The Gazette, Monday, April 11, 1994

Thousands of daffodils sure sign it's spring
Charity ball on mountain raises nearly $100,000 for cancer research

Thomas Schnurmacher

1. Ball guests included (from left to right) Stephen Bordo, Johane Hotte, Patricia Dubosq and Lyon Jacobs.
2. Liberal MP Bernard Patry and his wife, Francoise, were among Daffodil Ball guests.
3. High-powered real-estate agent J.J. Jacobs, wearing a spectacular gown, attended the ball with her husband, Stuart Millowitz.

Philanthropic partygoers braved snow and slush the other night to attend the Daffodil Ball at the Chalet atop Mount Royal.

The gala - the first of its kind organized by the Canadian Cancer Society in Montreal - was a huge success, managing to raise close to $100,000.

Creating a party ambience in the cavernous Chalet was the work of the team at André Georges Productions, who used 12,000 daffodils flown in from Alberta plus thousands of yards of yellow ribbon for the spring season-inspired centrepieces.

As the evening wore on and the guests began to dance, the tall windows of the Chalet steamed up as the freshly fallen snow glistened outside.

It was a real winter wonderland out there. Too bad it was the first week of April. Guests who defied the elements included Dr. Jacques Cantin, who is national president of the Canadian Cancer Society, and his wife, Odette, Judge John Gomery and his wife, top divorce lawyer Pierrette Rayle, Adrien Pouliot, president and CEO of CFCF Television, and his wife, Hélène Floch, who is a partner with the law firm of Ogilvy Renault, Stuart Millowitz and his wife, high-powered real-estate agent J.J. Jacobs, who was wearing a spectacular gown designed by Jacques Auray, and Liberal MP Bernard Patry and his wife, Françoise, who were both the guests of Liberal MP David Berger and his wife, Monica.

Also in attendance were Léon and Jackie Simard, Charles and Sue Cavell, Jean-Pierre Goyer and Nicole Forbes, Michel and Louise Blouin, Linda Birks, Constance Medalsy, Alexis Nihon II and his wife, Cornelia, Hubert Marleau, Fernand and Marie Lalonde, Barry and Karys Marcus, Diane Sauvé, Michel and Caroline Salbaing, Richard Gervais, former mayoralty candidate Claude Beauchamp and his wife, Céline, and event organizer Alison Lyons Silcoff and her husband, Joel Silcoff.

Stephen Bordo and his gal pal, Johanne Hotte, sat at the same table as Johanne's ex-husband, Lyon Jacobs, and his ladyfriend Patricia Dubosq.

Other guests included Jean-Pierre and Michelle Ménard, Howard and Felicity Blatt, Jean-Guy Dubuc and Manon Vennat, Dr. Andrew Mok and his wife, Alice, plastic surgeon Dr. Gaston Schwarz and his wife, Maty, fashion designers Serge Sénécal and Réal Bastien, former Quebec cabinet minister Gil Rémillard and his wife, Marie Dupont-Rémillard, and Nicole Magnan, executive director of the Canadian Cancer Society, and her husband, Claude Magnan.

Also there were Rick and Carolyn Renaud, André Nadeau and his wife, Louise Courey Nadeau, Guy Du Pont and Danièle Thibodeau, Doug and Jill Grove, Pierre Casgrain and Veronica Dluhosh, Dr. Marvin Kwitko and his wife, Alicia, Rochelle Lash Balfour, Cornelia Molson, Madeline-Ann Aksich, Swiss banker Richard Joller and his wife, Pia, Michel Paré, president of the Quebec division of the Canadian Cancer Society, and his wife, Chantal, and Fabio Lanzieri, president of David Bull Laboratories, and his wife, Maria. Westmount residents Morrie Cohen and his wife, Diane, won the $28,000 Seabourn Asian cruise, top prize in the raffle which was open only to guests attending the event.

Also in attendance were Earl Drymer and Michelle Tisseyre, who is executive assistant to federal minister Marcel Massé, David and Juliette Ezagui, David and Hazel Zunenshine, Bill and Donna Bell, Stephen and Bunnie Berke, Bernard Dagenais and Danielle Sauvage, decorator Joanne LeFrançois Deignan and Christopher Viehbacher, who is the president of Burroughs Wellcome, and his wife, Alison.

Other guests included Michael and Laura Scott, Al and Sandra MacDonald, Paul and Lenore Harris, Joseph and Marissa Nuss, Stephen and Julia Reitman, Jeremy and Lillian Reitman, David and Louise Horlington, Hans and Suzanne Fluehler, George and Inez Lengvari, and restaurateur George Durst, who accompagnied Marguerite Blais, the emcee for the evening.

Also in attendance were Cartier boutique manager Lorraine Ross-Aublet accompanied by Don Brock, Richard and Donna Palangiewicz, Allan and Sylvie Vosko, Irving and Maidie Teitelbaum, Michèle Deslandes, Mark Steinberg and Alisa Adelstein, Bernard and Linda Dumais.

Guests had such a good time chatting with one another that they had to be coaxed several times before they finally sat down for the lavish dinner prepared by caterer René Pankalla.

The menu started with shrimp folowed by a consommé with Japanese straw mushrooms covered with a crown of puff pastry. The main course was a filet of lamb in a ginger sauce.

The crown of puff pastry almost caused a mini-foodfight as someone at lawyer Vicent Prager's table inadvertently sent one flying into the lap of someone at another table. Fortunately, the guests at the table under attack decided not to retaliate.

Door prizes included weekend packages at many of the major hotels, dinners for two at some of the best restaurants in town including Milos, Luna, Globe, Claude Postel, Orchidée de Chine, Abacus and Les Halles, plus consultations with decorator Alexandra Champalimaud and architect Andrea Woff.

Deejays Larry Day and Kobi of Kloda Productions provided a state-of-the-art sound and lighting system that kept people on the dance floor until 1 a.m. in spite of the snow and the fact taht it was in the middle of the week.