CITY HALL SAM: Luminaries Light Into Top Temple Dinner

The Temple University Board of Trustees gathered for its annual Chairman’s Dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel. The Chairman’s Club consists of those distinguished individuals who have given $1 million or more to Temple University. It also includes the Board of Trustees. The room was packed with VIPs including former STATE SEN. BOB ROVNER, casino magnate LOU KATZ, former federal judge NELSON DIAZ, developer MITCHELL MORGAN, powerful attorney LON GREENBERG, and influential banker BILL MILLS. Also on hand were former General Services SECRETARY JIM CREEDON and DR. LARRY KAISER. Kaiser is married to the lovely LINDA SNIDER, daughter of Flyers owner ED SNIDER.

The 102nd anniversary of the Republic of China, better known to Americans as Taiwan, was celebrated at a restaurant on Race Street. The Chinese American cultural and political influence continues to grow in Philadelphia. There were a number of elected officials on hand to join the celebration including COUNCILMEN MARK SQUILLA and JIM KENNEY. STATE SENS. LARRY FARNESE and MIKE STACK also attended.

The aforementioned Stack hosted his annual senior-citizen expo at the Armory on Roosevelt Boulevard. The overflow crowd exceeded even last year’s record. Among the young seniors to visit the expo were JUDGE FELICE STACK, the Senator’s mother, along with COUNCILMAN BOB HENON’S mother. Elected officials who had taken tables for the event included City CONTROLLER ALAN BUTKOVITZ and SHERIFF JEWELL WILLIAMS.

RALPH DUNGAN, the former ambassador to Chile from the United States, passed peacefully this week at the age of 90. Ralph was a member of the Irish Mafia, a group of close advisors to PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY. Ambassador Dungan was yet another Philadelphia kid to make it big in the world of international politics and government. He spent the last several decades as a trade consul on the island of Barbados. He joins former AMBASSADOR TOM FOGLIETTA as another one of the great Philadelphia ambassadors. Foglietta served as a ward leader, then as a congressman, then as ambassador to Italy.