Jewel History Sparkles for the Luminaires
Luminaires’ (of the Doheny Eye Institute) eyes were flashing over jewels this week at their luncheon in the Garden Room of the Bel Air Hotel. Event chairman Dee Maechling of San Marino, at the suggestion of president Cynthia Yost, brought in Mary Murphy Hammid, director of Christie’s Jewelry Department, West Coast, to present “Great Moments in Jewelry History.”
Luminaires will be staging its own great moments April 26 at Doheny Mansion when it presents “A Decade of Thank-Yous.” Carol Mullaney and Lois Matthews plan a gala tea to fete donors of the past decade, including founder Mary Crary and New Yorker Mary Lasker.
FAREWELL: After seven jumping years, CARES (Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center Auxiliary for Recruitment, Education and Service) sadly is announcing it won’t stage its prestigious California National Horse Show due to a drop in net last year and future financial uncertainties.
Instead, the saddlebreds, jumpers and hunters have been replaced by a picture of a child’s rocking horse and a witty poem written by former show chairwoman Weta Mathies and her husband, Dr. Allen Mathies, announcing a CARES “No Horse Show” mailing in the hope of raising funds. CARES president Louise Barker notes the program is as needy as ever in its efforts to aid the 25,000 children that visit the medical center each year--some for on-site child care while parents seek medical treatment. CARES budget is $275,000.
KUDOS: Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Jeane J. Kirkpatrick spoke and the Los Angeles Board and the Fellows of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science honored their past Los Angeles presidents at the Century Plaza.
Their faces--Maurice M. (Mickey) Weiss, Herbert Gelfand, Marshall S. Ezralow, Fredrick N. Richman and Gerald M. Lushing--go into the scrapbooks as pen-and-ink drawings on the invites.
PAST PERFECT: The “Desert 550” were in super social form for the Bob Hope Cultural Center’s “An Evening of Tribute for Jean and Ernest Hahn” at La Quinta Hotel. In big polka dots, chairman and early founder Elizabeth G. Williams brought in Harry Belafonte and his troupe for calypso rhythms, attracting a net of nearly $700,000 and four desert mayors--Sonny Bono of Palm Springs, Buford R. Crites of Palm Desert, Richard Oliphant of Indian Wells and James FitzHenry of Indio, as well as Gov. George and Gloria Deukmejian.
A bronze duo bust of Jean and Ernest by Philip Zonne will be finished in several weeks to stand in the lobby of McCallum Theatre for the Performing Arts . . . .
Nelda Linsk and Lee Penkhus added tailgate picnicking (vintage autos were abundant and the caviar and champagne prevalent) and Pee-Wee Polo (kid/pony size) to the polo action at their North American Cup’s Polo II in Indio. The results were lively.
Moreover, the duo expects to better the $90,000 raised two years ago for the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center at Eisenhower Medical Center at Rancho Mirage. More than 450 watched Fish Creek of Calgary best Lodsworth of England 10-8.
KUDOS: To Lisa Paulsen, new executive director of Permanent Charities Committee of the Entertainment Industries . . . .
To Carol Soucek King, editor of Designers West magazine, named Woman of the Year by the Network of Executive Women in Hospitality . . . .
To Edmonde A. Haddad, former president of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, executive director of the Foundation for Mideast Communication . . . .
To Cassandra Malry and Peter Taylor, new board members of ARTS Inc. . . .
To Judy Murphy, Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D-Colo.) and Joanne Parker--to be given “Bread and Roses Awards” Feb. 27 by the National Women’s Political Caucus (L.A. Westside).
DEBUTANTE SCENE: The Social Service Auxiliary, headed by Gretchen Wayne, has named presentees for the June Presentation Ball to be headed by Marjorie Pings.
Ann Porteous welcomed them over tea: Julia Abajian, Susan Bernard, Jennifer Caton, Elizabeth Chandler, Michelle DeWald, Jennifer Eikenmeyer, Anne Fletcher, Jennifer Given, Yvonne Gurash, Robyn Hamilton, Shannon Joyce, Michalyn King, Christianne Lieb, Corinne Rising, Heather Salz, Maura Shea, Margaret Smith, Emilie Terry, Heather Thompson, Glynis Turrentine. . . .
Las Madrecitas, auxiliary of the Crippled Children’s Guild of Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital, honored Las Ninas de Las Madrecitas. The senior girls, who have volunteered a minimum of 100 volunteer hours at the hospital and another 100 in fund-raising activities, got praise when they bowed at the January Evergreen Ball chaired by Eileen Tremonti at the Regent Beverly Wilshire.
They’re Deirdre O’Sullivan, Amy Clark, Jennifer Valliere, Tanya Gale, Jennifer Tremonti, Ashley Smith, Lisa Tinley, Stephanie Ames, Shayna Dierks, Jennifer Mix, Donielle Blue, Laura Crawley, Heather Tankersley, Anne Christmas and Kimberly Narahara.
ON THE TOWN: Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge (L.A. chapter) lunched at Jimmy’s with an Assistance League Mannequins fashion show; foundation president Barbara Harris stages the Freedoms’ Fleet Party aboard the USS Missouri Feb. 25 . . . .
The Shakespeare Festival, doing “Much Ado About Nothing” next July at Citicorp Plaza and the John Anson Ford Theatre, saluted its sponsors this week and announced an innovative outdoor early evening supper performance series for downtowners. On hand were Jack Bowmer of Citicorp, festival artistic director Ben Donenberg, Vickie Sanders of the Vons Cos. (which will match cans of food brought by those attending the free performances), Caroline Ahmanson, Frank Sherwood and Michael and Margo O’Connell.
KEEPING UP: Pasadena Public Library Foundation dedicated its Ria C. Lee Humanities Wing at the Central Library with a cocktail party . . . .
Pacific Asia Museum is now a California State Historic Landmark . . . .
CLARE Foundation broke ground for its new adult recovery home in Santa Monica.
