The 14th annual record of notably social individuals from politics, diplomacy, business, philanthropy, and the arts.
Enrico and Andrea Cecchi (Photo by Joseph Allen)
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Mr. and Mrs. JAMES ABDO (Mai)
Mr. and Mrs. WILLIAM ABEL-SMITH (Mimi)
The Honorable and Mrs. TYLER ABELL (Bess)
The Honorable DAVID C. ACHESON
Mr. GLEN ACKERMAN and Mr. ERNESTO SANTALLA
Mr. THEO ADAMSTEIN and Ms. OLVIA DEMETRIOU
The National Endowment for the Arts Pays Tribute with Speeches and Song.
By Ann Geracimos
Brian Stokes Mitchell and Denyce Graves. Photo by Henry Grossman.
No shy guy, that Rocco Landesman, the top Broadway producer who has come to Washington to head up the National Endowment for the Arts. Asked at the second annual NEA Opera Honors at the Harman Center on Nov. 14 how he was adjusting to the local scene, he conceded the move was “a culture shock” since he found the capital to be all about cultivating “the power of access” in a town focused on politics.
Abigail Blunt and Rep. Roy Blunt, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Martha Ann Alito
Location: The Phillips Collection
WL SPONSORED – Photos by Kyle Samperton
CELEBRATING SPRING: This historic Dupont Circle arts landmark was filled to capacity for its annual gala benefiting top-notch educational programs. Guests mingled in the courtyard or wandered through the exhibits before sitting down to a feast of locally-sourced, sustainable cuisine by Occasions Catering. Lavish flower arrangements by Jack Lucky decorated every table, and were donated to the Dept. of Veterans Affairs Medical Center following the gala. AFTER-PARTY: Endless dessert buffets, flowing cocktails, and lively dancing followed at the Society of the Cincinnati’s Anderson House, where younger partygoers joined dinner patrons in the garden to chat and enjoy the warm spring air. SPOTTED: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Samuel Alito and wife Martha Ann, Bob McDonnell, artist William Christenberry, Rep. Roy and Abigail Blunt, Debbie Sigmund, and the ambassadors of Spain, Chile, Switzerland, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Morocco and Afghanistan.
The 13th annual record of notably social personalities from the worlds of politics, diplomacy, business, philanthropy, and the arts.
By Kevin Chaffee
John Pyles and Barbara Harrison
This roster is neither the first, nor will it (inevitably) be the last to single out certain individuals, who, by virtue of birth, rank, wealth or accomplishment, take part in the social life of the nation’s capital. Estimable precursors – drumroll here – include The Green Book,” so-called for its faux green suede cover, which has appeared continuously since 1930; and the Blue Book of Washington, D.C., which ceased publication around 1990 after a century in print. The Social Register, sometimes called the “Black Book,” also contains the names of numerous prominent local figures, many hailing from so-called “blue blood” families, although it merged its thin Washington volume into a much larger 12-city national version back in the 1980s.
A major difference separating Washington Life’s list from the others – apart from having no discernible color – is that we do not publish a “phone book” containing addresses and contact information, much less schools attended, club memberships and yacht listings. Ours is merely an alphabetical nomenclature of people who make a difference by adding immeasurably to their city, and by extension, their country and the world. Another point of contrast is size. Compared to the many thousands of entries contained in other directories past and present, WL’s Social List, currently about 700 names and counting, is relatively small. We do not see the need to include every member of the Congress, Cabinet or Court (i.e., Supreme), much less all those with top jobs listed in the “Plum Book” of political appointments.
Writerly achievement, Navy memorials, and daring to dream
By Donna Shor
Herman Wouk and Bill Safire at the Library of Congress dinner honoring Wouk with a lifetime achievement award.
Wouk and Remembrance
With wit and whimsy, (shadowed by sorrow), and a stellar cast of readers of passages from his best-known works, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Herman Wouk received the Library of Congress’s first Lifetime Achievement Award for Fiction. ABC’s Martha Raddatz read the ominous trip to Auschwitz scene from War and Remembrance. The New York Times’ William Safire amused with an excerpt from Inside Outside. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg proved that had she not chosen law, she could have been an actress with a dramatic reading from The Caine Mutiny Court Martial (inspired by Wouk’s WWII service on a destroyer). The former Fred Allen gag writer went on to chronicle wars and the Holocaust in his novels, often researching them at the Library. (As a one-time next-door neighbor, I saw all the complex maps and charts Wouk put up on his wall, and the meticulous logs attesting to his underlying scholarship.) Seen at the dinner hosted by Librarian of Congress James Billington: Wouk’s wife Sarah, editor Jean Young, Israeli Ambassador Sallai Meridor, Ina Ginsburg, Esther Coopersmith (who learned that the Wouks once rented her Kalorama home) and Jim Kimsey. Barefoot, ebullient Jimmy Buffet played Margaritaville-style songs from a Caribbean musical based on the honoree’s Don’t Stop The Carnival and said: “Just to work with Herman Wouk was an education in itself.”
Mae Haney Grennan and Vernon Jordan
Location: Calvin and Jane Cafritz Residence, Georgetown
WL EXCLUSIVE – Photos by Kyle Samperton
Déjà vu Again: The Cafritzes’ September soirée to welcome the social set back from summer break is now an “official Washington tradition.” Where better to catch up with friends you haven’t seen since the Opera Ball — unless, of course, you saw them all on Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket? SINGING IN THE RAIN: Sturdy tents and covered allées to shelter guests from gusty rain that mercifully passed earlier that day; lively dance music from a swing band; opera and Broadway faves sung by Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists; and some lively political chat in a few quieter corners. SPOTTED: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Susan Eisenhower, and envoys from Japan, Colombia, Britain, France, Denmark, Hungary, Morocco, Finland, Malta and Peru.
The 16th Annual Record of the Washington Social Scene.
Deborah and Curtin Winsor III, Kathy Kemper and Jim Valentine, and Francis Colt de Wolf III and his wife Nathalie de Wolf, stroll the iconic Peacock Alley in the Willard InterContinental Washington while enjoying a few fine flutes of bubbly off the champagne cart. Photo by Clay Blackmore
“A beautiful summer week-end with a few dear friends at our farm in Middleburg.” – Roger and Vicki Sant
“I enjoyed listening to my friend Rima at her baby shower talk about how much fun it was being pregnant, she was enjoying all the attention her husband was giving her and would miss that after she gives birth.” – Irene Pollin
“My favorite social event of 2007 was Marvin Hamlish’s birthday party – lots of laughter and music provided by Marvin and good conversation – a very fun, totally wonderful dinner in Marvin’s honor. It was great to hear him play his own birthday song!” - Ann Hand
“One of our favorite memories of 2007 was the Harman Center for the Arts opening event. The evening was all about enlightenment and enchantment.” – Huda and Samia Farouki
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