Luminaries Toast Ronald Reagan’s 85th Birthday

Hollywood luminaries joined some of politics’ biggest names Tuesday night to celebrate Ronald Reagan’s 85th birthday at Chasen’s restaurant, which reopened for the occasion, but the guest of honor dined quietly at home in Bel-Air.

The nation’s 40th president, stricken by Alzheimer’s disease, prefers to avoid large gatherings these days, so the big dinner party--hosted by Nancy Reagan at the storied West Hollywood eatery in which he proposed to her in 1952--went on without him.

“It’s a very bittersweet evening for her,” said Joanne Drake, a spokeswoman for the couple.

By 7 p.m., the limousines began dropping off their famous passengers on the red carpet in front of the white brick restaurant at Beverly Boulevard and Doheny Drive.

The politicians were Republicans--including House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Gov. Pete Wilson, former Pentagon chief Colin L. Powell, Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and former President Gerald R. Ford.

The entertainers included Charlton Heston, Bo Derek, Gary Coleman, Merv Griffin, Johnny Mathis and Bob Hope.

After cocktails in the restaurant, the guests moved to a large tent in the restaurant parking lot, where dinner was served, entertainment was provided by Griffin and Mathis and tributes to Reagan were read by Gingrich and others.

“I think he changed the world,” Gingrich said before the dinner. “He re-aroused the American dream. He sort of brought us back to America. The impact Ronald Reagan made on us psychologically in this country almost means more than anything else he accomplished.”

News media representatives--most of whom were barred from the party--had to content themselves with long-distance photography and the remarks of several hundred demonstrators who gathered across the street to protest what they said was the Republican Party’s indifference to the AIDS crisis.

Chanting slogans, blowing whistles and shouting through bullhorns, the demonstrators waved placards that read “Shame” and “Over 300,000 AIDS deaths.”

“All these Republicans are paying $1,000 tonight for Ronald Reagan’s birthday, but they won’t spend a penny to fight AIDS,” said Judy Kristel, a telephone company employee from Long Beach.

Reagan spent the day playing golf with Hope, then had a quiet, early supper with his wife and daughters Maureen Reagan and Nancy Davis before Nancy Reagan left to host the party at Chasen’s.

His son Ron and daughter Patti Davis sent televised birthday greetings, as did presidential candidate Bob Dole and former Arizona senator and presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.

Among the tributes from past and present foreign leaders were private messages from Boris N. Yeltsin and Mikhail Gorbachev.