Designing woman creates jewelry with political point
Christine Forester is making more than a fashion statement. She’s making a political statement through fashion.
The La Jolla business consultant, activist, artist and architect by training has merged her passions into the creation of her first piece of partisan jewelry.
It’s a necklace bearing 100 beads arranged in five rows to mimic the U.S. Senate seating chart. On the right side are 49 red beads and on the left side are 51 blue beads. The colors symbolize the takeover of the Senate majority by Democrats (blue) from Republicans (red).
Forester’s creation is a visible symbol of the Democratic Party’s commitment to winning back the Senate.
“It is my hope that the 51/49 necklace will become a rallying cry,” she says. “The House (controlled by the Democrats) passed so many bills, and they were blocked by the Senate (with a GOP majority). Without the Senate, we are dead in the water, even if we win the White House.”
She is the widow of architect and artist Russell Forester, and is a creative designer in her own right and no stranger to politics. She has hosted a succession of fundraising receptions at her home for causes and candidates, including Vice President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, former Vice President Al Gore and numerous other U.S. senators, House members and governors. She hosted receptions for Barack Obama, before and after he became president.
During the Obama administration, Forester served on his National Finance Committee and on the President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities. She still worked with the Obamas after they left the White House, taking a seat on the design committee for his presidential center being built in Chicago.
Designing the necklace was just the first step in her new undertaking. She had to find supplies and manufacturing sources. Then there were lab analyses on materials to check for harmful
elements such as of lead or cadmium, human sweat tests to ensure the beads were colorfast, even a “yank” test to meet baby-proofing standards.
Her necklace is now available. She is planning a social media campaign, but orders already are streaming in from a shout-out to those on her email list.
When former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, now a candidate for U.S. Senate, was in San Diego, Forester showed him a prototype of the necklace, which retails for $88, and he ordered 50 for his staff (getting a quantity discount).
Meanwhile, Forester is advertising the old-fashioned way — by wearing the colorful beads almost everywhere she goes. “I wear a lot of necklaces, but when I
wear this one, it’s the first time that I’ve heard men say, ‘I like your necklace.’ Some realize it symbolizes the Senate, and some don’t,” she says. “It’s not something that, come November 3 (election day) people will put away and not wear again.”
Some men have asked if she’s creating campaign jewelry for them. So maybe her next piece will target males, who currently sport less fashionable lapel pins, campaign buttons and seldom-worn slogan-bearing cuff links.
This isn’t Forester’s first foray into the art of politics. Two years ago, she authored a book, “Red, White and You,” urging Americans to get actively involved. It is part of a much larger undertaking to provide prototype projects for volunteerism in America. For now, though, that project is on the shelf, so to speak, until Forester finds
time to return to it.
Chargers reunion: Sunday marked the fourth reunion of former Chargers staff and players, and the first since 2012 when the Chargers still called San Diego home. But the bonds of former team staffers, players, coaches and trainers remain strong.
More than 80 traveled from as far as Washington, D.C., to the gathering at Pernicano’s restaurant in El Cajon (run by Gary Pernicano, whose late father, George, had a tiny team ownership interest).
A greeting from reunion co-organizer Pat Rogersthompson set the tone: “Here’s to us that were hired, fired and retired or played, stayed or gone in trade with the San Diego Chargers football company,” she said. “We were loyal and we were proud to say we worked for the San Diego Chargers in a city that loved us.”
Attendees included former players Dan Fouts (from Oregon), Bob Horn, Louie Kelcher (from Texas), Jim Laslavic, Don Macek, Bob Petrich, Ed White and others, coaches Nor v Turner and Ernie Zampese, and a clutch of trainers, scouts, team doctors and numerous front office staffers.
Super Bowl gate crasher Dion Rich even sneaked in a back door to join the party. Former Chargers G.M. Bobby Beathard, and placekicker Rolf Benirscke couldn’t attend but sent greetings.
Absent, too, were members of the Spanos family, who own the Chargers, because this was an alumni event, explained co-organizer Karen Netting, a front office veteran of 16 years before leaving the Chargers in 2000.
“There was lots of hugging, and screaming and catching up,” said Rogersthompson.
Fouts made an impromptu talk, saying, as he travels around the country doing football game commentary, he hears the comment, “Oh, it’s too bad you never won the big one.”
“But what I tell them is, ‘We won a city.’ We won from Sid Gillman, Don Coryell, to Bobby Ross ,to John Hadl and Tobin Rote ,to Stan Humphries and Junior Seau, and all the great Chargers.” Fouts referred to the team’s 56 years in this city and county as “blessed,” ending: “Here’s to the San Diego Chargers.”
Randy Everett, the team’s former IT director, set up a group email: chargersalumni@gmail.com so past employees can add their names to the list for the next reunion, which they hope to schedule in a couple of years.
diane.bell@sduniontribune.com