The Crowd

B.W. Cook

For 39 years, the nondenominational Christian-based Adoption Guild of

Southern Orange County has been serving the community, providing adoption

placement services, pregnancy and post-delivery counseling, and child

care.

Recently, the ladies of the guild joined forces for their annual

patroness tea, held at the Newport Beach home of Dac and Donna Clark.

Some 250 guests surveyed the expansive Pacific Ocean view from the

Clark’s Shorecliffs estate while sampling the afternoon buffet catered by

Sun Dried Tomatoes of Orange.

Welcoming the crowd was the pretty brunet hostess Donna Clark, who was

wearing a spring suit of peach-colored silk, and Adoption Guild president

Denise Cancellieri in a pink and taupe three piece suit.

Loyal guild supporters Joy Emerson, Jan Vitti, Romy McFarland, Patricia

Allenborn, Kingsley Croul, Dorothea Perrin, Patricia Hancock, Karen

Brooks Noyes, Carolyn Mulne, Gail Cimini, Alana Peters, Joan Sammis and

Martha Redfern were among the citizens participating in the tea.

As guild member Harriet Selna says, the tea “has become a harbinger of

the annual tennis tournament which now bears the name of The Roy Emerson

Adoption Guild Classic.”

The tennis tournament has become a major athletic/charitable event on the

Orange Coast, garnering national attention in tennis circles.

The tea -- to advance the upcoming tennis tourney slated for May 27, 28,

29 and June 3 and 4 -- was chaired by Marilyn Wilson, Patti Conover and

Mary Ramella.

Mi Place of Corona Del Mar provided informal modeling. Men’s tennis

attire was modeled by local pros Bob Ogle and Paul Jenkins. All of the

proceeds from the tea and the tennis tournament benefit Holy Family

Services in support of The Adoption Guild.

Their motto: “Give a child a chance, a gift of love of family.”

And a bit of info on the upcoming tournament named for Roy Emerson,

perhaps the most prolific Grand Slam event title holder in the history of

tennis: With 28 championship crowns to his name, Emerson, known as

“Emmo,” served as a member of the Australian Davis Cup squad from 1959 to

1967 winning 36 of 40 Davis Cup matches.

Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1982, Emerson and

his wife, Joy, reside in Newport Beach and Gstaad, Switzerland.

Chairing the tourney for the guild is the dedicated Linda Winston. She

will be aided by Ina Bernard, Donna Phebus, Anita Reuland, Denise

Cancellieri, Margit Denny and Pat Huston.

Tournament committees include a host of local volunteers including Gail

Glasgow, Camille Reno, Eve Kornyei, Fran Mulvania, Jeannie Lawrence, and

Pat Goody to name only a handful of the generous local support team.

Their goal this year is to raise $100,000 for Holy Family Services, and

with all the love and planning going into the event, along with

tremendous community support, the goal will surely become reality.

For more information and/or to get involved, call public relations chair

Harriet Selna at (949) 760-8394.

* B.W. Cook’s column runs Thursdays and Saturdays.