Sojourner

Every December Sojourner magazine honors several Aspenites for their exceptional contributions to the Aspen community. A party, called “Sojourner Salutes” is always held introducing the new honorees as well as past recipients. This year those honored were Jeanne Doremus for her work with the Aspen Youth Center, Tim Cottrell for his many years volunteering with the Aspen Fire Department, and Georgia Hanson for her work with the Aspen Historical Society and many volunteer positions around town.

It was a busy December for Sojourner editor Jennifer Young as she celebrated a big birthday with a party at the Sky Hotel. Her mother, Adele Keating, flew in from Fairfield, Conn., for the event.

Hetta and Jesse Heath entertained members of Les Dames d’Aspen and their husbands at a cocktail buffet during the fireworks evening of Wintersköl.

So much already scheduled for the coming months. The Roaring Fork Friends of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado will hold a luncheon at noon on Thursday, Feb. 12, at the Aspen Meadows. Featured speaker will be Donna Di’Lanni, first vice president for investments and senior financial advisor at Merrill Lynch. She will talk about “Women and Investments.” For reservations, call 920-2112, ext. 2826.

A James Bond evening is planned for Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, as a benefit for the Aspen Center for Integrative Health. To be held at the St. Regis Aspen, the party will feature cocktails, dinner, silent and live auctions, and dancing with the Jerry Barnett orchestra and the Bond Girls.

The invitation states that women should be “dressed to kill” and the men should wear black tie. Heidi Houston is chairing the event with a committee of Sheila Brennan, Bonnie Chance, Kim Coates, Nancy and Steve Crown, Colleen Ferreira, Betsy and Jim Fifield, Jennifer Frank, Glenda and Jerry Greenwald, Laura Hunt, Karen Luter, Bonnie McCloskey, Liz Means, Janet O’Grady, Susan and Bill Plummer, Reindeer Soderberg, Tina Staley and Dorothy Thau.

Then on Friday, March 12, Al Gross will hold his 17th annual “Sneaker Ball” at the St. Regis Aspen. For details and tickets go to the Web site http://www.sneakerball.net. Partygoers are to dress outrageously … with sneakers.

Vanity Fair magazine last summer did a long feature story and photo pages about Aspen. The February 2004 issue of the magazine focuses on Palm Beach, Fla., and pictured are several Aspenites as well as people who often visit here. Oilman David Koch and his wife, Julia, are photographed in their recently completed grand salon; and cosmetics royals Evelyn and Leonard Lauder are photographed with their 1955 Ford Fairlane Sunliner convertible in front of their Palm Beach home. Also featured are Ivanka Trump and her father, Donald Trump, at their home Mar-a-Lago, and Dina Merrill photographed with a portrait of her father, stockbroker E. F. Hutton. Also featured is movie star George Hamilton, who used to own houses in Aspen.

In the February 2004 issue of Town and Country magazine, Evelyn and Leonard Lauder receive a whole page of photos in the parties section for the awards luncheon and symposium they gave to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The luncheon, held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City, was in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the foundation, which was created by Evelyn. This year, 80 breast cancer researchers will receive more than $14.5 million from the BCRF, which has raised roughly $70 million to date.

The February 2004 issue of Architectural Digest magazine features interior designer Donna Livingston touring all her favorite antique shops in Los Angeles. Donna has designed several Aspen homes and visits here frequently.

Undercurrent … Everyone has the flu!