UCSD Events Seek to Join Town, Gown

The social calendar at UC San Diego may not be quite as varied as the class schedule offered the students, but the university certainly does transcend its role as a purveyor of education and culture by inviting the community to join in a roster of pleasurable activities.

The ultimate goal is to provide the university with financial support above that which comes to it from public sources. But, according to UCSD spokespeople, the intent is also to provoke a coming together of town and gown that allows both sides to employ the school as a forum.

Between today and the end of November, the UCSD Special Events Calendar lists 24 activities--of varying interest, to be sure--hosted by various school departments. These range from the Great Authors Series, to be held Oct. 9 under the auspices of a support group called Friends of the Library, to a fund-raising bacchanal the next weekend in Rancho Santa Fe. And, for those who might consider the university a staid seat of learning, October will conclude with a feisty gala revolving around nonpartisan political satire that will chew savagely on the halos claimed by both presidential candidates--or by all three of them, should the field expand.

Things get started this Friday when the Mandeville Gallery presents a preview of its new exhibition, “Manny Farber: Black and White Paintings, 1985-1991,” which will be on view at the university’s respected gallery through Nov. 1. A dinner in the elegant Faculty Club will follow.

The title of the exhibit plays a bit with the contents of the show, since the pieces are not entirely in black and white, but rather present still lifes of colored objects posed against white and black geometric backgrounds.

The exhibition, assembled from a dozen Southern California private collections and from Quint Krichman Projects of La Jolla, is presented in conjunction with the commencement of the yearlong celebration of the 125th anniversary of the University of California.

For further information, call Mandeville Gallery director Gerry McAllister at 534-2864.

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On Oct. 11, wine will be the focal point of “Grape Expectations,” where an auction of exceptional vintages will keep guests busy. The UCSD Cancer Center, which from time to time hosts gastronomically themed fund-raisers, will benefit.

To be given at Brickwood, the Rancho Santa Fe estate of Cancer Center patrons Sherri and Ben Kelts, the informal Sunday afternoon event will consist of three segments: a silent auction of fine wines, of which many will be from California; a 7 p.m. dinner, and, to conclude, a live auction of the most select vintages--largely French--and of several special travel packages and dinners.

The bulk of the bottles have been donated by famed collectors Bruce and Marjorie Brown, and the highlights are impressive, including a double magnum of 1982 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, which was given 100 points in an official listing and judged a “perfect wine.” There aren’t terribly many of those; the suggested bid is $1,000.

The names of some of the offerings roll trippingly off the tongue, at least if one is keen for grand Bordeaux vintages and one’s tongue doesn’t trip over French. Included are other selections of Mouton-Rothschild, among them a selection of 15 bottles from selected years that together would permit the staging of an extraordinary vertical tasting (offered at a suggested bid of $2,250); a case of ’75 Bordeaux that includes bottles from Chateau Beycheville and Chateau Brane-Cantenac, and six bottles of 1982 Clos d’Estournel, a wine granted 97 points.

Among the more impressive California offerings are vertical selections of Heitz Martha’s Vineyard, offered at $2,000 for 18 bottles, and of Hanzell Pinot Noir, offered at $1,000 for a collection of 22 bottles from outstanding vintages between 1968 and 1983. The live auction will also include a dinner for eight prepared by haute cuisine mavens Anne Otterson and Lois Stanton, a weekend retreat to a Portola Valley private estate, and an 11-day Seabourn Cruise in May, 1993, that will sail from Bordeaux after a tour of the wine regions and will conclude in London. The asking bid on this little adventure, which was donated by the cruise line, will be $14,600.

Sherri Kelts and Carrie O’Brien will chair the event, which will begin at 5 p.m. Informal attire is suggested. The cost of the event is $125 per person, which includes $50 worth of script that may be used in bidding at both silent and live auctions. For further information, call the UCSD Cancer Center Foundation office at 534-7604.

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At the end of the month, the 13th annual “An Evening With . . .,” which previously has put politics in the spotlight through the rather different approaches of entertainer Mark Russell and Sen. Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.), will present the Capitol Steps just three days before the presidential election.

This Oct. 30 gala, to be given by the UCSD Medical Center Auxiliary in the Crown Room of Hotel del Coronado, will benefit the medical center’s Bannister Family House, a residence for patients and their family members who have temporarily moved to San Diego for treatment in such areas as organ transplantation and burn care.

The Capitol Steps, an ensemble of current and former congressional staffers, has become known nationally for its trademark variety of musical political satire. A point to be considered by attendees is that no matter their political persuasions, they are likely to be offended at one point or another--and just as likely to be delighted when the opposition falls into the Capitol Steps’ sights. The troupe’s parodies, revised regularly, concentrate on current events.

The “An Evening With . . .” gala has become an annual source of funds for the medical center auxiliary, which expects to net about $100,000. The guest speaker is always the evening’s focus--Jacques Cousteau, Sir Edmund Hillary and Ray Bradbury have taken turns at the lectern--but the galas also feature dinner and dancing.

Chloe Moore and Judith Pettitt will co-chair the black-tie fund-raiser, which will commence with a 7 p.m. cocktail reception; the entertainment and dancing will follow the 8 p.m. dinner. Tickets are $150 per person. For further information, call Helene Roberts at 543-6499.