A Pell-Mell Whirl for Madame Michele Rocard

Madame Michele Rocard, a sociologist and the wife of French Prime Minister Michel Rocard, was in town fresh from Houston and Oscar and Lynn Wyatt Jr.’s black-tie dinner in their River Oaks home; from Ft. Worth and partying with Elton and Martha Hyder; from Dallas and a view of the Murchison art collection with Lupe Murchison; from San Francisco with art tours and lunch with Mr. and Mrs. John Rosekrans.

She was still standing and she set Los Angeles on a pell-mell whirl. French Consul Gen. Gerard Coste entertained at his consular residence in Beverly Hills and later at dinner at Ma Maison. Next day, Michael Eisner helicoptered her to Disneyland for lunch; then she visited Fox studios, and that evening dined with movie moguls at the home of Howard Ruby and Yvette Mimieux Ruby. (Ronald and Nancy Reagan were guests, too, as were David Hockney and Betsy Bloomingdale.)

The next day was museum day--the Getty, MOCA (for lunch) and a tour of Frederick Weisman’s contemporary collection before dinner at Spago. The day Rocard departed she was whisked to Los Olivos Ranch to see Douglas Cramer’s art, all under the skillful planning of international marketing consultant Andre R. Dunstetter. Sounds royal to us.

HIGH UP: “When you get angry with the world, come up and have a drink and look out over the whole world,” said City Club on Bunker Hill chairman Walter Beran.

Goldman/Sachs’ Peter and Robin Barber, founding members, were standing by, looking out over traffic clogs from the 54th floor of the Wells Fargo Center. Beran turned around. Was owner Robert Maguire on his way for this club inauguration? No, he was caught in traffic. Without him, Beran, his wife, Speedy, and as many of the 635 Founding Members as could, crowded between the doorways.

The ribbon was cut, and recut, and recut, with Jane Arnault, George Pla, Sam Williams, Stanley Sanders all in photo focus. So, it’s official. The club’s open. To show off the fare, chefs set dining tables with the cuisine. The Bunker Hill Berger will be $7.50, the Cobb Salad Bunker Hill $8.

After all, you need a good buy with a $4,000 membership with $110 monthly dues. Dallas Club Corp. of America senior v.p. Charles A. Reichert beamed about the mounds of shrimp, caviar and fruit prepared for the crowd, and he ignored the missing banquet cushion in one room because the damask didn’t arrive. Taking it all in--the two dining rooms, the privite dining suites, the bar/lounge--were Ron Parker, Daniel Dworsky, Joe Mullin, Japanese Consul Gen. Hiromoto Seki, Bill Vaughn, Nelson C. Rising, Richard and Betty Koshalek, Stanley and Melba Sanders, Greg Doerschlag, Marilyn Hudson and son Paul, Aram Arakelian (the general contractor) and Tom Burke.

TOP VISITORS: United Way of America national chairman Edward Brennan (also chairman and CEO of Sears, Roebuck and Co.) has challenged United Way of Greater Los Angeles to double its commitment (last year $88 million). . . . Wyoming Governor Mike Sullivan addressed Town Hall. . . . Madame Anne d’Ornano, mayor of Deauville, France, was the attraction at cocktails at Hermes on Rodeo Drive.

PLAUDITS: The Rotary Club of Los Angeles, the famed LA-5 chapter, turned 80 last week at the Los Angeles Hilton amid the toot of birthday horns and a birthday cake of balloons. Incoming president of Rotary International Hugh Archer flew in. President Victor L. Walch presented $100,000 to Police Chief Gates for D.A.R.E. drug abuse programs now in 50,000 classrooms in 48 states.

Rotary leaders, including John C. Westwarter and William Plunkett, were on hand to hear Carl P. Miller, a member of the club for 50 years and a donor of $1 million to Rotary in 1974, say: “We have you in our will--we have a very substantial gift for you.” His wife, Ruth, nodded approval.

HAPPY SOUNDS: Seems everyone in Pasadena is donning a hard hat, so to speak. The Rose Bowl Aquatics Center directors broke ground the other day for the $5-million Rose Bowl Aquatics Center to be located adjacent to the Rose Bowl (an awesome four pools). To date, president Terry Wilson and chairman John Naber and vice chairman Norman Chandler are among directors who have raised $3.8 million.

And, Huntington Memorial Hospital donors and president Allen Mathias and his wife, Weta, donned hard hats for a viewing party of the construction under way for the first phase of the hospital’s replacement building project.

KUDOS: To Karen Sulzberger, elected president, California/International Arts Foundation . . . To legendary Mel Torme, honorary chair of the John Tracy Clinic’s 43rd Tennis and Crumpet Classic and its proud $100,000 net . . . To Mireya Jones, prexy who bowed out at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Affiliates 25th anniversary year fashion luncheon at the Music Center; now Fran Muir takes over . . . To Bernice Gershon, Suzie Mayer Mackel, Vi Nason and Blanche Seaver, chosen for the Sybil Brand Awards on behalf of the Beverly Hills Pops.

MEGHAN AND MEGAN: We mentioned Megan Forsyth, but we left out Meghan Marie Ehrbar when reporting Social Service Auxiliary debutantes. She’s the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph R. Ehrbar of Pasadena.