RSVP : A Fund-Raiser Toasts the Fund-Raisers

One of the most successful troikas in local fund-raising was honored Saturday night at the Century Plaza by UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation at its 50th-anniversary gala.

The feted were Lilly Tartikoff, Revlon chairman Ronald Perelman and Dr. Dennis Slamon. The trio’s formula boils down to this: Tartikoff raises money, Perelman donates lots more and Slamon spends it on studying breast and ovarian cancer. By working together, they’ve sustained the Revlon/UCLA Women’s Cancer Research Program.

The program’s success has reinforced their mutual admiration. Tartikoff describes Slamon as having “the excitement and obsession of a great scientist.” Perelman says Tartikoff “has this spark of energy that ignites the passion and compassion of others.” Slamon praises Perelman for “putting money into research instead of a building he could have his name on.”

The foundation was so happy about Perelman’s generosity that no mention was made of his habit of discreetly slipping out between courses to puff on a cigar in the lobby. It goes without saying that smoking at a cancer dinner ranks somewhere between wearing fur to an animal-rights rally and sipping from a flask at an AA meeting.

The dinner itself was done in the time-honored fashion of introductions and acceptance speeches. What was interesting was the amount of dancing by the largely middle-aged crowd. The 17-piece Greg Fields Orchestra, which has a slew of Count Basie alumni plus Frankie Laine, pulled off that most difficult of tasks: getting a black-tie crowd up and moving.

Between dances, the 900-strong crowd heard remarks from co-chairs Helene Brown and Dr. Lawrence Souza, UCLA Medical School dean Dr. Gerald Levey and the university’s chancellor, Charles Young.

Among those on hand for the dinner that netted more than $500,000 were foundation directors Ken Jonsson and Kurt Kamm, Dr. Norman Sprague, Elgin Baylor, Stephen Cannell, Byron Allen and super-model Vendela.

One final testimonial to Slamon came from Tartikoff’s husband, Brandon, who was successfully treated for Hodgkin’s disease by the doctor. “Denny validates parking,” said the former NBC executive. “That’s why I think he gets more business than the guys in Beverly Hills.”