Shelby's Social Diary
A little dinner in River Oaks earns $765,000 for Baylor College of Medicine'sheart disease center
Photo by Pete Baatz
Photo by Pete Baatz
Photo by Pete Baatz
Photo by Pete Baatz
Photo by Pete Baatz
Photo by Pete Baatz
The 10th anniversary dinner of the Friends for the Prevention of Heart Disease and Stroke was a sellout weeks before the curtain rose on the evening at River Oaks Country Club. And when all the calculations were in, that event garnered $765,000 for The Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at Baylor College of Medicine.
Thanks in large part went to dinner chairs Mary and John Eads, who along with Lisa and Ralph Eads III, underwrote the country club expenses and to Meredith and Fielding Cocke, who provided the stellar wines (Harris and Far Niente), and to oilman George Mitchell, who provided a $250,000 matching contribution.
That latter gift fell into the category of generous family matters. Mitchell's sister, Maria Ballantyne is the mother of Dr. Christie Ballantyne, who heads the center as well as the Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center. The evening set a new high in both funds raised and attendance, 450.
Joining Ballantyne in the formal program on the prevention of heart disease were Dr. Peter H. Jones, Dr. Vijay Nambi and Dr. Salim S. Virani.
The fundraiser enjoyed a stellar turnout of civic and corporate leadership beginning with Jan Duncan, who chaired the evening with the Eads, and honorees Cherie and Jim Flores. Houston Texans owner and Baylor College of Medicine board member Bob McNair, Texans minority owner and BCM board member Philip Burguieres and board member Kitch Taub were among them.
The heavy-hitter contingent included Yasmine Ballantyne, Terri and John Havens, Cynthia and Tony Petrello, Karol and Paul Barnhart, Laurie and Reed Morian, Lindsay and Rand Holstead, Margaret Williams, Rose Cullen, Ginger and Jack Blanton, Elena and Greg Davis, Susan and Dick Hansen, Jana and Scotty Arnoldy, Lily and Thurmon Andress, Zeina and Nijad Fares and so many more.
