Shelby About Town

Lance Armstrong & Matthew McConaughey get on board, the Roses hit Broadway andUSO Bells ring at Rodeo

Lance Armstrong, from left, Edith and Darrell Royal and Matthew McConaugheyaddressing a joint legislative committee in Austin.
Photo by Mark Matson
Ava Late, left, and Melissa Edwards at the Alzheimer's announcement in Austin.
Photo by Mark Matson
Cindi Rose, from left, Book of Mormon star Andrew Rannels and Dr. Franklin Roseat the New York fundraiser.
Photo by Chris Owyoung
Don Jordan and Liberty Bells, from left, Heidi-Marie Ferren, Renee VeronicaFreeman and Kirbi Jo Long at RodeoHouston.
Courtesy Photo
Out of her California garden and touring The Menil Collection, Alice Waters madethe Houston rounds.

All it takes is a few heavy-hitter celebrities to garner attention and that's just what Lance Armstrong and Matthew McConaughey provided in Austin earlier this week for the launch of the statewide Darrell K Royal Fund for Alzheimer's Research.

The two were on hand for the official introduction of the fund that was made to a joint legislative committee by Edith Royal, wife of famed University of Texas football coach Darrell Royal, certainly a celeb in his own right, who suffers from the disease. She spoke on the difficulty of caring for those in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's and the importance of Texas-based research.

This new effort will fund collaborative research across the state. Look for loads of support from Kate Stukenberg and Melissa Edwards (formerly Melissa King), both of whom serve on the Texas Council for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders. Edwards was in Austin for the announcement.

Houstonians Corby Robertson and Joe Jamail serve on the fund board along with San Antonio biz mogul Red McCombs, Willie Nelson, Larry Gatlin, University of Texas coach Mack Brown and others.

The Roses on Broadway

Cindi and Dr. Franklin Rose hobnobbed with Great White Way glitterati Monday night when they attended the "Broadway Belts for PFF" charity fundraiser. The musical evening in New York raised funds for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, founded in 2000 by Franklin Rose's father, Albert Rose and Michael Rosenweig, both affected by pulmonary fibrosis. (Albert Rose succumbed to the disease in 2002.) Today, Dr. Daniel Rose, Franklin's brother, serves as foundation CEO.

Scores of Broadway performers gathered to honor the memory of Associated Press theater critic Michael Kuchwara, who died of lung disease in 2010. The musical evening was hosted by award-winning actress and devoted Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation advocate Julie Halston. The all-star cast included Tony nominees Adam Pascal (Memphis) and Andrew Rannells (The Book of Mormon) among others and with special guest star Joel Gray. It was a heady night for the Roses who rubbed shoulders with the Broadway talent.

Patriotic partnership

Long-standing RodeoHouston executive committee member Don Jordan was front center at Reliant Stadium Wednesday when he arranged for the USO Liberty Bells from USO New York to perform during the opening ceremony of the Armed Forces Appreciation Day at the rodeo. Jordan and Lavonne Cox and Denis DeBakey hosted the ladies in Jordan's suite for posh viewing of the Kid Rock concert.

Before settling in at the suite, the Bells were introduced to various Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo honchos including rodeo legend Louis Pearce Jr., whom they serenaded; Ed McMahon; Darryl Schroeder; Danielle and John Ellis and others.

Jordan first met the Bells in 2010 when they peformed at the USO Auxiliary Gift of Freedom luncheon that honored Jordan and his wife, Barbara. He had been working to bring them back to Houston for the rodeo since that time.

Sight 'ems

Famed San Francisco bay area chef and author Alice Waters, in town to speak to the Progressive Forum, touring The Menil Collection on Thursday with her great friend Adelaide de Menil, who was in from New York for opening the exhibition Richard Serra Drawing: A Retrospective and closing of the Byzantine Chapel . . .

Kristen Cannon celebrating her 35th birthday in the bar at Tony's with more than two dozen family members and friends sitting down for dinner, including parents Janeen and Julian Feritta, plus Elizabeth and Zack Fertitta, Courtney and Jason Feritta, Julie and Tony Sanchez, Carrie Carson, Heather Pray and Laura and John Spalding . . .

Ladies lunching at Brasserie 19 including Karen Mayell and Terrie Turner at a window table and Liz Decker, Laura Goldberg and Beth Muecke at another and Denise Monteleone and Kathy Goossen at another.

unspecified

Big Spenders

Retro futurism meets philanthropy as Houston museum gala raises $3.6M

Houston Museum of Natural Science Gala 2026

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Will Lee, Britton Daugbjerg, Ella Fertitta, and Jason Fertitta.

Big spenders to the front, please.

On a night when Houston’s black-tie crowd orbited the worlds of science, style, and a little retro-futurism, the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Futurama: A Stardust Odyssey Gala 2026 felt less like a traditional fundraiser and more like an expedition through the museum’s halls.

Chaired by Randa and Charlie Williams alongside Susanne and Joel Bartsch, the gala welcomed more than 350 guests who arrived ready to lean into the evening’s mid-century futuristic theme. Instead of a traditional program, tables were scattered throughout the museum, an intentional design that encouraged guests to roam. Blooming Gallery’s décor channeled a bright, Jetsons-inspired palette before shifting into a copper-and-marigold Mad Men mood as the evening progressed.

Let’s talk about the Vault Auction, as it had a gravitational force all its own, delivering a treasure trove of museum-worthy marvels and luxury collectibles.

Among the headliners was a jaw-dropping 90–troy-ounce crystallized gold specimen from the Beta Hunt Gold Mine in Western Australia, with a $850,000 starting bid. A Chanel brooch centered on a GIA-certified yellow sapphire had a starting bid of $180,000, while a dazzling pair of earrings featuring Paraiba tourmaline, Mahenge pink spinel, and diamonds was valued between $800,000 and $1.2 million. The crown jewel of the display? “Rocks in a Box,” a museum-quality curated mineral collection assembled by HMNS curators selling for $1.8 million.

Need a ride? We got you. A 1965 Jaguar XKE Series 1 4.2 Coupe donated by Stephanie and Frank Tsuru was up for grabs.

Gulf Coast Entertainment’s Justin and The SwingBeats Quartet filled cocktail hour with jazz standards and retro pop. Later, diners gathered in Morian Hall of Paleontology and the Morian Overlook for a multi-course meal of elevated Southern fare.

After dinner, the celebration shifted into high gear in the Grand Entry Hall. Joystix Entertainment transformed the space into a retro arcade with glowing pinball machines, Donkey Kong cabinets, and pool tables. Flamingo showgirls by J&D Entertainment strutted through the crowd. Guests danced to live music, sipped milkshakes, nibbled late-night mini grilled cheese sandwiches, and even tried their luck at claw machines filled with gemstones and minerals.

The affair became the most successful gala in the museum’s history, raising $3.6 million to support educational programs, exhibitions, and outreach initiatives.

Orbiting the scene were Mary and Ron Neal, Patty and T. Mark Kelly, Caroline and Jack Williams, Nancy and David Pustka, Cynde and Chris Stravros, Mary Helen and Pete Bowden, Meg and Dick Weekley, Al Walker, Joella and Steve Mach, Monica and Fox Benton, Lisa and Mike O’Leary, and Chandos and Ike Epley, alongside many of Houston’s leading philanthropists and community supporters.

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Will Lee, Britton Daugbjerg, Ella Fertitta, and Jason Fertitta.