Archive for the ‘Faces in the Crowd’ Category

“We have broken ground on a new Carol House in Valley Park,” spewed Brook Dubman, bossman of the furniture and accessory giant “where you like nice things.” A familiar face on television via the company’s blitz of commercials, Dubman, with his wife,

Brook and Melissa Dubman

Melissa, fawned over their children, Garrett, 5 and Eliana, 3, at the KPLR, Channel 11 fall preview launch party at Dierdorf & Hart’s Westport Plaza eatery. Beginning Sept. 20, the station’s Patrick Clark will headline a new 4 o’clock news block, that will feature the arts and entertainment, according to Channel 11 and KTVI FOX 2’s leader, Spencer Koch, who hails from Staten Island, and later recalled his five years as production assistant with the Mets. He turned to the print media and opined, “It’s going away with the era of tech. And now, you can read newspapers online with Google. Some day, you’ll have to pay for it.” Jenny and Rich Wolkowitz were on hand and got kudos on their 5-unit Car Credit City independent dealerships – “The largest in the area,” hyped Rich, who confirmed he’s given up political aspirations. As for buying time on KMOX radio for Cardinal baseball, Wolkowitz said, “It’s not my mix, but I do buy a great deal of advertising on cable.” Creative advertising maven Bob Kochan got backpats on landing the Pulaski Bank account and ad exec Ben Turec waxed on about his Golden Oak Lending and Casino Queen accounts. Kochan also mentioned, that his daughter, Emily, now serves Laclede’s Landing as exec director. Turec pointed out, that even KTRS, whose broadcasts of Cards games will end this year, did a salute that day to KMOX for snagging the rights. Then it was onward for rounds at Herbie’s Vintage ‘72 for a chat with twosome David Charak and his steady, Diane Zebell, who lamented the passing of the popular Redel’s. Nearby were Nestle-Purina’s James Kristol and Matt Kurusz with Patty Abel, toasting Matt’s 27th birthday dinner, amiably served by Herbie’s star waiter, Charlie Manns.

Miami University soph Jacob Pleban, son of our town’s high-profiled barrister Chet Pleban, was observed by police officers on bike patrol, reportedly staggering in an alley behind Oxford United Methodist Church in Oxford, Ohio. According to the police report, an officer followed Pleban, 19, to a corridor leading to the church’s back door, where the student proceeded to urinate on the building. The officer reportedly identified himself as a cop and asked if Pleban knew he was urinating on the Methodist church. The officer wrote, “It appeared Pleban did not know what he was doing, but he replied, ‘I’m Catholic.’” Pleban was charged with public urination, disorderly conduct and underage intoxication. Jacob is a St. Louis University High alum.

Biff, bang, wham, zingo! That’s KSDK, Channel 5’s Heidi Glaus all over and she remains the freshest face on local television. With wit, humor and speed, she swept the dry dust from the corridors of Plaza Frontenac with a bright broom at the Crisis Nursery benefit the other night. New Madrid, Mo.’s own Glaus (who claimed there’s not even a flashing red light in her hometown) was one of the celeb servers at Cardwell’s and Canyon Cafe, who raised money for the agency through tips. Shuttling between the two dineries, she paused at a few chic shops, and confided, “I buy clothes at Victoria’s Secret.”

Leon Birnbaum, patriarch of Chez Leon, was in formal attire to serve a gaggle of generous donors to the St. Louis Symph  for the privilege of dinner at the Clayton restaurant.  Each of whom paid $175 for the meal included: Susan Pribble; Shepherd Abrams; Peggy Symes; Daniel and Sharon Ward; Stu Keck and Roger Bernhardt. Birnbaum waived the tariff as a gesture of his passion for the orchestra.

Silent Auction at Gateway MS Society St. Louis Summer Swizzle

T.J. Birkenmeier avers he has approached Joe Edwards, suggesting a roll-out of Blueberry Hill Beer. . .Nancy Poole, broadcast exec-turned iconic real estater with Janet McAfee, is much too ill. . ..Endowed prof of physics at UMSL Jake Leventhal, with his ever-lovin’ Betty, said enrollment there has risen. “Lose jobs – go back to school,” he reasoned. . .Scotch those rumors, that high-profiled barrister Jim Holloran and his wife, Madison County Circuit Judge Anne Callis, have split. “She has a house in Troy, Ill., and I have a house in Kirkwood and that’s, perhaps, how the rumors began”. . .Youngster Parker Monnig of St. Peters, Mo., is just back with his parents, Melissa and Kyle Monnig, from Huntsville, AL., where he trained to become a Jedi at STARWARS Space Camp. He was singled out at the awards ceremony for “exemplifying Jedi behavior with his actions, ability to learn, and kindness to others”. …Sightems: Mike Shannon at Dino Karagiannis‘ The Tenderloin Room, chowing down on liver with onions; Cards’ Ryan Franklin, with family, at Giovanni’s on the Hill, knocking off veal with porcini mushrooms. . . Look for Debbie Ballman and Kim Lutz to bow their Main Street Cafe on Sept. 1 on West Main Street in Washington, Mo.,.. .Morgan Lily, heiress to former St. Louisan and stand-up comic, Andy Gross, due here from Hollywood on Sept 10, with two comic headliners, at the grand opening of Hottest Ticket Comedy Club in the Third Degree Glass Factory at 5200 Delmar Blvd. The laugh-a-minute comics are Emil Fry and Rocky LaPort. Lily also is featured in Rob Reiner’s upcoming film, “Flipped,” booked for unspooliing this month. . .More than 300 guests were on hand at the Kemp Auto Museum for the St. Louis Summer Sizzle benefit for the Gateway Multiple Sclerosis Society’s fundraiser. Do-gooder Bill Gillespie was feted for having raised $1 million over the years for MS.

Guests at Kemp Auto Museum for the St. Louis Summer Sizzle benefit

The Benefit Blues Band performed during the festivities . . .Love and kisses for blessed events:  The Post-Dispatch’s crime reporter Christine Byers and courts reporter Heather Radcliff are infanticipating.. . .Newsome twosomes – Sarah Gabriele will say “I do” at her marriage Sept. 11 in French Lick Springs to insurance tycoon Alex Gift.  Sarah’s parents are famed restaurateurs Joan and Agostino Gabriele, who once owned his own dinery here and now operates Vicenzo’s in Louisville. . .WashU pre-med students Claire Shapleigh of Clayton and John Strand of Des Peres are steady-as-they-go. . ..

Look for McDonald’s, which serves about 50 million customers a day, to ramp up sales this fall with a new line of at least 10 different oatmeals, confirmed hometowner Jimmie Williams. Williams and his wife, Janet, happen to be franchisees of the fast food company. Caught up with Jimmie as he put the final touches on his newest eatery in Jennings – his fourth spinoff. Others are in Bellefontaine Neighbors and two in nearby Illinois. Of note, the Williamses are boosters of the United Negro College Fund, which held its gala earlier in the week and where six students were presented scholarships. . .Clayton High alum Mike O’Brien, with his mom, Jenny Ledeen, were espied, while waiting for take-out at Protzel’s Deli. O’Brien’s wife, Teresa and eight year-old heiress, Rose, were at home in Michigan. O’Brien’s dad, Mike Ledeen, is a former WashU prof. Of note, Mike is an exec with BluewaterWind, a New Jersey-based firm, that recovers wind for energy offshore. . .Bellington Realty’s Mike Litz was also there and described how he battles the woes facing the industry and said, “We have to play offense instead of defense. There are still a great deal of opportunities out there”. . . Albert II Sovereign Prince of Monaco bopped into town to visit with syndicated broadcaster George Noory. . .Foodies would have their lives diminished if they don’t check out the fare at Bici, on the corner of Jackson and Pershing Avenues, south of Delmar Boulevard. That’s where we bumped into WashU prof Kathleen Brickey and a few of her students in Brickey’s classes of corporate and white collar crime. Another regular, Smith Moore veep and financial analyst Juli Niemann, frowned and told the columnist, “There are Ponzi schemes everywhere”. . .Also learned that hometowner Susan Switzer, who lives in Albuquerque, N.M., commutes to our town to handle PR for the Society of the Sacred Heart, based here. Her daughter, Sara, is deputy director of PR for Vanity Fair mag. . .Then, it was over to Viviano & Sons on The Hill, where affable consultant Dave Prouhet rolled out a new line of wines, distributed by Viviano, called Sopranos. BTW, Prouhet’s family, owns the popular Prouhet Farms near the St. Louis Mills.