Medici Awards Given at Huntington

For the arts in Los Angeles, the ‘80s have been great years--a doubling in support in the last several years. Interestingly, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce has been in the vanguard--major executives upping the ante not only in the name of free enterprise, but for love of art.

Four years ago, Caroline Ahmanson, a woman who turned down the usually coveted chamber presidency, sparked the goal, convincing merchants and business tycoons. The Medicis of Florence had siphoned a portion of their wealth to launch the glorious Italian Renaissance in arts, literature and learning, creating a cultural flowering that accompanied tremendous economic prosperity. Why not a Medici Awards dinner for Los Angeles?

The first two were at the Getty Museum. The black-tie garden party at the Huntington Library the other evening, the fourth annual, illustrated the strength and breadth and ethnicity of corporate giving in Los Angeles:

Vice president William M. Clossey accepted AT&T;’s Medici Award for its major gift to support the upcoming David Hockney exhibition at the County Museum of Art. Jon B. Lovelace accepted the Capital Group Inc.’s accolades for its collection of Los Angeles contemporary art; Henry Y. Hwang of Far East National Bank was praised for support of the Chinatown library; Peter M. Ochs of the Fieldstone Company was recognized for the company’s collection of early California impressionist paintings, seen at numerous exhibitions. Frederick M. Nicholas of the Hapsmith Company was credited with support of the Temporary Contemporary and MOCA and his new task, to oversee the construction of the $50-million Disney Hall at the Music Center. Daniel H. Ridder, publisher of the Long Beach Press Telegram, was praised for fostering the arts in Long Beach, including the Long Beach Museum of Art and the Civic Light Opera. Robert M. McIntyre of Southern California Gas Co. was saluted for the company’s matching gifts program aiding Latino and senior citizen communities. And Yukiyasu Togo of Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. was honored for his company’s burgeoning arts support.

“Oh, what a feeling!” exclaimed Togo, accepting his presentation from Brock Peters, who, with his wife Didi, is intimately involved in the countdown drive to raise $20 million ($7 million to go) for the Bella Lewitzky Dance Gallery by year’s end.

Dinner chairman Robert F. Maguire III positioned the party on the lawn in the Shakespeare garden at the Huntington. Increments of a gala had more than 550 cocktailing on the veranda of the Art Gallery, before dining on antipasto del mare, mesquite-grilled veal chops, spinach and goat cheese timbale and a tuille cookie basket filled with fresh summer berries. The William Hill 1983 Silver Label Cabernet added a true California touch.

Chamber chairman Thomas P. Kemp (brother of candidate Jack Kemp, and himself the executive vice president of Beatrice Foods) spoke early in the evening of Los Angeles’ dilemma in solving problems of air quality and transportation. Later in the evening he quoted the late Will Durant on the differences between Venice and Florence in the Renaissance that caused the Renaissance to develop in Florence. There was a “keenness of mind,” he noted.

The evening brought out Los Angeles’ major arts leaders: Gordon Davidson of the Mark Taper and his wife Judi (in a kimono from a recent trip to Japan); Wallace Smith, KUSC’s stalwart, soon moving to New York; Stephen Garrett of the Long Beach Museum of Art with Phyllis Nugent; art dealer Lyn Kienholz; Bill Bushnell of the Los Angeles Theatre Center; Robert Middlekauff and his wife Beverly of the Huntington; Jack and Bonnie Armstrong of the Los Angeles Children’s Museum; patrons Ardie and Harriet Deutsch, attending with their grandson, Don Granger, who’s just moved here to join the Weintraub Entertainment Group.

Business and industry leaders included the Waldo Burnsides, the Fred O’Greens and the William D. Schultes. Chuck Reid, whose wife Lorna was in Rome, attended with beautiful daughter Megan (“I’ve gotten more dirty looks tonight,” he joshed. “Say she’s my daughter.”); Linda Wachner; Norm McAbee and Deb; Pete de Tagyos and Gina; William and Keith Kieschnick; Bud and Anne Kenney; Stanton and Ernestine Avery; Earle and Marion Jorgensen.

More in the crowd were Chamber chief executive Ray Remy and his wife, Diana Dickenson, Marshall Rutter, Atty. Gen. John Van de Kamp and Andrea; Leslie Dorman.

Chosen for after-dinner remarks, Frank Hodsoll, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, reflected on the diversity of the arts in Southern California: “We honor the arts, not because we want monuments to ourselves, but because we are a free people.”

ESCALATION: Naturally, when you dedicate a building in Colorado Springs, you play a little golf at the Broadmoor Country Club. A whole lot of Los Angeles residents congregated for the Junior Achievement/Dinah Shore Golf Tournament and the dedication of the new national headquarters building for Junior Achievement. Lod Cook has just taken over the national chairmanship for Junior Achievement, and he and Carole were in the crowd. So were Dinah Shore, John Cushman and Danny Villanueva, the trio also members of Junior Achievement. Cushman golfed with Hugh Grant, managing partner, western region for Arthur Young; Don Snyder, senior vice president for First Interstate Bank, and Richard T. Schlosberg III, publisher of the Denver Post. Bruce Nasby, president of Junior Achievement for Southern California, helped spearhead the dedication of the new 32,000-square-foot headquarters building on land donated by Gates Rubber with a lead contribution from the El Pomar Foundation.

More attending were Gerry Foster and his wife Dottie; Maury Rosas and Maggie; Tom Fuelling, president of Lawry’s Foods and chairman of the board for Junior Achievement of Los Angeles and Ventura counties; Jack Jung, general manager of Hewlett-Packard and chairman for Junior Achievement of Orange County; sports figures Jon Arnett, formerly with the Los Angeles Rams, and Steve Yeager; and Shell and Sandy Ausman, part of the Arthur Andersen foursome headed by Frank Rossi of Chicago.

CAPPING THE FOURTH: Betsy Bloomingdale supplied no fireworks, but lots of sparkle for her Fourth of July affair--cocktails by the pool, dinner in the atrium. Among guests, the Earle Jorgensens, the William Wilsons, the Norman Spragues (off this month for Montana fishing before London and a drive through English and Scottish countryside), Giney Milner (later hosting a welcome home from Europe party for Bunny Wrather), Betty and Bob Adams, Ruth and Tom Jones, Marion and George Scharffenberger, and more. . . . Chuck Fries and Ava Ostern wrapped three movies and celebrated Independence Day at Casa Chava in Laguna Beach in strictly beach attire. . . . All was red, white and blue for Cyndy and Hal Gershman’s Fourth of July barbecue. Making old-fashioned ice cream sundaes and dancing to Alan Mack were Father Maurice Chase, the Barry Kayes, the Robert Kramers, the Fred MacMurrays, the Buddy Rogerses, the Ricky Hiltons and the Danny Thomases. Guests left with red, white and blue yo-yos that light up.

BIG DATES: The Los Angeles Oncologic Institute at St. Vincent Medical Center premieres “Wolf at the Door,” a film about Paul Gauguin starring Donald Sutherland and Max Von Sydow July 30 at the Fairfax Theater. . . . The League for Children (TLC) is at it again, planning another fun evening for the family with a gala dinner at the Los Angeles Sports Arena Aug. 1, before Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus. TLC president Mrs. W. Clark Smith and committee members Mrs. Franklin Johnson, Mrs. Gordon Melcher, Mrs. Jerome Fein, Mrs. Christopher Johnson, Mrs. Roland Peterson, Mrs. Edward Spillane, Mrs. Marty Pasetta, Mrs. Fred O’Green, Mrs. Art Linkletter and Sharon Black have a yes from Phyllis Diller to be honorary chairman.

PLAUDITS: To Dr. Norman S. Marshall, new chairman of the American Heart Assn. Greater Los Angeles Affiliate . . . to Mrs. John William Gaines, new president of Nine O’Clock Players . . . to Eleanor Wilson, new chairman of Bookworms Auxiliary, Assistance League . . . to Robert Redford, who receives a Golden Eagle Award as Humanitarian of the Year at the 17th annual Nosotros Golden Eagle Awards Banquet on Friday at the Beverly Hilton . . . to artist Guy Dill, whose outdoor sculpture will be unveiled at a cocktail party officially opening the Pacific Corporate Towers this evening in El Segundo . . . to the Dance Gallery, seeking its final $7 million to build on Bunker Hill and announcing a gift of $500,000 from the Times Mirror Foundation and its president Charles R. Redmond.

AGENDA: The Richstone Foundation entertains at a fund-raiser Saturday evening at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Shaheen in Palos Verdes Estates. . . . Las Amigas de Las Lomas holds its 30th annual All-English National Horse Show Saturday and Sunday at the Empty Saddle Club in Rolling Hills Estates. The charity show is a major fund-raiser for Orthopaedic Hospital. . . . James Woods, Golden Globe-winning actor, hosted the special showing of the Hallmark Hall of Fame TV show “Promise” (he co-stars with James Garner and Piper Laurie) Monday evening at the Mayfair Theater in Santa Monica to benefit Step Up on Second, the vocational and social center in Santa Monica for recovering mentally ill adults. The film is about the difficulty of adjusting to society after a mental breakdown.