Nixon Scheduled to Check Out Libraries
Former President Richard M. Nixon will attend two receptions at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace in Yorba Linda on Nov.4.; one for the library’s board of directors (organized by William E. Simon), another for its volunteer docents.
Nixon is coming to California to attend the dedication of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Ventura County the same day. (This was supposed to be the first time in history that five living Presidents convened at one spot. But former President Jimmy Carter has sent his regrets, saying he will be in Zambia. Carter, you may remember, was also unable to attend the opening of the Nixon library in July, 1990. So, the power lunch of the decade--attended by President Bush and former Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Nixon--went on without him.)
Word’s out that local GOP heavy hitters will be among the 4,000 people expected to attend the library christening. (Orange County society is still talking about the $100,000-per-couple lunch staged a few years ago by developer William Lyon on behalf of the Reagan library. One of the guests was the late political powerhouse Armand Hammer.)
The Nixon library receptions will be low-profile, says library spokesman Kevin Cartwright. “President Nixon doesn’t want to take away from Reagan’s dedication day. We’re really low-keying it.”
A Woman of Egypt: Jehan Sadat, widow of the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, will tour the Nixon library for the first time on Oct. 22. A library luncheon, hosted by hamburger mogul Carl Karcher, is being planned in her honor. Sadat is coming to California for a round of speechmaking in the Los Angeles area.
Karcher has been invited to host the luncheon because his fast food chain is headed for the Middle East, with Egypt designated as a choice franchise spot. (A Cairo with cheese, anyone?)
On a serious note: Sadat writes about Nixon and the funeral of her late husband in her autobiography, “A Woman of Egypt.” “As is our tradition,” she writes, “only men marched in the funeral procession, among them, Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford . . . Prince Charles of England, King Bedouin of Belgium. . . . “ A bronze statue of Anwar Sadat stands in the library.
While only a special few will be welcomed to the library lunch in her honor, the public is invited to meet Sadat when she tours the library that day.
Hello Columbus: Columbus Day was celebrated with a benefit for ChildHelp USA at Tutto Mare restaurant in Fashion Island on Monday night. (Watch for a slew of Columbus-themed parties to hit party calendars. With the 500th anniversary of his first voyage to America approaching, “discovery” will be the thing. )
More than 250 guests, at $75 each, gathered to feast on Italian fare, says Patty Edwards--who co-chaired the event with husband Jim (he’s president of Edwards Theaters.) Proceeds were about $12,000.
Loving a mystery: A party to benefit Kids cancer connection, inc. was held on Sunday at the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach. The event featured a Mystery in the Gallery whodunit between courses. Proceeds of about $12,000 will be used to fund programs for children with cancer--camp retreats, school re-entry counseling, scholarships and a Christmas card program.
Sunday was also the night selected by the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Assn. for its Winter Fantasy Dinner Dance staged at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel. Les Brown’s band performed at this benefit to raise funds to assist patients who have Lou Gehrig’s disease.