We've seldom seen a more formidable group of Houston women than that gathered at the home of Franci and Jim Crane on Monday when Franci and Terri Havens hosted a welcome lunch for Meg Vaillancourt, the Astros new vice president of community relations and executive director of the Astros in Action Foundation.
Franci and Terri (who with husband John Havens are part-owners in the Astros) were part of the recruitment team that lured Meg away from her vaunted position as senior vice president with the Boston Red Sox and executive director of the Red Sox Foundation.
This hiring coup puts the Astros in top position — in at least the community relations arena. Meg is a Harvard honors graduate and a Rhodes Scholar who led the Red Sox Foundation to a fundraising milestone — raising close to $70 million for non-profit programs in the Boston area.
This hiring coup puts the Astros in top position — in at least the community relations arena.
Welcoming guests such as the Kinder Foundation's Nancy Kinder, Rice University's Y. Ping Sun, The Menil Collection's Janet Hobby and NBC correspondent Janet Shamlian was Astros Mascot Orbit who bounded around among the 40 guests until the dinner bell sounded.
Jackson and Co. presented a menu that reflected the Havens' New Orleans roots, featuring crawfish etoufee and an irresistible strawberry shortcake. Among those throwing calorie caution to the wind were Melanie Gray, Alison Leland, Aliyya Stude, Courtney Sarofim, Gwen Goffe, Doreen Stoller, Winell Herron, Sheridan Williams, Sima Ladjevardian, Lily Kooros and Tammie Kahn.
Rocking at Sloan Hall
As Stages Repertory Theatre approaches its 35th anniversary gala, chairs Shannon Hall and Marcus Sloan threw a warm-up bash at their avant-garde emporium, Sloan Hall. Armandos supplied the nachos and quesadillas while teen band Magic of Maximus shook the dress racks.
The "1978: Glitter & Glam" dinner, held at the theater, is followed by "The Factory" after-party dance bash chaired by Saba Jawda and Sarah Jawda. They were among the kickoff crowd that included Sergio Morales, Vivian Wise, Isabel and Danny David, George Lancaster, Libby Cagle, Mitchell Greco, Todd Molesky and Lise Bohn.
Diplomatic dreams
Who else but Joanne King Herring could receive kisses from former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on a Friday night, have dinner with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday and the following Saturday sit next to former President George W. Bush at the East West Ministries President’s Dinner in The Woodlands.
That was the week that was for the Charlie Wilson's War heroine, author and champion of peace and democracy in Afghanistan.
Hawaii bound
That would be CultureMap contributor, sports blogger and girl-about-town Jayme Lamm who has packed her bags, stored her furniture and is headed to Hawaii for two months to write a semi-fictional book — about her life, sort of.
She emailed, "It's a two-fold move — that crappy cruise (the stranded Carnival Triumph) was kind of the catalyst — I realized the stuff I missed were super materialistic and I needed to get my priorities straight, so taking off and semi-disconnecting for a few months would help with that."
The colorful Jayme continued, "I always joke that my life is a Lifetime movie waiting to happen, so I figured I'd capitalize on it before Tori Spelling and some random Lifetime director does."
Sight 'ems
Author Connie Reeves Cooke celebrating her birthday at Tony's with gal pals Jan Carson, Phyllis Williams, Diane Gendel and Jeanne Sims. The hot lunch topic was the movie/TV series buz swirling around Hollywood over Connie's latest novel, Cayman Heat.
The Houston Astros' Orbit gives Terri Havens, left, and Franci Crane a friendly hug at the Astros luncheon at the Crane home.
