Posts Tagged ‘Dennis Jones’

A literary reception with wine and cheese of which the late Joe Pulitzer told the columnist he didn’t enjoy it because it played hell with the breath. . .Politicians who slap you on the back and say, “Great to see you” and have no idea who you are. . .Chinese fortune cookies are never wise, because all I want them to read is that someone like Sam Fox, Rex Sinquefield, Jack Taylor/Barbara Bryant, Ginny Weldon or Dennis Jones will lay a million bucks on me. . .Some labor unions send out statements that read members are not making enough, while the international presidents are pulling down massive, six-figure salaries. .  . Old-timers still guffaw over the yesteryore sign in the window of Clarence Baris windows on Skinker at Delmar, that read, “Help beautify St. Louis.  Buy a plastic plant today!”. . .Some doctors’ offices at Mo. Bap. medical buildings have plants that are real, but the furniture’s artificial. . .Cong. Lacy Clay is considered ballsy, because he won’t let Sen. Claire McCaskill push him around. . .Just think, that if Dick Cheney sat in a bathtub and opened his veins, he’d freeze to death. . .A Cardinal knows when he’s cut from the team, when he comes into the clubhouse and he’s told they won’t allow visitors. . . It’s thrilling to see a Cardinal pitcher at Morton’s raise a glass of water to his lips and misses. . ..A sign read in a Dogtown bar, “If you drink too much, pay in advance!”. . .My neighbor had a baby-sitter who fed the baby at twelve, two and four. She fed herself at one, three and five. . .At the Ritz Carlton a woman got bruise marks on her womb from the baby holding on until after the wedding. . .When will Starbucks in Creve Coeur begin selling Cafe Latke?. . ..Anytime a customer walks into Protzel’s Deli and orders pastrami on white bread, a Jewish person dies. . .At a visit to my dentist, Dr. Dean West, he told me my cavity was so deep he’s sending me to a podiatrist. . ..Always enjoy dinner at Cardwell’s at Plaza Frontenac, where there are usually a hundred face lifts. . . The best things the columnist can cook are peach cobbler and chili and was asked by a guest, “Which one is this?”. . .Chili will be de rigueur Friday night at the Chase Apartments, when the Symph’s David Robertson will cook his version before invited guests, who will each plunk down $300 for the privilege of devouring it and they might hear how the orch’s $25 million budget will be spent. . ..Whatever became of sex researcher Virginia Johnson? Can you just imagine an expert on sex introduced to an audience celebrating Masters & Johnson, when he would stand up and say, “It gives me great pleasure” and then sit down?. . .Miss the old-fashioned laundries, where they tore off buttons by hand?. . .There’s one guy, whose mother is Catholic and his father is Jewish and when he goes to confession at the Old Cathedral he brings along his lawyer. . .East St. Louis isn’t the safest town for criminals.  One guy held up a bank and got mugged on the way to the getaway car. . .The columnist misses the years, when John Vitale, Tony Giordano and Buster Wortman were fodder for reporters. A joke that made the rounds on The Hill in those days was the guy who was told by one of them to blow up a truck.  He burned his lips on the exhaust.

Prominent barrister Don Beimdiek: “Rex Sinquefield‘s attack on the city earning tax will stimulate serious consideration of a city-county merger to broaden the city’s financial base.  Missouri urban legislators will discover the necessity of working together to counter out state-rural anti-urban votes.

St. Louis Beacon’s Bob Duffy: “Jerry Berger will continue to be listed in Burke’s Peerage reign as Baron of Baggage, Viscount of the Vicious, Earl of Edgy, Duke of Dish, Marquis of Mischief, Caesar of Scoop, Prince of Piquancy and King of Course.”

Entertainment producer/agent Jane Higgins: “I believe we will have a bi-partisan government.  The Rams will go to the Super Bowl under coach Spagnuolo.  Aeneas Williams and wife, Tracy, will find a contemporary building for their church, The Spirit.”

Judy and Dennis Jones: “This will be like the beginning of the 1990 decade. The Dow will set a new all-time record.  Unemployment will return to the lowest level in modern history.  The national debt will begin to return to a more normal level.  Those who invest in high-grade equities will be rewarded as those who buy tax-free 10-20 year munis.  A woman will be elected president within the next 10 years.”

KMOV has relinquished its crown for partnering with the Variety Club and surrendered it to FOX 2/KPLR, according to Suzi Schrappen.  “The stations will play an integral role in raising funds and awareness leading up to and during Variety Week (April 30-May 7),” said the stations’ prez and gm Spencer Koch. . .The holidays bring cheer from many expatriates including Mark Wittcoff, now living in BevHills and managing buildings and shopping centers in 36 states. Mark brought greetings from his dad, Ray Witcoff, and step mom Roma Broida, who just celebrated her 86th birthday.  They live in Scottsdale these days. . .Dr. Alan Londe and Sandy Tucker are hosting a black-tie New Year’s Eve and guests are clamoring for the doc’s cuisine extraodinaire. . Zillionaires Judy and Dennis Jones are still recovering from the 40th anni dinner of the West County Wine Tasters at their manse.  He said, “We enjoyed our last bottle of 1970 Chateau LaTour – the vintage of the year the club began.” (Must be nice to be rich!). . .Commercial real estater Jay Holland spent Saturday choosing new eyeglasses at Erker Optical, while Tom Schmidt ditto’ed and boasted that his Franco’s Restaurant has continued rolling out its prize osso buco, the veal shank first introed in the 19th century. . .Nearby, at David Shockley‘s Saville Row financial planner Steve Wedel of Four Seasons Wealth Management was getting kudos on having been named one of the best 1,000 planners in the U.S. by Barron’s and #1 in Missouri. Meanwhile,  Shockley was measuring clients for custom-made Zegna clothing.

On television, Roy Blunt‘s newest ad blared, “My opponent is killing jobs!”, Bill Corrigan‘s pitch claimed,  ”. . .will stop the merger” and Tony La Russa, whose hair gets darker and darker, admirably plugged the Animal Rescue Foundation.  Suffering from San Andreas of the mind, the columnist was then poised for collecting items. The timing was exquisite.  Within one strip of south Lindbergh Boulevard, pickets from IBEW Local #1 held a sign in front of Chaminade College Prep, that read, “Shame on Chaminade,” in protest of the school’s hiring the non-union Birkel Electric for work on a new addition.  Pamphlets distributed implored parents to “ask for a 25 percent tuition discount ” to demand the same requirements as a result of paying less than area standards to the company.  Farther south, the free standing structure, that once housed Coco’s, has been under restoration for about a year to make room for Mike Fiala‘s newest Talayna’s pizzeria.  At Diane Breckenridge Barrett‘s interior design boutique, senior stylist Melissa Buckley was in the throes of pampering two luxury structures in China: one in Beijing; the other in Tang Shen, both designed by our town’s Lawrence Group.  Libby Storts, Diane’s daughter-in-law,  was selecting fabrics for the houses of Judy and Dennis Jones and Don and Suzanne Danforth.  (Libby’s hub is Brick Storts, IV, who is partnered in CIS Communications, owner of five cell towers.)  George Tompras and family’s Kreis Restaurant was being prepped for another night of frivolity, where the unique, hence, irreplaceable Jeanie and Dr. Don Bassman had been spotted holding hands over dinner. Over at Schneithorst’s the charming Patty Battram, widow of May Co.’s senior vice chairman Dick Battram,  entertained her sons, Jeffrey and Rick of Bella Homes, who had just completed remodeling her penthouse at the Crescent. At another table,  80 year-old tiger and Lashly Baer barrister Brainerd Latourette said he’s still doing part time volunteer duty at St. Luke’s. And, a few blocks away, Martha and Al Small were hailing the success of their grandson Zach Hyatt‘s cinching the sale of his and biz partner Jonny Umansky‘s pilot script, “Young Turks,” to NBC.  Zach is the son of Deborah and Mark Hyatt, and is a grad of Parkway Central High and Syracuse U.

Time was, every St. Louis household collected rainwater in barrels – but the containers eventually went the way of buggy whips.  They are, however, back again, especially in affluent west St. Louis county and the trendy Central West End where they have been purchased from websites for more than $100 each.  Now, MSD plans to get in on the trend offering discount-priced rain barrels through its billing department to MSD customers “current on their sewer bills.”  Delinquents and non-MSD customers need not apply for the $65 barrels. . .

Needlepoint has become hotter than ever, according to tycoon Dennis Jones, whose wife, Judy is involved with the Needlepoint Clubhouse in the Plaza Shops on New Ballas Road with Linda Aboussie, Judy Harper and Linda Bryant.  The craft has brought together four generations of Pearce-Jones-Franz girls.  They’re also offering the first Judaic catalog of designs in our town.  That news was offered by Dennis, who was cornered t’other day by Chris Pauli of Crown Investment Partners, who said his fund was up 36 percent in ’09. Sun-drenched Jones had just returned from an 18-day voyage on his yacht with Dr. Alan Londe, Sandy Tucker, Tom and Eleanor Berra and Bert and Eileen Wise.  Meanwhile, you can send congrats to Dennis and Judy Jones on their past-half-century of wedded bliss.