High-End United Way Donors Celebrate

The United Way campaign headed by James McElvany will stage its volunteer Victory Celebration on Tuesday with the anticipation of donations exceeding those of the previous year for the first time in six years. On a recent evening in Bel-Air, major individual donors of $10,000 or more shared the victory in exquisite revelry planned by Doreen McElvany.

Some 150 members of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society gathered for cocktails on the lovely terrace at the home of hosts Marion and John Anderson, then dined in a columned tent profuse with garlands of roses, peonies and hydrangeas.

Good news. United Way Chairman Charles D. Miller revealed that the de Tocqueville people, headed by Peter Mullin and Richard Ferry, have brought in $3.9 million from 172 big donors including William Louchheim, Roy and Betty Anderson, Peter and Robin Barker, John Hotchkis, Kent and Joyce Kresa, William and Laura Siart, Dan and Frani Ridder, Dickinson and Gabriele Ross, Byron and Ronnie Allaubaugh, Alan and Freida Berlin, Mike and Martha Bowlin, David and Cherry Bianchi, William and Teran Davis, Rae and David Finegood, and Walter and Darlene Gerken.

Gov. Pete Wilson stopped in for congratulations and the Rt. Rev. Frederick H. Borsch of the Los Angeles Episcopal Diocese waxed poetic. It was a night to quote de Tocqueville: “When an American asks for the cooperation of his fellow citizens, it is seldom refused.”

Next year’s campaign chairman, Los Angeles Times Publisher Richard T. Schlosberg III, attending with his wife, Kathy, certainly hopes so.

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Summer Shine: L.A. Alive! 1996 was everything chairwoman Anne Johnson wished for Saturday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Some 450 guests raised more than $400,000 for the Music Center in the silent and live auctions. Chef Piero Selvaggio, of Valentino and Primi, prepared the dinner. Guests danced to the New York orchestra, The Bob Hardwick Sound. Anjelica Huston and Robert Graham were honored.

Such hard work it takes to stage an auction of Alive! proportions. Sue Russell brought in a chocolate lab puppy, Charlotte, to be put up for bids, giving it constant cuddles. Jackie Rosenberg, Sally Raab, Grazia Dornfeld and Carol Mancino all garnered auction goodies ranging from stays at foreign hotels to supper at Pink’s Chili Dogs for eight. Also tempting bidders were jewels from Bulgari, David Orgell and David Yurman of Neiman Marcus, and a trip to Egypt.

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Beautiful Debs: A stunning group of debutantes was presented in the ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton Huntington at the Los Angeles Childrens Hospital June Debutante Ball hosted by Pasadena Guild.

Surrounded by lattices of blushing roses and peonies, the debs circled the dance floor on the arms of their fathers or grandfathers, missing no cues and curtsying five times--once on stage, three times around the dance floor and a fifth time in unison.

Applauding were guild President Virginia Eddington, ball chairwoman Joan Bolton and her husband, James, and Anne Wilson, president of Childrens Hospital.

Debutantes: Kelley Barker, Marisa Chandler, Susannah Clark, Allison Dalbeck, Jessica Harley, Jennifer Heintz, Catherine Kirwan, Virginia Mielke, Emily Miller, Courtney Rader, Kimberly Sherman, Elizabeth Stevens, Jessica Sullivan, Robin Weir and Leigh Winter.

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Sunday Frolics: “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the annual Coleman Chamber Music Assn. benefit, takes place tonight at the home of Constance Zahorik in San Marino . . . The Actor’s Fund of America benefits from tonight’s special performance of “An Inspector Calls” at the Ahmanson Theater . . . Also this evening, the Beverly Hills Public Library Friends will “dance our ringlets to the whistling wind or better yet revel” at their Midsummer’s Eve frolic, supper and cabaret.

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Worth Much, Too: Worth magazine lists “the top 50 big-city neighborhoods” in this month’s magazine. And our elegant Bel-Air ranks first with a population of 2,530, average household income of $339,833, and average home value of $582,291. Brentwood (after Wesley Heights in Washington) ranks third, Hancock Park eighth and La Jolla 13th.

Elsewhere on the Social Circuit:

* Katie Osterloh hosted tea at Jimmy’s to honor Phyllis Easton . . . The California Alliance for Arts Education paid tribute to Richard Dreyfuss at its awards luncheon . . . Descanso Gardens trustees honored their new executive director Richard Schulhof from Harvard at dinner.

* Gold Patrons celebrated the inaugural year of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and its art auction with a cocktail party and a private dinner at the La Jolla home of collectors Mason and Elizabeth Phelps.

* Keeping Up: Malcolm O’Donnell Jr. and Kevin Shannon co-chaired the Catholic Big Brothers benefit, “Stars and Cars for Kids,” at the Petersen Automotive Museum . . . The American Ireland Fund put money into its coffers with a “Day at the Races” at Hollywood Park . . . The Japanese American Cultural and Community Center saluted the late Walter O’Malley, Pete O’Malley, George and Sakaye Aratani and Nippondenso Company Ltd. at its annual dinner . . . “The Women of Scientific Achievement Award” luncheon at the Natural History Museum saluted marine biologist Sylvia Earle . . . Jeffrey Berg and Denise Luria feted UC Berkeley Chancellor Chang-lin Tien at a reception . . . Assistance League of Southern California’s new president, Cynthia Ardell, was at the helm at the “Royal Tea” honoring 500 league patrons at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills . . . Women in Film’s 20th anniversary Crystal Awards paid tribute to Jodie Foster, Angela Bassett, Anjelica Huston, Buffy Shutt and Kathy Jones. Audrey Hepburn was honored posthumously.

* Mary Lou Loper’s column is published Sundays.