When Cancer League gets a case of the blues, it has nothing to do with being down in the dumps.
Six hundred friends of this all-volunteer organization seemed to be pretty happy, in fact, with the clever wardrobe choices they made for the Tux & Turquoise Ball, a dinner, dance and auction chaired by Cindy Goldberg and two-time cancer survivor Ginger Mucilli and held at the new Hyatt Regency Convention Center. Interpretations ranged from vintage and contemporary turquoise jewelry to gowns, vests and neckties in various shades of blue.
Gov. Bill Owens, who sat with his wife, Frances, at a table hosted by past president Dave Weisberg, had a turquoise bolo tie to accent his standard-issue tuxedo. Dr. Paul Bunn, the evening’s honoree, accessorized his tux with a blue tie and matching vest while his wife, Cami, defined her slender waist with a robin’s egg blue belt with silver grommets. Paul Bunn is a noted cancer researcher, professor of oncology and director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center. He’s also a past president of Cancer League’s scientific advisory board and an authority in lung cancer and lymphoma.
Libby Printz, the Cancer Center’s development director, was able to fill five tables with Bunn’s friends and associates; the group included Bunn’s daughter, Kristen; Dr. David and Carrie Raben; Greg and Carol Dobbs; Dr. Peter Durante; Hugh and Joan Manchester; Bill and Midge Wallace; Dr. Robert and Marsha Ullrich; Jim and Diane Robinson; James and Lani Hood; Eunice Romano; Dr. Rob and Carla Wright; Don and Arlene Mohler Johnson; and Francis and Lorraine Salazar.
Jewelry maker Cathy Marquis’ talents were evident on several of Cancer League’s board members; president Jennifer O’Neill and past president Edie Marks were among those wearing turquoise or gemstone necklaces Marquis had designed.
Breckenridge Mayor Ernie Blake and his wife, Sharon Magness Blake, shared a table with a group that included commercial Realtor Bob Collawn and his wife, Pat Vincent, chief executive officer of Xcel Energy-Colorado, and direct mail czar Gary Wright and his wife, Mary Margaret. As is her custom, Magness Blake did some serious shopping in the live auction called by Gary Corbett: She and Dealin’ Doug Moreland were high bidders on a trip to Manzanillo, Mexico.
Moreland and fellow members of the Front Range Chrysler/Jeep Dealers donated the 2006 Jeep Commander that was raffled off; John Simonton, son of Cancer League treasurer Taylor Simonton, held the winning ticket.
Emcee and 7News weather anchor Mike Nelson generated lots of bids for his surprise donation – one of his acclaimed weather presentations at a local school, followed by a tour of the television studio and dinner with him and his wife, Cindy.
Following the auction, guests worked off the calories from a shrimp and beef tenderloin supper by dancing to the music of the Nacho Men, which left them with an appetite for the dessert and coffee buffet that had been set up in the ballroom lobby.
Others enjoying the fast-paced evening were Joyce Zeff; Janet and attorney Stuart Kritzer; Dr. Larry Spivack; Richmond American Homes chief David Mandarich and his wife, Bonnie; former Cancer League presidents Jane Mayberry, Marsha Lunnon and Denise Foat; Peter and Vivian Teets; Vivian Guzofsky; Barb and Gary Reece; Kaye and Monte Music; artist Carrie Fell; Elaine Wolf with daughters Mikki and Sandy; Toby and Dr. Stan Ginsburg; Angie and Gerardo De La Garza; Bev Church; Bob and Marty Gathers; Dave and Annette Jewell; Ruth Warmath; Dr. Ron Malpiede; and Nick and Debbie Lepetsos.
Society editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jmdpost@aol.com.
