Palomar Goes Hollywood to Find Funding

Some Palomar College-bound student who knows his ABCs better than most will benefit from the gift of television letter-turner Vanna White. One of her gowns sold not once but twice Saturday at an auction held as part of “Palomar Goes Hollywood,” the first black-tie benefit to be sponsored by the San Marcos community college.

Given for 200 guests in the ballroom of the Inn at Rancho Bernardo, the glitzy spoof on the Golden Age of Hollywood marked the first outing for the recently formed President’s Associates of Palomar College, a support group that, like similar groups at UC San Diego and the University of San Diego, exists to provide the school with discretionary funds.

The group’s first-year goal is to raise $45,000 to fund the innovative “2+2” scholarship program developed by Palomar Supt. and President George Boggs. In this program, one student from each of the nine high school districts in the Palomar Community College District will be awarded a $5,000 scholarship intended to pay the cost of two years’ attendance at Palomar and to assist with tuition and book fees for the next two years at a four-year school.

The President’s Associates is made up of about 30 members, mostly owners or CEOs of North County businesses. Boggs said he would like the enrollment to grow to at least 100.

“We hope to get the same support from leading citizens and corporations that other colleges do,” he said. “The group provides needed discretionary money to our foundation. At present, we’re funded at only 61% of what the state considers standard for community colleges, so we have to go out and make up that difference.”

Boggs added that he wants to bring the college an endowment sufficient to allow it to “survive low periods in the state economy.” Membership in the Associates requires an annual contribution of $1,000.

Event chairman Angelo Mitchell noted that, although “Palomar Goes Hollywood” was the first formal fund-raiser in the school’s 45-year history, the intent of the Associates is to host a similar gala every year.

“This is just the first of many ‘Palomar Goes . . . somewhere,’ ” he said, predicting Hawaii as a likely destination for the next event.

“Right now, we want to expose the President’s Associates to the community,” Mitchell said. “Our purpose is to replace the funds that were lost from the state and federal governments; there are so many cutbacks right now. Our desires for tonight were to promote the group and not to lose money, but it appears that we will make several thousand dollars.”

The bulk of the net proceeds were derived from a live auction of Hollywood-themed packages conducted by Master of Ceremonies and KGTV-10 newsman Stephen Clark. Besides the Vanna White gown--a size 7 to 9 creation of black sequined suede and leather, purchased by San Marcos Mayor Lee Thibadeau and his wife, Robbi, after the first buyer instantly redonated it--the “Pretty Woman” package included a two-night stay at the Rancho Bernardo Inn and autographed photos of Valerie Bertinelli, Gary Busey, Max Baer and Richard Chamberlain.

Because this event was intended to launch a series of annual affairs, the committee took unusual pains to make the evening enjoyable, and played the Hollywood theme with a showmanship worthy of the town it honored. During the reception, guests posed for keepsake photographs with celebrity look-alikes--the Liz Taylor stand-in naturally was a popular choice on the eve of the real Taylor’s eighth trip to the altar--and took turns doing live screen tests based loosely on scripts from “Casablanca” and other films. An edited version of the tests played in the ballroom after dinner.

Palomar students and staff members participated in several of the entertainments. The “Palomar College Rockettes,” 10 sequined tapsters, performed a leggy, 1940s Tinsel Town nightclub floor show under a ceiling hung with silver and gold stars, and after the dinner of saumon en feuillete and filet de boeuf chasseur , the Chicago 15 played Big Band sounds for dancing.

On Mitchell’s committee were Ann Boggs, Kate McElhinney, Patti Moyer, Richard Carter, Christina Tajeda, Peggy Ross and Rita Campo Simpson.

Among the guests were Ben Echeverria, president of the school’s board of trustees; Palomar College Foundation President Tom Brown and his wife, Viola; David and Ann Welborn; James and Charlotte Mashburn; Jim and Vera Eubank; Mike and Corine Bell; Riuji Onuma; Dick and Jackie Skay; Denis and Eleanor Colbourne; William and Jean Hanson, and LeRoy Willoughby.

SAN DIEGO--From time to time, it happens that those who have bought tickets to a charitable event repent at the last moment and wish they didn’t have to dress and go out for the evening.

However, Donna Hendrix, who chaired Friday’s multiple-event gala season opener for the San Diego Symphony, nearly missed her own event because of the desire to look her best. Having spent the better part of the day supervising arrangements at the University Club and in the lobby of the Imperial Bank building, she retired to a room in Symphony Towers to change into evening clothes. A recalcitrant door lock imprisoned her for some time, as guests at the “Top of the City” dinner in the University Club patiently sipped Champagne while waiting to applaud the entrance she ultimately made.

The “Black and White Block Party,” which encouraged guests to wear just those two colors, took the form of four separate entertainments: the formal dinner atop Symphony Towers, where a harpist offered classical music; an informal buffet at Cafe Bon Appetit with a livelier program of jazz music, and, following the symphony performance, a sock hop at Imperial Bank Tower and 1940s style swing music and dessert in the Symphony Tower lobby. The multiple program was designed to broaden the social opportunities offered to symphony supporters.

Symphony President Warren Kessler attended the formal dinner with his wife, Karen, and said, “I fully expect another great year” for the orchestra. “These are tough economic times, but we’ve done it again, we’re in the black for the fifth straight year. Just as important is the quality of the music, and the commitment of the maestro (Yoav Talmi), not only to the orchestra but to the city. The city should be very proud of their community treasure, the San Diego Symphony.”

Talmi attended the dinner with his wife, Er’ella; among others were event-sponsor William Beamish and his wife, Ruth, president of the event-sponsoring San Diego Symphony League; Elaine and Walter Steidle; David Rubel; Pauline and Stanley Foster; Esther Burnham; Barbara and Neil Kjos; Linda and Charles Owen; Ellen Revelle; Denice and Mitchell Lathrop; Barbara and Paul Hunter, and Karen and Donald Cohn.

On the committee were Marie Palmer, Phyllis Krauss, Mary Jane Morgan, Maxine Trimble, Judith Shragge, Roberta Hill, Mary Wayne, Judith Perry, Donna Barker, Mary Hodges and Kathleen Seymour.