An Amazing Feat by the Amazing Blue Ribbon

An hour and a half earlier, the Amazing Blue Ribbon ladies, dressed in red, white and/or blue had waved goodby to the last of the more than 23,000 fifth-graders who had been bused to the Music Center last week to take part in Holiday Festival XV. Usually the children’s festival takes place in the late spring. This year to take advantage of the Joffrey Ballet’s presence in town (the Joffrey II danced for the children in two performances a day during the festival), it was held the last week in January, which meant, as festival chairman Mrs. John C. Cushman explained, “that we had to go out and get cold weather red, white and blue.” One Blue Ribbon member showed up wearing tennies and red, white and blue leg warmers for her rigorous activities with the children she guided, starting early in the morning while the wind was still whipping around the Music Center Plaza. Mrs. Joseph Marx was one of those who showed up at 8 each morning and she confirmed the chill factor.

An Actress’ Flair

Now it was Friday afternoon and the Blue Ribbon was settling down to lunch with Mrs. George Deukmejian, wife of the California governor, as honored guest and with Mrs. Richard Wolford, the Blue Ribbon’s first executive president, as the special honoree. It was Helen Wolford who in 1970 brought up the idea of a children’s festival to Blue Ribbon founder Mrs. Norman Chandler. And that’s why the entire week of Festival XV was dedicated to Mrs. Wolford. “I promise you I won’t cry,” she emphasized when Mrs. Deukmejian introduced her and presented her with a gift from her Blue Ribbon associates. Greeted with a standing ovation, she drew a few sentimental tears from those who know her best. Even her husband, attorney Richard Wolford, who flew in from their home in Maui for the luncheon, was spotted blowing his nose. The Wolfords’ oldest son Rick, who lives in San Francisco, was also present.

Mrs. Alan Livingston (actress Nancy Olson), Blue Ribbon’s current executive president, handled the introductions and the thanks--to Robert Joffrey, to Mrs. Thomas Trainer, luncheon chairman, and her cohorts, to all the Blue Ribbon ladies who have helped support the festival--with an actress’ flair. Wearing a white suit, Mrs. Livingston took over the mike and soon had everyone in the Grand Hall rising from his or her seats.

“This is alphabet soup,” Nancy Livingston told Mrs. Deukmejian, Mrs. Harry Wetzel (Blue Ribbon’s chairman), the Wolfords, Performing Arts Council president Michael Newton, Joffrey and the dance company’s associate director Gerald Arpino. “And wait ‘til you see what’s coming next.” Earlier in the morning Chardee Trainer worried about the balloons that ascended from the middle of every table. They looked bright and appropriate. So was the rest of the menu, which included a chicken salad served with nursery type sandwiches (peanut butter and jam, minced ham, cream cheese on raisin bread) and the chocolate mint ice cream served with animal crackers. It was a change from the usual fare ladies like Olive Behrendt, Joan Weiss, Marianne Rogers, Juli Hutner, Edwina Johnson lunch on at the Bistro Garden and Jimmy’s.

Quite a few of Festival XV’s “angels” were at the Music Center on Friday for the Joffrey II performance (supervised and explained to the children by Joffrey II’s Maria Grandy) and for the lunch. Among them were Lorena Mayer Nidorf in a black knit Adolfo suit, Mrs. R. Stanton Avery, Mrs. William Doheny, Mrs. Thomas V. Jones, Mrs. Dwight Kendall, Virginia S. Milner, Mrs. Sheldon Ausman (she was festival co-chair), Mrs. Robert Hamilton, Mrs. Richard Sherwood, Margaret Parker and Mrs. Thomas R. Vreeland Jr. Representing the Festival Committee were Eunice Forester, Mrs. Paul Escoe, Mrs. Joseph Mitchell, Mrs. Del Webb, Mrs. Harry Volk, Mrs. David Haft.

And there were more--Mrs. Nick Vanoff, an ardent balletomane; Mrs. Franklin Murphy; Andrea Van de Kamp, wife of the California attorney general; King Wu with his wife Sylvia and his sister; both Florence and Marion Malouf; La Vetta King; Ruth Yablans; Jackie Rosenberg; Carter Hawley Hale’s Donald Livingston; members of the Joffrey troupe; Mrs. Franklin H. Simmons who was adviser on the festival; and Joan Boyett, director of the Music Center Education Division.

When Nancy Livingston was going through her litany of thank-yous she asked everyone to pause for a moment to remember the late Gabriele Murdock, who with her husband David, had done so much to bring the Joffrey to the Music Center.