L.A. Basking in an Italianate Glow
Tonight in Washington, Italy’s Ambassador to the United States Rinaldo Petrignani and his wife Anna host a black-tie dinner at Villa Firenze, the ambassadorial residence, for Italy’s prime minister, His Excellency Ciriaco De Mita.
The bonds of friendship in Los Angeles are still warm from the prime minister’s visit and the Italian influx earlier this week to dedicate the sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro in the reflection pool of the Department of Water and Power. The work commemorates Italy’s gratitude for the Marshall Plan, which helped rebuild Italy after World War II.
About 150 were invited to the luncheon in the Blue Ribbon Room of the Music Center after the dedication to meet the prime minister. Like most of them, his excellency rushed to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion windows overlooking the sculpture for a view from the height. He was escorted by Mayor Tom Bradley, and standing by, pleased, was Merry Norris, president of the city Cultural Affairs Commission.
Also rushing for the view was artist Pomodoro, escorted by his good friend Emenda Marinelli, and Giovanna Zamboni, director of cultural events for the Italian Heritage Culture Foundation.
At the luncheon, tall and handsome Italian Consul General Alberto Boniver and his stately wife Susie chatted with Italian community leaders and city officials. Because three Italian banks financed the establishment of the sculpture (donated by Pomodoro), bankers were prominent in the crowd. Mauro Cicchine, president of First Los Angeles Bank, the only United States subsidiary of the Instituto Bancario San Paolo di Torino, was at the Boniver table, commenting, with Ambassador Petrignani, that Los Angeles, on the edge of the Pacific Rim, is the city of the future.
Also at that table were former Ambassador to the Vatican William Wilson, his wife Betty, and their daughter Marcia Hobbs (all about to leave for a Christmas holiday at their ranch in Mexico) and Armand Deutsch. Instituto chairman Gianni Zandano of Italy sat at a nearby table with Charles Manatt, Music Center president Esther Wachtell and the City Council’s president John Ferraro. The prime minister’s 19-year-old son Giuseppe De Mita attended the morning festivities, but skipped the luncheon for a city tour. Also at the luncheon were Joseph B. Allegretti, Rick J. Caruso, Joseph Cerrell, Prof. Luigi Coccioli of Banco di Napoli, Tommy Lasorda, Irving and Jean Stone, the mayor’s administrative assistant Mark Sabiani, Grace Davis and Carmella Speroni.
Just before the luncheon Katherine Winston, whose grandmother married Gen. George C. Marshall (when he was a lieutenant colonel), revealed that as a child she and her brother and sister lived with the Marshalls while her own father, a West Pointer, was fighting in Korea. She says they reverently called him “Undaddy.”
For the occasion, the group sipped the Italian wine Pinot Grigio del Veneto from d’Aquino Winery, but toasted with Korbel Brut Champagne.
AH! De TOCQUEVILLE!--Alexis de Tocqueville was that irreverent Frenchman who visited the United States and both praised and damned us in the often quoted “Democracy in America” (1835).
Among his observations: “I know of no country, indeed, where the love of money has taken stronger hold on the affections of men and where a profounder contempt is expressed for the theory of the permanent equality of property.” He also wrote, “If I were asked
. . . to what the singular prosperity and growing strength of that people (the Americans) ought mainly to be attributed, I should reply: To the superiority of their women.” He was also the first to observe voluntarism as a way of life typically American.
So, in 1984 the United Way in America initiated the Alexis de Tocqueville Society Program, designed to unite individuals of affluence and influence for major gifts and community leadership. Now, Los Angeles is in the process of acknowledging its inaugural charter members, those who personally give $10,000 to the United Way campaign.
About 175 corporate executives and philanthropists attended the dinner at the Bel-Air Country Club. It was organized by Louis W. Foster, chairman and CEO of 20th Century Insurance Co., with help from Irwin S. Field, United Way board chairman; George F. Moody, campaign chairman; William Aramory, president of United Way of America, and Leo P. Cornelius, president, United Way Inc. Long-time United Way advocate Victor M. Carter is serving as honorary chairman of the effort. More support is coming from national Alexis de Tocqueville Society members--Richard Riordan, the Milken Family Foundation, Dr. Armand Hammer, Stanton and Ernestine Avery and the Louis Fosters.
Among charter members in Los Angeles are William Kieschnick, Roy Anderson, Fred Hartley, Timm Crull, Richard Eils and Maurice DeWald.
FOR SIGHT: La Quinta Hotel Golf and Tennis Resort stages the Jack Kramer Swing for Sight golf and tennis classic Friday to benefit eye research for the Doheny Eye Institute. La Quinta general manager Judy Vossler Woodward is donating the hotel, golf and tennis so that participants’ fees go directly to benefit Desert Visionaires. Golf fees are $300, tennis $150.
WRAP-UP: Over and over at Preview Opening Night, Gwen Hatten Baker, chairman of the Los Angeles Junior League Antiques Show at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, kept saying “It’s the prettiest antiques show we’ve ever had.” Indeed, everything was polished and bright, and league members were delighting in proceeds for their causes including shelters for homeless families and a community AIDS hot line.
Attorney Maureen Diekmann, league president, can’t yet reveal the net. Buying that night were John and Robin Kilroy, dining in between shopping with Virginia and William Carpenter. Mingling throughout the evening were decorator Babe Lockie and her husband Howard, Martha and Glen Mitchell, Jack and Nicky Ruskey (she recalled when the league laid the foundations for the antiques show in her living room and sent scouts off the Texas to research antiques shows). Also there were Brenda Arnould of Laura Ashley and Spinsters member Janet Nichols (planning a wedding). Pam Barry (in black with a mink ruff at the hem) extolled the late designer Gustav Stickley and his furniture; her college roommate was his granddaughter. Party chairmen Linda Wessen and Daisy Albertson were there with their respective husbands Bob and Bruce, as were Nick and Kathy Toghia and Gege and Hank Elder.
Everyone was chatting about the excitement of “Gourmet LA,” the league’s new cookbook, which is the rage for Christmas gifts and available through the league and many bookstores.
NAUTICAL: It’s simple: You take a Music Center 25th anniversary transpacific cruise aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2, and Cunard donates 20% of each person’s fare to the Music Center. Happy 25th birthday. Fares range from $1,380 to $2,165 per person, double occupancy, and Marlene Billington is directing her energies to the fund-raising project.
QE 2 committee members involved are Jeff Blash, Mark Foster, Steve Marcussen, Diane Morton, Jackie Rosenberg, Chuck Schneider, Kathryn Klinger Belton, Rod Wilger, Kati Domyan, Bridget Martens and Joni Smith. So far, more than 50 reservations are in. The fun begins in Ensenada, Mexico, when the Queen pulls into port Feb. 20. Ports of call include Kona, Lahaina and Honolulu.
PREMIER: For the U.S. premiere of Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Spring Collection, and the County Museum of Art’s Costume Council celebration at I. Magnin Beverly Hills, Saint Laurent dignitaries were in abundance: Maurice Cau, directeur generale, Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Worldwide; Etienne Boillot, CEO, and Ari Hoffman, vice president.
Highlight was Edward Maeder’s acceptance of an original Saint Laurent creation for the Costume Council’s collection at the museum. (He’s curator of costumes and textiles at LACMA.)
Perfectly pleased--Ann Johnson, president, and the crowd including Virginia Milner, Nancy and Tim Vreeland, Lee Minnelli, Terry and Dennis Stanfill, Peggy Parker and Walter Grauman and Georgianna and Paul Erskine. I. Magnin’s CEO Rose Marie Bravo hosted the Rococo reception--so yummy that no one had to go out to dinner later.
TONIGHT: The Los Angeles premiere of Touchstone Pictures’ “Beaches” at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences benefits research for the American Diabetes Assn. Max Medvin is chairman.