Nov 22, 2006

Bing School reaps harvest of support

By Janet Duca Norton

The Arrillaga Center for Sports and Recreation was decorated in a Halloween theme for the "Harvest Hunt," the 18th annual Harvest Moon Auction benefit for Stanford's Bing Nursery School Scholarship Fund. The Oct. 28 event was the final event of Bing's 40th anniversary year. The school has been at its present site since 1966.

About 600 parents, friends and guests bid generously on about 800 items and helped raise at least $300,000 for scholarships. "We are very grateful that the parents and community believe in the scholarship fund and have allowed us to sustain it for another year. We truly believe that providing scholarships is what makes Bing so special," said benefit co-chairs Dale Race-Hampton and Laurie Quinn. The fund helps about 25 percent of the 450 enrolled children ages 2 to 6. For more than a decade, the goal has been to increase diversity with outreach to many Bay Area residents as well as Stanford student families.

Located on the campus, Bing is a laboratory school for Stanford's psychology department, and has received worldwide recognition for its outstanding programs and research studies in child development.

Wearing one of her signature hats, celebrity emcee and auctioneer Jan Wahl, KRON TV's film critic, entertained and successfully convinced everyone to bid high - and often.

A big ticket item was a life-size custom-made playhouse, built by Bing's carpenter Wilhelm Grotheer and painted by teacher Betsy Honig. The red-roofed, flower-trimmed house that looked like it had been transported from the pages of "Little Red Riding Hood," was placed in front of the stage. Successful bidder Melinda Longaker said she planned it to be a big surprise for her son Andrew, who had played in the house every morning while it was on display in the parking lot.

Items hotly bidded on included a Los Vegas luxury vacation package at the Venetian, which was won by Dana and Jay Wohlgemuth, and a month of gourmet meals that was purchased by Jody Buckley and Mark Horowitz. Todd and Cathy Fernandez not only admired the Bentley displayed at the entrance, they won the opportunity to drive it for a weekend getaway to the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur.

Popular silent auction items were class gift baskets created by the students' parents - that went for double their value - and a two-hour ride on the miniature Portola Valley and Alpine Railroad train (one-eighth scale), donated by Jacques and Sandy Littlefield and purchased by Ximena and Frank Pavlik.

Many guests took home a special limited edition CD titled "Live at Bing," featuring Bing teachers and their young students. The professional sounding collection of classroom favorites was produced by Heidi Verlaine, Lars Hidde, Beth Wise and Michelle Forrest, who were all at the event.

Guests included Dean and LeeAnn Warshawsky, Suzanne Mohan, Lorry Lokey and Joanne Harrington, Bing director Jeanne Lepper and assistant director Jennifer Winters.

Legacies are part of what makes Bing special. Brother and sister Tom Dowling and Jane Dowling Paolucci, with their respective spouses Catherine and Andrew, are both Bing graduates and the nephew and niece of the school's founding director Edith Dowling. Adrienne Lomangino, a 1973 graduate, is now a teacher.


PENINSULA WOMEN"S CHORUS

It's quite a memorable moment for musicians when they meet and work with famous composers. Luck and timing came together so the Bay Area's premier vocal ensemble, the Peninsula Women's Chorus, had the opportunity to meet prominent Estonian composer Veljo Tormis during a weekend workshop, performance and reception on Nov. 3-5.

The timing was perfect for the Tormis visit; he was on his way to a festival featuring his music at the University of Oregon. The Palo Alto-based chorus, under the direction of Martin Benvenuto, performed Tormis' pieces on its successful Eastern European tour this summer and won second place at the prestigious Bela Bartok International Choir Competition in Hungary. His visit coincided with the release of the newest Women's Chorus holiday CD, "Winter Patterns,"that features his "Talvemustrid" set.

Guests at the workshop and concert at the Palo Alto Lutheran Church included Aare Onton, Palo Alto conductors Julia and Allen Simon, former director of the San Jose State University Choir Charlene Archibeque, Ann Laskey from Holy Names University and Susan McMane from the San Francisco Girls Chorus.