Shelby About Town

Texans QB Matt Schaub dons an apron for charity, Bobby Tudor gets on the fieldin a week of partying

Partying at Caffe Bello for the MOCAH ball were Bill Baldwin, from left, JoeGonzalez, Christine Spin and John Palmer.
Sitting down for steak and charity at Morton's were Nandita and Michael Berry,from left, fundraiser host Owen Daniels, and Brad Marks.
Photo by Monica Ginn
Sports Radio 610 morning show host John Lopez, left, made the Morton's scene asdid Texans quarterback Matt Schaub.
Photo by Monica Ginn
Chic Sheet luncheon figures at Tony's included Soraya McClelland, from left,Jill Faucetta, host Roz Pactor and Alan Pactor.

We love it when those hulking pro athletes trade in their uniforms and helmets for serving trays and dainty aprons in the name of a worthy cause. So we applaud Houston Texans tight end Owen Daniels and his teammates for stepping up to the plate earlier this week to raise funds for Daniel's Catch a Dream Foundation.

They took over Morton's The Steakhouse for a celebrity server night in the Galleria location. With 200 guests sitting down to a four-course dinner, the event raised $80,000 for programs that enrich the lives of critically ill children.

Among the Texans teammates joining in were Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, Eric Winston, Steve Slaton, Brian Cushing, DeMeco Ryans, David Anderson and Shaun Cody.

The fundraiser crowd included Nandita and Michael Berry, Liz and Eddie Martiny, Marsha and David Solomon, Rick Stein, Aurora Garling, Rod Ryan and John Lopez.

Ladies lunching

Fashion guru Roz Pactor launched her Chic Sheet Speaker Series over lunch in the San Remo at Tony's with a presentation by public speaker and author Karen McCullough. She regaled the gathering of 90 (including a sprinkling of men) with the challenges of living and working today with four generations.

There were plenty nodding their heads over the multi-generational challenges including Frann Lichtenstein, Steve Tyrell and Karen Pulaski, Jill Deutser, Cindy Soefer, Betty Newton, Ellie Francisco, Leisa Holland-Nelson, Terrie Turner, Cindy Garbs and Debbie Greenbaum.

Getting a head start

Supporters of the Museum of Cultural Arts Houston (MOCAH) kicked off plans for their Oct. 30 Masquerade Ball with a fete at Tony Vallone's new venture Caffe Bello. The conduit between the gala and the restaurant was artist John Ross Palmer, whose works fill the walls of the new Montrose eatery.

MOCAH president and co-founder Reginald Adams spread the word on the event, to be held at the original Americas on Post Oak Boulevard, which will celebrate Palmer as artist of the year and will feature a fashion show by designer Toni Whitaker. Lucia and Michael Cordua chair the Cirque de MOCAH Masquerade Ball.

Sight 'ems

United Way campaign chair Bobby Tudor and wife Phoebe on the field at Reliant Stadium at halftime during the Texans-Tampa Bay preseason battle. They were there to accept the $609,000 check from the Houston Texans for the United Way campaign. The Texans family (players and staff) makes the highest per capita donations of any organization in the city. Thank you, Texans owner Bob McNair and Texans president Jamey Rootes, who were on the field with the Tudors . . .

Sheridan and John Eddie Williams, after cruising the Italian Riviera on their mega-yacht The Lady Sheridan, getting their Tex-Mex fix at Spanish Village with cruising companions Karen and Mike Mayell . . .

Discovery Green honcho Barry Mandel lunching at La Griglia with Nancy Pittman and Pam Brasseux at one table and Realtor Walter Aymen of Keller Williams lunching with clients at another.

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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.