R.S.V.P. : Everything’s Coming Up Roses for USC Fans

Chocolate roses for dessert, roses decorating the white tent, roses on the invitations. USC is growing them in profusion for festivities surrounding USC’s 27th appearance in the Rose Bowl, another against Michigan.

President Dr. James H. and Marilyn Zumberge spread hospitality on the Rose Bowl Concourse New Year’s Day. Elsewhere, Trojan alumni are jumping up and down, exceeded in enthusiasm, perhaps, only by the ecstatic fans of the University of Colorado Buffalos (ranked No. 1 and set to play Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl today) who are tossing oranges higher than heaven.

SLEEKED UP: The merriment at the traditional day-after-Christmas opening of thoroughbred racing at Santa Anita brought out a happy group for the big 53rd season.

Robert and Betty Strub greeted guests in the Directors Room. New Santa Anita president Clifford and Karen Goodrich were all smiles. So was Frank (Jimmy) Kilroe, surrounded by Mary and Arthur Crowe, Mary and Philip Hawley, Dorothy and Ray Rogers, Grace and Fred Ryan, Warren and Alyce Williamson. Frank and Margarita Kanne had been among the first to dial 911 in the Westwood fire last weekend and told tales of hosing the roof of their nearby home.

New Santa Anita director Thomas Mullaney and his wife, Carol, viewed the races from the super vantage point, along with Hannah and Ed Carter, Camilla and Robert Strub, Ginie and Henry Braun, Camilla and Dan Frost, and Barbara and Joe Harper, up from Del Mar.

GOLDEN KUDOS: Les Dames of Los Angeles isn’t giving its prized “Host of the Year Award” to a social arbiter or business titan. Guess who? It goes this year to the one-of-a-kind Father Maurice Chase, who walks alone every Sunday afternoon on Skid Row offering derelicts his message of love, a handshake and a $1 bill.

He receives the Founder’s Award at the International Hostess Society’s traditional Twelfth Night Bal Masque at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Saturday. Wanda Henderson of Les Dames calls him the Righteous Robin Hood, because he takes from the bountiful--among them, Loretta Young, Jimmy Stewart, Betsy Bloomingdale, Gregory Peck and Frank Sinatra--to help the poor. When Father Chase gets to heaven, he says, “I don’t want to tell Him I was just a society priest.”

PAST PERFECT: Alice Avery’s glorious Christmas party for nearly 400 at the Los Angeles Country Club . . .

Janice and Bob Carpenter’s wonderful Tea Dance at the California Club to honor four Las Madrinas debutantes, Alison Inch, Caroline McIntyre, Shauna Robinson and Jody Young . . .

Kacey, Peter, Shane and Patrick McCoy’s Beverly Hills cocktail party, brimming with smiling faces . . .

Bonnie, Arthur and Mark McClure’s open house on the top of their hill in Beverly Hills . . . Rusty and Dan Chandler’s Christmas Eve open house in Hancock Park . . .

Joni and Clark Smith’s big Christmas Eve celebration in which guests were shuttled up their hill to see that most glorious of Christmas Eve sunsets and the city lights.

MIRTH: In honor of recently wed Teresa (Up de Graff) Power, Joan Williams and her daughters-in-law--Suzanne Williams and Kathreen Williams--were among the many hosting tables at the Los Angeles Country Club Christmas luncheon . . .

Over a cup of Christmas tea, with cookies tied in bows and white flowers everywhere, Peggy Galbraith and daughter Laura Galbraith hosted friends, who received nosegays of white roses ribboned by Jacob Maarse and tied with notes saying Laura weds Randy Scharlach July 28.

TEA PARTIES: If men went to tea parties, they’d be in trouble. It will take ladies weeks to shed the pounds accumulated at some of the prettiest tea parties in town--Dina Oldknow’s tea in Marino, with Greek pastries abundant, and at Gretchen Schumacher’s holiday tea in Brentwood.

At the Childrens’ Chain for Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles tea that Carole and Katherine Hambleton and Carlotta and Ann Keely hosted at the Valley Hunt Club, the kids were downing sugar cubes faster than gingerbread wreaths.

What a well-dressed bunch. Debbie Lanni with Sean and Patrick, Tink Cheney with Ann, Kathy Russell with Ann and Sarah and Mary (all in black velvet dressed with lace), Linda Evans with Jamie, Wendy Siciliano with Stuart and John.

Grandmothers were everywhere: Bonnie Toole, Pat Stern, Pat Austin, Betty Strub. The club was a forest of white narcissus. When Santa and Citrus College Choir passed out candy canes, not a few of the boys turned them into rat-a-tat machine guns. But, no one was supposed to notice.

JUNE DEBS: At a frothy holiday tea at the home of Ernestine Avery, Pasadena Guild of Childrens Hospital June debutantes stood in a long line to receive guests with president Kelsey Hall.

Honored were Catherine Baker, Chantal Berger, Heather Braun, Devon Danz, Sara Geiling, Elizabeth Grossman, Natalie Hopfield, Mary Maechling, Michelle Mapel, Kathleen Marangi, Diane Marsh, Heidi Marsh, Katrina Mielke, Lindsey Moore, Marlo Moore, Mary Nasser, Ann Elizabeth Niblo, Ashley Owen, Patricia Popovich, Carolee Reiling, Donna Riley, Corrine Rising, Ashleigh Robertson, Ellen Shea, Charmaine Shryock, Kristen Stockwell, Amy Wier and Anna Marie Wood.

CHEERS: Nearly 400 listened to Howard Keel, John Raitt and Kay Starr at the Michael Burke Foundation’s “Voices of Christmas” White Christmas dinner dance. Barbara Aldrich planned the event with Arthur Simon at the Regent Beverly Wilshire for Heart Institute at Saint John’s Hospital . . .

Center Theatre Group Volunteers heard carolers and honored Jane Alexander and Gordon Davidson at the luncheon arranged by Ellen Price, Kim Peterson, June Sattler, Roberta Haft, Gail Newman and Babe Eagle.

HAPPY SEASON: Pat and Sy Lorne hosted Christmas Cheer, not once, but twice. Hosting parties also were Bob, Ann, Chris, Bob and Carrie Matthiessen; Molly and Dick Siefert; and Clarice Ellis, who invited friends to honor her daughter Kim, who is returning to Tanzania to help save the wild dogs.