Reagan when he was a sports announcer, but his father, now deceased, ran a custom tailor shop and tailored the three suits that Reagan took to Hollywood for his first screenings. Bud Barish, Ted Chanock, Sam Goldman and Fred Miller chair the dinner.

CLUB 100: For six years Club 100 of the Music Center has been honoring distinguished artists who have worked at the Music Center. Presenters at the celebration luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel named nine classy honorees: Lee Hausner presented to musician Mel Torme; Genevieve McSweeney to visual artist June Wayne; Carol Mancino to actress Debbie Allen; Mary Zinser to critic Mark Swed; Lauren Tewes to arts education expert Bridget Martens; Joan Seidel to opera’s Carl Princi; Kim Johnson to costume designer Carol Brolaski; Lorraine Saunders to actress Jean Stapleton; and Eunice Forester to actor Charlton Heston. Olive Varga and Wilhelmina Diener put the pretty luncheon together with Donna Wolff’s supervision.

There were fond farewells and gifts to president Joyce Rosenblum, who revealed that the club generated $650,000 this year. Now Diane Morton takes over. She started with a joke about three sailors shipwrecked, two desperately searching for rescue, the third lolling about and eating bananas. The two say irritably to the one: “Why don’t you help?” Says the third, “Last year I gave $100,000 to the Music Center; it was $50,000 more than the year previous. They’ll find us! They’ll find us!”

WELLNESS: Friends of the Wellness Community host a benefit screening of “Roxanne” and a supper party Tuesday at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.