Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Artist to head Sunrise Children’s Hospital Foundation gala

Elizabeth Foyt

Thursday, March 25, 1999 | 10:26 a.m.

A precious bunny figurine was recently sent to me at the newspaper, a most clever reminder of Sunrise Children's Hospital Foundation's "Color Us Friends Through All the Holidays" celebration.

The annual luncheon will be April 23, with the black-tie gala and art auction on April 24. Multitalented artist Bob Byerley is honorary chairman for the gala evening at the Las Vegas Hilton, and promises it will be a splendid evening indeed. Invitations will soon be in the mail, with advance details and reservations available by calling 731-8373.

Alums honored

Bishop Gorman High School's annual Knight of the Gael dinner was themed "It's Like Coming Home," for indeed the lives of honorees Mary Jo and Rossi Ralenkotter are entwined in the community life of the school.

Both attended BGHS in the 1960s, where Mary Jo excelled as a varsity cheerleader and class officer, while Rossi starred in both baseball and basketball while also serving in student government. Later, both attended Arizona State University. While their path to marriage and the shared experience of raising five children took a few turns, this loving and supportive couple continued to contribute greatly to BGHS, as Mary Jo spent countless hours as an on-campus volunteer with the cheerleaders and other activities, and Rossi has given more than a quarter-century of service to the school's governing board of regents. (Rossi is senior vice president of marketing for the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority.)

Arriving guests at the Gorman fund-raiser, which serves to fund the school's extensive scholarship program, included friends and associates from across Nevada, among them Manny and JoAnna Cortez, Becky and Rob Powers, past Gael honorees Maria and Ted Quirk, Rosemary and Billy Vassiliadis, Mark and Gloria Fine, Chuck and Kathy Augustine, Dr. John and Marie Ellerton, Candi Olsen, Joanne Andrews and her husband, Mike Ehlman, and Chuck Lenzie.

Orange and blue, the school's colors, made festive backdrops for portraits of the Ralenkotters from their school days to the present. Stopping to enjoy a glimpse of Rossi in his All-Conference basketball uniform, circa 1965, were Dr. Jerry and Judy Sylvain, Judge Bill Jansen with Sue and John Mowbray, Supreme Court Justice William Maupin with fiancee Mary Kaye Cashman, as well as Sharon and Larry Schmitt, University Regent Tom Wiesner and his wife, Lynn, Rhonda Evans with Councilman Arnie Adamsen, Joe Brown, Joyce Vestal and Judge John Mendoza.

A lavish, hosted cocktail reception prefaced the delightful dinner and program held in Palace Station's Roundhouse Ballroom. Tables were cleverly decorated with placemats bearing the high school photos of committee members, among them Sandy and Bob Miller, Paula and Michael Gaughan, Dr. Bill and Kathy Somers, Mary Ann and Lyle Rivera and Diane and Roy Woofter, to name just a few. Each guest received a scroll of names and the chance to match faces to the names, which led to lively conversation and much laughter over dinner.

Federation luncheon

The Main Event luncheon, hosted annually by the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas -- Women's division, was styled with an Italian theme this year in keeping with its very elegant setting at Bellagio. The affair opened with a social hour in the Monet Room, which boasts a spacious balcony overlooking the elegant gardens and pool of the resort.

Gathering early with friends were Jackie Rosen with Janet Wellish, Christi Ober, Carole Turk and Ronnie Epstein, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas. Edye Goldberg and Eva Kallick co-chaired the well-attended luncheon, which featured keynote speaker, actress/comedian/author Annie Korzen.

Guests at the charmingly decorated tables were gifted with luxury soaps and perfumes provided by Dorit Schwartz and Tova Iny of Poise Fashion and Primal Element. Speaking eloquently on the extensive outreach programs funded by the Federation was Nancy Rosten, who also provided a video further emphasizing the need for generous gift-giving. Present for the program were Flora Mason, Lois Levy, Barbara Kaplan, Debbie Strimling, Wendy Plaster, Florence Bolatin and Geraldine Shiffman, as well as Shelley Weisberg and Edythe Katz-Yarchever with Las Vegas newcomer Dr. Carole Altman.

Friends filling a table most companionably included Sherry Sigesmund, Heidi Sarno Straus, Lori Nelson, Debbie Perlman, Sandy Mallin, Esther Goldfarb with her daughter, Cheryl Miller, and Arlene Blut, who has recently returned to the Nevada Institute for Contemporary Art as its development director. She explained that the acclaimed gallery is moving to new quarters, on the ground floor of the Arts Factory, 101 East Charleston. The new gallery, nearly 4,000 square-feet, is slated to open in April with its inaugural exhibition, "Chromaform: Color in Sculpture."

Seen mingling in the crowd of luncheon attendees were other members, including Fran Fine, Laura Sussman, Elizabeth Ackerman, Lynn Rosencrantz and Mona Silverman.

Gala planned

Nevada State Majority Leader William J. Raggio will be honored at the National Italian American Foundation's second gala in Las Veags. Raggio will receive the prestigious NIAF Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service in ceremonies planned for May 1 at the Rio hotel-casino.

Actors Joe Mantegna, Dick Van Patten, Lou Ferrigno and others, including Ruth Buzzi, Dennis Farina and Robert Davi, are among the celebrities who have confirmed their attendance. Comedian Dom DeLuise will be Master of Ceremonies, while the 1999 dinner chairman is Anthony Marnell II, chairman and chief executive officer of Rio Hotel and Casino, Inc. and Marnell Corrao Associates. Serving as NAIF's Las Vegas Gala honorary co-chairs are Gov. Kenny Guinn and state Speaker of the House Joe Dini.

Dinner tickets are $150 per person, with all reservations and details available by calling John Salmone at (800) 989-6423. The evening will include the music of Steve Lippia, one of our city's hottest entertainers, and dance music by the Vincent Falcone Orchestra.

Local arts

The Community College of Southern Nevada's fine arts departments never fails to entertain, reaching far into the community to serve by enriching lives.

Next month, it will present the musicial comedy "Pump Boys and Dinettes," directed by Chuck Rounds. Performances will be 8 p.m. April 16-17 and 23-24, with 2 p.m. matinees April 18 and 25, all in the lovely Nicholas J. Horn Theatre on the Cheyenne campus. Tickets are $12.50 for adults; $10 for seniors and students with ID. For reservations and directions, please call 651-5483.

In addition, CCSN will host its Spring Dance Concert on April 30 and May l, also in the Horn Theatre. Featured will be the Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre of Long Beach, Calif. General admission is $8 for adults; $5 for students and seniors. Call 651-4201 for further details.