Retirement Was the General Plan

Steering clear of politics, Alma J. Powell joked about the perils of relaxation and praised volunteerism when she addressed more than 600 women at a benefit for the American Red Cross, Orange County Chapter.

“Ladies, beware of retirement,” said Powell, who in 1995 stood at her husband Gen. Colin L. Powell’s side in Washington as he announced he would not seek the presidency. (“We’re going home,” to McLean, Va., he told reporters.)

“I viewed retirement as an ideal time with no responsibilities except home and family,” said Powell, 60, in her recent appearance at the Irvine Marriott hotel. “I wanted to just have my husband help me redecorate my house, play with my grandchildren.”

She’d also dreamed of walking hand-in-hand with her husband “casually, on a beach somewhere . . . watching a sunset or a sunrise.”

Well, she said, smiling, “It didn’t turn out that way.

“We ate breakfast together quietly, had family gatherings, but my house was Grand Central Station!

“I never knew that my husband talked on the phone all day long. We had two lines in the house, and they rang all the time. He was accustomed to secretaries and military aides answering the door, preparing meals, bringing coffee and, worst of all, making lunch.

“I tried to be all of those things,” she said, laughing.

In the early days of her husband’s retirement, she refused requests to speak at public events. “My answer was always a resounding ‘No!’ ” she said. “I’d been very busy for 32 years . . . talking to military wives, moving households 22 times, raising three children.”

Now, rested from the rigors of military life, she welcomes the chance to speak to supporters and volunteers of organizations such as the Red Cross. As a member of a Washington speaker’s bureau, she spoke at the Red Cross of Orange County benefit for an undisclosed fee.

In her world travels, Powell said, “one of the things that most impressed me was the women I met and the responsibilities we carry, the experiences we have in common.

“We are one--a sisterhood with the same hopes and dreams and fears and aspirations. The same need to care for our family, to raise healthy, productive citizens who give back to the world.

“When the invitation came to join you, I didn’t have a moment’s hesitation,” she said. “Volunteers always bring a tear to my eyes, a lump to my throat. . . . The can-do volunteer is what America is all about.”

After her speech, Powell applauded as nine women were presented with Clara Barton Spectrum Awards. The awards are given annually to women “who embody [Red Cross founder] Clara Barton’s spirit and determination for social justice demonstrated by an ongoing commitment to selfless service to those in need,” said Olivia Johnson, event chairwoman.

The winners: humanitarian award, Evelyn Colon Becktell, Orange; health care, Dr. Julianne Stoody Toohey, Orange; education, Gisela Meier, Orange; environment, Gloria G. Schlaepfer, Fullerton; the arts, Teri Kennady, Laguna Beach; personal achievement, Cathie Lee Alderson, Fountain Valley; and service by youth, Silvia Gonzales, of Seal Beach.

Winning the business or group award was the Battered Women’s Emergency Volunteer Police Response Team of Seal Beach. Judith Ann Digon of Villa Park won the Elizabeth Dole Glass Ceiling Award.

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Start spreadin’ the news: “We’re bringing the orchestra equivalent of the Yankees to the Orange County Performing Arts Center,” Dean Corey told supporters of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County.

In its Orange County premiere in January 1999, “the New York Philharmonic will challenge our own Los Angeles Philharmonic Dodgers,” said Corey, executive director of the Philharmonic Society.

“No problem,” deadpanned Esa-Pekka Salonen, 39, the Finnish-born conductor of the L.A. Philharmonic.

Corey announced the New York Philharmonic’s engagement at a reception following an appearance in Segerstrom Hall last week by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Salonen also addressed the crowd gathered for champagne and dessert at the Center Club in Costa Mesa.

“You have a very solid, very interesting, very high-level concert series here,” he said, referring to the society’s new season, which will include performances by the Moscow Virtuosi, the Hilliard Ensemble and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

“We are very proud to be a part of it.”