Executive Director Eve R. Meyer welcomed the crowd of 300 after an hour-long reception and silent auction, and reminded them that San Francisco Suicide Prevention is the oldest suicide and crisis hotline service, with just 12 staff members coordinating 100 volunteers and an annual budget of only $900,000.  Since the agency’s inception, the San Francisco suicide rate has dropped by half.

“We are delighted because we can see everybody that we’re indebted to in one room,” explained Meyer.  “And what’s remarkable is that every $10 that comes in saves one life.”

Begun in 1962 in a Tenderloin hotel at a time when the common thought was that suicide was a disgrace, then British Broadcasting Corporation journalist Bernard Mayes adapted a crisis management model developed by the Samaritans Centers in Great Britain and Europe, and led to the development of more than 500 other crisis centers across the country today.

“The city person in charge of deaths at the time said they were not worth saving,” Mayes recalled.  “Everybody thought suicide was a disgrace.  It took about a year but we managed to change the public’s view of it.”  After founding San Francisco Suicide Prevention, among his other academic and professional endeavors, Mayes founded KQED-FM in San Francisco and NPR (National Public Radio).

To see additional photos or purchase prints: Laughs for Life Gala

Tipping Point is the San Francisco charity that sets the bar very, very high. Not the one serving shaken-to-order artisan cocktails at its recent fundraising party, although the ginger-and-lemon libations were delicious. The bar that Tipping Point is one of excellence for its clients and the nonprofits that offers a hand to many in the Bay Area. Tipping Point’s high profile Board of Directors covers every penny of organizational salaries and overhead, so that all other funds raised go directly to help the 180,000 in the Bay Area who have trouble meeting basic needs. Tipping Point’s singular mission, to “make poverty preventable,” requires leadership and expertise…and lots and lots of funding.

Fortunately, Tipping Point is the charity of choice for an entire generation of young-ish philanthropists. Their annual fundraising event, held in the cavernous Pier 48 near AT&T Park, is always a see-and-be-seen sellout, with 900 seats filled to capacity. This year’s dinner had a charming “thanks for giving” theme complete with faux recipe card invitations, colander centerpieces, and a down-home dinner of fried chicken, mac and cheese, asparagus, and peas, which resemble Tipping Point’s green dot logo. But this isn’t just a kitchen table klasch – there was serious fundraising on the menu. Over $8 million of it, spurred on by two $1 million matching grants, and a lot of advance legwork performed by an organization that will not take no as an answer for poverty. Tipping Point’s Founder/CEO Daniel Lurie believes in accountability for every dollar raised. “Invest, measure, improve, repeat. That’s how we do business.” Apparently a number of people emphatically agree.

After the toasts and testimonials, a thankfully brief but boisterous auction of peak and unique experiences (49ers Super Bowl tickets, dinner at Gary Danko’s Russian Hill house, a West Marin soiree for sixty,) and a surprise appearance by charming QB Colin Kaepernick to pick the raffle of an Audi lease, guests adjourned to another part of the pier. The crowd revived for a dance party with 90’s sensation R.U.N-DMC, rapping and spinning like it was, well, 1999, an era when many in the crowd were learning how to drive. Founder Lurie donned an Adidas tracksuit in hip-hop homage, while black-dressed volunteers, many of whom were barely born when guests were learning how to drive in 1999, passed out white sweatbands embroidered with the Tipping Point green dot. Dancing up a sweat was not the norm; these donors were proud to raise an elbow, and a bit of a ruckus, but what they do best is raise money to fight poverty. That’s a run that Tipping Point can use to raise the roof and raise the bar in the name of philanthropic poverty prevention.

Gathered at the table: Benefit Co-Chairs Tony Bates, Alicia Engstrom and Hosain Rahman, Liz and Thomas Laffont, Christine and Pierre Lamond. The abundant Board of Directors, all of whom were called on stage, included Tony Bates, Zach Bogue, Peter Briger. Kate Harbin Clammer, Egon Durban, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, Chris James, David Lamond, Katie Schwab Paige, Alec Perkins, Gina Peterson, Eric Robers, the 49ers Jed York, Gideon Yu, and David Zierk; many were accompanied by their equally notable spouses. . Also passing the collection plate were Lurie’s wise wife Becca Prowda, Yves Behar and Sabrina Buell, a farm team of Fishers, including Randi and Bob, Doris, and Lexie, Tolan and Tyler Florence, the always chivalrous Ken Fulk, décor whiz Stanlee Gatti, whose 40,000 feet of drape transformed the cavernous space, Erin Glenn, Matthew Goudeau, Linda and John Gruber, proud mama Mimi Haas, able Attorney General Kamala Harris, SF Film Society’s Ted Hope, Jay Jeffers and Michael Purdie, Zem and James Joaquin, Stephan Jenkins, Hooman Khalili, Michael Krasny, Danny Lee, Carson and Suzanne Levit, Marshawn Lynch, Leigh and Bill Matthes, Marissa Mayer, Jonathan Moscone, The Honorable Gavin Newsom, Linday O’Connell Bolton, Brian Wilsey, Sloan and Roger Barnett, Ravin and Alka Agarawal, Pam and Larry Baer, Wilkes Bashford, Heidi and Arthur Cinader, Ceppie and Irwin Federman, Elizabeth Fullerton, Angelique and Troy Griepp. JaMel and Tom Perkins, Cameron Phleger, Ali Pincus in an adorable dress, Tanya Powell, Michael Purdy, Ali Speer, Nina Stanford, Laura and Joe Sweeney, Katie and Todd Traina, Trevor Traina, Laney Thornton, Abigail Turin and Jon Gans, glowing new mother Anna Weinberg, and many more who are eager to share what’s on their plate and their agenda.

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music prides itself on being flawless. The gorgeous new building, exquisite concert hall, and world-class faculty inspire a certain grandeur which was ably manifested in their annual gala honoring the equally grand Thomas Hampson. The flawlessly formal evening began with a champagne reception in the multi-story foyer of the Oak Street building, which was nearly as sparkling as the guests who populated its marble and glass space. The musical program which followed offered fourteen pieces performed by some of the Conservatory’s most talented  students of voice, a few of whom had the privilege of singing with as well as for the guest of honor. Known as the “Ambassador of American Song,” Hampson ‘s rich baritone is prized in concert halls around the world; his awards and honors filled pages of the program as abundantly as his stirrlingly poetic version of “Shenendoah” filled the Hume Concert Hall.

Once the concert had ended, the dinner began. A glowing white tent on Franklin Street belied its lavish interiors. Chandeliers hung inside, casting a glow on the music-themed room, with towering tall arrangements of roses and ranunculas atop satin cloths and gilded glasses. Thanks to bueprint studios inspired invention, the walls were draped with fabric featuring musical notes and scores, and a soft carpet underfoot brushed the patina of the spot that masquerades as a parking lot. Even the most experienced gala goers were impressed with the best-of-class five course meal from McCalls: an amuse of curried cauliflower soup, followed by a smoked trout and apple salad, grilled filet with polenta, a charming cheese course, and a decadent berry cobbler topped with gelato. By the time the coffee and chocolate truffles had been passed, and Hampson had been prodigiously praised, the funds for finding the new Hampson had been raised, flawlessly.

Glittering at the gala: Gala Committee Co-Chairs Teresa Medearis and Barbara Walkowski, Board Chair Timothy Foo, ably assisted by Charlotte and George Shultz, Dianne and Tad Taube, Marie-Jose and Kent Baum, Ute and Bill Bowes, Jan and Jim Buckley, Lisa and John Grotts, Ann and Daniel Girard, Jacqueline and Christian Erdman, the indefatigable Delia Fleishhacker Ehrlich, Carol and Dixon Doll, the remarkable Fred Levin and dynamic Nancy Livingston, Nancy and Larry Probst, The Hon. William Newsom, Connie and Ernie Goggio, Liz Sutherland Riney, Camilla and George Smith,  and Cathy and Angus McNaughton.  Perfect performers included  Catherine Cook, Julie Adams, Laura Arthur, Daniel Bates, Ryan Bradford, Chris Coyne, Raquel Fatiuk, Charlea Lyn Grieco, Hannah Headland, Jessie Neilson, Gabrielle Traub, with pianists Darryl Cooper and Curt Pajer. Other honored patrons included Susan Solinsky and Paul Duryea, Anne and Robert Zerbst, John and Marcia Goldman, Nancy and Joachim Bechtle, Ginny and Angus Maclean, Nancy Ranney, Terrill Timberlake, Lita Sam-Vargas, Lorna Meyer and Dennis Calas, Darril Hudson, Dr. Chi-Foon and Rebecca-Sen Chan, Jane Olds Bogart, Jane Mudge, Lisa and John Miller, Fati Farmanfarmaian, Dr. Nancy and Richard Bohannon, Susan Hollander and Thaine Stearns, Russel Kassman, Marianne Peterson, Angela and Josh Rafner, Steve Rempel and Northam Barron, Diane Rubin and Leonard Eber, Frank Stein and Paul May, Robin Sutherland and Carlos Julian Ortega, and many more whose fine features far outweigh their very few flaws.

The Johns got very, very Close at the SFMOMA Art Auction. They marched through the Marsh with Sherman, their hearts Welling up with love for art. On the Richter scale, this was big. Warhol big. Big enough to drop a Winogrand or two, or twenty.  They weren’t Aldrich, but they weren’t Hagen anything less. Nendo, it didn’t di Suvero their purpose for collecting great art. And Sieverding their Snohetta for art was what’s it all Saban. Every boy and Gursky there was Claerbout that.

So they came, they bid, they sipped, they supped, and they took it all home. To adorn their walls, to appreciate their taste, to support the modern art museum they will love and will miss. The Modern Art Council’s fundraising art auction featured lots to appeal to collectors new and experienced, at prices accessible and aspirational. This last big blowout of nostalgia to send the museum on its way to bigger, better exhibits. After all, there are more Fisher in the sea. And we’ll be raising a paddle with them soon.

Amongst the underbidders:  Art Auction Chair Alka Agrawal with Ravin Algrawal, Modern Art Council President Joni Binder Shwarts, Committee Chairs Nathalie Delrue-McGuire, Marilyn Hayes, Charlot Malin, Laura Nagle, and Bea Wood, Advisors Dolly Chammas, Ariane Maclean Trimuschat, Annie Robinson Woods, Art Advisory Committee Claudia Altman-Siegel, Gretchen and JohnBerggruen, Anthony Meier, Chris Perez, and the dynamic duo of Sabrina Buell and Mary Zlot, SFMOMA Director Neal Benezra, many modern art mavens including Norah and Norman Stone, Christine Suppes, Lisa and John Miller, Diana Nelson and John Atwater, Laura King Pfaff, Nion McEvoy, Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein, Robin Wright and Ian Reeves, Douglas Durkin, Linda and Jon Gruber, Kay and Sandy Walker, Sara and Bill Cumbeligh, JP Conte, the colossally chic and petite Abigail Turin and Jonathan Gans, Cynthia and Eliot Fried, Helen and Chuck Schwab, , Randi and Bob Fisher Carolyn and Preston Butcher, Ali and John Walecka, Shannon and Dennis Wong, Thomas Weisel and Janet Barnes, Carlie Wilmans, Dr. Carolyn Chang and Patrick King, Larry Mathews and Brian Saliman, Joan Roebuck, Ken McNeely, Janet Lamkin, Concepcion and Irwin Federman, Gwynned Vitello, Leslie and Mac McQuown, Tad J Freese, Jim Breyer, Gina and Stuart Peterson, and many people who raise the philanthropic paddles.

To see additional images or to purchase prints: SFMOMA Art Auction 2013

Somebody waved a magic wand over Franklin Street. How else would you explain the presence of a fairyland palace, complete with sparkling chandeliers and trees glistening with crystal blossoms, that appeared out of thin air? SF Ballet’s Cinderella Ball brought out San Francisco royalty to see it all in a whirl of delight, dance, and dresses. To their credit, the princes were equally turned out, but like the gorgeous moss topiaries that adorned every niche of the tent, they stood at attention to provide a perfect backdrop for the princesses, countesses, duchesses, dames, empresses, baronesses, dames, viscountesses, and marchionesses of blood and marriage arrayed in their finery to pay tribute to Cinderella on Opening Night. Gowns were grand and glamorous, with an emphasis on a soft romantic look that befit the theme. More than a few tiaras topped elaborate coifs; if sooty Cinderella was going to go to the ball, the ladies-in-waiting were going to be swept up in the soiree as well.

Young British choreographer of-the-moment Christopher Wheeldon set the romantic 1945 Prokofiev ballet score to his contemporary-meets-classical choreography for this new production, to exquisite effect and overwhelming acclaim. Co-produced by the Dutch National Ballet, this much-anticipated (and sold out) premiere keeps the familiar tale fresh with a sumptuous visual vocabulary that returns to the story published in 1812 by the Brothers Grimm but gives Cinderella a strong, self-assured sense of destiny. She makes the magic happen for herself.

Riccardo Benavides’ transformation of the War Memorial Courtyard (normally known as the space alongside Franklin Street) into a monarch’s manse turned the traditional tent into a perfect party palace. After cocktails in the Opera House foyer, guests were guided to dinner through a grand set of gates to the ‘ballroom,’ which was faced with an enormous image of Hampton Court Palace, past a phalanx of gilded mirrors, the better to spy on a wicked stepmother checking her coif. A moss-covered carriage pulled by topiary stallions under a sparkling cherry tree was only the first breathtaking bower; throughout the tent, banquettes and tables were topped with silk-leaf cloths, gilded chargers, violet votives, and ravishing arrangements of roses, orchids, succulents, and woodland flora. Even longtime balletomanes admitted to being agog, while the younger were tweeting (in the like-magic Twitter Mirror) and texting their approval in new-fashioned form. McCall’s dinner did not disappoint, finishing with a pretty pink pistachio-raspberry torte topped with confection pearls.  By the time they were shepherded to the performance, the court of Cinderella was victually and visually sated, but the evening had only begun.

Post-performance, the pop-up palace once again became the venue for the rollicking afterparty.  With a soundtrack owing more to DJ Clouse than Prokofiev, patrons mingled with afterparty additions; the cast sits down to a delayed gala dinner under the watchful eyes of the audience, continuing a courtier tradition of ages past, while others do the disco and dessert thing. An Instagram-mirror uploaded enough plentiful photos to invoke any wicked stepsisters’ envy, while an ice-cream cart provided welcome relief from the heat. By the time the clock struck twelve, starring ballerina Maria Kotchetova was being squired around the dance floor with her prince of a husband Edward King, and showed no signs of having to scurry away to sweep ashes.

Making magic materialize: Event chairs Suzy Kellems Dominic in Cartier sautoir, JAR corsage, and candy-stripe bustled Lacroix and Stephanie Barlage Ejabat in gamine leopard Giambattista Valli, inimitably elegant Dinner Chair Shelby Gans with perpetually positive husband Fred Gans, choreographer Christopher Wheeldon surrounded by his many admirers, Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson and his wife Marlene Tomasson, Executive Director Glenn McCoy and Michael Manning, General Manager Debra Bernhard, Ballet Master and King-for-a-Week Ricardo Bustamante, Patron Denise Littlefield Sobel, Christine Suppes, ravishing in Rodarte, Erin Glenn in a grand duchesse satin sheath adorned with Cinderella motifs, Carole Shorenstein Hays and Jeffrey Hays, Richard C Barker, Nicola Miner and Robert Mailer Anderson, OJ and Gary Shansby, a tiara’d Tatiana Sorokko, Dr. Carolyn Chang and Patrick King, Joyce and Larry Stupski, Robin Starbuck Farmanfarmaian, Cecelia and Jim Herert, Paula Carano adorned in Monique L’Hullier and a king’s ransom of sparklers with Bandel Carano, Afsaneh Akhtari, Jennifer Benham, dashing  Gatsbyesque Matthew Kimball, Sue and John Diekman, Prince Charming Principal Dancer Joan Boada, Marissa Mayer and Zach Bogue, Rosemary Baker, Alison and Michael Mauze, Sloan Barnett, Larissa Roesch, Jorje Maumer, Paul Wattis, Elizabeth Fullerton, Betsy Linder, Tanya Powell,  Amanda Miller,  Elizabeth Bruckman, Shelley Gordon, Charlotte and George Shultz, Melissa and Patrick Barber, Nancy Kukacka, Sandra and James Katzman, Randee and Joseph Seiger, and many, many more who would wear the silver slipper.

To see additional images or purchase prints: Cinderella Opening Night Ball

Blend 1,000 guests and more than 100 of Northern California’s top chefs mixed with 65 top vintners and mixologists and a sprinkling of generous corporate sponsors and individuals donors and you bake up a red hot, record-breaking $2.2 million for homebound seniors served by Meals On Wheels of San Francisco.

The 26th Annual Star Chefs & Vintners Gala on April 21^st at Fort Mason Center raised enough money to provide approximately 430,000 meals, and left everyone feeling satisfied and sated.

“The 26th Annual Star Chefs and Vintners Gala exceeded last year’s total by nearly $300,000, and we couldn’t have done it without the generous support of the world-class chefs and wineries, our corporate sponsors and individual donors,” said Ashley C. McCumber, Executive Director.

The live auction featured several one-of-a-kind items including a Sonoma Wine Country getaway to Peay Vineyards with Andy Peay, Staffan Terje of Perbacco Ristorante + Bar, and Chef-Owner Ari Rosen of Healdsburg’s acclaimed Scopa; a private party for eight with Gala Chef Chairwoman Nancy Oakes of Boulevard and Michael Tusk of Quince; and two incomparable wine collections, including the Old World Bordeaux Lot and the Instant Wine Cellar Lot, which featured 175 bottles of eclectic and unique wines. The climax of the evening was Fund-A-Route, in which guests pledged an astounding $600,000 towards funding a meal delivery route in San Francisco during the next year.

Participating chefs included Gala Chef Chairwoman (for the 10^th time!) Nancy Oakes (Boulevard), David Bazirgan (Fifth Floor Restaurant), Stuart Brioza and Nicole Kransinski (State Bird Provisions), Chris Cosentino (Incanto), Mark Dommen (One Market), Mourad Lahlou (Aziza), Thomas McNaughton (Central Kitchen), Morgan Mueller (Jardienière), Charles Phan (Hard Water), Yigit Pura (Tout Sweet Patisserie), Evan and Sarah Rich (Rich Table), Mark Sullivan (Spruce), Staffan Terje (Perbacco), Michael Thiemann (Wayfare Tavern), and Tony Wu (M.Y. China).  The mouth-watering food was accompanied by wines from vintners including Cakebread Cellars, Chappellet Vineyard, Crocker & Starr, Duckhorn Portfolio, Hanzell Vineyards, Patz & Hall, Pride Mountain Vineyards, Saddleback Cellars and Wente Vineyards, as well as specialty cocktails created by celebrity bartenders Scott Beattie (Scott Beattie Cocktails), Davin Affrunti (Prospect), Neal Bodenheimer (Cure – New Orleans) and Jon Gasparini (Rye|15 Romolo). Explained Romolo Bar Manager Jill Weiner, “We are very socially conscious, and feel very fortunate to operate in this community, so we’re happy to donate our time and resources.”

For Bryan Harrington, of Harrington Wines, his five years of participating have been a labor of love.  “I know that I need to build up my karma – any of us could need Meals on Wheels one day.  This is all love – no labor.”

Restaurants either provided hors d’oeuvres during the reception or a three-course meal for 10 tables of 10 at dinner.  As everyone was being seated, guests were treated to a live feed from the very busy, but very organized, large prep kitchen area in an adjacent room where plates were receiving the final touches.  The emcee, Cheryl Jennings of abc7/KGO-TV, then took over and started off the evening.

The chefs weren’t the only stars of the night – most of the men broke out tuxedos with the women relishing an opportunity to enjoy short and long evening wear.  Despite the large crowd, there was never a wait to sample a dish, and ample time to chat with vintners.  As guest Alex Witherill put it, “The food and wine is the best the city has to offer and it’s great to watch everyone enjoy the best of San Francisco and the Bay Area.”

The Gala’s premier sponsors were AT&T, First Republic Bank, Hartmann Studios, Kaiser Permanente, Mellon Capital, Safeway, Silicon Valley Bank, Taste Catering & Event Planning, Valley Services and San Francisco Chronicle | SFGate.com.

For more information on MOWSF, including opportunities to volunteer or donate, visit mowsf.org or call 415.920.1111.

To view more photos please visit drewaltizer.com

The dancers were framed by a geometrically precise display of primaveral precipitation—vertical streams of spotlighted water alternately flowed and pulsed in syncopation with the movement and the musicians performing onstage. Outside the theatre the magnificent and impossibly long-stemmed white tulips gracing the festivities proclaimed the triumphant arrival of spring and a celebratory renewal of creative choreography at the 30^th Anniversary Gala for the Lines Ballet at the Yerba Buena Arts Center. The Gala Performance featured the world premiere of “Collaboration with Edgar Meyer,” the double bassist and composer whose music Lines Ballet Founder and Artistic Director Alonzo King has called “profoundly mesmerizing.”

In the pre-performance cocktail crush Lines Ballet Executive Director Janette Gitler expressed the company’s vivid style in a stunning floral-pattern dress by Colleen Quen, a sensational frock that served as costume for a soloist dancing on the piazzas of Venice during the company’s visit to the Biennale. “The 30^th anniversary is a tribute to Alonzo King and Robert Rosenwasser and their sustainability, something really difficult in the performing arts at this time of history,” she said. “And our future is all about expansion. We are an international company and we have some exciting firsts coming up. We will be at the Opera House in Tel Aviv and at the Theatre National de Chaillot in Paris later this year. It’s really about sharing Alonzo’s philosophy and his amazing work with the world.”

At the post-performance dinner and auction, whose tables were provisioned by a seasonal menu of asparagus in an artichoke and leek vinaigrette, guinea hen, and pommes boulangere from Spruce, LINES Ballet Board President Lucia Choi-Dalton paid tribute to the artists, including set designer Jim Doyle and visual designer Axel Morgenthaler. ““Alonzo is really a collaborator. By bringing in composer Edgar Meyer, the water sculpture, and the lighting he shows how to work with the brightest in their field and asks how do we collaborate and how did we find a common language?”

The downpour was not only on stage. In a gloriously bracing shower of support, four hundred munificent donors—including Honorary Chairs Lisa and John Pritzker, Co-Chairs Stephen Brady and Amy and Harry Schoening, Board Member Denise Bradley Tyson and Kaiser Permanente President and CEO Bernard Tyson (Kaiser is a corporate sponsor), host committee members Randi and Bob Fisher, Kate and Bill Duhamel, Lisa Sardegna and David Carrillo, and Season Sponsor Bank of the West—helped raise nearly half a million dollars to support this remarkable dance company and its multiple education programs. Rainmakers all!

In a heartfelt acknowledgement to his supporters, Alonzo King told the guests, “It takes millions of megawatts of energy to make a production, which is based in community, based in love, and based in sharing. We’re glad you’re part of our community. Meister Eckhard says the greatest prayer should just be thank you, thank you, thank you, whether bitter or sweet comes my way, thank you!

To see additional images or to purchase prints: Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet 30th Anniversary Gala

Guests arriving at the California Academy of Sciences’ Big Bang Gala were greeted by human ‘butterflies’ swooping and flitting about, their shimmering wings competing with patrons’ dresses for color and contrast. Butterflies symbolized the “diverse and delicate nature of life” that was the theme of this annual event, which summons the scientific from their labs and the philanthropic from their enterprises in equal number. By contrast, social butterflies largely remained in their cocoons for this content-rich event. Although certainly stylish, the early part of the evening was dedicated to learning and leaning in to support this important center of scientific inquiry of the geologic, icthyologic, reptilian, mammalian, and human kind. Humankind was given a starring role in the two talks around which cocktails and dinner were nestled, and not always to advantage. While “Chasing Ice” Filmmaker James Balog spoke about his Extreme Ice Survey project, he was reporting on the devastating human impact of climate change. As breathtaking as his  remarkable photographs were, his message was equally heart-stopping: we have to work quickly to preserve the planet we love. Architect William McDonough was equally direct in his talk, “The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability – Designing for Abundance,” which addressed the product life cycle from manufacturing to disposal or ideally repurpose, reuse, and recycle. He suggested that humans can tread lighter on the planet through intelligent product design. Thus inspired, informed and chastened, guests proceeded into Blueprint Designs’ uplifting see-through tent in time for McCall’s dinner and a short  film and presentation by Executive Director Gregory Farrington, who managed to infuse his financial ask with enough credibility and humor to keep the mood lively. Three-time event Co-chair Randi Fisher lent her own effusive charm to her acknowledgements of fellow co-chairs Wendy Schmidt and Matthew Barger, whom she noted had “broken the glass ceiling – a man co-chaired a gala!” Mark Buell wrapped up the dinner proceedings with a high-tech fund-a-need that pushed the evening’s tally over the tremendous $2 million mark. Representatives of the Academy were appreciative, making it clear this funding is put towards their dual mission of scientific education and research to “understand and protect the diversity of the earth’s living things.”

That diversity was in full evidence when the Party After Dark crowd arrived like a flock of butterflies themselves.  Flitting between bars, photobooths, and exhibits, many alighted on a DJ set by retro-soul crooner Mayer Hawthorne. Dressed in their sparkly best, the younger set was ready to explore a little biological diversity of their own as they roamed the expanse of the museum in packs and pairs. While success was not assured, they displayed themselves to best advantage. Like their lepidopteran counterparts, they found temporary satisfaction and sustenance in the candy table which ringed the entrance, where an array of jelly beans, M&Ms, malt balls and gummy worms provided as much nectar as any caterpillar could consume. An evening of learning and largesse could not have had a sweeter sendoff.

Amongst the monarchs: Corporate chair Jes Pedersen, Vice Chairs  Diana Nelson and John Atwater, Kate and William Duhamel, Jennifer Caldwell and John HN Fisher, supportive spouses Eric Schmidt, Bob Fisher, Janice Barger and Jean Farrington, Carol and John Hamilton, Ingrid Hills, Lucy Jewett, Zem and James Joaquin, Gretchen Kimball, Mimi and Dan Kingsley, Susan and Bill Oberndorf, Carrie and Gary Pomerantz, Mary and Harold Zlot, Sabrina Buell and Yves Behar, Susie Tompkins Buell, Penny and James G. Coulter, Helen and Rajnikant Desai, Elizabeth and Richard Fullerton, Maryellie and Rupert Johnson, Julia Wong and Roger Kuo, Samantha DuVall and Darren Bechtel,  Celeste and Anthony Meier, Stephen Brady, Victoria and Spencer Stenmark, Roxanne and Tony Deblauwe, Eva and Bill Price, Greg Tusher and John McCosker, Kyle and Jamie Redford, Janie and Don Friend, a gorgeously enchanted Jennifer Seibel Newsom, Tom Steyer and Kat Taylor, Becca Prowda, and a whole taxonomy of humans who get a big bang out of supporting science.

The evening, presented by Chevron, celebrated and honored Jed York, the young and charismatic C.E.O. of the San Francisco 49ers who spearheaded changes that helped send the team to the Super Bowl this year, as well as the entire Wojcicki family, which includes Esther, the Founder and Senior Vice President of Classbadges and Vice Chair of Creative Commons, as well as her husband, Stanley, a Ph.D. and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Physics at Stanford.  And their three daughters are equally as accomplished – Anne, CEO and Co-founder of 23andMe, Janet, a Ph.D., M.P.H. and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UCSF and Susan, Senior Vice President, Advertising for Google.  Said Google co-founder and husband of Susan, Sergey Brin, “It’s an extraordinary family I’ve managed to become a part of and I’m lucky to have that in my life.”

Under the masterful direction of Dan Ashley, anchor at ABC7 News, the program began after folks moved to a ballroom following the hour-long reception.  Tournedo of Beef Tenderloin with Fingerling Potatoes, Grilled Sweet Onions, Asparagus and Carrots followed the pre-set salads, with guests then choosing from two different desserts on the table.  The elegant room needed no decorations beyond the simple red rose centerpieces.

A Fund-A-Need Auction raised well over the $100,000 goal, and enabled the Commonwealth Club to continue to enjoy a balanced budget, even in the midst of their capital campaign, which is funding their move to a new home at 110 The Embarcadero.  The Wojcicki Foundation then matched the amount that was raised, including $15,000 pledged by honoree and Commonwealth Club Board Member Jed York.

President and CEO Dr. Gloria Duffy expressed her appreciation for the 500 in attendance and remarked, “It’s the only time of the year that we raise money for the 450 other events, so we’re honored that it’s such a great success.”

Past President J. Dennis Bonney concurred, “It’s very gratifying to see this many folks come out to support the Commonwealth Club.”  The award dinner is responsible for about 20% of the year’s budget, and was under the able direction of Dinner Chair Evelyn S. Dilsaver, assisted by Honorary Chairs and a Dinner Committee.

The Commonwealth Club is in its second century as the nation’s largest and most active public forum, and its programs are heard on more than 230 radio stations weekly, with millions more accessing them on TV, podcasts, internet broadcasts and a magazine.  For more information, visit CommonwealthClub.org.