Dallas hearts LLS

St. Valentine's Day Luncheon raises $640K for heartfelt cause in Dallas

Themed "XOXO Sending Love & Care," the 2025 St. Valentine's Day Luncheon & Fashion Show welcomed 650 guests dressed in shades of pink, purple, and red to the Meyerson Symphony Center on February 12. The beloved annual Dallas luncheon raises vital funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Co-chairs Courtney Petit and Caitlin Wilson led this year's event, with honorary chairs Mona and Grey Stogner.

Patrons sipped champagne and browsed items up for bid in the silent auction, including jewelry, home décor, artwork, staycations, and more.

Inside the Margaret McDermott Performance Hall, mistress of ceremonies, FOX4 evening anchor Clarice Tinsley, oversaw a heartfelt program that underscored the organization's mission to sending love and care to the 1.7 million people currently battling blood cancer across the country - a message echoed by Leukemia & Lymphoma Society president and CEO Dr. Anders Kolb.

LLS Red River Region executive director Leah Swanson presented the 2025 ICON Award to former U.S. First Lady Laura Bush. Mrs. Bush accepted her award and gave brief remarks regarding the Bush family’s personal commitment to the mission of LLS as President George W. Bush’s sister, Robin Bush, died of leukemia when she was just 3 years old.

“It was the great sadness of the Bush family that they lost their little girl," Laura Bush told the audience. "Fortunately, though, times have changed, and thanks to the incredible research of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and countless doctors, a blood cancer diagnosis is no longer a death sentence. Now there’s a treatment for leukemia and lymphoma, and the generosity of everyone in this room makes it possible for little girls like Robin to come back home to their families happy and healthy. Thanks to everyone for being here and thank you for supporting this worthy cause.”

Additional awards recipients included:

Dr. Robert (Brian) Berryman, a renowned oncologist with expertise in treating blood cancer patients, was presented with the Lynda Adleta Heart of Gold Award.
Texas native and legendary Dallas actor, the late Larry Hagman, was recognized with this year’s Memorial Hero Award, which honors an individual in the community who has passed away and who battled blood cancer. His son Preston Hagman accepted the award.
Jude Cobler, the Spirit of Tom Landry Award, given to a youth who has battled blood cancer.

The event's fashion show, produced by the Jan Strimple, featured spring looks from Highland Park Village retailers, including La Vie Style House, Veronica Beard, Simkhai, Lela Rose and Carolina Herrera. The annual tradition of host committee members’ children modeling Valentine’s-inspired looks from Love Shack Fancy once again stole the show, complete with 12-year-old “mailman,” Jack, handing out valentines to each as they walked the runway.

The event concluded with a plated luncheon in the lobby and a selection of gourmet sweets courtesy of Make My Life Sweeter.

In total, the event raised an impressive $640,000 for LLS.

Among the notable attendees were Caroline Ross, Kate Leyendecker, Victoria Snee, Liz Thrash, Taylor Burnett, Charlotte Jones, Bina Palnitkar, Candice Romo, Bonnie Lance, Stacey Duran, Jana Paul, Lauren Gillette, Maggie Kipp, Claire Catrino, Kristin Hallam, Cathleen Griffith, Laura Price, Suzanne Horn, Samantha Wortley, Lola Thomas, Sharon Lee Clark, Amber Griffin, Mimi Sterling, Maddie Gander, Christina Rangel-Bautista, Sara Madsen Miller, Mackenzie Brittingham, Faith Baldwin, Todd Fiscus, Ceron, Meredith Ferrell, Megan Fill, Katie Walton, Destin Shore, Lisa Sadoughi, Katy Brooks, Holly Quartaro, Robyn Chauvin, Jon Mellon, Dawn Mellon, Christen Carroll, Lottye Lyle, Autumn Thomas, and hundreds more patrons and supporters.

Photo by Tamytha Cameron

Jon Mellon, Dawn Mellon, Christen Carroll and Lottye Lyle

history in the making

Taylor Sheridan to be honored with legendary Texas award in 2027

1923 Las Vegas Premiere Screening & After Party Taylor Sheridan

Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Paramount+

Taylor Sheridan is a 2027 recipient of the History-Making Texan Award.

Trailblazing North Texas producer, director, and screenwriter Taylor Sheridan will add a new award to his shelf in 2027. Sheridan has been named one of two recipients of the History-Making Texan Award, which the Texas State History Museum Foundation (TSHMF) will present in Austin in spring 2027.

Since 2005, the organization has honored "living Texas legends whose contributions to the state and the nation have been truly historic and exceptional in scope and nature." Past galas have recognized prominent Texas figures such as former presidents George H.W. and George W. Bush and former first ladies Barbara and Laura Bush, as well as H-E-B chairman Charles Butt, singer-songwriter and accordionist Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenéz, among others.

Joining Sheridan as the other 2027 honoree is Texas Historical Commission chairman, businessman, and philanthropist John L. Nau, III. The 2027 gala will be held at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin on March 2, Texas Independence Day.

"Our honorees are national leaders whose accomplishments have elevated Texas’ distinctive place on the national and international stage," said Debbie Raynor, Dinner Chair and TSHMF Trustee, in a relase. "John L. Nau, III and Taylor Sheridan have each, in very different ways, helped tell the Texas story — one through the preservation of our history and treasured places, the other through the power of storytelling that has brought Texas and the American West to audiences around the world."

Quadruple-threat filmmaker Sheridan is most widely recognized for his award-winning neo-Western TV series Yellowstone and its associated spin-offs 1883, 1923, Marshals, and Dutton Ranch. Raynor hailed Sheridan for his success in bringing a "remarkable new dimension to the way the world sees Texas and the American West."

"As a creator, writer, director, and executive producer of some of television’s most successful series, he has captured the imagination of audiences across the globe while bringing the people, landscapes, traditions and enduring spirit of the West into millions of homes," she said. "And he does more than tell the Texas story — he lives it, as a native Texan, accomplished horseman and steward of two legendary Texas ranches."

Nau is the former chairman and CEO of Silver Eagle Beverages, one of the largest Anheuser-Busch distributors in the U.S. Raynor said Nau's "commitment to preservation" extends further than his protection of Texas historic sites "to the stewardship and conservation of the land itself, including his bay area lodge in south Texas and his ranch in west Texas."

"[Nau's] leadership and lifelong dedication to history have earned him national recognition, but perhaps his greatest legacy is his determination to ensure that the stories and places that shaped Texas endure for generations to come," Raynor said.

A release estimates about 450 "business, political, and community leaders" attend the Texas Independence Day Dinner each year, and proceeds will benefit the Bullock Museum's educational programs and special projects.

The 2027 Texas Independence Day Dinner will take place March 2, 2027, at the Bullock Museum in Austin. A VIP reception will start at 6:30 pm, followed by a 7 pm reception, and 7:30 dinner and program.

Taylor Sheridan is gifting his creative archive to Texas State University.