The final note in Rice University's centennial celebration sounded Sunday night when Rice Design Alliance hosted 900 guests at its annual gala celebrating 100 years of Rice architecture, 40 years of the organization and three decades of publishing Cite magazine.
Held in the glorious Centennial Tent (25,000 square feet and 26 feet high) in Rice's Founders Court, the evening was chaired by Kendall/Heaton's Jory Alexander and architect Jay Baker. Thanks to their efforts and those of fundraising chairs Sandy Lynch and Doug Combes, the event raised close to $500,000.
The evening honored Rice sociologist Stephen Klineberg, who received a standing ovation following a video on his 30-plus-year Kinder Houston Area Survey. RDA president Lonnie Hoogboom presented honors to Klineberg.
Guests dined on a highly-praised meal by Jackson and Co., bid on an array of silent auction items (including a dinner for 10 with Rice grad Mayor Annise Parker) and viewed the final presentation of "The Spectacle," the sound and light media presentation splashed across the buildings of the Rice quadrangle. Natalye Appel and Sarah Balinskas received kudos for the rich silent auction offerings.
The party crowd included Rice University president David Leebron and Y. Ping Sun, Rice architecture dean Sarah Whiting and husband Ron Witte, Peggy Klineberg, Charlotte and Larry Whaley, Darlene Clark and Edwin Friedrichs, Laura and George Pontikes and Linda and Dick Sylvan.
