Floriade III Slated to Bloom Once Again
The flowers of spring are inspiring big bouquets of social events.
In Phineas Banning’s time, before the turn of the century, flower festivals were regularly a focus of city society. Now, Floriade III, the floral festival and interior design show canceled last year during the city’s riots, blossoms again with the same chairwoman--Pamela Clyne--to raise funds for Banning House at Wilmington.
“Significant, unrecoverable costs were associated with the pre-emption of last year’s Floriade III,” said Phoebe Vaccaro, president of Friends of Banning Park. “To minimize losses, fresh flowers were donated to Childrens and Good Samaritan hospitals; food purchased for the event was taken to the Salvation Army.”
A black-tie crowd will attend the premiere April 22, and it’s hoped that 7,500 will attend the show April 23-25. It will feature more than 40 exhibitors--floral, interior and landscape designers.
The San Marino League’s biennial Art Walk home/garden tour this month was posy-perfect. President Lynne Mitchell and chairwoman Cheryll Wegge flew banners as crowds flocked to homes frocked in flowers, including those of Linda and Blaine Fetter, Hannah and Russ Kully, Missy and Dennis Alfieri and Bruce and Martha Karsh, as well as to the offices of Loomis Sayles & Co., where executive David Davis hailed guests. Tea and sherry were served on lace in the Kully garden.
Bobbie Galpin put the touch of spring flowers on the Luminaires (of the Doheny Eye Institute) luncheon featuring Travilla fashions--one of the myriad of spring do’s. Prominent at the affair, held in memory of the late founder Mary Crary, were president Elaine Leventhal and co-chairwoman Carol Mullaney--both glowing in springtime yellow--and two other co-chairwomen, Barbara White-Thomson and Jan Kelly.
More: Jo Fisher, Patty Doheny and her mother, Rose Halbriter, Onnalee Doheny, Pat Prindle, Sally Woodward, Vevie Reynolds, Pat Meek, Ann McWethy, Connie Van Vorst, Nancy McHone, Shirley Wilson, Barbara Knight, Ginny Dickinson and Kee Flynn.
Another sure sign of spring was the breezy Childrens Hospital children’s fashion show at the Beach Club hosted by Victoria Dean, Jane Gosden, Laurie Griff, Heather Haldeman, Megan Hernandez, Bonnie McClure, Casey Olson and Kate Westlake.
Friends of Robinson Gardens left their beloved flower gardens to step inside the upscale Regency Club in Westwood to honor botanist and UC Santa Barbara Chancellor Emeritus Vernon I. Cheadle with the Mildred Mathias Life Achievement Award. The affair’s a prelude to the Friends’ forthcoming tour of Los Angeles gardens.
Spring calls for chapeaux, doesn’t it? According to Irene Tresun, chairwoman of the Windsor Square-Hancock Park Historical Society, John G. Bullock and Percy G. Winnett, owners of the original Bullock’s in downtown Los Angeles, took the bold step in the late 1920s and opened L.A.’s first department store in the “suburbs”--Bullocks Wilshire, where ladies dropped in for Easter hats.
Last week “The Grand Lady,” which will close April 10, was honored by the society as members met in the parking lot for a nostalgic farewell co-planned by Dorothy Price and Jane Gilman. George Blackmon, who for many years operated the hand-controlled elevator, was a special guest. No more shopping for spring hats there.
And spring means the Las Floristas Floral Headdress Ball. It has a “Once Upon a Time” storybook theme April 23 at the Beverly Hilton, say co-chairwomen Jean Arnett and Marji Williams. Expect dazzling, towering petaled headdresses.
BRISK: Tall red tapers on red cloths with U.S. and Marine flags in abundance put zip into the Marine Scholarship Ball at the Century Plaza. Gen. Carl Mundy of the Marines was described as “a leader’s leader and a warrior’s warrior,” as he entered to the gust of the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, spiffy in their red jackets, gold buttons and white trousers.
The night, chaired by Richard J. Stegemeier, chairman and CEO of Unocal Corp., will net $110,000 for Marine scholarships.
The Semper Fidelis Award went to Northrop Corp. Chairman Kent Kresa, whose company makes the F/A-18 Hornet fighter that the Marines fly. Raoul (Rod) Dedeaux, USC’s former coach of baseball, received the John Wooden Sportsman Award, and the Globe and Anchor Award went to Daniel L. Hernandez, executive director of the Hollenbeck Youth Center.
KUDOS: To Ray R. Irani, recipient of City of Hope’s Spirit of Life award at the Regent Beverly Wilshire. . . .
To William A. Moffett, director of the Huntington Library, named the 1993 Librarian of the Year by the Assn. of College and Research Libraries . . .
To philanthropists Adelaide and Alec Hixon, hosting the Yale Whiffenpoofs at their home to benefit All Saints Church’s AIDS Service Center. . . .
To Walter Lantz (creator of Woody Woodpecker), honored by the Jules Stein Eye Institute at a luncheon at the Westwood Marquis. . . .
To the Petroleum Club of Los Angeles, now in its new home at the University Club, says president Andy Hopwood.
ESCALATION: Joachim Splichal of Los Angeles’ Patina and Pinot restaurants is assembling renowned superchefs for the “Art of Dining VI” Italian cuisine feast April 25 at the Newport Beach Four Seasons to benefit the Newport Harbor Art Museum. Popular honorary co-chairs Joan and Donald Beall and Judie and George Argyros are attracting the big donor tables of $5,000 and $10,000. Michael Mondavi of the Robert Mondavi Winery will be master of ceremonies. . . .
The Los Angeles Junior League last week matched scratch golfers and 30 handicappers for its first golf tournament. For the event at the Wilshire Country Club, the planners tossed in box lunches and a celebration gourmet dinner. Now, members will shed golf togs for black tie for the April 24 “Destination L.A.” gala at Union Station.
