Shelby's Social Diary
"Treasures of Texas" gala salutes the military and honors a retired Army generaland his wife
The Texas A&M Singing Cadets performed military songs.
It might have seemed somewhat incongruous, at first, for a so-called "gala" — a roundtable discussion on the impact of war on the mental health of service personnel and their families. But the program for Mental Health America of Greater Houston's "Treasures of Texas Gala" was well suited for the evening that was themed A Salute to the Military.
Joining in the discussion that is painfully relevant to today's world were Dr. Stuart Yudofsky, Army psychiatirst Maj. Dr. Christopher Ivany, Marine veterans Sgt. John Boerster and Sgt. Marty Gonzales and Army mother DeDe Springer.
The military salute in the ballroom of River Oaks Country Club carried over to the evening's honorees Marianne and Robert Ivany, Maj. Gen. U.S. Army (ret.) and president of the University of St. Thomas. It was their son who served on the panel discussion. The Texas A&M Singing Cadets entertained with a spirited medley of military songs.
On this evening, Mental Health America released From Afghanistan to Iraq and Back, a self-published book of stories recounting the invisible wounds of war experienced by Houston veterans and military families.
Julie Crosswell and Emily Burguieres Dalicandro chaired the evening that drew close to 400 supporters and raised $380,000 for MHA programs.
Distinguished military representatives in the crowd included John Poindexter, retired Army captain whose Vietnam unit recently received the Presidential Unit Citation; Randy Pais, civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army Houston region; and Michael Hood, civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army Dallas region.
