Talking Up Science at Muses Lunch

Those who left the Muses of the California Museum of Science and Industry 25th celebration Woman of the Year luncheon at the JW Marriott walked away with little quartz crystal clocks inscribed Muses as well as the message from the honoree, Chancellor W. Ann Reynolds of the California State University system, that even more needs to be done to push scientific education among the young, which is what Muses members do through their science scholarships, seminars and workshops.

“Unless steps are taken immediately,” Reynolds said, “we could suffer a shortfall of as many as 560,000 science and engineering professionals by the year 2010.” The chancellor has served as co-chair of the Federal Task Force on Women, Minorities and the Handicapped in Science and Technology. Research, she noted that today 75% of the graduate students receiving financial support from university engineering departments are foreign nationals, and in the period between 1978 and 1987, the percentage of Ph.D.s earned in engineering by American students declined from 53.6% to 45.2% of the total. “Clearly,” she said, “we cannot be competitive as a nation if we have to rely on other countries for our science and engineering needs. We have to grow our own crop of future scientists.”

The luncheon was planned by Betty Miller. Heading the program were Margaret Thompson, Kevin O’Connell, June Haver MacMurray, Joe Campanella and Jan Crowther.

PROMINENT: John Brooks Slaughter will be inaugurated as 11th president of Occidental College on Friday at 2:30 p.m., and two days of festivities are upcoming. Former Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm delivers the keynote address at the Inaugural Symposium following a black-tie dinner and reception today on campus.

Among the prominent Southern Californians attending festivities will be Donn (trustees chairman) and Peggy Miller, Dr. Allan and Weta Mathies Jr., Charles and Carolyn Miller, Peter and Pamela Mullin, David and Dona Schultz, Frank and Rary Simmons, Roy Anderson, Robert and Carol Finch, Walter and Darleen Gerken, Stanley and Ileen Gold, Stafford and and Robert Grady, Claremont-McKenna president Jack and Jil Stark.

Among those participating in a symposium on “Preparing the Liberal Arts College for the Twenty-first Century” will be James J. Whalen, chairman of the board of trustees of the American Council on Education; Alexander W. Astin, director of the Higher Education Research Institute of Los Angeles; Richard J. Mahoney, chairman and CEO of Monsanto Co., and John D. Maguire, president of the Claremont University Center and Graduate School.

THE DERBY: Elaborate picnics will be brought to Santa Anita Park on Saturday, and diners will be among 100 Rolls-Royces and Bentleys whose owners have reserved the infield. The event sparks activity for the 52nd running of the Santa Anita Derby, the $500,000 race to determine the 3-year-old championship of the West. Of course, it’s a prelude to the Kentucky Derby.

Santa Anita president Robert Strub and his wife Betty will be entertaining at luncheon in the Directors Room. British Consul Gen. Donald Ballentyne and his wife Elizabeth will be there as will Thomas Meeker, president of Churchill Downs, and his wife, Carol, coming from Louisville, Ky.

We’re told tulips and peach and cherry blossoms will add to the ambiance as Patsy Pope, Grant Horn and Sheila and William Shay all come from the north, to join Southern Californians including Robert and Cammie Strub, John Strub, Gerry and Pat Frawley. Peggy Whittingham and Alice Rodich.

LUNCHEON THAT GREW: Helene Irvin and Gloria Holden hosted what started out as a little luncheon (planned at the Ritz Carlton in Washington during the Bush Inauguration) for Gayle Wilson, wife of Sen. Pete Wilson, but it grew into an almost-no-regrets affair for 95 of the busiest women in Los Angeles at the Los Angeles Country Club on Tuesday noon.

Brenda Himmel in Santa Monica did the apricot and ivory invitations embossed “Gayle.” Place cards were little chocolate blocks, ribboned with streamers printed “Gayle,” and iced with names of the guests. Jacob Maarse of Pasadena built floral arrangements tall enough to intersperse the chandeliers. The heat almost wilted the club flowers, as well as those ladies who opted for Adolfos and a little wool, such as Rosemarie Stack, Joan Hotchkis and Mary Davis; but most were prepared for the temperatures with open-air cottons and trim linens of Ungaro ilk, including Beth Lowe, Susan Turtelot, Libby Doheny, Linda Blackburn (who chairs the fashion-chic Mannequins “Afternoon With Eve” this spring) and Suzanne Marx.

There was no soliciting, no money talk. The G-word was never uttered as Helene Irvin reeled off Gayle’s major accomplishments--activist for Phoenix House Foundation (drugs), AIDS, Alzheimer’s, Children’s Institute (child abuse), House Ear Institute in Los Angeles, program chairman for Congressional Wives.

At the head table, the honoree was between Margaret Brock and Jane Weintraub, and in the same circle with both hostesses were Erlenne Sprague, Joanne Kosberg, Betty Wilson, Lydia Heston and Robin Parsky.

More in the crowd were Jean Smith (wife of the former U.S. attorney general), Jane (Mrs. Freeman) Gosden, Ginie Braun, Kate Graham, Betty Morgan, Maude Chasen, Carolbeth Korn, Suzanne Cavlovick (new director of the Fifth Avenue Club at Saks in Beverly Hills), Iris Dart, Raylene Meyer, Betty Irvin, Olivia Roth, Ramona Cappello, Marcia Hobbs, Bonnie Green, Virginia Rogers, Carol King, Nadine Tilley, Sandra Ausman and Genevieve Ryan.