With Love, the Colleagues

Colleagues invited Nancy Reagan to present the honors, and lovebirds Diane Sawyer and husband Mike Nichols to be their Valentines on Friday at their annual February luncheon at the Beverly Wilshire.

“These friends are as caring as they are accomplished,” said the former first lady, presenting the duo the Champion of Children Award at a benefit that netted $200,000 for Children’s Institute International. “We think we should congratulate Cupid for putting them together.”

Sawyer was a CBS “60 Minutes” correspondent, and has been co-anchor on ABC’s “PrimeTime Live” and on the “CBS Morning News.” But her off-the-job interest is the development of the brain in young children, and she volunteers one-on-one at a New York public school. Nichols has received seven Tonys, four Academy Award nominations and an Oscar for “The Graduate.”

As Sawyer stood before the painted rose trelliage backdrop planned by co-chairwomen Marion Jorgensen, Erlenne Sprague and Betsy Bloomingdale, Nichols quipped: “Every time we go somewhere, I am grateful I didn’t give up my career when we were married. I am able to travel with Diane, take her messages and rinse her delicate things. . . .”

More seriously, he noted, Sawyer has done much work on children’s brain development. “Certain things must be learned early, or the ability to learn them goes away and never comes back.”

Said Sawyer, “To be able to go into a child’s life and alter it, give a life joy, is important.”

Nearly 800 turned the ballroom into a sea of red and white suits, among them Reagan’s plaid Oscar de la Renta. The designer showed his spring line at the Saks Fifth Avenue fashion show hosted by Tom Volten.

Colleagues President Anne Johnson welcomed the crowd, which included Mary Jane Wick, Onnalee and Libby Doheny, Mary Milner, Natalie Robinson, Chardee Trainer, Mignon Winans, Rose Marie Bravo, Dina Merrill, Frances Bergan and Carla Kirkeby. And there were lots of lovebirds. Leaving, Bob Tuttle and Maria Hummer held hands, as did Sallie and Rick Mogan.