THE CROWD:

It was a very special gathering of the Big Canyon/ Spyglass Hill Philharmonic Committee.

The Friday evening dinner event at the Island Hotel, Newport Beach, brought together devoted community members under the leadership of Philharmonic Committee President Bobbitt Williams to remember a beloved past president and to honor a very devoted citizen.

The Philharmonic event recalled the late Kim Pollard Grubman, wife of Seymour Grubman.

The first annual Kim Grubman Achievement Award was bestowed upon Darby Manclark, one of Newport’s most generous and dedicated citizens working for a multitude of causes to improve the lives of others.

Grubman had been a long-time supporter of the Philharmonic Committee, working over the years in a variety of roles and rising to the rank of president.

She was remembered as a woman who “was a best friend, a best mother, a best wife, a best cook, a best hostess, and a best leader.” In a further tribute to Grubman, she was recalled as an individual who “was instrumental in bringing people with like talents together, while making them believe they could surpass themselves in their own perfection.”

Manclark, who with husband, Bill,and family, including children Kirk and Heather, have been Balboa Island residents for more than 35 years.

Darby always held a strong belief that music had to be part of the upbringing of young people. In the early years of her marriage she was a teacher at Harbor View school for first, second and third graders.

“I always made sure I had a piano in my room so that the children had music in their lives every single day,” offered Darby, adding, “Long before the Mozart theory connecting the importance of music and math evolved, I intuitively seemed to know the value that music could bring to the children.”

Manclark was lauded by a ballroom of cheering and applause as she accepted the first annual Grubman Award.

Dean Corey, president and artistic director of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, served as master of ceremonies for the emotional night.

Corey has become a cultural fixture on the Orange County landscape, serving as the founder and director of the Eclectic Orange Festival among many other high-profile cultural responsibilities.

He currently serves on the board of directors of ARTS Orange County and he welcomed the diverse crowd at the Island Hotel paying special tribute to event chairman Jacque Heebner and co-chairwoman Marilee Hawkins.

The evening was supported by a benefit committee that included Sandy Beigel, Kay Burra, Judy Buttrick, Joyce Dieda, Ollie Hill, Caroline Miller, JoAnne Mix, Marla Patterson, Mijanou Pham, and Mijanou Pham Jr.

Also supporting the Philharmonic were Christel Schar, Kathryn Smith, Patricia Stayner and Joan Stevens.

Major sponsors of the event included the Grubman family, including Seymour’s son Bill Grubman and daughter Judy Whitmore in from Los Angeles for the event in tribute to their stepmother.

Also supporting the Philharmonic were Bill and Bobbitt Williams, Stan Hanson and Eve Kornyei, Budge Collins, Eric Staniek, and Christel and Juergen Schar.

Celebrated pianist Roger Williams, a former Philharmonic Committee honoree, was also in the crowd.

Following a three-course dinner that began with a wild mushroom strudel, followed by a hearts of romaine salad dressed with artichokes and a main course of tenderloin of beef and grilled prawns, the star of the evening, jazz artist David Benoit transformed the Island ballroom into a jazz supper club.

Benoit, a five-time Grammy nominee, earned a standing ovation from the appreciative audience of more than 240 guests who helped to bring in significant funds for the Philharmonic Committee.

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