2017 Awards for Excellence in Community Serviceco-chairs Carol Montgomery and Kaysie Montgomery, along with honorary chairs JoAnne and Tony Roosevelt, welcomed over 60 sponsors, award recipients and Dallas Historical Society board members to a reception held in their honor on Tuesday, October 24 at the home of Mary McDermott Cook, who was a member of the first class of award recipients in 1981.
Attendees arrived and mingled as they enjoyed cocktails, light hors d’oeuvres and a stunning view of downtown Dallas. Midway through the reception, Bill Helmbrecht, chairman of the Dallas Historical Society board of trustees, gathered the crowd for brief remarks. Helmbrecht welcomed everyone and thanked them for their support of the upcoming 36th Awards for Excellence in Community Service.
Co-chairs Carol Montgomery and Kaysie Montgomery followed, adding their gratitude to this year’s sponsors, before recognizing the 2017 Awards for Excellence recipients: Arts Leadership – Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller; Creative Arts – Carolyn Brown; Education – B. Hobson Wildenthal, Ph D.; History – Willis Cecil Winters; Humanities – Nicole Ginsburg Small; Health/Science – Steven M. Pounders, MD; Philanthropy – Jorge Baldor; Sports Leadership – Tony Dorsett; Volunteer Community Leadership – Peggy Carr; and Jubilee History Maker – Former Dallas Police Chief David O. Brown. The Awards for Excellence are bestowed on selected recipients who have demonstrated generosity of spirit, civic leadership, and ability to encourage community-wide participation in a particular phase of the growth of the city.
Veletta Forsythe Lill closed with encouragement for everyone to vote in the upcoming City of Dallas bond election, which includes funds earmarked for Hall of State, the home of the Dallas Historical Society.
Attendees included: Host Mary McDermott Cook; Margaret McDermott, co-chairs Carol Montgomery and Kaysie Montgomery; honorary chairs JoAnne and Tony Roosevelt; Marni and Kern Wildenthal; honoree Hobson Wildenthal,recipient of Awards for Excellence in Education; Laree Hulshoff and Ben Fischer; Michelle and Stewart Thomas; Louise and Josef Caldwell; Caro Stalcup; Sharon Callewart; honoree and former Dallas police chief David Brown, recipient of Awards for Excellence Jubilee History Maker; Mary Suhm; Veletta Forsythe Lill; Joan and Alan Walne; Agustin Arteaga and Carlos Gonzalez-Jaime; Judy and Jim Gibbs; Pat Mattingly; honoree Steven Ponders, MD, recipient of Awards for Excellence in Health/Science; honoree Tony Dorsett, recipient of Awards for Excellence in Sports Leadership, and his wife Janet; honoree Carolyn Brown, recipient of Awards for Excellence in Creative Arts; honoree Ann Barbier-Mueller, Awards for Excellence in Arts Leadership co-recipient with her husband Gabriel; honoree Peggy Carr, recipient of Awards for Excellence in Volunteer Community Leadership; honoree Jorge Baldor, recipient of Awards for Excellence in Philanthropy; Jennifer and Ray Tollett; Cheryl and Steve Coke.
Proceeds from the annual fundraiser support the Dallas Historical Society and its dedication to the preservation of Dallas and Texas history through its many programs, including educational outreach and public programs to more than 20,000 area school students annually. The event would not be possible without the generosity of the 2017 Sponsors, which include:
2017 Awards for Excellence sponsors:
Platinum History Maker ($10,000) – Diane and Hal Brierley; Al Hill, Jr. Family; Lyda Hill; Stephanie and Hunter Hunt; The Eugene McDermott Foundation; and JoAnne and Tony Roosevelt; Gold
History Maker ($5,000) - Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller; BaylorScott&White Health; The David B. Miller Family Foundation; Margot and H. Ross Perot; Ruth C. and Charles Sharp Foundation; Mike and Mary Terry; TIAA, FSB; and Stacey and Reid Walker Family Trust;
Silver History Maker ($2,500) - Katherine Blair; Shannon Callewart; Peggy Carr and Catherine Worley; The Eiseman Families; Melissa and Trevor Fetter; The Gravity Company; Cathy and Bill Helmbrecht; Natalie and George T. Lee Jr.; Maryann and Frank Mihalopoulos/Liza and William Lee/Barbara and Randall Rosenblatt; Locke Lord LLP; Shirley & William S. McIntyre Foundation; Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC; Vin and Caren Prothro Foundation; Catherine and Will Rose; Kit and Kemp Sawers; Nicole and Justin Small; Margaret and Glenn Solomon; Southwestern Medical Foundation/UT Southwestern Medical Center; University of Texas at Dallas and The Edith O'Donnell Institute of Art History; Joan and Alan Walne; and Marnie and Kern Wildenthal.
About the Dallas Historical Society
The Dallas Historical Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of Dallas and Texas history. Offering free education programming, lectures, historic city tours, museum exhibitions, and other special events, this organization strives to be the preeminent resource for exploring, and instilling appreciation for the diverse history of Dallas and Texas. We endeavor to encourage historical inquiry and maintain the importance and relevance of history today. Our collection of archival material- including historic photographs, diaries, journals, papers, periodicals, maps, and books- is available to researchers. Formed in 1922, the Dallas Historical Society is the oldest organization in Dallas County committed to preserving the history of the region, and presenting it to the public in innovative and informative ways. For more information, visit dallashistory.org.