Blue-Ribbon Post for a Good Friend

Phyllis (Mrs. J. Michael) Hennigan of Hancock Park takes over the three-year presidency of the Blue Ribbon at the Music Center from Sandra Ausman on July 1. The 650-member Ribbon, founded by Dorothy Chandler in 1968, raises $1.7 million annually, making the presidency one of the most prestigious volunteer jobs in the city.

Surprise: Longtime bachelor (and former president of the Bachelors), civic leader-lawyer John Welborne will marry Boston architect Martha Lampkin in Los Angeles in October. Suzanne and Fred Rheinstein caught 100 friends off-guard with cocktails Wednesday in their Windsor Square home.

Jolly Fun: Viscount Linley has a wonderful personality, said Marcia Hobbs at the private viewing of his $14,000 humidors in burled woods imitating houses by such famous British architects as Indigo Jones. Richard and Pat Dunhill hosted. David Linley’s wife, Serena, was there. Before the Linleys and Dunhills left for Hong Kong, Barbara and Marvin Davis gave an elegant dinner for 39 and Wendy Stark got the Monkey Bar to open for a luncheon to honor Queen Elizabeth’s nephew.

Well-Jeweled: Bejeweled, in dazzling gowns, the Diadames invaded the jewel vaults of the Natural History Museum to breathe upon the Hixon Ruby, a 196-carat Burmese wonder, and the 4,644-carat blue topaz. “Awesome, awesome,” said Joyce Kressa and Coco Viault. Doris Mendenhall and Margie Petersen planned the brilliant dinner where Glen McDaniel received the Jewel Award as wife Marilyn glowed.

On the Social Circuit

* Phoenix House’s (drug abuse) public service award went to Los Angeles’ caring and sharing John E. Anderson, president of Topa Equities Ltd., at the Beverly Wilshire dinner chaired by Mary Marshall. Grant Tinker, Dr. Mitchell S. Rosenthal and corporate chairs Ellis Jones, John F. Cooke, Richard Ferry, Franklin E. Ulf and Cleon T. “Bud” Knapp heaped accolades on Anderson and his wife, Marion . . . Ray Irani of Occidental Petroleum received American Jewish Committee kudos at the Bill Cosby dinner show at the Beverly Wilshire, chaired by James McElvany and Dale Laurance . . . Michael Crichton was booked by the Constitutional Rights Foundation for its spring dinner at the Century Plaza . . . Pitzer College feted trustee James Joseph at a dinner. President Clinton recently named him to head the Corporation for National and Community Service.

* Kudos: Nancy Reagan, Caritas Award from the Irene Dunne Guild and St. John’s Hospital . . . Stephen Cannell and Robert Kresser, 1960 Flintridge Preparatory School classmates, Diamond Jubilee Gala plaudits at the Ritz-Carlton, Huntington.

* Decorative Arts Council Chairman Jamie Fleming sent a happy crowd scurrying through Los Angeles County Museum of Art on a benefit treasure hunt. One clue: “I have six legs but only keep time with four.”

* Sold out, bright and wonderful are what we hear about the Pasadena Art Alliance’s Silent Art Auction. Among those bidding were Hannah and Russ Kully, Debbie and Bill Appler (in from Washington), and Lud and Shirley Renick from Sun Valley. Guests arrived at the Art Center College of Design to Burma Shave-like signs signaling “Take Heart . . . Be Smart . . . Buy Art.”

* Wonderful People: Roy A. Anderson, chairman emeritus of Lockheed Corp., the Salvation Army Sally Award at a dinner for 500 . . . Gordon Binder, chairman Amgen, the Center for Excellence in Education “Achievement in Excellence Award” at the J.W. Mariott . . . John J. Quinn, partner in Quinn, Kully and Morrow, the American Jewish Committee’s Learned Hand Award at the Regent Beverly Wilshire . . . UCLA Chancellor Charles E. Young, Alumnus of the Year at UCLA, in recognition of the 25th anniversary of his inauguration . . . Jheryl Busby, president of Motown Records, the Future of America Award from DARE on Tuesday at the Beverly Hilton (Jayne Levant and Helen Mars chaired with dinner chairs--Bob Cohen, Bruce Konheim and Bruce Meyer--to raise $1 million from 1,000 guests).

* Limelighters: Mariachi king Nati Cano, Ralph’s Chairman Byron Allumbaugh and Seaver Institute President Richard Call, saluted at the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts’ “Ole! Musica Latina” soiree at the Biltmore . . . Deborah Raffin and Michael Viner honored at Portals’ Gold Bell Awards dinner, and Bruce Karatz and Sharon Stone at Aviva Center’s “Triumph of the Spirit” gala.

* Awards Galore: Over tea at the Beverly Wilshire, the Mannequins of the Assistance League honored fashionable men and women for careers and charity with Adam & Eve Awards: Judith Bedrosian, Maggie and Earl Russell, Art and Lois Linkletter, Laila Strott Conlin, John and Donna Crean, Gloria Dahl, and Marge and Max Kolliner . . . Club 100 of the Music Center, at its Distinguished Artists Awards luncheon at the Four Season, paid tribute to Gordon Davidson, James Earl Jones, Dianne Ladd, Loretta Livingston and Frederica Von Stadei . . . For its 35th anniversary, the Los Angeles Chapter of Childhelp USA gave Sally Struthers and Marilyn McCoo Women of the World awards Wednesday at the Century Plaza, raising $200,000 for abused children.

* Midas Touch types work wonders in this city. Dann and Jo Jeanne Angeloff of Pasadena hosted the “Wish Upon a Star” party for Hillsides Home for Children, and, voila !--$100,000 . . . Larry Freeman has raised more than $1 million for the USC/Norris Compehensive Cancer Center and just added $250,000 last week with his sixth annual tennis tournament at Beverly Hills Country Club, started from gratefulness as a result of his son Mark’s cancer remission . . . With Tim Mondavi honorary chair and Christie’s Ursula Hermacinski auctioning, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s “An Evening With California Winemasters” raised $250,000 at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel.

* Mary Lou Loper’s column is published Sundays.