Social Scene

Robert Devaney • November 12, 2014

The OSS Society’s Gen. William Donovan Awards Dinner was held Oct. 25 at the Ritz-Carlton and gave its highest salute to Leon Panetta, President Bill Clinton’s chief of staff, President Barack Obama’s director of the Central Intelligence Agency — and most recently, Secretary of Defense. Panetta was signing copies of his political memoirs, “Worthy Fights,” published last month. The spies and military prom is an annual honoring of Gen. William Donovan, leader of the Office of Strategic Services during World War II, and OSS veterans. The OSS was the precursor to the CIA. The dinner is full of toasts, speeches, awards and bold-face names. Sometimes, it holds an eye-raising surprise, such as the year Gen. Petraeus was at the dinner and his erstwhile mistress Paula Broadwell was in the ballroom, too. This year, a student film spoof about Donovan and the OSS displeased Gen. John Singlaub so much that it moved OSS Society President Charles Pinck to issue an apology. Otherwise, the night was alight with tales of men and women, past and present, that made guests proud to be an American. [gallery ids="101913,136248,136251" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird • November 7, 2014

The Fairmont Hotel, Washington, D.C., was canine costume central as indulgent pets enjoyed peanut butter doggie biscuits and their proud humans sipped “Witches’ Brew” in the hotel’s courtyard at the third annual holiday event. First prize for creativity went to the Parker family representing the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team with Liberty as “Rufferee.” [gallery ids="101917,136214,136223,136220" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

Hope Connections for Cancer Support, formerly The Wellness Community before merging with Gilda’s Club, held a wine, chocolate and cheese tasting at the Pepco Edison Place Gallery on Oct. 29. Paul’s Wine and Spirits provided the wines and SPAGnVOLA Chocolatier the chocolates. Hope Connections offers no cost professionally facilitated programs to help patients and their loved ones deal with the emotional and physical impact of cancer. [gallery ids="101916,136231,136233,136225" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner • November 6, 2014

Arts for the Aging hosted its annual fall gala at Society of the Cincinnati at Anderson House on Oct. 22 with a reception, arts performance by Verge Ensemble and toasts honoring Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In an evening emceed by artist Bill Dunlap, the 6th Lolo Sarnoff Award — so named after the 26-year-old organization’s nonagenarian founder — was presented to Ginsburg by longtime friends Bill and Dorothy McSweeny, and patrons gave a touching interactive tribute led by AFTA teaching artist Miles Spicer with members of Downtown Clusters Geriatric Day Care Center. Ginsburg cited AFTA’s founder for her “love of music and art, and caring about the right things.” [gallery ids="101911,136272,136268,136275" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

Sally Jones and Irene Natividad co-chaired NMWA’s Fall Benefit on Oct. 30, featuring a dinner performance by concert and cabaret star Karen Akers, to benefit the Shenson Chamber Music Concerts led by Artistic Director Gilan Tocco Corn as well as education programming and the upcoming groundbreaking exhibition Picturing Mary: Woman, Mother, Idea. Following a standing ovation¸ Akers accepted the museum’s Award for Excellence in the Performing Arts from Founder Wilhelmina Cole Holladay by quoting Tommy Tune, “I find this very encouraging.” [gallery ids="101912,136258,136265,136252,136263" nav="thumbs"]

Erin Schaff •

The science fiction film, “Interstellar,” made its North American and Washington, D.C., premiere — appropriately enough — at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum Nov. 5. Directed, co-written and co-produced by Christopher Nolan, known for his Batman movies, “Interstellar” tells the tale of a dying Earth, which humankind must depart for its own survival through a wormhole and find a new home. Actors Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain along with Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas, a co-producer of “Interstellar,” greeted fans and media in front of the Air & Space Museum at the National Mall before viewing the film at the museum’s IMAX theater. The film is seen as a booster for manned space exploration and is influenced by such science fiction classics as “2001: a Space Odyssey.” It opens nationwide Nov. 7. [gallery ids="101908,136358,136332,136361,136354,136337,136341,136346,136350" nav="thumbs"]

Neshan Naltchayan • October 31, 2014

Unlike other fundraisers in D.C., the Go Bo party puts its emphasis on casual attire, fun, laughter, good live music, lots of booze and tries to include the best people that all have a blast under a wedding tent at the 29th Street home of Deb and Ben Johns, held on Sept. 5. This year’s theme was “the Tacky Wedding.”

“People are always fired up to get together after the summer, and this is their first opportunity to re-connect,” said Johns. While in the sixth grade, their son Bo battled cancer. He saw many kids and their families that needed help during his 87 days at Georgetown University Hospital. So, the Johns family created the Go Bo Fund to assist them. Money raised by the party goes straight into the Emergency Family Relief Fund.
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Robert Devaney • October 27, 2014

The Friends of Volta Park gathered June 8 for its 14th annual cocktail party and silent auction at Georgetown Visitation Prep, one block from the D.C. public park. The group — founded by John Richardson in 1995 and headed by Mimsy Lindner — rescued Volta Park from a closed pool and overgrown plants, maintains the landscape and is a strong advocate for this green place in the middle of town. Mayor Vincent Gray said at the party that the park with its playground, tennis courts, pool, baseball field, used by many Georgetown families, is an example of how a public-private partnership should work. Gray was also happy to announce that Volta Park would be receiving $200,000 for playground upgrades as part of the fiscal 2013 budget that includes $9.7 million for park improvements throughout the city. The well-arranged auction added money to the effort, of course, but the party (with food and beverages from 1789 Restaurant) still stole the show. It was a relaxed, noisy mix of neighbors, public servants and business leaders who lingered in the hallway and rooms, glad to see each other. [gallery ids="100845,126529,126523,126516" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney • October 24, 2014

The second incarnation of Night Nouveau – “Not for the Quaint of Heart” – sought to evoke a surrealistic response from its attendees on Oct. 11. Many were up to the challenge, as they met a maze with mimes in the backyard of Halcyon House which led to the downstairs for the ballroom. The back driveway featured a projection of a fish tank, and guests and performance artists danced in the ballroom to the spins of DJ Dirty Hands. Daikaya and Sushiko provided savories with dessert from Dolci Gelati, Georgetown Cupcake and Peruvian Brothers; the after party was at Malmaison. All the fun and whimsy benefitted the S&R Foundation. [gallery ids="101895,136694,136689,136708,136712,136700,136705" nav="thumbs"]