Archive for the ‘Faces in the Crowd’ Category

Sima and Phillip Needleman, Chris Kaplan

Got a twist in my ticker, when I came upon fashion-obsessed Chris Kaplan, who explained that her husband, zillionaire Bob Kaplan “dumped me so  he could be with the cattle on our farm.”

Much ink has been spilled through the years over the names of homebuilder Bill Taylor, real estater Randy Lipton and banker/entrepreneur Marvin Wool. Had their forefathers not changed their surnames they would be: Bill Tabachnik, Randy Lipshitz and Marvin Altalber. BTW: Wool is recovering from a stroke under the eagle eyes of his bride, Harlene.

We’re the stodgy Midwest. All the social innovation and hip trends start on the coasts. Right?  Then how to explain that the cocktail party wasn’t invented in Manhattan or Beverly Hills, but right here in the Central West End. Not only that, but playwright and poet T.S. Eliot, who lived here scribed a successful play in 1949, “The Cocktail Party.” Moreover, a 1917 St. Paul Pioneer Press story that says in May of that year, Mrs. Julius S. Walsh, Jr. of 4510 Lindell Blvd. invited 50 guests to her house at noon on a Sunday, serving drinks for an hour followed by lunch.  “The party scored an instant hit,” the Pioneer Press declared.  Within a matter of weeks, according to Wikipedia, “cocktail parties became a “St. Louis institution ” In 1924, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis bought the Walsh mansion and it has served as the local archbishop’s residence ever since. (Conventional wisdom credits Christopher Nevinson with holding England’s first cocktail party in 1924.)

That lovable, historic landmark on not-always-lovable Washington Avenue – the handsome Missouri Athletic Club- (MAC) – brought to minds on Thursday night sports heroes, who became household names  Painless nostalgia is hard to beat, when you meet up with the honorees at the “Rookie of the Year” event. presented by the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame and the MAC.  The program and dinner drew such notables as:

• Football Cardinals’ Ottis Anderson: “I live in New Jersey and build amateur football fields.”
• Football Cardinals head coach Jim Hanifan: “My heart goes out to Bill Bidwill, who’s affected by Alzheimer’s. Some people ask me why I feel that way because he fired me. and I tell them, ‘Yes, but he hired me.’”
• Baseball Cardinals’ Wally Moon: “I’ve written a book, ‘Moon Shot,” and it’s about my years in baseball, including  from 1954-1958 with the Cardinals, when I played with Stan Musial and Kenny Boyer.”
• St. Louis Hawks Basketball’s Bob Pettit: “I’m totally retired nowadays – no more challenges.”

About 400 guests assembled in the ballroom, where Hall of Fame’s president Greg Maracek pointed out that the $25,000 raised from the event (including a generous donation from Bob Costas) will be used to underwrite the maintenance of the Sports Hall of Fame at Scottrade Center and to create an educational platform for the youth and adults “to know and understand and learn life lessons from the greats.” Here ‘n there were: glamorous event planner Kristie Schneidegger; Todd Worrell; Johnny Roland; Jim Leeker; Vince Coleman; Willie McGee; Roy Sievers; Bill Verdon and Ted Sizemore.The MAC is a point of view that points to itself with pride. Now, watch some spoilsport suggest it should be steel-balled. Later, the club’s exec David Weiss settled down with the columnist in the jumping Jack Buck Grill, teeming with associate club members (31 years-old and younger)  Weiss touted the MAC’s history and facilities. There are currently 2,400 members of the club, said prez Tom Albus. Among the younger set was Henry Elster, an attorney who specializes in constitutional law, who explained, “It’s more scholarly than any other field. I enjoy it, because there’s so much history involved. But, I won’t make a fortune.”

Another triumph for the publication! More than 200 “up and coming” barristers and their fans filled the dazzling Mad Art Gallery Thursday night to heap congrats on 40 colleagues who were honored at the gambol. Therefore, as a public service, the columnist is presenting a synopsis. President and publisher of the must-read Daily Record and Missouri Lawyers Weekly, S. Richard Gard, Jr., explained, “We are recognizing the rising stars in the legal profession. So many established lawyers are recognized and tonight we are honoring the next generation.” On challenges, Brad Dowd said, “Learning not to internalize conflict when opposing counsel is being indifferent.” Darren Sharp: “The balance of work and family. Liz Blackwell: “Balancing work and travel.” Susan Werstek: “Building consensus.” Jon Otto: “Learning as much as fast as I can and at the same time, doing a great job.” Collin Altieri: “Trying to do what’s right – not easy.” Darci Madden: “Being civil.” Nick Angelides, son of the late KMOX news director, John Angelides, said the challenge before him “is to get good results for those who can’t help themselves.” Other challenges: Chris Kunza Mennemeyer: “Time management”; Dana Altieri: “Fighting uphill battles for clients.” Faces in the crowd: Susan Werstak; Gretchen Thal; Darci Madden; Dana Altieri; Kelvin Fisher; Kelly DeLuca; Amber Steinbeck and James Sengheiser.

Now Nancy Poole, Herb Cray and Carlene Goddard Mazur languish. True gentleman Bill Hyland is dead. So are Bob Hyland, Jack Buck, Jack Carney, Ruth Jacobson, Max Roby, Mary Kimbrough, Rex Davis, Al Fleishman, Dan Forestal, Bob Burnes, Bob Broeg, John McGuire, Selwyn Pepper, Joe Pulitzer, Bill Culver, C.C. Johnson Spink, Chuck Norman, Virginia Irwin, Dunc Bauman, The Globe-Democrat, the old Press Club, the Bismarck Cafe, “Goodfellas” Jimmy Michaels, John Vitale and Tony Giordano and The Globe-Democrat. Sometimes I feel like the survivor of The Last Person Club. Throw another buck at the slot. Oh, hell. . . .

L TO R - MIKE KELLEY, JANE HIGGINS, JACK MARTORELLI

The hoity-toity trio at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on Monday were PR practitioner Jane Higgins and governmental/political operatives Mike Kelley and Jack Martorelli. They smooched, stretched stories of success and heard about Higgins’ talk circuit success.  “I do lectures for women – too nervous to get back into the work world because they’ve been out it too long,” said Higgins. “Also, at St. Louis University, I teach young people how to do business and not just texting (janehigginsandassociates.com)”  Higgins has also been awarded the PR account of the Indianapolis Colts.  Another client, country singer Becky Kelley has just been signed by Warner Bros., according to Higgins. As for Mike, Jack and Mike’s pop Robert Kelley, they have founded The Kelley Group and their clients include Boeing and Blue Cross-Blue Shield.  In parting, Jane touted retired Ram running back and Hall of Famer Marshall  Faulk’s celebration at the Lumiere Theater on July 9 to raise money for his foundation, that serves Little Leagues and provides scholarships.

RICK HUMMEL AND DERRICK GOULD

Delmar Boulevard in The Loop is a city all its own with its desperate vitality and glorious sightems. It’s there, but nobody knows what to do with it but only Joe Edwards seems to understand what to do with it. Dreamers talk vaguely about a pedestrian mall and islands of shrubbery, but their dreams are destined for the delete file on the Internet.  It is a long, stubborn and unregenerate street, a true brute of a byway. When you stroll the Boulevard, it’s like a small town in some ways. A too-friendly smile from an unfamiliar face can earn a darting glance on the edge of suspicion. Then there’s the abundance of midwestern men and women broad of beam, the latter so much so that pants suits with Jimmy Choo shoes are a stretch – to put it gently. There are always new tenants popping up along the Boulevard the latest of which are Three Kings with a menu of steaks and pub fare and Brad and Deb Fink’s Devil City, a boutique offering designer apparel.  During the columnist’s jaunt along the Boulevard, a stop at Edwards’ Blueberry Hill was a must.  That’s where I encountered our town’s brilliant baseball scribes – Hall of Famer and Pulitzer Prize nominee Rick Hummel and writer/broadcaster Derrick Gould, imparting their wisdom on interns Ben Frederickson and Nathan Hart. On Albert Pujols’ future, Gould opined, “The Cardinals will give him a better offer and he’ll remain here.  The owners trust him and can market off of him.” Server Whitney Hodgkins expressed her joy at working at Blueberry Hill and the Loop. “It’s so safe in the Loop now that at nighttime the street is flooded with police officers.”  From Sgt. Mike King Drive to Skinker Boulevard, the Loop has retained its charm with everything from a tattoo parlor to an art gallery.  “But there are too many little children here,” opined Michelle Gaskin, who sipped coffee at an alfresco cafe with her husband Mike of Maryland Heights.  He added that “it was the youngster who brought down Gaslight Square.” They said they trek twice a week from their house in Maryland Heights to the Loop. Mike harkened back to the nightlife in the inner city, where African-Americans frequented such clubs as the West End Waiters Club, The Silver Palms, Danceland, The Red Rooster, 20th Century, Bird Cage and Howlin’s Wolf.  Mike is the pastor at the Universal Church of Jesus Christ. The weather on Wednesday should’ve been preserved in aspic, bringing outdoors a bevy of imbibers and diners. Among them were Momentum Advertising’s Alana Dugan and Mark Newman. He mused that the ideal slogan for the Loop would be “Bringing back to better times – from pottery to the trolley.” At Vintage Vinyl, staffer and Loop devotee John Hardesty said, “We are a community helping each other.”  He enthused over his job having waited on such celebs as Jack White, Marshall Faulk and Henry Rollins. Past Cheese-ology Restaurant, which vends mac ‘n cheese, there was college student Glynnis Beckwith, who expressed her desire for the Loop to have “more fashion stores.,” after which her friend Benjamin Gandhi-Shepard pointed out, “But, there’s a diversity and energy here and I’d like to see more diversity in food.”
Long may The Loop be preserved, sous cloche or on the rocks!