XL cover story

The XL Fortunate 500

Stars of Austin's Social Universe

By Karen Odom Spezia
Thursday, May 11, 2006

This time last May, we were on pins and needles. We'd decided to embark on a journalistic experiment called the "XL Fortunate 500," a comprehensive list of Austin's social movers and shakers.

We had no idea how it'd go over. Would Austin care? Would it be liked or loathed? So with hand-wringing trepidation, we went ahead and published it. Then sat back and waited.

The response couldn't have been predicted: It was an overwhelming success. (This, despite some name misspellings and a few other errors.)

The morning it appeared, the XL Fortunate 500 became the talk of the town. People read it over each other's shoulders at breakfast tables and coffee shops. Dog-eared copies were scrutinized and circulated. Speculative calls and e-mails burned up the lines. The city buzzed.

Buoyed by the favorable response for that first issue, we've decided to make it a regular thing. So here it is, the Second Annual XL Fortunate 500.

For those of you unfamiliar with our guide, it's a celebration of Austin's social superstars. Some are patrons or sponsors; others are supporters or groupies. The common thread is that they're all highly visible in our community.

This is not some superficial social register based on privileged birthright. It's a list of citizens who've earned their place on it by making the rounds and making things happen. These people are out there, in the crowds and under the spotlights.

They're not necessarily the richest folks in Austin, although many have deep pockets. And they're not necessarily the most powerful, although there are many heavy-hitters.

In a nutshell, they're the people who are seen at events and functions and benefits, night after night. Some do it for the cause. Some do it for the glory. Some do it for the networking. Some just hate to stay home. But regardless of their intentions, they keep Austin's social machine humming.

The list works like this: The 500 units (singles or couples) are broken down into categories that best recognize their prominent areas of influence. It might be politics, business, sports, the arts and so on. Those who equally straddle several categories fall under the All-Star heading.

The roster is generated from both inside and outside the newsroom; contributors include readers who made suggestions through our online nomination form. Anyone is eligible, except for Austin American-Statesman employees and contract workers and their immediate families.

For instance, Evan Smith, editor of Texas Monthly, would make any short list of social stars, but his wife, Julia, writes a regular children's literature column for our newspaper, so no listing this year. Liz Carpenter is everywhere, all the time, but she's writing for our Glossy publication these days.

For this year's guide, the game's the same, but the players have changed. At least somewhat. Many of last year's Fortunates retained their coveted spots by remaining on the social radar. Others are new additions who've stepped into the social spotlight during the past year.

And a few folks dropped off our list.

Why? Some moved away. Some stayed away. Many simply weren't seen making the rounds as much as they formerly had. (We employ 200 spies in the newsroom.)

Sequels can be tricky. Expectations are always higher. So we've made some changes to the list that we think are improvements. We've added an alphabetical master list for cross-referencing all the Fortunates. We've provided more detail about each person's involvements and interests (full credits can be found at www.Austin360.com). And sadly, we've found it necessary to add an In Memoriam category that honors last year's Fortunates who've since passed away.

We hope this sophomore edition of the XL Fortunate 500 will be as intriguing and fun as the first. We're thrilled that our readers get what we're doing and why: to recognize some of the remarkable folks who make our town unique. We're proud to call this funky mix of Austin socialites our neighbors. We think you will be, too.

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Hate our list? Missing your favorite party people? Nominate your top social stars for the 2007 XL Fortunate 500 at www.austin360.com/nominees