Starry night

Dallas' Crystal Charity Ball 2023 exhibits the art of a masterpiece gala

Crystal Charity Ball 2023 brought artistic élan to Dallas' most glamorous gala.

Ball chair Angie Kadesky crafted the theme “Masterpieces in the Making,” which, she had explained, would be a double entendre: "While classic artistic masterpieces will be the decorative motif at the ball, the real masterpieces in the making are the children we serve."

Specifically this year, the local charities chosen as Crystal Charity Ball beneficiaries were: After School All Stars, Buckner Children Family Services, Fair Park First, Family Gateway, Metrocare Services, Salvation Army of North Texas, YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas, and The Crystal Charity Ball 70th Anniversary Project: Action Before Crisis. The grand finale of Dallas’ fall fundraising season pledged to raise $6 million in 2023, and has given nearly $200 million to local children’s charities in its 71 years.

On December 9, the Hilton Anatole Hotel's entryway, foyer, and ballroom were filled with installations and vignettes that paid homage to great art and artists throughout history.

Upon arrival, more than 1,500 patrons donning dapper tuxedos and gorgeous gowns strolled down a corridor that set the tone for the evening. Artists' names (Klimt, Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet), were projected onto the covered sidewalk leading up to the building. Through the doors, tableaux of visual and performing artists lined either side of the entry - a ballet dancer posed, a harpist played, and actors portrayed a writer, opera singer, fashion designer, and sculptor.

They all led up to a stunning vignette in which Vincent Van Gogh posed as though he were painting The Starry Night. "Vincent" (whose costume, yes, included an ear bandage) obliged the many, many requests to pose for a selfie in this most Instagrammable of spots.

The centerpiece of the atrium was a replica Louvre Pyramid, which illuminated in different colors. Guests gathered around it with their glasses of bubbly and hand-shaken martinis, and noshed from a spread of Iberico Ham Toasts, Heirloom Caprese Tomatoes, and the CCB's famous jumbo shrimp.

Crystal Charity Ball isn't just Dallas' most glittering gala but one of the biggest fashion nights of the year, too. Kadesky looked like she'd stepped out of a painting in her blue-green Patti Flowers ballgown; Mary Martha Pickens donned a Michael Faircloth design in the same shade. Heather Esping, Lisa-Adelle O'Brien, and Lucy Gussoni chose creations by Carolina Herrera. Marena Gault and Emily Ash stunned in Nardos gowns, and Katy Brooks stood out in a colorful design by Ese Azenabor. (Notably, Dallas designers Patti Flowers, Nardos Imam, and Ese Azenabor were all in attendance.)

After posing for the Fashion Cam presented by NorthPark and having professional portraits made by John French Photography, it was time to win some fun money or spend it for a good cause - or in the case of the big winners at the casino, to do both. Winnings could be redeemed for home decor, children's toys, and gifts in The Gift Gallery.

Across the room, guests were bidding fast and furiously on their phones in the silent auction. Up for grabs were magnificent trips, fine jewelry and fashions, artwork, dining and sports excursions, and unique experiences (such as the chance to control the color of Bank of America Plaza in downtown Dallas for a night).

When the Chantilly Ballroom doors opened for dinner, towering, fragrant floral designs by Junior Villanueva of The Garden Gate transported guests to Monet’s Garden at Giverny. An orchestra played on the stage, in front of a long screen that projected masterpiece artworks.

Patrons dined on a sumptuous French-inspired dinner of Marinated Crab Salad with painted green goddess, violette gelee, and orange creme; Cote de Boeuf with smoked carrot puree, baby root vegetables in a red wine demi; and for dessert, "Piece de la Resistance," a most photogenic flourless chocolate torte decorated with a chocolate-gold paintbrush and Mona Lisa garnish.

It didn't take long for the music to gear up again and for the crowd to fill the dance floor. The party band Simply Irresistible kept the room on its feet long after the last bites of dessert had been eaten.

Those with tired feet scooped up their 2023 Children's Book (dedicated to the late Norma Hunt) and party favors (a handcrafted Annieglass Handkerchief Votive) and either headed back to the casino, checked on their silent auction bids, or fueled up for the drive home with hot coffee and freshly made doughnuts at the valet stand.

Per tradition, Tom Addis of Tom Addis Productions, Inc. spearheaded the design of the ball, but hundreds of venders and CCB committee members made the event and its mission a success. They included Heather Esping (silent auction chairman), Jennifer Dix (Children's Book chairman), Mary Martha Pickens (underwriting chairman), Elizabeth Gambrell (foundations chairman), Amy Hegi (special gifts chairman), Patty Leyendecker (fashion show chairman), Ola Fojtasek (charity selection chairman), Patti Flowers, and Marybeth Conlon (contribution ticket co-chairs). Cheryl Joyner is the chairman-elect.

Photo by Ashley Gongora

Emily Ellf, Jennifer Lind, Kelly Faulkner, Beth Godsey, Monica Davy

Also spotted among the crowd, enjoying the evening were: Ross Cohen, Rebecca Rochelle, Mandy Austin, Molly Taylor, Travis Mathews, Brittney Mathews, Mackenzie Rodgers, Scott Rodgers, Sam Hawkins, Bevin Shaw, Roger Gault, Clorissa Diawara, Abdel Diawara, Rebecca LaRocco, Dee Dee Kiehn, Zan Banks, Thomas Banks, Emily Ellf, Jennifer Lind, Kelly Faulkner, Beth Godsey, Monica Davy, Lumi Gamble, Sean Gamble, Micheal Osburn, Rachel Osburn, Ellie Campion, Rob Campion, Priya Murphy, Bianca Davis, Kerry Peterson, Christine Danuser, Madelanie Lam, Pogir, Richard Gussoni, and many more patrons and supporters.

charity fundraisers luxury crystal charity ball galas

The Rich List

Dallas visionary joins 18 DFW billionaires on new Forbes' richest list

Ben Lamm and George Church, Colossal cofounders

Courtesy of Colossal

Ben Lamm (left) and George Church (right) founded Colossal in 2021.

The richest billionaires in America have a collective worth of $8 trillion in 2026, a staggering $1.4 trillion increase since last year, says Forbes. And the Dallas-based billionaire best known for starting a company to resurrect the long-extinct woolly mammoth has become one of the richest people in America.

Biotech "serial entrepreneur" Ben Lamm, cofounder of Colossal Biosciences, has made his debut as one of the country's richest residents for 2026, according to the just-released Forbes 400.

The annual Forbes 400 list is a definitive ranking of the wealthiest Americans, using interviews, financial data, and documentation provided by billionaires and their companies. In all, 43 billionaires across Texas made it on the 2026 list, and 19 are based in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Lamm, 44, cofounded the Texas-based "de-extinction" company with geneticist George Church in 2021 with the goal to resurrect extinct animals including the mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, and the dodo. The company is now worth over $10 billion, and Lamm's own net worth is currently estimated at $5.7 billion.

"Lamm believes that governments, which have long budgeted for conservation efforts, will pay Colossal to reintroduce extinct species or to prevent endangered ones from dying off," Forbes says in Lamm's profile. "In April Lamm spun Astromech out of Colossal. The company, which private investors valued at $3.8 billion in August, uses AI to forecast evolutionary change."

He is tied with Austin billionaire and Tito's Handmade Vodka founder Bert Beveridge as the No. 302 richest person in America.

In nearby Fort Worth, Walmart heiress Alice Walton, 76, who leads as the richest woman globally, still reigns richest woman in America, the third-wealthiest person in Texas, and the richest resident in Fort Worth for 2026.

Walton's net worth has grown by $12 billion since last year, bringing her current net worth to $118 billion. She is the only daughter of late Walmart cofounder Sam Walton, though she focuses her attention on other endeavors like the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville, Arkansas. Forbes still lists her residence as Fort Worth.

Alice Walton in 2026 Walmart heiress and Fort Worth resident Alice Walton is $12 billion richer than she was a year ago.Alice Walton/Facebook

Walton is one of only 62 women billionaires on the Forbes 400 list, making up just 16 percent of the total list.

"Shares of the retailing giant are up more than 10 percent since last year, helping Walton widen her lead over the nation’s second-wealthiest woman, Julia Koch (estimated net worth: $84.6 billion), an heir to the Koch, Inc. conglomerate fortune," Forbes says.

Missing from this year's list is David Dean Halbert of Colleyville. Halbert, 70, earned his billionaire status last year when his diagnostics firm, Caris Life Sciences, went public. He became one of the 400 richest Americans in 2025, but his net worth is currently estimated at $3.7 billion, which — shockingly — makes him one of the 590 American billionaires that are "too poor to make the cut" this year, according to Forbes.

"With the AI and data center boom in full swing and the U.S. stock market near an all-time high, it now takes a record $4.4 billion to rank among the nation’s 400 wealthiest people," the publication said. "That’s $600 million more than last year and $2.7 billion more than a decade ago.

Here's how the rest of Dallas-Fort Worth's billionaires fared on this year's list:

Koch, Inc. stakeholder Elaine Marshall and her family rank No. 34 nationally with an estimated net worth of $32.2 billion. Last year: $28.3billion.
Endeavor Energy Resources chairman Lyndal Stephens Greth and her family rank No. 37 nationwide with an estimated net worth of $30 billion. Last year: $27.4 billion.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones of Dallas sits at No. 49 in the U.S. with an estimated net worth of $23.5 billion. Last year: $19.6 billion.
Money manager Ken Fisher of Dallas ranks 83rd nationally with an estimated net worth of $15 billion. Last year: $13.2 billion.
Banking and real estate mogul Andy Beal of Dallas holds the No. 110 spot nationally. His estimated net worth is $12.3 billion. Last year: $12 billion.
Gas tycoon Kelcy Warren of Dallas ranks No. 170 nationally with an estimated net worth of $9.3 billion. Last year: $7.5 billion.
Hotel and investment guru Robert Rowling of Dallas ranks 187th nationally with an estimated net worth of $8.8 billion, unchanged from 2025.
Oil and real estate titan Ray Lee Hunt of Dallas ranks 199th nationally with an estimated net worth of $8.3 billion. Last year: $6.9 billion.
Real estate bigwig H. Ross Perot Jr. of Dallas ranks No. 233 nationally with an estimated net worth of $7.4 billion. Last year: $6.5 billion.
Oil and investment mogul Robert Bass of Fort Worth ranks 245th nationally with an estimated net worth of $7 billion. Last year: $6.1 billion.
Media magnate and Cost Plus Drugs cofounder Mark Cuban of Dallas ranks No. 255 nationally with an estimated net worth of $6.8 billion. Last year: $6 billion.
Margot Birmingham Perot of Dallas, widow of tech and real estate entrepreneur H. Ross Perot Sr., ranks No. 264 nationally with an estimated net worth of $6.4 billion. Last year: $5.7 billion.
Oil and gas honcho Trevor Rees-Jones of Dallas ranks as No. 269 nationally with an estimated net worth of $6.2 billion. Last year: $5.9 billion.
Airplane leasing industry founder Steven Udvar-Hazy of Westlake ranks No. 336 nationally with an estimated net worth of $5.1 billion. Last year: $4.5 billion.
Oil and gas magnate Ray Davis of Dallas ties for 375th nationally with an estimated net worth of $4.6 billion. Last year: $3.5 billion.
Oil heir Sid Bass of Fort Worth and private equity firm cofounder Carl Thoma of Dallas tie for No. 380 nationally with an estimated net worth of $4.5 billion. Last year: $3.8 billion and $4.4 billion, respectively.

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