Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2010 > May
May 2010
Time for Summer Soirees
Newcomers may not believe it, but Austin enjoyed a relatively mild spring this year. Summers, novices are forewarned, are Amazonian. Still, Austinites barely pause as they socialize.
Tuesday, an intriguing possibility: The Drink Pink Bombshell Ball, a Las Vegas-style extravaganza celebrating Marilyn Monroe’s birthday, at Opal Divine’s at Penn Field. Proceeds benefit the Breast Cancer Resource Center. Fittingly, Mr. Fabulous and Casino Royale top the bill.
Wednesday, Leadership Austin ups the ante on its traditional Best Party Ever with the Best Party on Earth at the Four Seasons Hotel. More than 500 social connectors are expected to network furiously.
Thursday, the American-Statesman throws another Glossy Glam party, this time at a Zbranek Custom Home with treats supplied by Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse, Delish and Twin Liquors.
Also Thursday, Les Amis de Hospice Austin summons summer chic with the Vino and Virtuoso party at Laguna Gloria. The Viva Trio conveys the tunes. Wine will flow.
Friday sees the introduction of Queer Bomb, an alternative expression of gay pride at 501 Studios, and a big Charity Bash at Allan House.
Saturday brings a new edition of Austin Pride, uniting area gay, lesbian and allied communities through a day-long festival and concert at the Long Center, followed by a parade across the Drake Bridge and a block party on West Fourth Street. Comedian and actor Mario Cantone headlines.
Sunday, the Austin Chamber Music Center conducts a gala concert, dubbed “Chopin and Champagne,” at Congregation Agudas Achim.
I think Frédéric would approve of that particular thematic match. mbarnes@statesman.com
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‘Cougar Night’ at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse
When did “cougar” become such a derogatory term? Earlier this week, I published some short reports through social media about the informal “Cougar Nights” Wednesdays at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse. They are so-called by super-sociable Kristin McCullar and her friends, residents of the rugged subdivision straddling Lake Austin and Lake Travis.
Sid Steiner and Kristin McCullar
A thoughtful Facebook friend objected, wanting to retire the word. That took me by surprise, because cougars are considered beautiful, noble, strong and independent animals. Attractive, outgoing women over a certain age have embraced the term. Sure, there is always some stigma attached to age disparities in relationships, but I found it difficult to believe that “cougar” had become quite so offensive to some readers. I promise to listen more carefully to context and tone.
Rod Williams and Kimberly Kitlowski
I met Kristin at the bar on the patio of the hilltop steakhouse. The view of Lake Travis on that side of the restaurant is spectacular. All the land around the hill was once owned by the Steiner family, who ranched it for generations. They retained a few choice bits, including this hill. I spoke with rodeo star Sid Steiner about his family and instantly considered them candidates for our Ancestral Austin series.
Bridget Allison and Elain Thibodeaux
Back to the action on the patio. The crowd was fit, tanned and, let’s admit, a bit older than the tribes at most downtown clubs. Some were dressed in Western duds, others in revealing summer dresses. They didn’t prowl, exactly, but they mingled a lot, socializing freely. I found the mood — and almost everyone I met — delightful.
Most of the chatter, actually, was absolutely benign: Children, daycare, sports, school, etc. Now when was the last time I journeyed out to the lake three times in one week? Visited three eating establishments: Mizu, Ciola and Steiner. Pretty cool for an urbanista.
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Arthouse Topping Out Party
What a smashing space! Arthouse at the Jones already occupies the white-hot center of contemporary art in Austin. Soon, its digs will match its programs.
Cheline Jaidar and Kevin Carrolip
Earlier this week, a hundred or so guests took a peek at the building under renovation at Congress Avenue and Seventh Street. The most startling elements were the slits poked into the walls and roof, which will make this a space as striking as the art. A fanned-wood stairwell to the second floor is another charismatic addition.
Christa Gar and Erin Gentry
At one point, we squeezed out onto a platform built over the roof, which was not ready for guests. I predict: That rooftop is going to evolve into an awesome party location. The view is singular and elbow room is generous. (Let’s hope the railings are high. I’ve been to a lot of Austin parties.)
Jason Dannenbring, Nicholas Rivard and John Algood
Backer Stephen Jones and Arthouse director Sue Graze beamed like proud parents. The building won’t be ready for art — or artists for its guest studios — until later this year at the earliest. Still, given the difficulty building grown-up art spaces in town, the progress at the Jones Center is heartening.
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Legacy of Giving at the Meredith Residence
First a word about the house: Dang! Lynn and Tom Meredith live in West Austin with a view from a precipice that must be worth a million bucks, leave aside the handsome house. After racing from party to party, I glimpsed only a fraction of the manse as we headed down to the cliffside “boat house” to attend a short reception for Legacy of Giving.
Christine Gonzalez, Meria Carstarphen and Jessica Esparza
This group, you may remember, encourages philanthropy in youngsters. It has been extravagantly successful in Austin, recruiting both comfortable and needy children in the practice of helping others. Food drives. Coat collections. A dozen different varieties of donor events. Pretty impressive.
Connor Brucker and Linda Brucker
Linda Brucker, whose son, Connor, drew her into the program, led the thanks to the board, volunteers and student representatives. Various grown-up philanthropists were present. In a very short time, you understand, Austin students have raised something on the order of $300,000, making it one of the most effective such programs.
Peter Frumkin and Lynn Meredith
In fact, Brucker tipped her hand about news, which will break soon, on just how ASID fared compared to other districts around the country. Hint: It did well.
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Austin Monthly Issue Launch at Urbanspace
May I admit that I attended for Colt McCoy? Yes, I was curious about the other articles in the current issues of Austin Monthly and Austin Monthly Home. And I had already congratulated editor Helen Thompson on the innovative color scheme in the Home edition.
Candace Carlisle and Amanda Garcia
But I attended the AM issue launch at Urbanspace on West Fifth Street to pop a social columnist’s question to a famous quarterback. The usual cocktail-hour crowd showed up. Also American-Statesman humor columnist John Kelso, which made the event doubly interesting. (Which angle would he take, I wondered, if he wrote about this modish tribe?)
Bo Harvel and Soumya Ramakrishnan
The grub supply was generous, and the party, which spilled into the Threshold interior furnishing showroom, grew steadily as the first hour of the party progressed. Then I found out: McCoy, who flashes his baby blues on the cover of the June issue, would not be attending. Nor fiancee Rachel Glandorf.
Sandy Weatherford and Monica Brown
Darn. I was going to ask whether they planned to keep a place in Austin, like other former Longhorns. Well, best of luck to him in Cleveland. We’ll miss his steady leadership of the football team. And congratulations on the July 17 wedding, both of you.
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Your A List: Best Museum
I’ve spent so much time in all these museums. There’s a notion out there that museums don’t matter. I don’t think so.
Numero Uno in the A List readers poll for Best Museum is the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, which not only serves Austin, but the greatest state out there.
It took 48 percent of the vote.
Way behind was the University of Texas’ long-awaited Blanton Museum of Art, taking only 13 percent.
LBJ Library and Museum, a national attraction, managed 9 percent.
Austin Museum of Art, always a promise, landed 8 percent.
Austin Children’s Museum, headed to the Mueller development, had just under 8 percent.
Mexic-Arte Museum and the Ransom Center tied at just over 5 percent.
Trailing were the Texas Memorial Museum and O. Henry Museum.
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Your A List: Best Summer Camp
It’s summer. Time for camp. Oh, for that feeling again.
In the A List readers poll for Best Summer Camp, the winner is Camp Longhorn won with 32 percent of the vote.
Camp Champions zoomed into second place with 17 percent.
Camp Doublecreek did well at 12 percent.
Mo-Ranch — great name — and Austin YMCA tied at just under 8 percent.
T Bar M Camps starred with 6 percent. Three groups — Art School at Laguna Gloria, Austin Nature Center and First Tee of Greater Austin — tied at 5 percent.
Then there was famous Camp Mystic.
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Your A List: Best Rapper
Oh my. I don’t think I’ve seen this happen before.
Ratarue won 78 percent of the A List readers poll vote for Best Rapper. Seventy-eight percent. That’s a rout.
From the rapper’s MySpace page: “Ratarue emulates what is now considered an old school style of hip-hop, with an innovative, envelope-pushing edge. More concerned with content than with industry driven image, Ratarue’s music takes his listeners back to their earliest memories of hip-hop.”
Other Austin rappers on the list all made 5 percent or less. That means Overlord, Zeale, SparkDawg, Bavu Blakes, Dirty Wormz, KJ Hines, Terp 2 It, Young Nick and Dred Skott.
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Your A List: Best Doughnuts
It’s heartening to see that Krispy Kreme did not make this list.
Chains that expand too rapidly, then contract too rapidly, are not easily forgiven their errors. (OK I admit I loved their cakey desserts.)
The A List poll for Best Doughnuts, however, favored longtime Central Texas dunkers.
Round Rock Donuts rose rock solid with 41 percent of the vote.
Mrs. Johnson’s Bakery sweetened 22 percent.
Shipley Do-Nuts — how many different spellings exist for this sugary snack? — shaped up 16 percent.
Ken’s Doughnuts personalized 8 percent.
Sprinkling out 3 percent or less were KC Donut Store, River City Donut & Coffee House, River City Donuts, the Donut Hole and Howdy Donuts.
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Campfire USA Centennial Luncheon at Green Pastures
The American child spends an average of only seven minutes a day outdoors. Or so I learned during the Campfire USA Centennial Luncheon at Green Pastures on Tuesday. Incredible, isn’t it? Even if the research numbers are off, the message is clear. Parents no longer repeat at regular intervals the ancient admonition: “Go outside and play.”
Gerry Tucker and Allen Ambuhl
Before Tuesday, all I knew about Campfire was the infectious song from my youth: “Sing around the campfire/Join the campfire girls.” In 1975, the organization, founded in 1910, admitted boys and mixed the ages. Now boys make up almost half the members.
And unlike some similar outdoors/leadership/achievement groups, its national charter specifically promotes broad social inclusion. About 1,000 young people are served by the Austin-area Campfire group at any given time.
Sabine Foster and Annette Cooper
The luncheon was set in the genteel Green Pastures banquet room, ideal for such parties. A few guests were seated outside the main room. Leaders compressed the speeches, testimonials and video admirably. The meal was healthy (I could have eaten a dozen of those old-fashioned rolls, though, and I skipped the inevitable cupcake), and the company cheery.
Mary Margaret Farabee and Elizabeth Gray
A novel item: A practiced TV interviewer asked questions of various previously selected participants, which was ever so much more spontaneous and gratifying than stilted speeches. Thanks to Campfire leader Elizabeth Gray for graciously inviting me to join this 100-year salute.
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Guest Picture Gallery for Graphic IV
Those of you who have read the previous post on the drama at the Graphic IV Gala for the Breast Cancer Resource Center know why I saved the party pictures for a separate post. Here are some of the lovely folks I met that night.
Amy Huff and Adrienne Arter
Camille Pluck, Emma Turner and Teenie Turner
Lacy and Lewis Alexander
Rep. Elliott Naishtat and Sarah Weddington
Shanti and Noah Taylor
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A surreal Graphic IV at the Bullock Texas History Museum
No one expected drama.
Long lines, yes, for the sold-out Graphic IV gala at the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum.
Warm crowds, of course, for the art bras displayed to raise money for the Breast Cancer Resource Centers.
Speeches, absolutely, spreading awareness of the charity’s goals among the estimated 800 guests.
But not drama.
The planned climax of the party was a runway show. Cancer survivors served as models for whimsical, frolicsome and inventive underwear worn as outerwear.
Early in the show, one of the models, still young, absent hair, stepped out to cheers. Not far down the runway, she turned, as if to exhibit her elaborate apparel.
She kept turning. And turning. Then collapsed. The museum went silent.
A dozen people surrounded the fallen model. Everyone else gaped in bewilderment.
Given the party’s theme, multiple doctors were, indeed, in the house. Some 1,600 eyes fastened on the group attempting to revive the woman.
One or two leaders gave into their inner dictators, barking at the crowd to give the group ever more room.
Guests began to disperse. Others sobbed or hugged those around them.
First CPR. Then the EMS. The model was whisked away on a gurney.
What was her condition? A doctor led the gathering in prayer.
After a few minutes of doubt, a gala leader stepped forward to announce that the other cancer survivors had voted, backstage, unanimously to continue the show.
When they returned to the runway, the crowd roared in relief. Almost all the remaining guests stood throughout, clapping and urging on these emblems of courage.
Perhaps because of the emotional ordeal, they also bid excessive amounts — thousands and thousands of dollars — for the most outrageous bras.
They had just witnessed a stunning demonstration of the illness they hoped to conquer. Almost everyone involved behaved with phenomenal dignity and care.
Before the evening was over, it was announced from the stage that the model was in stable condition and breathing on her own.
Note: Although her name is available on social media, I have not published it out for respect for the cancer survivor and her family. I also delayed publication of the usual party pictures, which did not seem appropriate for this report.
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Another ABC Bachelor from Austin: Tyler Morrow
Yet the Austin resident, who seeks the hand of Ali Fedotowsky, is not as well known, locally, as previous contenders on the the twinned shows. Club owner Brad Womack and country singer Wes Hayden eventually became so notorious, their names evolved into active verbs, such as “to Wes Hayden,” meaning “to pretend romance as a thinly disguised promotion of one’s stage career.”
Although reality contestants slip into silent mode after the taping, this much we know: Morrow is the catering manager at the northwest Austin outlet of the Houston-based Berryhill Baja Grill & Cantina.
The online ExploreTalent site lists his age, 25, and height, 6 feet, 2 inches, on his acting/modeling profile. His biographical sketch on the site says Morrow is: “Very outgoing, love being in front of the camera, from Montana, love the outdoors, athletic, love to make people laugh! always willing to put on a little act.”
For the sake of Fedotowsky’s heart, let’s hope it’s not all an act this summer
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‘Law & Order’ rewrote the script of TV history
During the course of 20 years, familiarity might have lulled the casual viewer into forgetting that “Law & Order,” which ends its marathon run Monday, May 24, broke ground on several television fronts.
Prosecutors as heroes: Stretching as far back as “Perry Mason,” TV’s fictional lawyers usually argued for the defense. “Law & Order” was born during a conservative era, and even borrowed its title from a familiar Republican campaign theme. It could be argued that the show neutralized criminal prosecution as a political billy club by showing that Manhattan-based liberals could fight crime just as honorably and enthusiastically as conservatives. The show also reminded us that prosecutors represented “the people” — that’s the rest of us, folks.
Rapid episodic narrative: Procedurals from the 1980s — “Hill Street Blues,” “Cagney & Lacey” and “Miami Vice,” — often interrupted storytelling with car-chase action, charismatic scenery or painfully slow character development. “Law & Order” moves at such a rapid, clipped rate, one can’t leave the room without missing a key clue. Some scenes last mere seconds. Taut, restrained writing, acting and directing: Playwrights penned many episodes of “Law & Order.” They knew how to write with economy and density. Similarly, the show’s producers and directors utilized the finest New York stage actors, who adapted quickly to the series’ disciplined style. (A peek at any printed Broadway program during the past two decades revealed dozens of “L&O” credits.)
New York as location: Gritty and glamorous, the Big Apple was never so thoroughly explored as on this series. The viewer witnessed all of it, uptown and downtown, high and low, and in every season of the year. It changed the way we perceive the city: On his first outing to New York, my eldest nephew refused to visit Central Park. “Haven’t you seen ‘Law & Order’? he said. “That’s where all the bodies show up!”
Women and minorities in authority: For 17 of its 20 years, S. Epatha Merkerson played Lt. Anita Van Buren on “Law & Order” after guesting as a grief-stricken mother in the first season. (The franchise recycled actors frequently.) She, along with other women and minorities, didn’t play saints, but their quiet, rarely questioned authority made an impression on a generation of viewers. Of course, some of the female assistant district attorneys were cast from a shallower modeling pool, but …
Legal education: Never take the stand in your own defense. Always demand a lawyer right away. Question all sentencing deals, especially if given an artificial deadline. Remember, judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers are people, too. They are subject to the same foibles as the rest of humanity. Beware.
Salon magazine recently published a humorous take on the “Law & Order” clichés, reminding us of workaholics too busy to focus on murder investigations; marquee stars who made obvious prime suspects; the guessing game about which real crimes inspired the writers; the audio logo (“chung chung”); and the ghoulish wisecracks that only the late Jerry Orbach delivered effectively.
Loyal fans cherished those clichés. Yet even those who fell from fealty should remember that “Law & Order” rewrote television history along the way.
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How Do I Know You, Jackson Hurst?
How do you I know you?
That message blinks across my mental screen hundreds of times each week.
Sometimes, the answer is obvious. Too often, it is not.
Did I meet you at a party or club? Did I take your picture? Did we chat, promising to catch up later?
Worst-case scenario: Did we share personal history?
Hurst’s character, lawyer Grayson Kent, loses his aspiring-model fiancee in a car accident. Her soul comes back in the body of brilliant, overweight attorney who works at his firm. The women’s personalities blend together convincingly in the person of actress Brooke Elliott. The tone remains mostly comic, although dramatic touches can tug at the heartstrings.
During every episode of the first season, my memory alarms went off. How the heck did I know Hurst? It bothered me.
Google, Internet Movie Database, Facebook all offered tantalizing clues: Not long ago, Hurst, 33, had worked out of Austin on movies, including Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” and Robert Rodriguez’s “Shorts.” He ran triathlons here and - wait a minute! - changed his name.
Jackson Hurst was, at one time, Ryan Hurst. Born and raised in the Houston area. Attended Baylor University. Played volleyball, soccer, with some basketball and baseball on the side. Held down day or late night jobs in Austin while navigating movie gigs in the New Mexico and Louisiana.
Two weeks ago, out of the blue, a Lifetime publicist offered me an interview with Hurst. While this assignment would normally go through the entertainment editor or the television reporter, with their permission, I took the bait.
Last week, in between scenes, Hurst spoke to me by phone from Atlanta. Hold on there, you say: “Diva” is set pretty convincingly in Los Angeles.
“Yeah, the landscape and helicopter shots are done in Los Angeles, but we shoot our scenes in Georgia,” he says. “They built 10 whole, ridiculous stages. When you’re watching, you’ll see a detail and say: ‘Oh my God, that’s not L.A.!’ You can make it into a drinking game.”
Already, I like him. So unruffled and unstuffy for a newly anointed star of a hit TV series that premieres its second season June 6.
“It feels pretty damn good,” Hurst says. “You never know when you start out. I mean, I knew it had a lot of potential: A special chemistry among the cast mixed with the quality of the scripts. And we are given a lot of latitude as actors to create our own worlds, to let us grow our characters.”
Hurst works closely with the creators to coordinate his role’s development.
“What we talk is the trajectory,” he says. “Where are they taking Grayson? Where am I taking him? Last season, it was very much about dealing with grief. But he also has to live a normal life. Now he’s got the mindset of a fighter. He fights for the less privileged. He’s emboldened, impassioned, sometimes too aggressive. You’re going see him fighting.”
Hurst landed the job while working on “Living Proof,” the TV movie with Harry Connick Jr., in New Orleans. Its producers were developing “Diva” simultaneously and expressed interest, so Hurst put together an audition.
“I performed in a small room for 20 executives,” he says. “It was like my own one-man show.”
Indeed, Hurst had acted on the stage at St. Pious X High School in Houston and at Baylor in Waco. He actually majored, though, in international economics and management information systems (yawn), with a minor in Spanish. He took off a year to work for a transport company in Mexico City.
“I couldn’t shake the need to act, though,” he says. “I promised I wouldn’t put on another business suit. Here I am playing a lawyer. Can’t escape the suits.”
So why the name change? As anyone in the entertainment industry will tell you, only one person per moniker. Otherwise, mass confusion. And the “Sons of Anarchy” star whose career dates back to 1993 already had dibs on Ryan Hurst. “I was working on a movie about Jack Kerouac when I made the change,” he says. “Jackson is a tribute.”
Yes, but how did I know him? This has been bugging me for more than a year. Without getting stalkerish, I had to know.
We made a checklist of Hurst’s activities during his time in Austin. “Well, I was the VIP manager at Qua,” he laughs. Bingo! Together, we recall the early days of the controversial ultra-lounge on West Fourth Street — yeah, the one with the shark tank — smack in the middle of the Warehouse District.
“I had a lot of fun in Austin,” he says. “You might have seen me at another party. Or at a few. Like I said, I had a good time.”
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Report: First Chinese Families at Austin History Center
The faded, formal portrait reveals a mother and son. She is seated, wearing a silk brocade dress in the customary Chinese style. Her hair is pulled back severely. Hints of dainty jewelry drop from her ears and wrists. As for the boy, suspenders hold up his pressed trousers. Standing, he grips a book in one hand. If her look is tight and tense, his is open and relaxed, a contrast in ages and cultures.
The Ngs’ image is among more than a dozen on display as part of “Pioneers from the East: First Chinese Families in Austin,” an exhibit organized by the center’s Asian American neighborhood liaison Esther Chung.
“Some families can trace their genealogy back seven generations in this country, all the way back to the building of the railroad in the 1860s,” Chung says. “That is an immense amount of history that has been carried through to the residents of Austin.”
Context is crucial: In 1875, the United States Census counted only 20 Chinese people in Austin. Their numbers were low until the 1970s, in part because of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Now, more than 10,000 Chinese Americans live here.
Among the most affecting images shows Francis Moreno with her children. A Mexican American, she lost her American citizenship when she married Joe Sing because of the Chinese Exclusion Act. They had four children: Rumalda, Joe Jr., Senovia and Margaret. Sing arrived here in 1890 and ran the Hong Lee Laundry at 311 W. Fifth St. Margaret helped her father at the laundry, also taking care of her mother. Never married, she lived at 1705 Willow St. until her death in 2006.
Joe Lung opened a cafe at 204 Congress Ave. in 1906. One of his grandsons, Joe Jr. worked for late mayor Travis LaRue at his Travis Laundry, then ran Lung’s Chinese Kitchen at 1128 Red River St. until 1974.
I learned more about the family of Patrick Wong, an Austin photographer and longtime friend. His grandmother and grandfather, Rose Chin (R.C.) and Fred Wong, moved to Austin from San Antonio in 1938 and opened the New China Food Market at 714 Red River St. They had three children, Mitchel, Linda and Kay. Fred served as Rollingwood City Council member and R.C. gained fame as a portraitist and civic leader. Ophthalmologist Dr. Mitchel Wong was a founding member of the Texas Asian Chamber of Commerce.
Kwei ‘Duke; Tu was among the Chinese military officers sent to America to interpret for Chinese pilots during World War II. He ended up at Bergstrom Army Air Field, then chose to stay in America, working in the aircraft industry. He and his wife, Virginia, had three children, Beth, Larry and Jennifer. Larry graduated from Harvard University and Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and is currently senior vice president and general counsel for Dell Inc.
Consider this capsule a preview for a larger family portrait in our Ancestral Austin series.
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Your A List: Best Ethnic Eatery (excluding …)
The winner is Indian! And modern Indian at that. Clay Pit, nestled near the Capitol, served up 28 percent of the vote.
Fogo de Chao, the all-you-can-eat upscale Brazilian churrascaria across from the Austin Convention Center, came in second with 17 percent.
Aster’s Ethiopian and Buenos Aires nearly tied at just under 12 percent.
Sao Paulo’s landed nicely with 8 percent and Phoenicia sailed in with 7 percent.
Making 5 percent or less were Habana, Tino’s, Sarah’s Mediterranean Grill and El Greco.
Quite a global mix. Or at least a world away from when I arrived in 1984.
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Your A List: Best Local Album from the Past Year
Regular readers of this column know that my favorite local album of late was Alpha Rev’s “New Morning.”
The Sour Notes won with “It’s Not Gonna Be Pretty,” reaping 42 percent of the vote.
Shearwater skimmed into second place with “The Golden Archipelago” at 25 percent.
Veteran Bob Schneider held his own with “Lovely Creatures” at 11 percent.
Critics’ darling White Denim squeezed in 6 percent for “Fits.”
Roky Erickson and Okkervill River — a killer combo — was not far behind for “True Love Cast Out All Evil.”
Taking 4 percent or less were Harlem (“Hippies”); Brownout (“Aguilas y Cobras”); Balmorhea (“Constellations”); Brazos (“Phosphorescent Blues”) and Strange Boys (“Be Brave”).
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Your A List: Best Hair Salon
Birds Barbershop, the retro-cool tonsorial parlor which expanded quickly from South Lamar Boulevard to three other Austin locations, took 56 percent of the vote.
Jackson Ruiz and Avant tied for second with 10 percent each.
All the rest — Bradz, Wet Salon, Salon 505, Zig Zagg, Beauty Store Salon and Spa, Maximum FX and Electa — combed out 5 percent or less.
Note: I didn’t vote in this category. Yet Keith at Birds on South Congress Avenue shaves my head and face once every two weeks. It’s the quickest make-over in town. That’s not me in the photo. Or Keith.
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Your A List: Best Outdoor Music Venue
That’s because the venerable concert corral in Bee Cave went off-grid while Direct Events moved across the highway.
This week’s winner is certainly an outdoor trendsetter. The Mohawk on Red River Street stomped up 36 percent of the vote.
Stubb’s — down the street and much larger — sweated out 23 percent.
Zilker Park, mainly home to the Austin City Limits Music Festival, managed 10 percent.
Tied at 7 percent were Auditorium Shores and Threadgill’s.
Tied at 5 percent were Cedar Street Courtyard and Emo’s.
Scoot Inn, Tim’s Porch at the Backyard (Direct Events’ smaller venue at the old location) and Club de Ville came in under 4 percent.
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Badgerdog Literary Publishing Party at the MACC
My ties to Badgerdog Literary Publishing were weak. The name resonated. The nonprofit publishes the literary magazine American Short Fiction, I knew that. Social all-stars Linda Ball and Forrest Preece support it vigorously. That was about the extent of my knowledge.
Kelty Christman and Nik Bhattacharya
Until Wednesday night. An intriguing mix of folks gathered at the Mexican American Cultural Center to lionize the group. An Evening in Andalusia was the theme. Some powerhouses spoke: Tom Staley, the outgoing director of the Ransom Center; Sarah Bird, Austin’s pride among novelists. Other social connectors, such as Mary Margaret and Ray Farabee, attended, as did major donors like Bill Dickson and Jeff and Gail Kodosky.
Jill Myers and Melanie Moore
I learned that Badgerdog conducts creative writing camps for young people, and we heard some of their creations Wednesday. The centerpiece of the evening, however, was a reading from Bird’s “The Flamenco Academy,” staged with flamenco artists of rare gifts. The performance recalled those sweaty, glorious evenings at Capitol City Playhouse during the 1990s, when Jose Greco’s and, later, Jose Greco II’s companies settled in for summer residencies.
Sarah Bird and Tiffany Yates
The social discovery of the party, however, was Tiffany Yates. A former reporter and critic from Florida, she’s a literary copy editor who moved to Austin two years ago. What a delight! We’re going to the Ransom Center very soon, so she can experience this Austin treasure first-hand.
Update: An earlier version of this post incorrectly named the Badgerdog periodical Short American Fiction.
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Party plans for the last week of May
The unwritten end of the social season is no reason to sit at home and mope.
Besides casual socializing around lakes, parks, pools and backyards barbecues, a few charity parties beckon, looking ahead to next week.
May 26, the Leadership Austin Essential Class of 2010 gathers for a graduation party at 1345 Philomena St.
Later that night, I’ll drop by the Steiner Ranch Steak House to record what I hear is a sizzling social scene. (Cougar City!)
May 27, East Austin arts beacon Flatbed Press salutes its 20th birthday at 2832 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd; Kat Edmonson and David Garza will supply the tunes.
May 28, one of the season’s brightest social stars returns: The White Party for LifeWorks. This year, the summery soiree moves to the Long Center.
Also that night, Creative Research Laboratory bids goodbye to its East Austin space with A Night To Remember: A Prom. (You could wear the same whites from the LifeWorks do.)
May 29, Family Eldercare’s Fan Drive Gala will include performances by actor Marco Perella and singer Sara Hickman at the Renaissance Austin Hotel.
Earlier that afternoon, expect the festive Austin Asian Occasion at the Long Center, presented by the Asian American Cultural Center.
I’ll probably be forced to miss those last two, if I take off for a tracing of the Nueces River as planned. Even so, there are plenty of military-themed, play-oriented or weather-wise parties out there this Memorial Day weekend.
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Niyanta Spelman: World traveler’s global network based in Austin
As Niyanta Spelman talks about her love for rainforests in the cool shade of an Austin pecan tree, a bright orange passion butterfly lights on her hand. She twists her fingers slowly. The becalmed insect, which ranges from Argentina to the southern United States, follows her motions.
“This is why one enjoys going into the jungle,” says the executive director of Rainforest Partnership about the natural setting above Lady Bird Lake. When she was growing up in Tabora, Tanzania, her family picnicked and picked fruit in the nearby forest.
The sensation never left her, though she later lived in Asia, Europe and North America before moving with her husband, City Council Member Bill Spelman, temporarily to South America. That’s where her small nonprofit now teams with rainforest communities in Peru and Ecuador to protect ecosystems by providing forest-friendly means of earning money.
Dressed in an embroidered blouse, draped with a ruby-and-blood-orange-colored sash, Niyanta, 45, recalls life on five continents. Her grandfather had immigrated to Tanzania in 1919 from the western Indian state of Gujarat.
“He did everything,” she says. “He was a huge entrepreneur. He owned diamond mines, ferries, a Toyota car (dealership), coffee plantations. That’s where I got my entrepreneurial side. I was probably closer to him than any of his other grandchildren.”
Spelman’s father, Ramesh Patel, became a politically connected lawyer; her mother, Ramila Patel, oversaw a growing family. Spelman was born in Mwanza on the shores of Lake Victoria, a year after independence from the British Empire came to her homeland. Many Asian families left East Africa at the time, frightened by the shifts in power.
“For my father, it was where he was born,” she says of Patel, who grew up in British East Africa and went to school in England. “He was not going to leave, although he saw and understood racism.”
She attended Hindu temples and kept a shrine in the house. Her family insisted she also receive a first-class education.
“My father wanted us to learn everything,” she says.
She attended a private school in Panchgani, India, in the mountains above Mumbai. There she excelled at math and languages.
“I loved school!” she says. “I even loved school food.”
She later studied in England, living in London for five years. She always traveled to places most Americans would find unnerving.
“I do everything the guidebooks tell you not to do,” she says. “Do I do dangerous things? No. I’m incredibly careful. It’s about being good at assessing risk.”
Along the way, she picked up Swahili, Hindi and Spanish as well as a bit of Marathi and Portuguese.
“I feel very much an East African,” she says. “Of course, I’m an Indian, too. The English may not accept me, but part of me feels English. Is that odd? And now I feel American, too.”
As she journeys back in time, her accent alters almost imperceptibly, using the short “u” for “a” from India, the crisp consonants from England, the slurred contractions of America.
“You’ve got me code-switching on you!” she laughs. “I go native very quickly, tapping into different parts of my life.”
She met her future husband at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, where he teaches public management, applied math, crime policy and urban policy.
“He’s off-the-charts smart,” she says. “We had great conversations and were just good friends. Then one day, you realize you are in love. I tell people: Don’t marry someone who is not already your friend.”
The Spelmans have two sons, Jasiel, 23, and Ronan, 7.
While her usually unassuming husband ran for a series of offices, she held positions with groups such as the Texas Legislative Budget Board, which develops appropriations advice for state agencies. At one point, Spelman served as a full-time professor and a City Council member (he still does) as well as head of the Texas Institute for Public Problem Solving.
In 2007, after a few years as a public-policy consultant, she helped found Rainforest Partnership. The nonprofit operates out of a low-lying building above Waller Creek in the Rainey neighborhood, decorated with Amazonian maps and photographs of Latin American villagers. Sometimes the volunteers and interns — the group attracts top talent just out of universities — turn on the air conditioning, but often not. All the equipment is donated or borrowed, including the office space.
“I’ve met hundreds of people,” she says. “Some have really touched my life.”
While taking the first steps to building what she hopes will be a global network, Spelman created an innovative organizational chart and code of conduct around a collective model. Much depends on the active consent and ideas of the Latin American partners as well as those who work with the nonprofit in Austin.
“I’m finally getting to do what I’ve wanted to do all my life,” she says. “I took a crazy route to get there. Sometimes, I think I’ve lived three lifetimes in my life to date.”
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Sophia & Luigi’s Wedding at Newkirk Residence
Somebody finally figured out what to do with one of those hilltop Tuscan villas that freckle West Austin’s highlands. Stage an Italian wedding. That was theatrical producer Charles Duggan’s divination for a sold-out Toast of the Town party set at the Barton Creek home of Gerry and Gai Newkirk.
David Williams, “Sister Mary Benedictus Indignatious” and Chris Vonderhaar
The house, hidden in a gated community, is imposing among the dense landscaping. The staged wedding spilled from upper terraces to a pergola, where the ceremony was interrupted by comedic bits and irreverent references to Catholicism, then back up the hillside for dinner.
Kathy Taylor and Kathy Chaffin
Most outrageous was Esther’s Follies cast member Cindy Wood as Sister Mary Benedictus Indignatious. Also right on target was social connector Karen Landa in a smaller part as a spurned mistress.
“Sophia and Luigi Viani”
Over dinner on the poolside terrace, social dancing followed a series of “family” toasts. The script could have used some editing, but then again, most Italian weddings could use the same. Somebody prayed fervently, because the weather held out, and, as always above the Balcones Fault, the humidity evaporated with the breeze.
Toast of the Town, for those just catching up, is the only donor event organized by St. David’s Community Health Foundation and benefits the Neal Kosurek Scholarships in health sciences. The rest of the dollars for the foundation comes from St. David’s partnership with a profit hospital management group. It gave out $30 million last year to community health groups. This was my fourth and final Toast of the season. All four were inventive, fun.
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Paramount Gala on Congress Avenue
The open secret to the Paramount’s lavish success at the gala game: Open Bar. For six hours. You need look no further for the formula to explain this year’s $300,000 take during the live auction alone, and full sheets of bids during the silent auction.
Stacey Fellers, David Lopez and Danelle Awtrey
The gala that benefits the beloved Paramount and mothballed State theaters also saluted the 10th anniversary of the Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel on Saturday. The hotel itself actually goes back to 1924. The most recent renovation returned it to luxury status.
Dwayne Mann and Janna Paulson
The hotel provided the robust food — blue tamales, barbecue, etc. — for dinner, which started a bit after 9 p.m. The potent potables came from several sources, primarily John Paul DeJoria’s Patron label.
Andrew Greenwall and Jeffrey McKnight
And there were John and Eloise DeJoria (happy birthday!) near the front of house bidding on just about everything during the live auction.
Nick Barbieri and Elana Farley
I must admit Executive Director Ken Stein does an admirable job with this overlong exercise. He keeps the auction fast and fun. He often convinces the gift donors to double up, meaning two bidders win the trip or the concert or whatever, while the theater receives twice as much money.
Daniel Zmud and Paige Deegan
The chief musical entertainment of the event was Delbert McClinton and his deliciously bluesy band. An instant and prolonged feel-good.
Daniel Karayan and Barbara Formilchelli
Other acts, including the Gourds and Skyrocket, ensured there was never a music-free moment inside or outside, where the gala’s famed tent stretched for two blocks.
Marianne and Tom Inman
For the first time ever, I stayed the course, or at least five hours of the Paramount party marathon. That meant a dozen or so enlightening conversations, some at the dinner table, others in the lobby of the Paramount, and even a few near the dance floor, where a good deal of polite social commentary took place.
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Arthouse’s 5x7 at Whitley Building
Arthouse has gone rock ‘n’ roll.
Jennie Lamensdorf and Bethany Price
Its justifiably popular 5x7 charity event moved this year. It spread out through the downtown Whitley Building, a former paper warehouse, recently crammed with the Perez Hilton’s One Night in Austin party. (Arthouse’s Congress Avenue home is under renovation.)
Andrew and Emma Anderson
This year, hundreds of 5-inch by 7-inch artworks were displayed on yellow exhibition blocks. DJs pumped up the energy from a corner stage. Food and drink were scattered around the room for the high-cost first night. (Lower-priced parties continue through the weekend.)
Lisa Dambold and Steve Cuddy
It was hot. I mean temperature-wise as well. Guests thronged mostly around the center of the space. It was a hipster subset of Austin society, with some children thrown in for good measure. No big collectors I could identify (except Deborah Green). But lots of folks meticulously combing through the art so they could be ready for the moment when it could be redeemed.
Loree, Marlo and Chris Greta
I ran into old friends, but I also met some potential new ones. Eventually, the heat got to me. Next year: 5x7 in Arthouse’s electrifying new/old home.
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WSL Designer Showcase at the Austonian
It’s all about the wood. The interior finish for the Austonian, the 56-story condo tower that opens in June, warms the senses after the glass and metallic chill of the exterior. The wood is a dark caramel color. Walls are decorated with maximum-sized examples of high-quality Austin art. (Cleverly, the design of the Austonian website picks up on the wood touches.)
Sandy Sieracki, Rhonda Chapman and Cindy Greenwood
The crowd was a little too cozy on the 11th floor for the Women’s Symphony League Designer Showcase on Thursday. We headed to the 55th Floor, site of the tower’s private club and stood slack-jawed at windows, deciphering the views. As stated during previous visits, the Austonian discombobulates one’s sense of perspective and local landmarks.
Marshall and Jennifer Jones
Here, folks snacked on oversized restaurant samples and circulated around the perimeter. On the 10th Floor another crowd huddled around a muscular bar, or ventured onto the glorious, windy pool deck, where music and more delicacies waited. Inside, “Avatar” played on a huge HD screen in the (now-required) shared media room.
Liz Boyce and Eric Schultz
I talked to arts leaders (such as Dr. Ernest Butler about his planned, annual opera trip to Vienna); artists (like Roi James, wearing an exquisite, bequeathed jacket); and people who are purchasing condos in the building (such as Marshall and Jennifer Jones, pleased as punch to overlook the pool deck from their contracted 13th floor digs).
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A Night When Dreams Come True at Allan House
When the weather is pleasant, Allan House is a delightful option for donor parties. The historic home, located in the Original Austin neighborhood, is uncluttered compared to its Victorian neighbor, Caswell House, another special-events facility. Allan House also benefits from a terraced yard easily converted into a sort of auditorium for music or presentations.
Kathie Tovo and Carol Kallendorf
The Dream Come True Foundation helps people break the cycle of poverty through resources, mentoring and support. Carol Kallendorf, a Bouldin district neighbor of mine, is a co-founder; Jack Speer, also from our hood, is president.
Carmella Lucero and Caly Fernandez
At the group’s A Night When Dreams Come True party, I talked with Speer, Kallendorf and some students who benefited from the foundation. A charmed breeze dispelled the humidity as people lined up for Stubb’s Bar-B-Q and children danced to upbeat tunes.
I also spent time with former social columnist Lee Kelly, looking swell, and her cousin from Baltimore, Lynn Jeppi. They introduced me to a tall, distinguished woman, Rosalee Martin, a sociology professor at Huston-Tillotson University.
Lee Kelly, Rosalee Martin and Lynn Jeppi
She showed me her new book. I plan to read it soon and report back.
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Tequila Talkin’ at Safady Residence
Such concentrated connection! At such a high voltage. In one room. All at the Eddie Safady residence for the Tequila Talkin’ edition of the charity Toast of the Town party sequence.
Graydon Parrish and Maria Groten
Let’s just do last names this time: DeJoria, King, Butler, Winkelman, Benson, Tally, Strawn, Safady, Meredith, Rankin, Hackerman, Valles, Topfer, Jacobson, Groten, Huffines, among others. Solid gold.
Ann Butler and Ellen King
John Paul DeJoria spoke about his Patron label while folks sipped bright drinks. Ray Benson sang and strummed while people chatted (I listened, Ray). Earl Maxwell, CEO of St. David’s Foundation, described the vetting process for the Neal Kocurek Scholarships in health sciences while guests nodded and a few, understandably, dabbed their eyes upon hearing stories about first-generation college students.
Mary Herr Tally and Janna Jacobson
Before, during and after, I caught up with the family news — travel, kids, fun — from most of the top connectors.
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Mexican media: Garza, Aramburuzabala divorced
According to Quién magazine, Tony Garza, former United States Ambassador to Mexico, and María Asunción Aramburuzabala, the Mexican heiress and businesswoman, have divorced.
A lawyer and former judge, Garza, 50, is originally from Brownsville and graduated from the University of Texas. He served as chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission, becoming the first Hispanic elected to statewide office. While governor, George W. Bush appointed him Texas Secretary of State.
Aramburuzabala, 47, is president of Tresalia Capital and sits on various corporate boards. She also controls Mexican brewing giant Grupo Modelo. Forbes estimates her fortune at more than $1 billion. She has two sons and lives in Mexico City.
According to Quién, she showed up for a regular vacation in Vail in December without Garza, surprising her circle of friends.
UPDATE: Garza has confirmed the divorce to friends, several Austin sources say. Garza has not responded to an e-mail message seeking comment. His former wife’s full name is María Asunción Aramburuzabala.
UPDATE (4:20 p.m.): Garza’s spokeswoman Jennifer Harris said in response to questions: “As you might expect, Tony would prefer to keep a private matter, just that, private.”
UPDATE: (12:10 p.m. Thursday) Raul Gonzalez was the first Hispanic elected to statewide office, sitting on the Texas Supreme Court in the 1980s. Dan Morales was elected attorney general in 1990. He was a former county judge.
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‘Pioneers from the East’ Opening at Austin History Center
The first Chinese immigrants arrived in Austin during the 19th Century. Their numbers did not increase significantly until the late 20th Century. Now, an exhibit at the Austin History Center documents five families among those earliest to settle here.
Patrick and Cherry Li
Wednesday, more than 100 guests gathered to examine historical photographs and wall texts for “Pioneers From the East: First Chinese Families in Austin,” organized by Esther Chung, about those families.
June Guo, Kelly Matthews and Thy Nguyen
Speeches, expressions of gratitude and a City of Austin proclamation followed. As did private conversations with the pioneers’ descendants, including noted photographer Patrick Wong, a longtime friend.
Valencia Mills and Janine Mills
Soon, I’ll report on Chung’s findings for a column. Later, I’ll delve into at least one of the families for our Ancestral Austin series.
UPDATE: An earlier version of this post listed Cherry Li’s name incorrectly.
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Your A List: Best Computer Store
Earlier, we posted that “every Austin bar is a sports bar.” We could say, with equal ease, “every Austin store is a computer store.”
Try to find a single retail item without some sort of microchip-powered action.
Still, specialized computer stores persist.
A List readers really like Mr. Notebook, which crunched 33 percent of the their vote.
Discount Electronics was its primary opponent, with 27 percent of the tally.
Votes also flowed to Logic Approach, Computer Geeks, PC Guru, Computer Solutions, Mac Alliance, Happy Mac and PC Doctors.
The Apple Store didn’t make the cut?
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Your A List: Best Place to Get Married
Most of the winners of the A List readers poll for Best Place to Get Married offer al fresco options.
Numero Uno was Laguna Gloria, Austin Museum of Art’s lakeside retreat, with 41 percent of the vote.
Nearly tying for second were Green Pastures and City Hall, both with approximately 10 percent of the tally.
On the third tier landed Zilker Botanical Gardens, Mansion on Judges’ Hill, One World Theatre, Barton Creek Resort, Vintage Villas, Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Mount Bonnell, each with substantial legions of fans.
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Your A List: Best Dance/Electronica Group or Artist
Ghostland Observatory, a charismatic act if Austin ever produced one, won 57 percent of the vote in the A List readers poll for Best Dance/Electronica Group or Artist.
DJ Manny George was their only serious competition with 28 percent of the tally.
LAX managed 5 percent. Taking 3 percent or less were D:Fuse, Trey Lopez, J.A.M.O.N., Charanga Cakewalk, Ohn, Learning Secrets and Govinda.
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Your A List: Best Sports Bar
Third Base is clearly the favorite of A List readers, who gave it 51 percent of their vote in our most recent poll.
Pluckers and Lavaca Street Bar placed second and third with 29 percent and 16 percent.
Bringing up the rear with 1 percent or less were Doc’s, Fado, Champions, Bikini’s, Aussie’s, Mulligans and Joe’s Bar.
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Saluting Austin, The Present City
A sentient dinner guest recently remarked that Austinites, more so than other Americans, tend to live in the present.
Rich Coffey and Jarren Wenderlein
“In other cities, people are always waiting for the next thing,” she says. “In Austin, they enjoy the city now.”
Monica Garcia and Courtney Goodings
That remark was borne out by the behavior observed at eight recent parties. (Sorry for mashing all the reports together.)
Stephanie Poronsky and Steven Tennis
The fizzy Champions of Hope Gala for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society buoyed the graceful, old Stephen F. Austin Hotel with good cheer.
Jessica Dvorscak, James Dvorscak and Lisa Jauregui
The subject was the election of the Man and Woman of the Year. Candidates were on their best behavior.
Jon Hubble and Linda Loup
Artist Carlos Ortiz and skin care specialist Ann Webb won.
Lisa and Brian O’Neill
Clayton Stewart and Sarah Majzoubc
Julie Littlefield and Alex Torres
The Fiesta for Amigos de las Americas matched an intimate gathering to an intimate cause at Laguna Gloria.
Madeline Cardone and Matt De La Cruz
For 40 years, the group has sent high school and college students to volunteer in Latin America.
Avery Ashwill and Cheray Ashwill
This summer’s Amigos were introduced before musicians made the lakeside museum even more enchanting.
Allison Raven and Emma Weizenbaum
The Farm to Plate Festival for the Sustainable Food Center was blessed with a Fragonard evening on the verdant grounds of the Barr Mansion.
Stephen Straus and Tina Straus
Consumption of locally grown and organic food every face beam with health. I’m sure the wine and ale didn’t hurt.
Susan Leibrock, Mason Arnold and Christine Fernandez
Food folks like Quincy Erickson, Mason Arnold and Anita Mennucci made me feel welcome.
Anita Mennucci and Kevin Leahy
The Hope Ball for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation dignified the busy Renaissance Austin at the Arboretum. Guests mingled politely in the lobby before what was later described as a protracted evening of speeches, video and live auction, including one of those quickie “clean up” pledges at the end. (“All those who’d like to help at the $5,000 level, raise your paddles,” and so forth.) I like those. (Photos to come from the foundation. My battery died.)
The Imaginarium for the Austin Children’s Museum soared like a superhero at the Mueller development’s Browning Hangar.
H. Davis King, Jr. and Adrianna Clay
The setting is stratospherically spectacular when the weather cooperates. And the crowd — young for a gala — soaked it up.
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Laura and John Loudamy
Love the “Imaginarium” name. A working title for the new museum at Mueller?
Yuen and Yvette Yung
The concert benefiting Music for the City spun out pure bliss at La Zona Rosa. How often do you hear three great bands in a row?
Barbara McNealy, Katie Ferguson, Stephanie and Shelly Gupta
The Soldier Thread and Aaron Ivey transfixed me. (Ivey was new to me.)
Fay Batch and Brian Batch
Then came Alpha Rev, my No. 1 Austin band.
Johnny and Yari Tran
Local reviews have spanked their Hollywood Records album for slickness, but in concert, they are peerless. The newish charity matches musicians to charities.
Stefanie Perez, Casey Karpov and Tiffany Mott-Smith
The latest Wren Cottage Feast filled our South Austin home with noisy mirth for almost seven hours.
The May Wren Cottage Feast Gang
Cookbooker Diana Kennedy was our absent muse. Our guests this turn: artist Terrence Moline, social star Christine Perrault Moline, artist Sharon Kyle Kuhn, semiconductor designer Kevin Kuhn, designer Susannah Blanton and musician Baird Blanton of the Treachery of Others.
Dr. Nona Niland and Betty Nowlin
There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch Luncheon for People’s Community Clinic energized an already energetic social set at the Renaissance Austin.
Milton Torres, Jayne Barrett and Mack Ray Hernandez
A healthy meal was followed by short speeches and a moving video about the 40-year-old clinic, which accepts payments on a sliding scale.
Sofia, Rosa Maria and Victoria Avila
Can’t praise this charity too highly. Couldn’t stay for Anna Deavere Smith’s address. Looks like the actress and writer can’t get enough of Austin.
UPDATE: In an earlier version of this post, the final photographer was a repeat of previous one.
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Reclaiming Blackland Prairies through Lady Bird’s Legacy
An elementary school in Round Rock. A neighborhood in Central Austin. A disc golf tournament in Manor.
Many man-made features have borrowed their names from the ebony-soiled Texas blackland prairie, which stretches from the Red River to San Antonio alongside Interstate 35. What has man done in return?
Why is this biodiverse zone, once grazing land for buffalo and antelope and still home to hundreds of plant and animal species, so endangered?
“It’s an ideal place for farms and homes,” says Taylor City Council Member John McDonald, who initiated a blackland prairie reclamation project at the Taylor Regional Park and Sports Complex.
McDonald and other prairie activists — including those designing greenbelts at the Mueller redevelopment — have been helped by the Wildflower Center, as well as by the American-Statesman’s wildflower seeding campaign, called Lady Bird’s Legacy, after the late Lady Bird Johnson.
McDonald is already seeing riot of results from fall plantings in Taylor.
“There is an outstanding display of Indian blanket in many areas from the Lady Bird donation,” he says. “I have never seen Indian blanket plants so high. Because this is prairie, there are also grasses and other wildflowers the height of the Indian blanket. There is a nice mixture of Engelmann’s daisy, yellow wood-sorrel, showy primrose and small blue purple flowers — Dakota vervain, verbena and Venus’ looking-glass.”
Height is a key element to the botanical mix in tallgrass prairies, which, in different forms, once stretched beyond the Red River to Canada, but now host row crops, subdivisions, shopping centers and freeways. Historical accounts describe grasses and flowers growing up to the bellies of passing horses. The oak-fringed prairies were shaped, in part, by the migrating behavior of buffalo and clearance fires set by Native Americans, which controlled brush and trees.
How can folks around Austin reclaim portions of this once abundant resource?
“Restoration of this important part of our natural history is certainly possible and in fact we are seeing a push to restore examples of this ecosystem across its historic range,” Windhager says. “Each year, a broader array of native prairie species are available commercially, and many of the owners of remnant prairies are willing to allow limited harvesting of species that are not yet commercially available for restoration purposes.”
In Bell County, Bob and Mickey Burleson have restored 500 acres of blackland prairie with big bluestem, Indiangrass, pitcher sage and sunflowers.
To encourage sustainability at Mueller, Wildflower Center staff are training residents to identify invasive species. That way they can help tend the parkland and integrate prairie plants into their yards.
“The key to successful restoration is effective invasive species control, first, and then constant vigilance during the first three to six years of establishment.” Windhager says. “Once past this critical stage, proper management — through controlled burns, typically in the growing season, prescribed grazing or selective haying — will be necessary to maintain the health and diversity of the restored prairie.”
Donations to the Wildflower Center and to the separate Lady Bird’s Legacy campaign can also help.
McDonald has already counted 19 varieties of flowers in the small Taylor project, and he expects nine more summer-blooming flowers in the coming months from the Lady Bird seed mix.
“We are in transition from spring to summer, but they are thick!” he says. “It won’t give you a Hill Country vista, but nice color.”
Photos by Nell Carroll of the Taylor Regional Park
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Retta Kelley Van Auken’s contributions are astounding
“A dusky voice like that is ideal for the stage,” I say. “Have you ever acted?”
“You bet,” the imposing executive says, as she pauses dramatically at the coffee vending machine. “I grew up acting.”
In fact, Retta Kelley Van Auken is the offspring of a legendary theater family, until recently headed by Paul Baker, the director, designer, teacher and founder of Dallas Theater Center, who revolutionized the way the arts are taught in Texas and elsewhere. He died last year at age 98.
In the course of more than a decade in that capacity at the American-Statesman, Van Auken, 67, helped develop this publication’s signature charities, including the Capitol 10,000, Season for Caring, Lady Bird’s Legacy, Literacy Coalition of Central Texas and Swim Safe.
That’s why, this week, the newspaper has established the Retta’s Swim Safe Endowment Fund, seeded with a $50,000 commitment from the American-Statesman. Vice-President for Marketing Lisa Sullivan has set a preliminary fundraising goal of $300,000. Income on those investments would generate at least 1,000 swimming lessons a year for children through the YMCA and the City of Austin summer camp programs.
“The amount of benefit Retta has given to this community is astounding,” Sullivan says. “She’s had a huge impact.” The urge to nurture came early to Van Auken. In her working-class South Waco community, she’d “adopt” neighborhood children, parking them on her hip.
She caught the theater bug. Her older sister, Robyn Baker Flatt, founder of Dallas Children’s Theater, usually cast her as a fairy with no lines.
“She’d make my girlfriend and I go around the neighborhood in our underwear with banners that advertised the time and date of the plays,” Van Auken says.
When she and her siblings weren’t playing theater, they learned about social justice at the feet of Baker and his wife, Sallie Kathryn Baker (who, at age 97, still does most of her own chores on a ranch outside Gonzales).
“We’d drive along Speight Street and see all these tiny houses in disrepair owned by slum lords,” she recalls. “My father would say: ‘Someone should do something about this.’”
Although she was born in Waco, her earliest years were spent on her maternal grandmother’s farm in Virginia, while her father fought in World War II. “Grandmother said I was her war effort,” Van Auken cracks.
When she returned to Waco, where Baker taught theater at Baylor University, she discovered that her Presbyterian faith set her apart in a predominately Baptist city. “I had a friend who always said, ‘There’s very little hope for you,” she shrugs. (She is now married to a Presbyterian minister, the Rev. William Van Auken.)
Her reporting skills also budded prematurely.
“I always knew what everybody was doing,” Van Auken says. “And what they needed.”
At University High School, she and a friend started the school newspaper, named the Wooden Horse, something of an inside joke, given that the school’s teams were named the Trojans.
Van Auken wandered from college to college, including the University of Texas, receiving a bachelor’s degree in English and French, then a master’s in the narrow field of “The Contemporary Novel of Europe” (“They’re not even contemporary any more,” she laughs).
She still hadn’t given up entirely on the theater.
“I had a theater track and a newspaper track,” she says. “Whenever I needed money, I’d move over to the newspaper track. I’ve always been a reporter, too, though not so much since I defected to management.”
Van Auken’s media career took her from Waco to South Dakota, Ohio, Arizona, New York and back to Texas. While a military wife in Germany, she filed a regular column, “Retta Writes,” that was published in the American-Statesman. In 1993, she helped lead the early efforts of Cox Newspapers, owner of the American-Statesman, adapting to the Internet. Thus Cox and few other newspapers teamed up with software firm Prodigy to create the first protocols for online journalism.
Years previously, one of her first community projects was the Capitol 10,000, now one of the city’s largest charity runs.
“Running was just becoming a big thing,” she says its origins in the 1970s. “We expected 800 runners; 3,500 showed up. I don’t think I slept for days.”
Given to comfortable business suits with Southwestern accents, Van Auken’s chestnut hair falls into an unstructured page-boy cut. (“Or whatever it wants to do,” she jokes.) She raised two children from the first of three marriages — Marshall Ferrell, 40, and Melissa Ferrell Bullion, 43 — and brags of six grandchildren, plus another seven she claims from the Van Auken clan.
With the help of former publisher Mike Laosa, the City of Austin’s Farhad Madani, and Mark Keister at the YMCA, now with Boys and Girls Club of Austin, Van Auken established the Swim Safe for Austin Kids program in 1999. She had discovered that, as of 1998, no swimming lessons had been offered in East Austin for at least the previous nine years.
Groups such as A Glimmer of Hope Foundation, RECA Real Estate Council of Austin and Steps to Healthier Austin made major donations (likely with a little Van Auken charm-twisting ). More than 10,000 underprivileged children have learned to swim through the project, decreasing the likelihood of drowning in Central Texas’ many rivers, lakes, pools and swimming holes.
“People would ask: ‘Why does the newspaper care?’” she says. “Because it’s the right thing to do.”
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Spring social marathon slows to a trot
The spring social marathon has ended. Time to plan for a more pedestrian pace.
Today , we look forward to “There’s No Such Thing as A Free Lunch” luncheon for People’s Community Clinic at the Renaissance Austin.
Wednesday comes the opening of “Pioneers from the East: First Chinese Families in Austin” at the Austin History Center, and then “Tequila Talkin’” in the Toast of the Town series at Eddy Safady’s Congress Avenue loft.
The first of several events for Arthouse’s “5x7” sale/party, as well as the Women’s Symphony League of Austin Designer Showhouse at the Austonian, start on Thursday (both traditional fandangos culminate Sunday).
For me, Friday is reserved exclusively for Beyond the Lights, the golf tournament, dinner and concert at Hyatt Lost Pines Resort with the cast of “Friday Night Lights” and other celebrities.
Saturday, I’ll stick pretty close to the Paramount and State Gala that closes down Congress Avenue for the evening.
Sunday, there’s another Toast of the Town event: Luigi and Sofia’s Wedding Gai and Gerry Newkirk’s home. And I’m sure I forgot something.
Sound like a lot? Actually, it’s a breeze compared to the previous weeks.
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Where are the party reports?
A brief note to explain the absence of Out & About images, as well as posts about recent Austin social events: Our company’s servers are experiencing critical problems. We hope they will be resolved soon. Meanwhile, fans of this column can make do with Facebook, Twitter, Gowalla and, of course, print updates. The social scene has not faltered, even if the flow of my reports has.
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Iron Chef Contest at Austin Country Club
I’ve often turned down the opportunity to judge events. Always felt it interfered with my capacity to report. In the social world, those barriers evaporate. It’s part of my job to participate in the community, meanwhile connecting folks through Out & About (newest part of the brand: Follow my actual rounds soon on Gowalla.)
Jonathan Gelman and Marilyn Crawford
So when the fine folks at the Austin Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives (NACE) called, I said yes. Didn’t really know what was expected. But it was to be an “Iron Chef” competition. I watch enough reality TV to improvise.
Michele Edison and Ann Nielson
It was set in a lovely dusk-lit room at the Austin Country Club above Lake Austin. I don’t get out there often enough. It’s really not that far from downtown and it radiates a peaceful, family-friendly feel. I met various leaders among the caterers, food and beverage managers, photographers, videographers, sound and lighting specialists, artists, events coordinators, suppliers and such.
Katie Lazar and Barbara Short
Then the contest began. My fellow judges, whom I got to know much better as the evening progress, were Driskill Hotel chef Jonathan Gelman and Maggie Mae’s owner Marilyn Crawford. The dueling cooks were Austin Country Club’s Bob Burns and 2 Dine 4 Fine Catering’s Chris Chism (a previous winner in this annual NACE event).
Martha Tauke and Jonathan Beal
Their “secret” ingredient was citrus. Much of the food was prepped on the stage as DJs and video specialists broadcast the action on twin screens. We watched. Both presentations were equally appetizing. Burns used a “platform” of avocado with seafood and various citrus selections for four distinct dishes. Chism combined his in a lettuce nest. His coconut-battered shrimp were exceptionally crisp and tasty, while the julienned vegetables and fruit interacted nicely.
Beau Curtis and Chris Higgins
Chism won. Then were presented with what the rest of the diners were sampling: A divine, perfected rendered short rib concoction, then luscious tres leches cake.
I hate my life.
UPDATE: In previous versions of this post, Katie Lazar’s and Barbara Short’s names were reversed under their photo.
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Your A List: Best Place to Skate
Skating never goes out of style, does it? Just when you think it’s turned irretrievably retro, another generation finds its balance on tiny, speeding wheels or thin, sharp blades.
Competitive Playland Skate Center won the readers poll for Best Place to skate with 26 percent of the vote.
The outdoor Veloway was favored by 25 percent. Two ice-skating spots — Whole Foods and Chapparal Ice — tied with a bit over 12 percent.
Mabel Davis Park spun out 7 percent.
All the rest — Skate Park of Austin, Skate World, Millenium Youth Entertainment Complex and Intellect Rollers Realm — skidded into 5 percent or less.
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Your A List: Best Punk Group
As always with club music, we face a genre problem here.
Not matter. Hard-driving Riverboat Gamblers were the big winners with 36 percent of the overall vote.
The theatrical and boisterous Flametrick Subs kicked up 23 percent.
The demonstrably undiluted Krum Bums banged out 15 percent.
World Burns to Death and Midgetmen tied exactly at just under 6 percent of the tally.
Meriting less than 4 percent were Hex Dispensers, Sex Advice, Spin Alley, Manikin and Camp X-Ray.
If they really rate as punk, they probably don’t care what readers think.
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Your A List: Best Patio
Warm afternoons. Cool nights. It’s patio season in Austin.
A-List voters liked the Oasis with its famous terraces overlooking Lake Travis for Best Patio, devoting a full 27 percent of the tally to the expanded mecca.
Hula Hut, picking up the breeze from lower Lake Austin, came in second in the readers poll with 17 percent.
Hotel San Jose, lushly landscaped, maintained 13 percent.
Iguana Grill nudged out Mozart’s, Stephen F. Austin, Vivo and Opal Divine’s. Doc’s Motorworks and Freddie’s tied for last place.
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Your A List: Best Waitstaff
What do you expect from the waitstaff at an Austin restaurant? Promptness? Geniality? Accuracy? Knowledge of the fare?
Their top choice was bifurcated Vespaio, the creative Italian spot on South Congress Avenue. It served up 23 percent of the vote.
Popular Hyde Park Bar and Grill — now at two locations — trayed 19 percent. Jeffrey’s, the club-like spot in Clarksville managed 14 percent.
Ruth’s Chris and Wink tied exactly at a little over 12 percent. Clay Pit did nicely at 8 percent.
Cashing in on 5 percent or less were Mansion on Judge’s Hill, Mother’s, La Traviata and El Borrego del Oro.
Nice, broad voting patterns.
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‘Party of the Decade’ planned for September Fête
The stakes continue to rise for top-shelf charity events.
Dubbed “Fête to the Power of 10,” the gala will include pricey cocktails, dinner and performances staged by Stephen Mills at the Butler Dance Education Center (tables go for $10,000; individual tickets for $1,000). Tickets for the performance — celebrating Mills’ 10 years as artistic director — cost $250.
The party will migrate to the Seaholm Power Plant for an evening-long event (tickets: $95-$125).
Neiman Marcus will present a fashion runway show there featuring Carolina Herrera designs. Celebrity chefs for the event will include Kenzo Tran (Piranha Killer Sushi), Harvey Harris (Siena Ristorante Toscana) and David Garrido (Garrido’s Restaurant).
The all-star Fete committee includes top connectors like author Kristin Armstrong, lawyer Becky Beaver, community leader Karen Landa, philanthropist Susan Lubin, former TV reporter Crystal Cotti.
The following social dance party is expected to continue until midnight. For more information, call 476-9151 or link here. Tickets go on sale May 10.
Pictured: Andrea McWilliams, one of the 2009 Glossy 8
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Luci Baines Johnson returns home to recuperate
Luci Baines Johnson has returned to her Austin home after being treated for the rare and serious Guillian-Barre Syndrome at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Johnson and her husband Ian Turpin expressed gratitude to the doctors, nurses and clergy at Seton Medical Center Austin, where she was first treated April 14 following the first episode of GBS, which can paralyze a patient’s extremities. She also thanked the staff at the Mayo Clinic, where she was flown on April 16.
“They are the best, they gave their best to me and my family and I am eternally grateful,” Johnson said about the two hospitals in a statement today. “No care has been more precious than the prayers of all my family and loved ones some who I have adored for a lifetime and some who have graced my life only because of my parents’ service to our country.”
Like other GBS patients whose symptoms are identified early, Johnson received round-the-clock immunoglobulin treatments in an intensive-care unit. She attracted nationwide support from others who have suffered from the autoimmune syndrome and who required months of rehabilitation.
Among them them was Joe Dunn, a Westlake High School graduate who plans to return to the United States Merchant Marine Academy after a 2009 battle with GBS.
“She’s going to get better,” Dunn said in a message of hope to Johnson last week.
Speculation about Johnson’s possible return raced through the Wildflower Gala at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center on Friday. Turpin attended the annual fundraiser, as did Johnson’s sister Lynda Johnson Robb and her niece, Catherine Robb.
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Cinderella’s Ball at the Four Seasons
And the 2010 Out & About Award for fairy tale gala goes to … Make a Wish Foundation for its Cinderella’s Ball on Saturday. The foundation’s creative team swathed the Four Seasons hallways and banquet room with billowy white fabric. They also created Disney-like gateways, balustrades, table decor and a stage for — what else? — a Disney-like musical.
Jenny Staton and Catina Davis
Executive director Joanna Linden and events manager Chad Wicks created and produced the event with the help of Strong Productions (set) and Freeman (audio, visual, and lighting) and an army of interns and volunteers. The theatrical production was by Zach Scott Theater Showstoppers directed by Adam Roberts. Program written by Jill Skinner. The event was sold out at 500 people, with net proceeds of $300,000.
Laura and Adam Finkenbinder
The children were dazzled. The adults were pretty impressed, too. This was a dressy tribe. And why not? How many times do you receive an invitation to Cinderella’s Ball? The foundation’s work granting the wishes of seriously ill children was not given short shrift. I was particularly impressed by a speech given by Gabriel George, the 2009 Sickle Cell Disease Poster Child, who visited with President Barack Obama. This young man could give the president a run for his oratorical money.
Charles George and Gabriel George
I spent a wickedly short time at the ball, but I found out more about tablemates David Garza and Adam Finkenbinder. The first is investing in rental homes in the Westlake area, while the second is serving as a West Lake Hills firefighter.
The mechanics of this job are a bore, but this night, not one, but two of my devices ran out of juice. (The iPhone because I didn’t know how to turn off the push messages from Gowalla. I know now.) And I thoughtlessly didn’t bring along the rechargers. So I went home, only to collapse on the couch, missing my fourth appointment for the evening, Austin Museum of Art’s Art Ball.
Well, you can’t make every ball …
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Fusebox Festival VIP Wrap Party at Tarrytown home
Kirk and Amy Rudy insist I’ve visited their home before. I don’t think so. Built by Hal and Eden Box into a hollow above Johnson Creek in Tarrytown, it’s a gem. The property’s most endearing feature: The dry creek bed that wraps around the south end of the house, creating a sanctuary of unsullied peace — only a block away from Mopac.
Shobie Partos and Joody Marks
I was there to salute the closing night of the Fusebox Festival, Austin’s bid for international standing in the avant-garde arts community. If the winter FronteraFest is our great, democratic blank slate for any and all performers, the spring Fusebox is our peek into the world of high-octane creativity and accomplishment. Austin needs both.
Stephen Mills and Amy Rudy
Festival director Ron Berry was there, looking exhausted, not just from the fest, but from a City of Austin cultural contract deadline. He seemed pleased with Fusebox 2010 and, like other guests this night, remembered fondly the opening, with 200 dancers two-stepping in front of the Capitol. What sight that was!
Luke Savisky and Paige Swift
I spent some time with Ballet Austin’s Stephen Mills and partner Brent Hasty. (I actually saw Mills eat something! A tiny cupcake the size of a thimble.) If someone offered his company a lot of money, with no strings attached, what would he like? Backing to create new works. Duly noted.
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Toast of the Town 2010.2 at the Kodosky Lounge
Toast of the Town is among Austin’s most firmly established gala traditions. Over the course of several weeks each spring, a progression of themed parties benefit the Neal Kocurek Scholarships in the health sciences. It’s the only social giving opportunity associated with the St. David’s Community Health Foundation, which shares in the profits from its hospital assets with a management partner.
Bruce and Cindy Busby
And yet, I’ve attended just a few over time. This year, I started with the kick-off event at the Tarrytown home of University of Texas System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa and his wife, Graciela. Here, the various party options were presented for a high-octane crowd, heavy on political givers.
Tobie Funte and Kat Brooks
Saturday, as part of my peregrinations, I stopped by the Toast event at the Kodosky Lounge. The theme was Ol’ Blue Eyes, given the “Simply Sinatra” tribute show that followed dinner in the Long Center’s Dell Hall. And folks were in a mellow mood.
Janice Schmitz and Beverly Goldapp
Frank Sinatra trivia learned during the cocktail portion of the evening: He survived school by befriending protectors (well, with a name like Francis); later in life, he only drank Jack Daniels with a few cubes of ice in a crystal highball glass; the first Rat Pack movie was “Sargents 3,” a western starring, besides Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. Also the Crosby Boys (Bing’s sons). Now that’s a cast party in the making.
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Ancestral Austin: Estrada, Limón, Guerra
Ordering lunch and chatting at El Azteca restaurant on East Seventh Street, Fidel Estrada speaks only Spanish to Flora Guerra.
The Estradas and the Guerras have shared the same East Austin community for decades. Estrada’s grandfather emigrated from Mexico to Central Texas more than a century ago; the Guerras arrived after World War II. The families have maintained their linguistic heritage in La Loma, the neighborhood named for the hill that rises gently above East Seventh Street, and alternately known as La Buena Vista.
“I don’t know where they learned it from,” says Estrada, smiling, of his family’s fluent Spanish.
A serene-looking woman who skirts around the table in a nimble manner, Guerra is married to Daniel Guerra, son of Jorge and Ninfa Guerra, who own El Azteca. It opened in 1963.
Slipped between the restaurant and the cleaners is Diana’s Flower Shop. Estrada’s daughter, Diana Limón, opened it 25 years ago come December.
“Very few businesses could flourish back then,” says Lonnie Limón of his grandfather’s and mother’s retail success stories.
“But we knew the community,” Estrada says.
Limón and Estrada pass around snapshots over El Azteca lunch specials. There’s Estrada as smooth-featured young man, already established in business, next to a beaming Ben Barnes, the Democratic politician once tapped for presidential timber. That day, Estrada was joined by his informal club, which would have included Roy Velasquez of Roy’s Taxi; Rudy Cisneros of Cisco’s restaurant; Paul Tovar of Central Pharmacy, Charles Villaseñor of Mission Funeral Home.
During the 1960s and ‘70s, West Austin politicians sought the help of these business and community leaders, who met regularly at the Alamo Hotel or Driskill Hotel. (Velasquez, Cisneros and Charles Villaseñor are now deceased.)
What were they doing at the hotels? Playing cards? Discussing politics?
“Drinking, mostly,” Estrada says with a sly flicker in his eye, arms crossed over a golf shirt decorated with tiny lizards.
“The West Side machine was always telling us what to do,” Estrada recalls. That state of affairs lasted until his group and other community leaders allied with liberal elements at the University of Texas during the 1960s to elect leaders like Richard Moya, Gonzalo Barrientos and John Treviño.
Other photos show the modest homes and dirt roads of Estrada’s childhood along Lyons Road below La Loma. Also the historic Santa Rita Courts public housing, where his family lived for a while beginning in 1939. They were migrant workers during his youth, traveling to Michigan, Ohio and Indiana to harvest crops.
“Wherever there was work, we had to be there,” Estrada says. As soon as he could drag a sack, he picked cotton. Yet the family always returned to Central Texas, where Estrada attended Zavala Elementary School and Allan Junior High School.
It’s hard to leave La Loma and nearby neighborhoods permanently. Limón, cool in a short-sleeved gingham shirt, still lives in a house next door to his childhood home. The group account director for the LatinWorks ad agency was the first to attend college: Notre Dame University.
“I was always the one in the family who did something different,” said the graduate of the liberal arts program at Johnston High School. His grandfather offered to pay his way at UT, to keep him closer to home — but no.
“He did come back!” Estrada says triumphantly.
Limón comes from a line of independent thinkers. Despite the obstacles facing a Latino start-up, Estrada opened his cleaners with a $200 loan from his mother. “I had a girlfriend,” Estrada says. “She worked at an Austin laundry and I’d pick her up from the job. That’s how I got the idea.”
At first, business creeped along. “I was going to close it,” he says. “Then all of a sudden, it bloomed, all because I bought a 1937 van to make deliveries.”
The delivery service opened Estrada’s cleaners to customers all over town. Even after he curtailed almost all deliveries, decades later, loyalists returned from as far away as Bastrop.
Estrada had already established links to East Austin’s historic Japanese and Lebanese families. Another reliable market was the African American community, who mostly lived north of East 11th Street and Webberville Road. He estimates 40 percent of his business still comes from that area.
Mid-lunch, Estrada answers his cell phone. His employees need a decision right away. “The thing you need to know about grandpa: He is always working,” Limón says. “Always, always, always. The same is true of my mother.”
Estrada and Limón let loose a stream of stories about family members who went to war, or were incarcerated, or who established their own businesses. The Guerras of El Azteca were usually a part of the mix, having shared meals on Francisco Street below La Loma before they opened the restaurant.
“They’ve been friends of both sides of my family,” Limón says. “It’s all interconnected.”
Note: Consider this column a down payment on a much larger article about the Estrada, Limón and related families for our planned Ancestral Austin series. Send information to mbarnes@statesman.com.
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Wildflower Gala at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
It starts with the greeters. Volunteers and staff welcome guests as soon as they reach the perimeter of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. A band plays University of Texas standards (the center now operates under the shared aegis of the UT College of Natural Sciences and School of Architecture). An official photographer documents each mott of guests as they ease past the exquisite landscaping into the fabric-draped courtyard.
Barbara Rodriguez and Kelley Cunny
The Wildflower Gala has always been one of the city’s finest. A silent auction of nature-themed art — actually quite high-powered — powers the donations. No live auction. No long speeches. No video. No distractions from the terrifically pleasant socializing, before, during and after dinner.
Jill Fortney and Douglas Thomas (yes)
This is a gala where the big shots mix with the hoi polloi. I lost track of the social connectors early in the evening, but a short list would include Lynda Johnson Robb, Ian Turpin, Catherine Robb, Sen. Kirk Watson, John Paul DeJoria, James Huffines, Bobby Inman, Becky Beaver, Stephen Moser, Nancy Scanlan, Nona Niland, Tim and Karrie League, Rodney Gibbs and Nancy Mims, Sharon Watkins, Melba Whatley, Jo Anne Christian, Betty King, Mary Ann Rankin, Fritz Steiner, Katy Hackerman, Melanie and Ben Barnes, Deacon Turner, Lynn and Tom Meredith and Susan Rieff.
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Stewart Mayer and Brooke Getter
I sat between Beaver and Scanlan, as any social columnist would endeavor to do. Their knowledge of the center, of Austin, of philanthropy and the major players in the local scene could fill several volumes of columns. I could listen forever. Taking mental notes.
Sen. Kirk Watson and UT System director James Huffines
Almost as interesting: The folks who traveled from New York, Washington D.C., Houston, Dallas and elsewhere just to attend this essential event. You don’t get much of that national action at other Austin galas. But then again, those parties aren’t devoted to a center founded by and named for Lady Bird Johnson!
Cecilia Chan and Dylan Fitch
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Hispanic Austin Leadership Graduation at the MACC
Hispanic Austin Leadership echoes some of the effective strategies also employed by groups like Leadership Austin and the Futuro Fund.
Nayeli Gallegos and Pilar Sanchez
Participants are given broader exposure to Austin and its established leaders. Also, they team up for projects that amplify what they learn during the training, supported by the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
George Gutierrez and Anna Sanchez
Thursday, the 18 graduating members of the 2010 class discussed their projects with 200 so guests at the Mexican American Cultural Center. After a reception, each team presented their goals and results with the help of excellent graphics.
Dianne Mendoza and Olga Campos
The projects substantially helped members of the community — such as providing energy-efficient improvements for one family; or setting up a digital communication system that demonstrably cut down on school absenteeism — not merely proving the teams could accomplish stated goals.
I was delighted to discover that ahora sí’s Gissela Santacruz was one of graduates. Guests voted on the best project. Guests voted Adrian Salazar, Juan Llerena, Joe Requejo and Angelica Aguilar the overall winners with their health care project.
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