Glittering Jewels

It began on a balmy August night. The first full moon of the month rose high in the evening sky, and a San Diego tradition was about to be born.

World War II had ended just two years earlier, and San Diegans were enjoying both peace and prosperity. Elizabeth Allen, a resident of La Jolla, started searching for ways to raise money for United China Relief, an organization dedicated to providing aid to the people of China. Allen approached her friend Kathryn Hosmer (now Kathryn McReynolds) for advice on fund-raising. Hosmer contacted her circle of acquaintances; after much discussion, the women hit upon selling tickets for a party that would be modern and creative, beautiful yet unpretentious.

Each of the women took on a different task and enlisted the cooperation of local merchants. Husbands were recruited—Carlos Travres built the bandstand, and Douglas McKellar served as the master of ceremonies. Jo Bobbie MacConnell was responsible for the food and asked the Marine Room to prepare her favorite recipes of chicken à la king and spiced peaches.

They named the party the Jewel Ball. Held at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, the event attracted 200 partygoers and raised more than $1,300 (almost $13,000 in today’s dollars) for the China effort.

Thrilled with this initial success, the women decided to make it an annual event. Realizing there were many worthy causes right here in San Diego, they formed a corporation to oversee the preparations and help distribute money to regional charities. They called themselves Las Patronas, and during the past 60 years, more than a thousand charities throughout San Diego have benefited from the $11 million-plus raised by the organization, much of it through proceeds from the Jewel Ball.

Through those years, the ball has naturally evolved. To ensure its continued success, Las Patronas members dedicate themselves to working throughout the year, planning and preparing for the event. The president and ball chair oversee 15 committees and 20 administrative positions responsible for securing donations and selling ads for the program book. Sets are designed and built in a warehouse, then transported to the club, transforming the six tennis courts into an exquisite ballroom. To keep the 50 members, their husbands, volunteers, professional contractors and Beach Club staff on track for the final push in the week leading up to the ball, a 40-page countdown book is compiled by the arrangements committee.

The best-laid plans of mice and organizers oft go awry, however. The 1949 ball, chaired by Emily Hunte, was designed with a seafaring theme, complete with a mermaid and a boat in the swimming pool. Minutes before the ball opened, the boat capsized and sank, the crêpe-paper flowers dyed the water red and green, and the unfortunate mermaid lost her blonde wig.

For the 25th anniversary ball, the décor centered on mirrors and silver balls to be suspended like beads over the room. For months, members painted and glued glitter to 5,000 tennis balls, only to discover the balls had become too heavy—and the miscalculations ended up rolling all over the dance floor. Such mishaps only add to the legend of the ball. Today, attendance is limited to 850 guests, and tickets sell out within a week. For the 60th-anniversary ball, chaired by Wendy Segall, the theme was “Club 6 Oh!” Bouncers patroled velvet ropes while partygoers ventured down a faux-brick alley to the club scene. Techno lighting, controlled by computers, lit the ballroom while salsa dancers from Culture Shock entertained guests who were nibbling on appetizers from some of La Jolla’s hottest restaurants.

Though the Jewel Ball is indisputably glamorous, its purpose is never lost amid the hectic preparations: to benefit San Diego’s charities. Las Patronas is respected for its conscientious grants process, which includes on-site visits to each organization that applies for funding. Grant requests are prioritized through a review process by the entire membership; such a careful triage ensures critically needed items can be delivered in a timely manner to nonprofit organizations throughout the county.

For 364 days a year, a group of women work tirelessly so that on one August night, the full moon will rise once more over a spectacular party dedicated to helping those in need. 

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