Philanthropy on the Brain

Center for BrainHealth bestows highest honors on deserving Dallas visionary

More than 250 guests celebrated Veterans Day at The Joule for the Legacy Award Dinner presented by the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas. Lyda Hill was this year’s recipient of the organization’s highest honor, because of her vision and dedication to brain research that enables the center to explore the vast potential of the human mind.

Chairperson Lynn McBee got the evening started, sharing Hill’s path to recognition and commending her for giving so much to those who have served and for living her life of service with such gusto. McBee said that it was her hope that Hill be celebrated with such gusto on this special evening.

Four of the Center for BrainHealth’s veterans then presented the award to Hill, who accepted it to a standing ovation by guests, including Toni and Boone Pickens, Charles and Pat McEvoy, Gayle and Paul Stoffel, and Molly and Stephen Holley.

Hill explained that her nephew, Michael Wisenbaker, deserved a lot of the credit. An Air Force F-16 pilot and Iraq war veteran, he urged her to find a solution to an underfunded challenge: the often overwhelming and unseen injuries of war that make the transition from military to civilian life difficult for veterans and military service members.

She accepted his mission and gave $2 million to the Center for BrainHealth’s Brain Performance Institute to activate the Warrior Training Team, mobile units of clinicians and veterans who deliver effective, evidence-based programs that build brain resilience, achieve brain regeneration and reverse losses in cognitive function.

“Thanks to Lyda’s gift, our brothers and sisters in arms are getting the opportunity to focus on training their brains with the same intensity that they do their bodies,” said retired US Navy SEAL Lt. Morgan Luttrell.

The Center for BrainHealth at UTD is a scientific research institute committed to understanding, protecting and healing the brain. The Warrior Training Team has reached more than 500. Projections for next year are in the thousands.

Lyda Hill, Eric Bennett, Sandra Chapman

$Lyda Hill, Legacy Award Dinner honoree, Eric Bennett, Executive Director, Brain Peformance Institute, Sandra \u201cSandi\u201d Chapman, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Director, Center for BrainHealth$

Photo by Kristina Bowman

Lyda Hill, Eric Bennett, Sandra Chapman

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Florals For Spring

Dallas' 10 Best Dressed bloom at 50th Crystal Charity fashion show

Photo by Tamytha Cameron

The 2024 honorees.

Some of Dallas' most fashionable and philanthropic arrived at the Neiman Marcus flagship store downtown on September 12, ready to "oooh" and "aaah" at Oscar de la Renta's pre-spring 2025 collection while also raising big funds for local beneficiaries.

The Crystal Charity Ball's Ten Best Dressed Luncheon and Fashion Show is considered by many to be the unofficial start of fall society season, which spans galas to luncheons with celebrities galore.

This year's luncheon was not only celebrating its 50th anniversary, but also the sixth year that Neiman Marcus has hosted Oscar de la Renta for Crystal Charity events, making the brand the most frequent collaborator since the event's inception in 1974.

With Champagne and sparkling water in hand, guests mingled among jewelry and perfume on the luxury retailer's first floor before heading upstairs for the fashion show.

10 Best Dressed 2024 The luncheon began on Neiman Marcus' first floor.Photo by Tamytha Cameron

Neiman Marcus president Ryan Ross welcomed the excited crowd, followed by words from fashion show chair Kim Hext and Crystal Charity Ball chair Cheryl Joyner.

Dallas Cowboys executive vice president and chief brand officer Charlotte Jones was next at the podium, explaining the annual tradition of celebrating the ‘Ten Best Dressed Women’ for their dedication to community service and commitment to personal style.

Jones then introduced this year's honorees: Monica Eastin, Tracey Kozmetsky, Meredith Land, Tracy Lange, Anne McPherson, Wendy Messmann, Lisa Rocchio, Kim Quinn, Katherine Wyker, and Sunie Solomon.

The 2024 Hall of Fame Award, a distinction earned after being named to the Ten Best Dressed list for three consecutive years, was presented to Lisa Cooley.

10 Best Dressed 2024 Lisa and Clay Cooley.Photo by Tamytha Cameron

Each of the women glided down the runway dressed in Oscar de la Renta and adorned with jewelry from David Webb. The iconic fashion designer's pre-spring 2025 collection focused heavily on florals — groundbreaking — with elegant neutrals offset by vibrant pops of rose, lapis, and butter yellow. Orchid flowers appeared throughout — perhaps you've seen the stained glass-inspired gowns on social media? — in addition to the introduction of a day-to-night snakeskin concept.

Lunch on the fourth floor immediately followed, with guests dining on sliced beef tenderloin, a beet and goat cheese terrine, and roasted corn lettuce "tostada" accented with jalapeño crema and raisin chorizo. A decadent slice of triple chocolate mousse cake and berries closed out the meal.

The independent nonprofit's grand finale, the Crystal Charity Ball, is set for December 7 at the Hilton Anatole. This year's theme, "New York Holiday," brings the Big Apple to Big D.

Since 1952, Crystal Charity Ball has distributed more than $191 million to the children of Dallas County. The 2024 recipients include:

Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum
HHM Health
Methodist Health System Foundation
Parkland Health Foundation
The Center for Integrative Counseling and Psychology
Traffick911
Vogel
The Crystal Charity Ball 70th Anniversary Project

Photo by Tamytha Cameron

The 2024 honorees.

crystal charity ball fashion show fundraisers luncheons neiman marcus oscar de la renta