Red, white, and blue reigned at the USO’s annual Women of the Year lunch at the Pierre, which fired up a salute to Georgette Mosbacher (Woman of the Year), Elaine Stritch (Entertainer of the Year), and Kathie Lee Gifford (Humanitarian of the Year). Power patriots like Libby Pataki, Phyllis George, Marylou Whitney, Denise Rich, Neil Sedaka, Denise Wohl, Andrea Stark, Michele Herbert, and Jane Petrycki were all ears—not to mention tears—for “Amazing Grace” on bagpipes and military anthems.

One highlight: Diva Elaine Stritch arrived un-fashionably fashionably late, strutted through the grand room during opening introductions, and marched straight up to the dais—in curlers with a wrap-around babushka on her head! She certainly topped herself … once again, pushing the envelope. Stritch stated: “I do things my way and I do it when I want to do it.” But even she got a little choked up as she recounted an anecdote: “It’s all well and good to hear compliments like ‘Oh, Elaine, you look so good,’ ‘Oh, you’re just spectacular in that show.’ But one evening I got a mystery letter delivered to my dressing room that said, ‘Dear Ms. Stritch, I haven’t laughed once since September 11. Tonight I did.’ That was the greatest compliment I could ever receive.”