The Children Reap the Joys of Tradition
Oh, yes, it is fall. And the nicest thing recently was having 375 people crammed onto Brad Freeman’s Brentwood tennis court for the Childrens Chain Dinner Dance--and looking around at all the black dresses and all the black and white tuxedos and realizing tradition is very special.
Chairman Raylene Meyer and her committee--Nancy Birdwell, Jennifer Repstad, Cheryl Baker, Carlotta Keeley, Nancy Kirwan, Cindy Hall, Ginny Shelton, Eileen Reed, Ame Solomon and Melinda Wells--staged the September frolic, which now is 37 years old, and as youthful as can be since members don’t stay members forever, and the young rightfully invade.
Chain chairwoman Pat Rauth and Meyer greeted every guest, and that’s tradition too.
One of the exiting moments of the evening (benefiting Childrens Hospital) was when Raylene Meyer’s husband, Bruce, and Peter McCoy auctioned the opportunity to watch Dr. Vaughn Starnes and Dr. Win Wells of Childrens Hospital perform heart surgery on a child.
In the chic crowd: Judy and Dr. Larry Piro (an oncologist), John and Margaret Given, Richard and Alison Crowell, Peggy Galbraith, Diane and Nick Brown, Christy and Charlie Bakaly, Colette and Frank Schweitzer, Laurie and Gary Griff, Kathy and John Russell, Melinda and Donn Conner, Natalie and Phil Davis, Stewart Smith and Robin Feracone, Tracey and Paul Haigney, Isabel and Garret Leahey, Hilary Crahan and Tom Blumenthal, Timi and Gordon Greshma, and Bob Tuttle and Maria Hummer.
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Las Madrinas: Members and their husbands gathered at the hillside home of Jane and Steve Ackerman to celebrate $1.5 million raised since 1993 for the Department of Molecular Genetics at Childrens Hospital. Presidents those three years--Mary O’Connell, Peggy Galbraith and Barbara Fountain--accepted well-deserved kudos.
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Parties: The 100 Club of prominent men saluted Charles Reed and former Gov. George Deukmejian at its black-tie dinner at the Regent Beverly Wilshire . . . Betsy and Frank Ulf do those sensational dinner parties for 50--three in one weekend--so well, trying to catch their friends, always scattered. At the first one, everyone wanted to tour the Ulfs’ charming Pasadena abode. Among guests were Roy and Betty Anderson, Doreen and Jim McElvany, and Ed and Nadine Carson.
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La Fiesta: The Bowers Museum in Santa Ana is abuzz with plans for the 60th anniversary La Fiesta gala Saturday headed by Electa Anderson of San Clemente and Anne Shih of Huntington Beach.
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Kudos: Mount St. Mary’s College President Karen M. Kennelly is hosting the groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for the Sister Magdalen Coughlin Learning Complex at the Doheny Campus . . . The Assistance League of Southern California Design House opens Tuesday in Toluca Lake at the former estate of Bing Crosby.
* Mary Lou Loper’s column is published Sundays.
