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Rocking the Night Away ’60s-Style, HCC Raises Record Millions for Kids in Need

Rocking the Night Away ’60s-Style, HCC Raises Record Millions for Kids in Need

David Hoctor, Sue Smith, Gregg Harrison

AS USUAL, HOUSTON'S Children’s Charity mixed music with fundraising might at its spectacular annual gala!

Raising a whopping $4.2 million — including the purchase of some 45 disabled-friendly vans to be given directly to underprivileged families with kids with special needs — the organization’s 26th annual ball blew away previous records. Jana and Richard Fant bought 10 of them themselves.

The night’s entertainment blew away the crowd, too. Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, The Association and Herman’s Hermits! — yes, all three bands — performed. Iconic hits from the 1960s filled the ballroom, and party people filled the dance floor.

Highlights of the evening included remarks from Trini Mendenhall, who was honored with HCC’s “Lifetime of Giving” award. Also: the electric moment when Randy Nichols placed the winning bid of $110,000 for a 2024 Porsche Cayenne.

HCC’s leadership — the likes of Laura Ward, Tilman Fertitta and Gary Becker — welcomed a who’s who for the bash. Those spotted in the crowd included Margaret Alkek Williams, Gary Petersen, Amy and Rob Pierce, Paige Fertitta, Michael Fertitta, Blake Fertitta, Blayne Fertitta, Patrick J. Fertitta, Kristina Somerville, District Attorney Kim Ogg, mayoral candidate John Whitmire, Ajay and Sippi Khurana, Frances Moody Buzbee and Tony Buzbee, who took center stage to help encourage van buying.

HCC describes its mission as seeking to improve the quality of life for Greater Houston’s underprivileged, abused and disabled children who have been otherwise left behind.

Tilman Fertitta, Laura Ward

Trini Mendenhall, Philip Royalty

Hallie Vanderhider, Bobby Dees

Omar Alaoui, Maria Moncada Alaoui

Carson Brown, Kristina Somerville

Gary Becker

Jose Lopez, Kelli Lopez

Emely Valadez, Maria Moncada Alaoui, Ashley Parker, Marianna Brasel, Robert

Dale

Laura Ward, Tony Buzbee

Lane Craft, Chita Craft, Wallis Marsh, DeeDee Marsh

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Leadership in Action: John Kuykendall Traded Newcaster Dream for Success in Luxury Retail

Leadership in Action: John Kuykendall Traded Newcaster Dream for Success in Luxury Retail

John Kuykendall, Showroom Manager, Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove

How did you get to where you are today? Growing up I had envisioned myself as a news anchor, living in NY and enthusiastically saying into the camera “Good Morning America!”. To this day, I am still a news/political junkie. My mother owned fur salons so specialty retail, luxury retail was in my blood through the family business. Eventually, mom shuttered the stores and I was recruited to a large specialty retailer. Over the next 30 years, I was in commissioned sales on the sales floor, became a department manager, worked my way up to buyer and store manager. Although I never became a newscaster, I did live in NYC for a few years. But Texas is home and with aging grandparents, I felt the pull to come back to my roots. A headhunter approached me. I never envisioned myself in the high-end appliance market, but there are so many similarities. Clients want a memorable experience; whether shopping for diamonds and fur or remodeling their kitchen.

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Contemporary Clout: Rousing Modern-Day-Set ‘Il Trovatore’ and Posh Tented Dinner Open HGO Season

Lady Stephanie Kimbrell, Cory McGee, and Butler Studio artists, Ani Kushyan, Alissa Goretsky and Elizabeth Hanje (photo by Michelle Watson)

ALL OF THE top performing arts organizations in Houston have now officially opened their 2024-2015 seasons, now that Houston Grand Opera has bowed with a stirring performance of Verdi’s Il trovatore at The Wortham followed by a lavish al fresco dinner in a tent on the plaza out front.The Houston Ballet and the Houston Symphony held their own grand opening night festivities earlier in the fall.

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music

HGO's First-Ever 'Family Day' Features a Production of 'Cinderella' and More!

Photo by Lynn Lane

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA’S second fall repertoire production is Gioachino Rossini’s Cinderella. The colorful, commedia dell'arte-inspired production opens Friday, Oct. 25, and stars Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard — a breathtaking brunette beauty, even when doused in soot — in bel canto role of Angelina, known to her mean step-sisters as “Cenerentola.”

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