Fifty & Fab

The Post Oak Hotel’s grand ballroom turned into a supper club “under the stars” for TUTS’ 50th anniversary celebration and annual gala. A gourmet dinner was accompanied by Broadway-quality theater, beginning with a moving performance of “Seasons of Love” from the musical Rent, sung by local stars and students from TUTS’ educational programs. Then Idina Menzel took the spotlight, ending her show by inviting the kids back to the stage to sing “Let It Go.” Aided by auction items like trips to South Africa, the night raised a record-setting $1.4 million.

Priscilla Dickson and Wilson Parish

Margaret Alkek Williams and Joanna Marks

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Wild Things!

The Houston Zoo’s annual gala this year took on the theme of Flights of Fancy, celebrating the fascinating world of birds and raising funds for the organization’s forthcoming Avian Conservation Center and its other ongoing preservation efforts. And what a high-flying event it was! Hundreds packed the Zoo’s Masihara Pavilion, which was transformed into an elegant ballroom for the evening. They mingled with special guests like Fiesta the llama, then enjoyed a colorful dinner by City Kitchen. Silent and live auctions, which included such prizes as the chance to name the Texas Wetlands exhibit’s three new alligators, helped bring the night’s total till to nearly $800,000.

Wilson Parish

John Stauffer & Melissa Stauffer

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Leaving a Legacy

The prolific generosity of philanthropists Lester and Sue Smith was felt at the Stages Repertory Theatre gala. In one of his last great acts of giving, Lester, who passed away at press time, presented a surprise gift of $2.5 million to complete funding for Stages’ sprawling new campus, named after their friends Glenda and Russell Gordy and slated to open in January 2020. The “Night Garden” gala was the most-attended and highest-grossing in the theater’s history.

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