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Perot Jr. Says New Museum Has Room to Expand

Does Ross Perot Jr. know something we don’t? Speaking at today’s groundbreaking for the new Museum of Nature & Science at Dallas’ struggling Victory Park, which he helped develop, Perot said, “Mr. Mayor! Where is the mayor?!” before pointing to City Councilmember Dwaine Caraway, sitting in the audience down front. Mayor Pro Tem Caraway (pictured at far left with Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Pauline Medrano and Perot) is not quite the mayor yet, but he’ll be well-positioned if Tom Leppert ever steps down to run for the Senate. Leppert, who’s in China, nonetheless made a video appearance at today’s bash for the museum, a $185 million project that got a jump-start when Ross Jr. and his siblings donated $50 million in honor of their parents, Margot and Ross Perot Sr. The 14-story edifice on 4.7 acres can’t hurt the Victory project, which has been attempting lately to attract a better tenant/demographic mix. And, Ross Jr. said, “What people don’t understand is there’s enough room here for the museum to double in size.”

NFL to Build Youth Education Center in Arlington

Though he said the exact location hadn’t yet been determined, NFL vice president of special events Frank Supovitz revealed that the Super Bowl XLV host city itself (Arlington, not Dallas) is where the league will build a Youth Education Town (YET Center). They’ve been creating places like this as part of their annual Super Bowl investments since 1992. There are currently 15 in the country, including one in Honolulu (traditional site of the Pro Bowl). Generally these are put into low-income neighborhoods.

The YET centers house afterschool programs including tutoring, mentoring, and recreational activities. The NFL pledges $1 million for the YET, with the rest needing to be matched by local donations. I’m sure the Host Committee can help you out if you’re interested in contributing to the project.

Steve Martin Benefits Central Dallas Ministries

Last night I was at the benefit concert for Central Dallas Ministries at the Meyerson Symphony Center, featuring Steve Martin and bluegrass band the Steep Canyon Rangers. It was fantastic. I bought the tickets without realizing it was a fundraiser–I’m just a big fan of Steve Martin, even when he’s playing banjo–but I left impressed by the story that Central Dallas Ministries told about the surge in demand for their help this year. They said they’ve already had to distribute twice as much food so far in 2009 than they did in the entirety of 2008.

The fundraising goal for the night was $50,000. Steve Martin joked that Central Dallas Ministries could claim to have raised more money this year than in any year in its history, had it not been for paying his appearance fee. Anyway, the show was peppered with nice bits of comedy between the songs, which were themselves great fun. Martin is a master entertainer, and he makes it look effortless. But anyone who’s read his memoir of his early days can attest to the fact that he’s a perfect example of Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule.

One bone to pick with WFAA’s Gary Cogill, who introduced Martin at the start of the show. In running down a portion of his filmography, you mention the execrable Three Amigos, but not what’s probably his best movie, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles?

First TEDxSMU Video is Up: Turk Pipkin Talks Nobelity Project

Remember when Wick said we’d alert you when videos from the TEDxSMU conference went up? I hope between the headline and that first sentence you see where I’m going. I watched this last night, and even though it’s 18 minutes long, much longer than I normally spend with online video that isn’t a comedy on Hulu, it flew by. And I may have agreed to build a well for an African elementary school. Not sure. Things got fuzzy.

Turk Pipkin at TEDxSMU from tedxsmu on Vimeo.

Bill Lively: No ‘Margin of Failure’ for Super Bowl XLV Fund Raising

Bill Lively, CEO of the Super Bowl XLV Host Committee, told a gathering of Dallas bloggers at Hully & Mo last evening that there’s no “margin of failure” when it comes to the committee’s need to raise $30 million for North Texas’ first crack at the big game in February 2011. This was after he joked that he’d need to buy a gun and shoot himself if the effort falls short of its goal.

Lively acknowledged that the committee’s fund-raising efforts have recently required some “course correction” – changing their tactics, getting “a little more aggressive” – in this difficult economy. He said they’re still ahead of where they’d hoped to be at this point, but could easily fall off the pace within two weeks if they don’t keep pushing. North Texas leaders are hoping to put on the biggest, best Super Bowl ever, and so they’ve set that big $30 million goal. They were aiming to bring in half of that through $1 million sponsorships — so far they have 10.

When I asked him if there’s some aspect of the committee’s grand plans that might be scaled back if it doesn’t look like they’ll raise all that money, Lively said flatly “We’ve got to raise the money we’re committed to raise, to meet the bid expectations.”

Simmons Says U.S. “Full of Hate for Jews and Muslims”

Hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons brought his unique spin on business, politics, race, religion and philanthropy to Texas this past weekend. Friday night he appeared at Matthew Trent Jewelry for his Diamond Empowerment Fund nonprofit; Saturday he was in Houston for a meeting of his Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. Before the Trent event (pictured: Simmons and an admirer there), we sat down with the controversial Def Jam Records/Phat Farm clothing founder for a provocative, wide-ranging–and lengthy–Q&A. Among the topics discussed: Simmons’ latest business ventures, the state of race relations in the U.S., why he’s a big fan of Minister Louis Farrakhan–and what Barack Obama could learn about being president from George W. Bush.

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Company To Celebrate Facial Hair at State Fair

Here’s the chance you’ve been waiting for, gents: to “Be a Wahl Man.” That’s the slogan of shaver-maker Wahl Home Products, which is bringing its Let It Grow tour to the State Fair of Texas through Sunday. The tour’s purpose: to help men “get a handle on their facial hair” with free trims–and to find the best beard, mustache, and goatee in America in the Wahl Man of the Year photo contest. These people aren’t just about celebrating facial hair, though. For every Man of the Year contest entry, the company’s donating $1 (up to $5,000) for the fight against prostate and testicular cancer. Back to you, Zac. Don’t let us down!

Big Thought Backers Revel in Beating New York

The rivalry between Dallas and New York–on and off the gridiron–was a theme this morning when local bigwigs like Mayor Tom Leppert, DISD Superintendant Michael Hinojosa and former Cowboys fullback Daryl “Moose” Johnston gathered to pump up the Big Thought group, which supports local education. A few years ago, the Dallas nonprofit snagged upwards of $8 million for its Thriving Minds program from The Wallace Foundation, beating out some New Yorkers for the dough. Now Wallace is pondering whether to give Big Thought, led by CEO Gigi Antoni, another $4.3 million. At a breakfast for nearly 100 people at the Crescent Club, Hinojosa told the crowd, “I don’t want to tell Jerry Jones what to do, but we want to beat the [New York] Giants, so he might want to hire Gigi as his general manager.” Johnston piled on a few minutes later. “I grew up in western New York and played for the Cowboys,” he said, smiling. “So anytime we can get one up on the Giants–or knock Manhattan down a few pegs–I’m all for it.” The foundation is scheduled to make its decision next week.

Leadership Lessons From an Event Gone Wrong

Leaders of all stripes could learn from the epic fiasco that was Saturday night’s Cattle Baron’s Ball at the Star Brand Ranch in Kaufman. (See our SweetCharity blog for a complete report.) First, insiders tell us that–unlike in years past–the organizers had no backup plan for the bash in case it rained, which of course it did, turning the site into a world-class mud hole. Second, experts tell us they advised the ball honchos as early as last Wednesday that, if they proceeded, chaos and confusion would result. For whatever reason the bigwigs ignored the advice and plunged ahead, come hell or high water. It was only due to good samaritans like Web entrepreneurs Joe and Katie Tauscher (pictured) that attendees weren’t sleeping all night in their mud-stuck vehicles. The Tauschers toted four D folks, including yours truly, back to Dallas in their pristine BMW after the D car, like scores of others, got bogged down up to its wheelwells in the soggy pasture. (Joe and Katie had wisely parked on higher ground, foreseeing the fiasco to come.) The lessons to be learned? Listen to the experts when they tell you something–and always have a backup plan in place. And, when all else fails, make fast friends with cooler heads like Joe and Katie.

A Tardy Recap of the Bridging the Trinity Party

I know, I know. I’m way late with this. But on Friday there was this party on the Continental Bridge. If you want a real, honest to goodness recap of the night’s proceedings, I suggest you read John P. Meyer’s well-written account. Thing is, I took photos. They’re only iPhone shots. Nothing special. But I feel compelled to share them, if for no other reason than sharing them allows me to delete them from my phone. So a few observations and pics after the jump.

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$10M Gift to Make Continental a ‘Living Bridge’

Our Sweet Charity blog has the scoop.

What’s a living bridge?

Party Over the Trinity on Friday

This Friday evening, the Trinity Trust Foundation is throwing what it’s calling a “bridge fair” on the Continental Bridge to celebrate the progress being made on the Marget Hunt Hill Bridge (full release after the jump). Santiago Calatrava will be in attendance. The band Boys Named Sue will play, and the foundation promises other “delectable delights.” Tickets cost $150, a price point established, I believe, to keep Jim Schutze from attending. D Magazine is a media sponsor, so I’ll be there. Look for me wherever the delectable delights are located.

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Cowboys, Fireworks, and W Tout Big Thought, Ctd.

I also was at Cowboys Stadium this morning. My favorite moment came unexpectedly, at the end of former Dallas Cowboys great Daryl Johnston’s speech that otherwise contained all the fun of a corporate mission statement.

Right at the end, he acknowledged the hundreds of elementary school students on hand, who sat Indian-style right in front of the stage. As he did that, the giant video screen above the field switched to a shot of the kids. As soon as they saw themselves, they began doing what any bunch of children would do — they waved their arms wildly in the air.

Without missing a beat, Johnston said to the crowd,  “That’s the issue when you come to this amazing venue: Are you gonna watch the game or watch the screen?”

Right then, the tightly controlled choreography of the presentation was forgotten. We relaxed and shared a laugh. We felt human.  And soon it was back to business again.

Cowboys, Fireworks and W Tout Big Thought Program

Big Thought honcho Gigi Antoni explained everything you wanted to know about SLANT 45, the nonprofit’s Super Bowl XLV “service learning initiative,” in this morning’s Dallas Morning News. But that didn’t stop her group and the Super Bowl host committee from staging a knockout “announcement ceremony” today at Cowboys Stadium. The extravaganza featured 600 local schoolkids; 2,000 business and civic leaders–including George W. and Laura Bush; a raft of former Dallas Cowboys greats; an orchestra; fireworks; and a performance by American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. Bankrolled by Bank of America and philanthropists Ted and Shannon Skokos, SLANT 45 will send more than 20,000 local students into the community to perform at least 45,000 hours worth of good works, starting early next year. Addressing the kids in attendance, former President Bush explained: “It’s an opportunity to learn and love a neighbor just like you love yourself.” One ironic note in today’s big bash came at the end, when Sparks (pictured) performed her new single Battlefield with W just behind her, bobbing his head to the beat. Sang Jordin: “I didn’t mean to start a war …”

Guests Get Two Bushes for One

Laura Bush showed up with a surprise guest today at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center luncheon in Dallas: her husband George W. in tow. SweetCharity has the details.

Insider: Why AT&T’s Clammed Up on DCPA Deal

Thanks to Unfair Park for pointing us to NYTimes writer Judith Dobrzynski, who’s blogged critically about the AT&T/Dallas Center for the Performing Arts naming-rights deal. How come neither AT&T nor the center will disclose how much the transaction is worth? Dobrzynski asks, adding that it “looks suspicious.” She’s right. However, one insider tells us the reticence is not surprising, given the current business and fundraising climate. Even when they’re “doing good,” companies fear being viewed as extravagant in any way these days. So in this case, AT&T probably figures the less said, the better.

Join the Conversation at SweetCharity, a Daily Chat About Dallas Philanthropy

Those interested in a daily chat about Dallas philanthropy should join the conversation with Jeanne Prejean at SweetCharity, a new blog–our seventh–that launched today. She’ll be discussing upcoming events and beneficiaries, recapping past soirees and galas, and swapping stories with the fundraisers and volunteers who make Dallas a better place to live. Do you have any philanthropy news? Jeanne is just an e-mail away at jeanne.prejean@dmagazine.com.