Eileen Kinsella, No. St.Helena, CA 94574 San Francisco philanthropist Dede Wilsey underwrites the festival's dance series, which has featured dancers from American Ballet Theatre, Bandaloop, Bolshoi Ballet, . Contributing to the causes she believes in is her job and one that she takes very seriously. }; You know, Im looking at a painting in my office, which is also my dressing room. appendNewsletterSignup(); ouibounceAPIaccess = ouibounce( UCSF Medical Center has named Diane "Dede" Wilsey to lead the philanthropic effort in behalf of UCSF Medical Center's new state-of-the art clinical facility planned for construction at Mission Bay. Nimbash Tickets. But hating Dede Wilsey, a San Francisco socialite and philanthropist, is the most enjoyable part of a memoir that is at once an effective coming-of-age tale, a touching love letter to aging parents, and a comic romp through . sensitivity: 50, if (c.indexOf(name) == 0) { + '<\/div>' The author of "Oh the Glory of It All." She recounts a recent party for museum directors that took place in the de Youngs tower on one of those rare San Francisco nights where there was no fog: It was so beautiful. Napa Valleys flagship festival presents international stars and emerging talent in free and affordable concerts in iconic venues, and to audiences virtually worldwide. "In any discussion about Napa Valley culture, the first two words that invariably come up are "wine" and "food." . We love living as much as we can outdoors, Alexis says. "I love that quality in anybody because I think you have to be brave to tell the truth in life," Montandon said. socialites should set tongues wagging -- and other writers say it's not just trash talk, Mrs and Mrs Wilsey with Sean Patrick Wilsey, age 3, OPERA08D-C-07SEP02-MT-CKH --- Dede Wilsey attended theOpening night of the SF Opera pre-performance galas. There were two people in beautiful clothes, a man and a woman with a parasol, walking away from you. The Interview: The Joy of Generosity. A national book-signing tour is scheduled to follow. She married John Traina after his divorce from Dede. I dont go to social partiesmost of the stuff I do is work., Her critics might scoff at her way of thinking, but Wilsey, spoken like a real powerhouse, doesnt give a damn. initNewsletterSignup(); Picking up where Robert Mondavi left off, the Harlan family has completely rewritten the playbook of American wine. Sean Wilsey writes that his father was too busy with his new family -- Dede and her sons, Trevor and Todd Traina -- and building a fortune with his Wilsey Bennett Co., a dairy business that manufactured edible oils, margarines and foil-wrapped butter pats, to pay attention to him. Traina has his own Napa vineyard . Photographed & Styled By Claiborne Swanson Frank, The Parisian Hotel Where Joyce Finished Ulysses, From Town & Country for Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. if(valid){ We have such diversity in our exhibitions, and its a learning experience every time we open an exhibition. var c = ca[i]; . } // Signup submission The Venetian scene was due to be auctioned off as part of another prominent San Francisco collection, that of Ann and Gordon Getty, with an estimate of $6 million to $9 millionbut the San Francisco Fine Art Museums nabbed it hours before the sale was due to begin. $modal[0], { She also told her son that she had cancer and would "be dead by Christmas," but mysteriously, lived on -- with no explanation as to her recovery. I now have an entire bathroom, dressing room, bedroom at my house in Napa covered in these paintingsjust wall to wall. Ahhhh. //default prefix is 'artnet_newsletter_' What Im trying to do is make the city a better place. type: $form.attr('method'), This is a family home; its very comfortable and familiar., The decor is an assemblage of styles, though most are heirlooms and antiques set in place by Trevors mother. I must sit here behind this guard. And I said, Fine. I was in Maastricht to lead a group from our museum [the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco]a building committee, because we were building the de Young Museum at the time. if (!expirationMinutes) { I mean you dont want them to blow your child up, Wilsey says seriously. As an outgrowth, she formed a movement (now known as Children as the Peacemakers) and began trotting the globe with children of various races and her son, orchestrating meetings with leaders such as Indira Gandhi, Menachem Begin, even the pope, in her quest for world harmony and a Nobel Prize, Wilsey writes. Which works or artists are you hoping to add to your collection this year? It seems that no matter where he lived, whether in reform school or high society life, people were jockeying for power -- and Wilsey was terrible at understanding and following the rules. But as luck would have it she was deep into pregnancy with her second child, and a grueling four-week shoot for the book was out of the question. His mother, philanthropist Dede Wilsey, is the powerhouse behind the 2005 reopening of the de Young Museum, the Herzog & de Meuron-designed fine arts temple. Photo courtesy of Spencer Brown. ); "He's simply trying to cast an honest eye on himself and his family. ctx.submit($form, onSuccess); His parents, he writes, were so narcissistic they didn't have time to nurture him. + '