CultureMap Mixers on the Map

Young Professionals groups come together to party, bringing a hot, do-good energy to ZaZa

From a Houstonian's point of view, hell may have frozen over as the southern definition of frightfully frosty temperatures swathed the city. But inside Hotel ZaZa, the ballroom morphed into hotspot thronged by 250 young professionals looking to meet up with friends, connect with colleagues and make new acquaintances.

CultureMap hosted one of its quarterly happy hours with Houston Young Professionals Society (which is rebranding as Houston Young Professionals), American Diabetes Association Young Professionals and Memorial Hermann's Heroes in Health. The sold-out gathering served to cross-pollinate a diverse guest list with similar interests among the three different philanthropic entities.

American Diabetes Association's manager of youth markets Amanda Caylor was on a mission to rouse the interest of this generation, particularly as the diabetes epidemic is affecting more people in their twenties and thirties. Katie McCoy, manager for the organization's Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes, was chatty about upcoming events, including a golf tournament in April and volunteer opportunities in local schools.

Freddy Goerges was energized about his upcoming 10-week campaign for the title of Man & Woman of the Year.

Courtney Webb of Heroes in Health, a fresh on-the-scene troop that advocates for all activities happening in the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, enticed with a special offering on March 6, as part of the Ironman Sports Medicine Institute, featuring Dr. Walter Lowe, the official physician of the Houston Texans and the Houston Rockets.

And then there was Freddy Goerges, who was energized about his upcoming 10-week campaign for the title of Man & Woman of the Year from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Texas Gulf Coast Chapter. With the help of LLS' Helen Oettinger and Fashion Houston's Emily Maus, he's challenged to raise a minimum of $10,000. Of course, the more cash, the better his chances of attaining the honor.

Trendy tunes courtesy of DJ Bizonee complemented by flowing glasses of wine and the Moscow Mule specialty cocktail (a version of the mojito shaken with ginger beer) and light bites satisfied the talkative crowd.

Mixing on the map were Kim Padgett, David Nguyen and Trang Lam, Dr. Michael Yafi, Anthony Omalabi, Ashley Jones, Andrea Cohen Fineman, Jonathan Cohen, Will Fitzgerald, Gira Desai, Mix 96.5's Lauren Finkelstein, Julia Rezzy, Chelsea Cunningham, Wendy Thomas, Genny Gomez, Brittany Hammond, Lyudmyla McCollum, Deborah Cini, Joe Le and Alison Stevens.

007, Mixers on the Map, Hotel ZaZa, January 2013, Jen Wagner, Mackenzie Foster, Helen Winchell

Photo by © Chinh Phan CultureMapSNAP.com

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RIP, Wally

Texan Wally Funk, oldest woman to travel into space, dies at 87

Wally Funk aboard Blue Origin New Shepard

Photo courtesy of Blue Origin

The 82-year-old Wally Funk became the oldest person to go to space on July 20, 2021.

GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) — Wally Funk, an aviation pioneer who was the oldest woman to launch into space, has died. She was 87.

Funk died Wednesday, July 8 at her apartment in an assisted living facility in Grapevine, Grapevine City Councilwoman Duff O'Dell said Thursday. O'Dell, who described herself as Funk's caregiver, said she was by Funk's side. Funk had fallen a couple of times recently and had an infection in her leg.

“It took its toll,” O'Dell said in a phone interview.

Wally Funk became a hometown hero in Grapevine. Facebook/Wally Funk's Space for Race

Funk was one of 13 female pilots who went through the same tests as NASA’s all-male astronaut corps in the early 1960s but never made it into space. In 2021, she got her chance aboard Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket. At the time, the 82-year-old was the oldest person to go into space, though the record was later broken by “Star Trek” actor William Shatner and Ed Dwight, America’s first Black astronaut candidate. They were both 90.

Bezos chose Funk as an “honored guest” to ride alongside him and two others on an up-and-down hop from West Texas aboard his Blue Origin rocket.

In interviews after the 11-minute flight, Funk enthusiastically told reporters, "I loved every minute of it. I just wish it had been longer.”

Wally Funk in her '20s as a flight instructor. Facebook/Wally Funk's Space for Race

She became a hometown hero when she returned home to Dallas-Fort Worth; the city of Grapevine threw a parade for her history-making experience.

“Wally Funk never stopped believing that one day she would reach space. Her passion for flight, perseverance, and love of exploration will continue to inspire generations of Americans. Godspeed, Wally,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman posted Thursday on X.

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This story contains material from CultureMap story archives.

obituary wally funk celebrities deaths

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RIP, Wally

Texan Wally Funk, oldest woman to travel into space, dies at 87