Political Jabs Keep Eyes Open at UCSD Medical Center Gala

You might say that Saturday’s “An Evening With . . . “ benefit for UCSD Medical Center was for the birds.

And then again, you might not. But consider that menu chairman Audrey Geisel put quail on the dinner plates. She declined to specify whether the entree was a reference to Republican vice presidential candidate Dan Quayle, but did say, “Interpret it as you like--it might be a little tongue-in-cheek.” There were a few pigeons in the capacity crowd of 565 who didn’t get the joke.

Both Republican and Democratic presidential tickets were singed by master political satirist Mark Russell, whose appearance on the Saturday before the election amounted to a peacock’s fan in the cap of the UCSD Medical Center Auxiliary. The group hosted Russell’s glibfest in the Hotel del Coronado’s Grand Ballroom as the ninth in its annual series of galas featuring the erudite, the famous and (occasionally) the pompous; among previous guest speakers have been marine explorer Jacques Cousteau and the conqueror of Mt. Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary.

Russell, who has described himself as a “political cartoonist for the blind,” turned a sluggish fund-raising season on its ear by precipitating a run on reservations that resulted in a waiting list, a genuine scarcity these days. Auxiliary President Jean Johnson said that proceeds were expected to exceed $100,000, a record for the “Evening With . . . “ series. Primary beneficiary will the medical center’s department of ophthalmology.

Nothing Less Than a Coup

Event co-chair Edie Drcar said signing Russell, an especially hot property during the political season, was nothing less than a coup. “Since the election is Tuesday, we have Mark Russell at his prime time. He’ll give us his best material of the year,” said Drcar.

Russell did exactly that, although he waited until the audience had been primed with a meal of seafood gallantine , asparagus custard and, of course, the quail, which had been richly stuffed with foie gras and minced mushrooms. There also were a couple of warm-up routines that preceded the satirist’s act: Medical center director Michael Stringer told the audience that the event provided support that “simply is not available through the usual sources,” and ophthalmology department chief Dr. Stuart Brown said that his department not only has grown into one the the country’s best, but that it is “ahead of the cutting edge of the field.”

Darlene Shiley, who with her husband, Donald, is a primary benefactor of Brown’s department, introduced Russell as “Buffalo’s finest export since Millard Fillmore.”

That Russell has fed on a steady diet of politicians for 30 years became obvious with his opening lines about the candidates, and even though the satirist was speaking to a heavily Republican crowd, he showed no favorites and skewered Vice President George Bush, Quayle, Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis and Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas) with nonpartisan glee. “The depressing thing about the contest between Bush and Dukakis,” he said, “is that one of them is going to win.”

‘Not the Gipper’

“Bush is not the Gipper, he’s the Gimlet,” was followed by “Dukakis, the one bland Greek in the world and he’s running for President as Zorba the Clerk.” Nor were the vice presidential candidates spared. “The debate between Bentsen and Quayle ought to be made into a game show, where the audience matches the answers to the questions.”

Since the thrusts were nonpartisan, the audience guffawed in nonpartisan unison, especially when Russell indulged in his favorite shtick of singing homespun ditties while playing the piano standing up. In a parody of “Button Up Your Overcoat,” Bush was urged to take care of his health so as not to bequeath the presidency to Quayle. Dukakis, meanwhile, was teased with “Michael, Row Your Tank Ashore, Alleluia.”

Applause Poured In From Audience

At the close of the performance, the applause poured in from a guest list that included actor Richard Dreyfuss, whose child was treated by Brown; Ernest and Jean Hahn; event co-chair Ellen McVean; Helen Edison; Walter Fitch; Lee and Larry Cox; Lois and Donald Roon; Karon and Gordon Luce; UCSD Medical School dean Dr. Gerard Burrow; Cathy and Brad Geier, and Myrtle and William Gordon.

SAN DIEGO--The city’s oldest and probably grandest floating party prop served as the sensational backdrop to the 125th Anniversary Celebration, the first-ever gala given for the benefit of the Maritime Museum of San Diego.

A booming foghorn, slicing through the heavy mist that mantled the Embarcadero, acted as a homing signal for the 375 would-be old salts who descended upon the Star of India to mark the anniversary of the iron-hulled merchantman’s maiden voyage. The grand old ship, which once carried cloves and cinnamon from Calcutta to Liverpool and later sailed the “salmon run” from San Francisco to Alaska, was costumed in party dress for Saturday’s gala. Designer Dick Ford strung rows of high-wattage bulbs along the ship’s masts and guy lines, and aimed crimson spotlights at its low-slung sails.

The fog had not been anticipated, but its swirling ribbons created the illusion of a ship in motion, and the blood-red sails made the Star appear to be passing into an Oriental sunset. The effect was greeted with some enthusiasm by gala co-chairs Katherine Black and Laurie Blackington, who had erected a transparent pavilion on the County Administration Building lawn opposite the Star so that the ship might be a constant presence at the gala. The tent, a novelty for San Diego, was hung with neon stars and hundreds of yards of fishnet.

Since the Star was the incontrovertible star of the show, Black and Blackington launched the evening with a cocktail reception held on its storied wooden decks. Uniformed sea cadets stood at the ready at the gangways to assist those who found navigating the steep ladders an acrobatic experience, and the Jackstraws offered up sea chanteys in piratical profusion.

The party moved to the tent for dinner and then dancing to the Bill Green Orchestra. Board of trustees president Art DeFever waited until after the dessert to make the eagerly greeted announcement that the Star will sail again, for the first time in three years, on May 28, 1989. Guests scooped up raffle tickets in the hope of winning the evening’s grand prize, passage for two on the ship’s upcoming voyage.

Among those there were Gordon and Jeanne Frost, George and Alison Gildred, Pat and Dottie Haggerty, Judson and Rachel Grosvenor, Mike and Jan Madigan, Esther Burnham and Jack Lasher, Tom and Jane Fetter, Patrick and Diane Goddard, Dick and Windie Knoth, and Robert and Arlyne Ingold.