It Was All in the Spirit of Giving Hope
More than 600 with lots of the famous among them--including Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and Nancy Daly, Lt. Gov. Gray Davis and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky--turned out for the gala honoring Bruce Karatz, chairman and CEO of Kaufman and Broad, at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
CBS sports anchor Pat O’Brien hosted the “Mission: Possible”-themed dinner, and the Los Angeles Real Estate Industries Alliance for City of Hope gave Karatz the “Spirit of Life” award, also raising a nifty $400,000 for City of Hope and Beckman Research Institute.
Karatz’s wife, Janet, was among the guests.
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Kudos: To Gloria McClintock Holden, recipient of the Scripps College Ellen Browning Scripps Associate Award . . . To philanthropists and opera patrons Joe and Alice Coulombe, guests of honor at the Loren L. Zachary Society’s Viennese Luncheon at the Four Seasons . . . To actor James Garner, a Korean War veteran, and Thomas L. Lee, Vietnam veteran and chairman of the Newhall Land and Farming company, honored by the National Veterans Foundation at its annual celebrity golf tournament . . . To Marie Sol de la Tour d’Avergne, president of Friends of Vieilles Maisons Francaises and guest at the French party here . . . To Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows, honored by the Friars Club with the Spotlight Award . . . To Maurice “Corky” Newman, president and CEO of California Mart, named Man of the Year at the 40th annual charity dinner of the Fashion Industries Guild.
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Past Perfect: Van Cleef & Arpels President Henri Barquirdjian saluted the Neil Bogart Memorial Fund Gala with a dinner at Van Cleef in Beverly Hills. The evening honored Gary Gersh.
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Gala Ball: Jennifer Diener, chairwoman of the board of directors of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, will be saluted Nov. 14 at the 13th annual black-tie ball at the Regent Beverly Wilshire.
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Courtly: Opera Pacific takes over the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach on Saturday evening for its glittery Opera Ball. “Elegance is the theme,” says Marla Patterson, co-chairing with Kathy Wagner. “We’ll make guests feel like royalty.”
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Santa Ynez Trek: The California Historical Society initiated its tours of Southern California with the Santa Ynez Valley. Headed by CHS Vice President Linda Dickason, Angelenos and Pasadenans bused to the Santa Ynez Historical Museum and Carriage House, sipped wine at Adam and Katie Firestone’s Curtis Winery and lunched at Ballard Inn near Solvang while Ralph Story told valley anecdotes. After touring Douglas Cramer’s gallery of modern art, most dozed on the bus trip home.
On Nov. 16, CHS members and friends will celebrate “Hollywood in the Twenties” with a tour of Whitley Heights, once home to Charlie Chaplin and Carole Lombard. They’ll lunch at Musso and Frank Grill.
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Jazzy: Special at the American Jazz Philharmonic’s 17th annual Garden Musical at the Playboy Mansion was the announcement of the Henry Mancini Institute, to begin July 27 on the campus of Cal State Long Beach. Ginny Mancini, Hugh and Kimberly Hefner, Leonard and Judy Green, Fiorenza and former state Supreme Court Justice Malcolm Lucas with wife Fiorenza, Quincy Jones, Sue Raney, Carl Reiner and Mitchell Glickman were prominent among the guests. The institute will provide 90 young musicians with four weeks of master classes and clinics with guest artists such as Ray Brown, Tom Scott and Phil Woods.
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Plaudits: More than 600 contributed to the fight against cancer at the John Wayne Cancer Institute Auxiliary luncheon honoring Ruth Handler, creator of the Barbie doll, co-founder of Mattel and founder of Nearly Me Corp., which manufactures a breast prosthesis. Chairwomen Ilene Eienberg and Judy Arnold presented Neiman Marcus fashions. The auxiliary’s president, Ruth Weil, gave the institute a check for nearly $465,000, representing funds the group has raised this year.
Elsewhere on the Social Circuit
* At the Biltmore, Claremont McKenna College President Jack L. Stark and his wife, Jil, celebrated the college’s 50th anniversary with 560 supporters and announced the college’s $100-million campaign headed by Chris Walker of Pasadena. Half the goal is already in hand . . . Beth Lowe joined Bonnie Kyle of Bulgari at Bulgari’s new Rodeo Drive space for luncheon to show off Mizanne golf fashions and sporty Bulgari jewels. Lowe’s daughter-in-law, Suzanne Lowe, and her sister, Alison Smith, head Mizanne. Among the guests were Doris Coleman, Carol Collins, Jeanine Cushman, Nancy Daly, Sarah Keller, Pam Konkal and Chris Newman . . . Jennifer Fain, Nancy McCullough, Diane McNabb and Jennifer Repstad greeted guests at the Escada Boutique Beverly Hills breakfast benefiting Childrens Hospital . . . The sycamore leaves were falling all around Judy Bedrosian’s home the day of the Council of the Children’s Burn Foundation afternoon tea. Carol Mancino is president . . . Hollywood friends of Pam McMahon turned out in droves to see her debut fashion collection at a reception given by Neiman Marcus . . . League for Crippled Children says its Jack O’Lantern Ball is now 54 years old. Members danced the night away at the Beverly Hills Hotel to Ray Moshay’s music . . . Hillsides Home for Children and Jacob Maarse celebrated jointly at the Jonathan Club--Hillsides, the introduction of its capital campaign, and Maarse the opening of Jacob Maarse Florist at the club.
* This afternoon the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Winds and pianist Jeffrey Kahane present a Salon Musicale at the home of Carol and Warner Henry . . . Chairwoman Marcia Israel and Vice Chairwomen Cordella Owens, Constance Towers Gavin and Marianne Berman head the preview of Bloomingdale’s, Century City, next Sunday. Cocktails and dinner will be interspersed with an hour for shopping. Haven House will benefit . . . Sotheby’s hosts “Conversations” at its Wilshire location Thursday evening with Andrea Van de Kamp, Frank Gehry and Gordon Davidson addressing “The Art of Politics / The Politics of Art.” The $25 charge benefits the Music Center . . . The Circle of Huntington Hospital dons Broadway attire for its festive dinner / auction Saturday at Pinot at the Chronicle.
* Mary Lou Loper’s column is published Sundays.
