Articles about Philanthropy
Karl Rove, Comedian, Emcees a Dinner in Dallas
Who knew Karl Rove was such a comedian? That’s what about 700 people were asking
last night when the worlds of Texas oil and gas, Republican politics, and philanthropy came together in one big decked-out room at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. The occasion: the Methodist Health System Foundation’s presentation of its 2011 Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award to Barnett Shale billionaire Trevor Rees-Jones. Organized by mega-GOP operative Jim Francis, the dinner event wound up raising more than $1 million for Methodist and was emceed by Rove, aka “The Architect,” who was a “surprise” guest.
The “surprise” made sense. Rees-Jones has donated a reported $2 million, at least, to Rove’s American Crossroads, a 527 political group. And Rove’s pal former President George W. and his wife Laura Bush served as the shindig’s honorary chairs. The Bushes were no-shows, though, which Rove acknowledged right off the bat: “I have heard the ugly rumor, and I want to deny it. 43 is not here tonight out of personal pique over not getting this award,” Rove (pictured in photo by Jeanne Prejean) told the crowd. “… The true reason is because of mountain biking. [Bush and Rees-Jones are both biking enthusiasts and have ridden together]. The president is a little irritated that Trevor didn’t lay back. Instead, he rides the president’s sorry ass into the ground every time.”
Trevor Rees-Jones and “Heather Be Thy Name”
A lot of guys including Garth and Wayne have had crushes on Heather Locklear. Trevor Rees-Jones of Dallas’s’ Chief Oil & Gas is one of them. But few are energy billionaires with enough, well, pull, to summon the blonde actress to party with them on their birthday. That’s just what happened recently, when Rees-Jones celebrated his 60th with a big bash at his ranch out in Eastland County. It was actually his wife, Jan, who arranged for Locklear to fly in for the party (talk about a good spouse), where the entertainment was provided by the Blues Brothers and the Eagles.
Rees-Jones, who’s on the cover of the current D CEO, is sort of used to heady company, though. The other night there was a “sponsor party” at the home of Lisa and Kenny Troutt for the upcoming Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award Dinner honoring Rees-Jones. Among the guests was former President George W. Bush; W and his wife Laura are serving as honorary chairs of the dinner. The uber-connected Jim Francis, who’s chairing the Oct. 5 event, warned the Troutts’ guests to expect a “few surprises” on Wednesday. They probably shouldn’t look for Richie Sambora to be one of them.
Leading Off (9/19/11)
What a 1976 Trial Tells Us About John Wiley Price: The latest investigative brouhaha surrounding County Commissioner John Wiley Price isn’t the first time the politician has been backed into a legal corner. But what does an acquittal in 1976 tell us about how Price will handle the latest trouble? In short, don’t expect him to be eager to cooperate with the prosecution.
North Texas Economy Strengthens Guanajuato Ties: Most urban areas in the United States tend to draw migrants from specific regions of Mexico, and in the case of Dallas, it is the mountainous Guanajuato (which is one reason why someone needs to launch a new MLS team, Club León USA, and stick them in the Cotton Bowl, but that’s besides the point). In the current economy, in which the North Texas economy is outpacing other parts of the country, the labor-pool network remains entrenched and stronger than ever (sub req).
Bush Raises More Than $300 Million for Library: George W. Bush still has some serious fundraising swagger.
DonorBridge: Why You Should Donate Money Today, Ctd.
Good news from the DonorBridge folks. The deadline for giving has been extended:
As of 3 p.m. today, more than 5,400 donations totaling more than $4 million have been donated to DonorBridge nonprofits. The donation deadline is being extended to 12 a.m. midnight tonight to ensure more donations can qualify for matching funds and to handle the large volume of donations. Check www.facebook.com/donorbridge or www.twitter.com/donorbridge for up-to-the-minute updates. Donors may donate online or via phone at 214-346-5500.
DonorBridge: Why You Should Donate Money Today
Today is the third-annual North Texas Giving Day. What that means is, an outfit called DonorBridge has a $1 million pool that it uses to partially match every donation larger than $25 made to some 700 North Texas nonprofits. Donations have to be made before 7 tonight. And they have to be made through the DonorBridge site, www.donorbridgetx.org. Go there to see if your favorite nonprofit is included (I bet it is). But here’s the thing: you need to be patient. The DonorBridge website is having trouble keeping up with traffic this morning.
Update (1:15): From DonorBridge: “Due to overwhelmingly positive response to DonorBridge’s North Texas Giving Day, donor are experiencing longer-than-anticipated wait times on the website. The website is working, but volunteers and staff are also standing by and ready to process donations via phone. Please call 214-346-5500. Be advised wait times for phone donations fluctuate as well.”
Dallas Opera Will Be Dialing for Dollars
If you’re the type who donates to nonprofits like the Dallas Opera, don’t be surprised to receive
an urgent phone call or two in the next few weeks. The reason: the deficit-plagued opera company, which recently had to deep-six one of its main-stage productions for the 2011-’12 season, is nearing an Oct. 31 deadline to match an anonymous, $10 million, dollar-for-dollar challenge grant for its endowment fund not with pledges but with cold, hard cash.
So far, DO chairman Dr. Kern Wildenthal disclosed last night, the opera has raised around $8 million of the needed $10 million. “It’s looking a lot better than it was six months ago,” said Wildenthal (shown in photo by Jeanne Prejean). And while the challenge grant is not an all-or-nothing proposition, he explained, “you hate to leave anything on the table. So, there will be a lot of phone calls going out soon.” A number of people have asked, “Well, should we give for the endowment fund or for the [Dallas Opera's] operating funds?,” Wildenthal added, “and I tell them: Ideally, both!”
Philanthropist Nancy Hamon, R.I.P.
Stubbs Davis and Nancy Hamon
According to Pegasus News, Angus Wynne has reported the death of 92-year-old philanthropist Nancy Hamon, whose life was filled with much happiness and heartache. Her generosity was overwhelming (SMU, the Dallas Zoo, Presbyterian Hospital, UT Southwestern Medical Center, the Winspear Opera House, etc.); her parties, whether on board a yacht in the Mediterranean or at her Turtle Creek penthouse, were legendary; and her personal tragedies (the premature deaths of her son and her husband) were heartbreaking.
Caraway In Another Key Presentation?
The setting for the event was The Lodge, the swanky strip joint off Northwest Highway owned by Dawn Rizos. But believe it or not, the No. 1 attraction at tonight’s cocktails-and-dinner bash there had four legs and answered to the name Mel. He’s one of about 50 pit bulls rescued a few years ago from Michael Vick’s notorious dog-fighting stable. Mel, who was used as “bait” to train the other dogs to attack, was later adopted out of Utah’s Best Friends Animal Society by Richard Hunter, a Dallas radio personality, and his wife Sunny. Sunny (shown here with Mel in photo by Jeanne Prejean) is the manager of VIP services at The Lodge.
The dinner was held to tout something called “Headlights & Hounds,” a bikini car and bike wash at the Lodge Saturday whose proceeds will benefit Best Friends. The noon to 6 p.m. event costs $20, and includes a good scrubbing by the Lodge dancers. (Of your vehicle.) Mel will be there, too, with Hunter, who addressed tonight’s gathering and noted one person who wasn’t in attendance: Dwaine Caraway, the then-Dallas mayor pro tem who famously presented Vick with a key to the city. “I invited [Caraway], but he couldn’t attend,” Hunter said drily. “He had a previous commitment … presenting a key to the city to Walker Railey.” Railey, of course, is the former Dallas minister who was acquitted of trying to strangle his wife in the 1990s.
A Kennedy In Dallas for a “Rockefeller” Fete
From left: Anthony Shriver, his daughter Eunice, Jan Miller and Mark Seal
While the rest of Dallas was caught up in Mavs mania Monday, big-deal literary agent Jan Miller and her husband Jeff Rich were opening up their Beverly Drive manse to a more subdued gathering of Kennedys and “Rockefellers.” Well, sort of, anyway. The Kennedys were represented by Anthony Kennedy Shriver–the son of Jack’s sister Eunice and her husband Sargent Shriver, and the brother of California’s Maria Shriver. Anthony’s got a nonprofit called Best Buddies International–it helps people with intellectual disabilities–for which Miller will host a fund-raiser here in November.
The Rockefeller part came from guest-of-honor Mark Seal, an Aspen-based contributing editor for Vanity Fair mag who’s penned a new book titled The Man in the Rockefeller Suit. Based on an article Seal wrote for VF, it’s about a German-born con man named Christian Gerhartsreiter who passed himself off as a member of the famous dynasty and was later arrested for kidnapping his daughter. Said Rich of Seal, who used to write for The Dallas Morning News: “If there’s any kind of sexual deviation or impersonation involved” in a story, Mark will be there. “Or prostitution,” cracked Miller, adding that The Man “is a wonderful book. It’s soon to be a wonderful movie. And I’m sure there will be another book, because [Gerhartsreiter has also just] been indicted for murder.”
Former Playmate Boots Up for Children’s Museum
Michael and Jodi Andretti
She’s a former Playboy “Playmate of the Year”–the first one ever to have a college education–and starred in Zebrahead’s video called “Playmate of the Year.” The former Jodi Ann Paterson was also in the movie Dude, Where’s My Car?, playing “Ramdar, the super hot giant alien chick.” And, last night, the woman now named Jodi Andretti was in Dallas for a fundraiser at Gilley’s put on by her husband’s Michael Andretti Foundation. The bash benefited the Children’s Museum in the new Perot Museum of Nature & Science and Speedway Children’s Charities at Texas Motor Speedway.
Michael is the son of race-car driver Mario Andretti and a racing champion himself. He and Jodi tied the knot in 2006, making Jodi the step-mother of Michael’s son Marco (she’s just 12 years older than Marco, who’s also a race-car driver). When Jeanne Prejean took this photo of Michael and Jodi outside Gilley’s yesterday, Jodi expressed concern that Michael hadn’t had a chance yet to change into his cowboy boots (the dress code for the party was “Cowboy Chic”). Doubt if anyone noticed as they were all looking at Jodi, anyway.
Brokaw OK With White House Handling of Bin Laden Aftermath
Tom Brokaw
Unlike some, Tom Brokaw is declining to criticize the Obama Administration for its handling of the media in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death. Details are often a little fuzzy right after such events, the former NBC News anchor said in Dallas today, and the White House has been quick to correct its errors. In any event the flap is “not central” to the bin Laden story, Brokaw added. “The important thing is, people understand he’s been eliminated. That was a tough move.”
Brokaw made the comments after addressing the Genesis Women’s Shelter’s annual Mother’s Day Luncheon, which raised $1 million for the nonprofit. In his talk to the 1,900 attendees, he said he learned about the bin Laden raid Sunday night after 9, when a “senior member of the White House staff” called him and said, “It’s a guy we’ve been looking for for a long time.” Brokaw said he hung up the phone and said, “They got Osama bin Laden.” He applauded the celebration by Americans that followed, and said he hopes the “wave of bipartisan approval … of what was accomplished” will continue.
DSO Bombshell: Bill Lively Resigning
Citing “health concerns,” Bill Lively says he’s stepping down as president and CEO of the Dallas
Symphony Orchestra. The DSO made the bombshell announcement today, just 29 days after the fund-raising maestro took over the position part-time. The announcement quoted Lively, 67, as saying that on the advice of his physician, he would have to “prematurely” resign and “devote significant time this summer to rest and recuperation.”
In an interview this morning, Lively said that in recent weeks he’d lost 10 pounds and begun having headaches and became alarmed, mindful that two of his brothers had experienced strokes. His doctor suggested that working long hours for many years had led to “cumulative fatigue and stress,” Lively said, and that, in order to get better, he needed to recuperate. He’ll do that this summer at a second home in Estes Park, Colo., Lively said, before returning to Dallas in the fall and “considering another assignment.”
DSO Board Chair Ron Gafford said the board would “start the process of identifying interim leadership” immediately. Lively (pictured in photo by Jeanne Prejean) had been scheduled to wrap up his commitment with the North Texas Super Bowl Host Committee late next month, and then to start full-time with the DSO in June.
Because of his fund-raising prowess with Super Bowl XLV and in previous positions, Lively had been widely viewed as a “savior” for the symphony, which has been plagued by budget deficits in recent years. At a D CEO event just last week, he hinted at a methodical plan for revamping the organization significantly. Lively said this morning that the DSO is in good shape overall, except for one thing: “Their only weakness is that they’ve been leaderless for too long.” Now, it appears, they’ll be leaderless for awhile longer.
Lyda Hill Surprises Hockaday With $20 Million Donation
A memo went out to the Hockaday staff today about Lyda Hill’s surprise donation yesterday. You can read it after the jump. But it’s more fun to watch Hill make the shocking announcement onstage. I like the way that woman rolls.
(more…)
Furry Critters Spotted at the Hilton Anatole
Fur-bearing creatures
Hey, Tim, I spotted some fur-bearing creatures, too! They were leaving today’s Saint Valentine’s Day Luncheon and Fashion Show at the Hilton Anatole.
Despite the wretched road conditions, half of the guests showed up to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Super Bowl XLV Sighting: Hilary Swank
Phil Romano, Hilary Swank and Lillie Romano doing the red carpet.
The owner of two Best Actress Oscars, Hilary Swank hosted a Super Bowl XLV dinner party at Lillie and Phil Romano’s estate benefiting The Giving Back Fund.
Hilary proved to be a very smart cookie. Seems when she landed in Dallas this afternoon, her luggage was nowhere in sight. After a quick shopping stop, she opted for a “Don’t Mess With Texas” T-shirt and skin tight blue jeans.
Home |
Masthead |
News from D |
About Us |
Contact Us |
Subscribe |
Advertise |
Privacy Policy |
Customer Service |
Awards | Archives | Reprints | d custom | Jobs | Advertiser's Index
Awards | Archives | Reprints | d custom | Jobs | Advertiser's Index