Stars help remember son of the Duke

B.W. COOK

Michael Wayne, the beloved eldest son of John Wayne, was honored

posthumously last week in Beverly Hills. A star-studded Friday

evening unfolded in the Crystal Room of the Beverly Hills Hotel.

As paparazzi snapped photos, the Newport and L.A. crowd came

together in a show of unity against a disease called lupus. Michael

Wayne passed away last year from the complications of lupus after

undergoing surgery. He was honored and memorialized at a sentimental

yet lively affair co-chaired by his widow Gretchen, in concert with

two high-profile L.A. couples, Carrie and Bernie Brillstein and Marla

and Bud Paxson. More than $350,000 was raised.

The event was produced as a fundraiser and “friendraiser” for

Lupus L.A., a medical research project fronted by distinguished lupus

specialist Daniel Wallace. A frequent guest lecturer at Hoag

Hospital, Wallace maintains an international practice caring for

patients fighting lupus and related ailments.

The ballroom overflowed with special guests who had come to pay

homage to Wallace, Lupus L.A. and other medical professionals saving

lives, one day and one person at a time. Also honored was Dr. Deborah

McCurdy, an Orange County transplant to the UCLA Medical Center from

Children’s Hospital of Orange County, where she served the children

of this community for many years. McCurdy received the “Medical

Visionary Award” from Wallace, surrounded by celeb hosts including

Suzanne Whang, Paul Rodriguez, Craig Kilborn and writer/director

David Zucker.

Organizers, including producers Adam Selkowitz and Pamela Sharp,

brought in the celeb crowd for an evening billed “Love, Light and

Laughter.”

The evening’s honorees were Wayne Newton and wife Kathleen,

surrounded by family members, including a cherished sister who

suffers from lupus. Kathleen Newton wiped away tears as she told the

audience of more than 500 that her sister is “a true inspiration.”

Wayne Newton delivered a passionate tribute as well, referring to his

sister-in-law as the original “my glass is always half full” woman.

Also honored was Lupus L.A. founding committee member Dorothy

Ellis, a remarkable nurse who joined actress Melissa Joan Hart on

stage. The sitcom star of “Sabrina The Teenage Witch” shared emotions

concerning the death of a close friend Heather Martin, 19, from lupus

complications.

Mingling with the Newport and Beverly Hills guests were a host of

celeb faces, including Sally Struthers, Ryan O’Neal, Bonnie McKee, Bo

Derek, Brittany Murphy, Julie Benz, Kerr Smith and the incomparable

actress/comedienne Shondrella Avery, attending the dinner with her

mother, Miss Donna, who has raised a family of 10 children and 47

foster children over the past 25 years. Howie D from the Backstreet

Boys was in the crowd, as was ‘50s heartthrob Frankie Avalon. Actor

Mario Van Peebles attended with his radiant young daughter.

Additional honorees included TV personality Beverly Sassoon and her

best man Philip Neal, chairman of the Avery/Dennison Corporation.

Throughout the evening, tributes to Michael Wayne were shared by

many in attendance. He passed away April 2, 2003. Organizers of the

lupus event chose to honor his memory, creating an annual

community-service award in his name.

Michael Wayne took over the helm of his movie star dad’s Batjac

Productions, supervising many films in his own right and carrying on

the Wayne tradition of charitable giving and social involvement. He

served on the boards of the John Wayne Foundation, the John Wayne

Cancer Institute, the Motion Picture and Television Fund and the

Orange County Sheriff’s Advisory Council, to name a few.

His widow Gretchen Wayne accepted the Michael Wayne Service Award

from Lupus L.A. on behalf of the Wayne family.

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