J. J. Pinola to Receive Sally Award

Joseph J. Pinola, First Interstate Bancorp board chairman and a Salvation Army board member for the past 16 years, adds accolades on Thursday. He’ll receive the Salvation Army Los Angeles Metropolitan Advisory Board’s Sally Award at a dinner at the Beverly Wilshire Ballroom.

Nearly 700 business, civic, social and entertainment leaders are expected to attend and the Army’s national commander, Commissioner Andrew S. Miller, will also be there.

Also to be honored that evening will be Arthur Annecharico, president of the Arthur Co. He will receive the Evangeline Booth Award for recent Salvation Army television spots. The “Others” Award goes to Judge Harry Pregerson, U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. He was instrumental in securing federal facilities in which the Army has operated a shelter for the homeless.

SIMPLY WONDERFUL: Las Floristas members break their backs each year, wearing 25-pound floral concoctions for the Las Floristas Headdress Ball. The power of flowers and sincere volunteer efforts showed results a few days ago at a luncheon at Rancho Los Amigos (celebrating its 100th anniversary) when Las Floristas, celebrating half a century of caring for children, announced a commitment of $700,000 to the Los Angeles County-USC and Rancho Los Amigos medical centers as part of its 50th anniversary project.

At the luncheon, Las Floristas past president Mary Richardson and 1988 ball chairman Barbara Gershon and co-chair Maggie Simms presented a $250,000 check to the two facilities. But the highlight of the day was the dedication of the Las Floristas Center for Applied Rehabilitation Technology. Las Floristas has pledged $450,000 over a three-year period for the creation of this innovative “model home,” which will provide the latest in equipment and train handicapped children to lead more normal lives.

Among those attending were Dr. Donna Barras, chief of pediatrics for the Las Floristas Pediatric Clinic, and Los Amigos medical director Robert Waters; Dr. Frank De Ruyter, director of communications disorders service at Rancho; and Fred Spahr, executive director of the American Speech, Language and Hearing Assn. in Washington. He gave Las Floristas the association’s Distinguished Award.

NEW HOME: Antiquarian G. R. Durenberger has donated his former antique shop in San Juan Capistrano to the city of San Juan Capistrano, and the shop has been leased back to the Center for the Study of Decorative Arts. The center unofficially inaugurates the occasion Saturday with a preview party and exhibition, which will be followed by lectures on California design next Sunday and Nov. 14.

The preview calls attention to the center’s opening in early February and its inaugural exhibition, “California Style: Collectors and Collections” at the new home, 31431 Camino Capistrano, where antique lovers have browsed and bought from the gregarious Gep Durenberger for more than two decades.

The nonprofit center evolved after five years of cultural activities in San Juan Capistrano by its parent organization, Libros y Artes (Books and Art), associated with the San Juan Capistrano public library designed by Michael Graves. Electa Anderson heads the preview party.

PERFECT PINK: Frances and Sid Klein happen to think pink is good for you. Their Perfectly Pink Party the other evening Upstairs at the Bistro in Beverly Hills brought out the nicest arrays of red and pink-hued rubies, amethysts, a few canary-hued diamonds, and everyone had a rosy time dancing and mingling.

The gracious hosts (wasn’t this their fifth pink party?) assembled a fun array of friends--Loretta Young and Bill Frye, Happy and Frances Franklin, Ellen and Bernie Byrens, Jess and Phyllis Marlow, Danny and Rose Marie Thomas (she revealing their benefit for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital raised $1.6 million) and a bunch more, and most of the men came pink-tie.

FOR RESEARCH: Pam and George Smith of Bel-Air host their third annual A-T Medical Research Foundation luncheon Wednesday at the Regency Club. They began the foundation four years ago to find a cure for ataxia telangiectasia (A-T), a rare genetic disease that afflicts their daughter Rebecca. Dr. Kenneth Shine, dean of the UCLA School of Medicine, will speak. Involved are Lois Rosen, Alice Lainer, Cindy Sands, Lonnie Israel and Adrienne Horwitch.

THE LAUNCH: The Southern California Alumni Clubs of the eight Ivy League Schools, the seven Sister Schools and the service academies, are preparing for another sun-and-fun weekend featuring the race-within-a-race, the Ivy Ensenada Regatta, to take place during the 42nd running of the Newport to Ensenada Yacht Race on April 28. The Ivy-Ensenada Regatta is short (overnight, 125 miles), known for its irreverent party mood, sometimes called the Tequila Derby.

William N. Hoke tells us the party mood was revving up the other day at the California Yacht Club when 100 Ivy League alumni assembled for the kickoff. Funds raised go the scholarship fund of the winning school.

JUMPING: A full Hunt Brunch, followed by opening ceremonies of the Los Angeles National Horse Show and the $30,000 Grand Prix (a World Cup qualifying event), are the mix planned by Nancy Cole, chairman of the benefit for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra Nov. 20 at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center.

Michael Jackson and Alana Ladd Jackson are honorary chairmen. Heading the affair for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Affiliates (and also busy working on sales for their Vintage Wine project) are Marilyn Conzonire, Beverly Nocas, Joyce Sprafka, Patricia Payonzeck and Suzanne Osgood.

KUDOS: To Dorothy Leavey, recipient of the Private Enterprise Exemplar Medal from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. . . .

To “L.A. Law’s” Michael Tucker, master of ceremonies at the grand opening of the Rosenkrantz Library of the West Valley Jewish Community Center. The event is this afternoon in West Hills. . . .

To Jerome Fox and Katie and Jack Elinson, being honored at dinners for their devotion to the City of Hope.

AH, ARABELLA: The Junior Fellows at the Huntington Library in San Marino, headed by Joe Regan, met recently to plan for the year. They’re innovating. They’re planning a black-tie affair to celebrate the birthday of the late Arabella Huntington (Henry E. Huntington’s wife). It’s been scheduled for June, and it will be called the Arabella Ball.