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    Belly Dancers Shake Up Gala

    Beguiling belly dancers lend exotic note, sex appeal to Society for the Performing Arts gala

    Shelby Hodge
    Apr 17, 2016 | 1:59 pm

    Greeted by undulating belly dancers and the exotic sounds of Moodafaruka as they entered The Corinthian, guests at the Society for the Performing Arts gala Friday night were instantly seduced by the "Shimmering Sands, A Night at the Oasis" theme.

    A good number of femmes in the gathering of 400 pulled out their bejeweled caftans for the evening, none lovelier than that of Eileen Lawal, Elizabeth Vail, Kathryn Smith and Judy McCartney. Their gowns coming from as far away as Saudi Arabia and Dubai and as close as the shop of a local dressmaker.

    Throughout the dinner hour, the dancers entertained with costume changes and a variety of dance presentations, weaving through the diners as they supped on Middle Eastern-inspired cuisine from Jackson and Company. Setting the exotic scene for the evening was a wealth of Middle Eastern-inspired decor by Rebekah Johnson.

    Katherine and Paul Murphy and Sharon and Tim Taylor chaired the gala while Linda and Willie Chiang served as honorary chairs. Helping keep the evening afloat and applauding the $600,000 in proceeds were SPA board chair Melanie Gray and SPA CEO and president June Christensen.

    Kicking the action up a notch after the lengthy live auction and the appeal was Skyrocket, which infused a note of energy into the night.

    The party crowd included Margaret Alkek Williams and Jim Daniel, Ginni and Richard Mithoff, Mignon and Stephen Gill, Chree Boydstun, Jeff Smith, Lacey and Matt Goossen, Kathy and Marty Goossen, Joella and Steve Mach, Bob Devlin, Laura Max and Ben Rose, and Tom and Liz Glanville, whose DeVille Fine Jewelry & Diamonds donated the to-die-for blue topaz and diamond earrings to the live auction.

    Cahal Mowery, Mallory Cheatham and Marcela Maxson.

    SPA, Gala April 2016, Cahal Mowery, Mallory Cheatham and Marcela Maxson
      
    Photo by Killy
    Cahal Mowery, Mallory Cheatham and Marcela Maxson.
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    news/society

    Wildcatters Unite

    Museum gala raises $1.3 million with an assist from Billy Bob Thornton

    Joel Luks
    May 26, 2025 | 3:00 pm
    Bryan Museum Wildcatters Gala 2025
    Photo by Dave Rossman
    John Bryan, Mary Jon Bryan, Billy Bob Thornton, and J.P. Bryan.

    The Bryan Museum tapped into its roots and raised a glass — and more than $1.3 million — during its 10th Anniversary Gala, a high-octane homage to Texas’ oil legends that glittered as bright as a gusher at sunrise. Held April 12 on the storied grounds of the Galveston landmark, the Wildcatters Gala toasted five titans of the Lone Star oil legacy in a night that mixed boomtown nostalgia, couture curation, and a live-wire performance by Billy Bob Thornton and his band, The Boxmasters.

    More than 500 guests turned out for the celebration, chaired by Dancie and Jim Ware and Renee and Scott Rice, honoring Ernie H. Cockrell, Mary Ralph Lowe, Trevor Rees-Jones, and the families of Eddy C. Scurlock and R.E. “Bob” Smith.

    Guests were welcomed by a cinematic Boomtown façade and ushered into the rollicking Spindletop Saloon, where bartenders in oil-rush garb served “The Rob Roy” with a wink. The saloon spilled into interactive history vignettes—one channeling the early 1900s with the Scurlock and Cockrell legacies, another styled as a 1980s oil tycoon’s den complete with vintage tech and nods to the Astrodome. The immersive experience felt part museum, part Mad Men, part Texas-sized fever dream.

    And speaking of curation. Inside, guests previewed Kermit Oliver & Hermès: Storytelling on Silk & Canvas, the acclaimed exhibit blending high art and haute couture. Native Texan Kermit Oliver, the first American to design for the French fashion house, was feted through rare Hermès scarves and original works, reminding partygoers that Texas culture isn’t just oil and cattle, but silk and symbolism, too.

    J.P. Bryan, museum founder, took center stage for a poignant tribute to the honorees.

    “This year we chose to honor, not just a single gifted individual, but an entire industry of exceptional people who succeeded in making Texas the largest oil producer in the United States,” he said. Each honoree received The Bryan Museum History Medal of Honor, embedded with a 1500s-era silver coin and set in a five-point star, one point for each honoree, all stars in their own right.

    The night ended on a high note — literally — with Billy BobThornton and The Boxmasters igniting the tent with a raucous set that left boots tapping and bourbon glasses clinking.

    The $1.3 million raised marks a new fundraising record on Galveston Island, benefiting the museum’s exhibitions, education initiatives, and outreach programs.

    Among those in the crowd were Christy and Webb Jennings, Mary B. Jennings, Lila Jennings, Gary Petersen, Susan and Bill Sealy, Ellye Anderson and Carter Ware, Eddy and Harrison Blanton, Diana and Scott Anderson, Brady Caruth, Lisa and Michael O’Leary, Kirby and Scott McCool, Lindsay and Rand Holstead, Courtney Hopson, Shelly Mulanax, Mayes Middleton, Jochen Reiser and Gerri Popov, Terry and Tom Smith, Diane and Fred Burns, Victor and Janice Pierson, Kelley Sullivan Georgiades and George Georgiades, Jolyn and Russell Scheirman, Sarah and Todd Sullivan, and Alicia Brian.

    Bryan Museum Wildcatters Gala 2025
      

    Photo by Dave Rossman

    John Bryan, Mary Jon Bryan, Billy Bob Thornton, and J.P. Bryan.

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