Dallas became the Emerald City — for an evening, at least — when Dallas notables gathered at the Meyerson Symphony Center for the 2013 Emerald Eagle Honors, to celebrate the University of North Texas alumni who have made an impact on our society.
Hosts for the evening included event chairs event chairs Kelly and George Dunham, Tanya Foster, Jenny and John Kirtland, Robert A. Nickell, and Mary Jo and V. Lane Rawlins. Their purpose: to raise money for UNT’s Emerald Eagle Scholars program, which helps financially challenged high-achieving students reach their goals of attending college.
Rawlins, UNT president, recognized the more than 100 Emerald Eagle Scholars in attendance. But those in the spotlight that night were the honorees, the UNT alumni who paved a successful path for those students to follow: NFL Hall of Famer Joe Greene; Grammy Award winner Roy Orbison; and Dallas city manager Mary Suhm, a key player in building the American Airlines Center and AT&T Performing Arts Center.
Unlike most events of this kind, the award presenters made names for themselves in the same industries as the honorees: former Dallas Cowboy Drew Pearson, former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk, and Grammy winner Lisa Loeb. Joining them were noteworthy co-hosts Peter Weller, best known for RoboCop, and UNT graduate Melissa Rycroft Strickland, a favorite on Dancing with the Stars.
Loeb told us that even though she formed a group called Liz and Lisa while attending Brown University, it was her guitar teacher, who studied jazz at UNT, who really encouraged her to pursue her passion.
Spotted on the educational scene: Lynn and Allan McBee, Cynthia Hall, Carol Reed, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, Dustin Hughes, Lauren O’Donnel, Danica Fenoglio, and Patty and Don Lovelace.
The Emerald Eagle Scholars program has enabled 2,900 students to attend the University of North Texas.
Dustin Hughes, Lauren O'Donnel
