A Blue Ribbon Gala Anniversary

It was SRO for the Blue Ribbon of the Music Center’s gala 25th anniversary luncheon at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills. President Sandra Ausman and co-chairwomen Arletta Tronstein and Debbie Tellefsen graciously “floated,” giving up their seats, though they eventually landed places.

This was the first all-member 25th anniversary festivity. The ultimate party is May 21--a dinner dance at the Beverly Hilton. It’s hoped past presidents including Helen Wolford of Maui, Maggie Wetzel and Keith Kieschnick of the Napa Valley, Nancy Livingston and Joanne Kozberg will be there.

At the luncheon, Virginia Ramo spilled a volume of history: The first Blue Ribbon meeting called by founder Dorothy Buffum Chandler was held in the Ramo home in Trousdale. As she recalls, “Buff called about 30 women together and asked if I would host. I think everyone who came signed up--Harriet Deutsch, Gracie Salvatori, Vickie Mudd, Olive Berendt.” (The latter three are deceased.)

Actually, records show that 69 prominent women were invited, but only 27 came, and no-shows were not taken lightly. Notes the Blue Ribbon history book, “The word no wasn’t in Mrs. Chandler’s vocabulary.”

At that first meeting, Anne Douglas and Salvatori were appointed presidents by Chandler.

At the Neiman Marcus event, members recited the evolution of names for the group: “The Blue Ribbon 400,” “The Amazing Blue Ribbon” and “The Blue Ribbon of the Music Center.”

According to the late Times society editor Maggie Savoy’s article on June 28, 1968, the purpose was to form a social group with fund-raising requirements of at least $1,000 a year for each member, all earmarked for the Music Center Arts and Education Fund. The group would also sponsor projects for disadvantaged children, seminars, lectures and receptions with noted artists for members.

Expectations have been exceeded: Members now pay dues of $2,000. Blue Ribbon funds account for more than $1.5 million per year, and the group has donated more than $30 million to Music Center resident companies.

At the luncheon, NM’s president, John Martens, welcomed the crowd with iris and tulips, a runway couture show and a gourmet luncheon of sole Wellington. Honorary board members Ernestine Avery, Helen Bing, Nancy Call, Lois Erburu and Flora Thornton were among those oohing and ahhing--often at the preponderance of nudity of fashion models.

Board members past and present--Annette O’Malley and Lenore Greenberg, respectively--were there. Prominent, too, Wendy Goldberg, Connie Gavin, Carrie Ketchum, Alyce Williamson, Clarice Ellis, Frani Ridder, Susan Keck, Nancy Day, Betty Stickell, Carol Henry, Joni Smith, Donna Tuttle, Billie Bowlby, Jenny Rutt, Joan Hotchkis, Mary Milner and Anne Johnson.

Some of them had been at the California premiere of Karl Lagerfeld’s Chloe Collection for spring and the black-tie dinner John and Bridget Martens hosted the evening before at the newly redecorated L’Orangerie on La Cienega.

For that, the city’s best-dressed took to their closets for their finest. Mingling was an attractive crowd: Gerald and Robin Parsky, Penny and Adam Bianchi, Dee and Richard Sherwood, Kent and Joyce Kresa, Mary Lou Hicks, Sally Kellerman with Jonathan Crane, Michael and Pat York.

As always, Martens had put his artistry on the choices of flowers, cuisine (caviar and egg in egg shells for the first course) and timing.

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THE REGENTS: Now comes a new group--the Regents of Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles--with an exciting mission. At an inaugural meeting last week, Regents pledged to fund the Board of Regents Surgical Center. The estimated cost is $17.5 million.

Some of the city’s most dynamic have committed to Regent status. Those at the luncheon: Marion Anderson, Anna Murdoch, Charles G. Bakaly III, June Banta, Gail Barrett, Betty Keatinge, David Kirschner, Thomas E. Larkin Jr., Edmund J. Regan, Gloria Renwick, Suzan Smigel, Russell K. Snow Jr. and David D. Watts, the newly appointed president.

More commitments have come from Dody Booth, Marcia Wilson Hobbs, Marion Jorgensen, Chantal Kilroy, Edward James Olmos, Steve Edwards, Corinna Smith, Jean (Mrs. William French) Smith and Betty Wilson.

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SPECIAL KUDOS: The late Walt Disney, the Disney family and Fred Nicholas, chairman of the Walt Disney Concert Hall Committee, will claim tributes Tuesday as the Music Center “family” stages a dinner at the new Hotel Inter Continental.

Plaudits, too, go to Steve Allen, to be honored by the American Lung Assn. tonight at the Bel-Air Bay Upper Club . . . To Karl Malden, honored Wednesday with the William C. Menninger Medal for Achievement in Mental Health at the Regent Beverly Wilshire . . . . . . To Alice Coulombe, honorary benefit chair of the Neighborhood Music Settlement champagne buffet . . . And to Bob and Jeanne Morrissey, hosting the California Wine Patrons (a support group for the California Museum of Science and Industry) dinner for 120 at L’Orangerie . . .To Jane and Michael Eisner, hosting the West Coast kick-off dinner at Walt Disney Studios for the Lawrenceville School $125-million capital campaign with 400 alumni attending, including trustee John Hotchkis, who will play a major fund-raising role for the New Jersey prep school.