Tex Gala 2024

Texas Rangers shatter record with $2.5 million haul at grand-slam gala

Texas Rangers players, staff, and fans stepped right up to a State Fair-themed 2024 TEX Gala on Monday, April 22 at Globe Life Field. The sights, sounds, and tastes of the fair filled the outfield turf, where 1,500 attendees assembled to support the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation.

The evening started with a VIP Reception, presented by American Airlines in the American Lounge, where patrons mingled with National Baseball Hall of Famer Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez, who received his World Series Championship Ring during the reception.

VIPs included a who's who of Rangers stars and their dates: World Series MVP Corey Seager and Mady Seager, Max Scherzer and Erica Scherzer, Nathaniel Lowe and Brenna Karwich, Wyatt Langford, Josh Jung, Jon Gray and Jacklyn Gray, Andrew Heaney and Jordan Heaney, Andrew Knizner and Ally Rahn, Cody Bradford and Madi Bradford, Davis Wendzel and Rachel Wendzel, Dane Dunning and Rachel Dunning, David Robertson and Erin Robertson, Evan Carter and Kaylen Carter, Jacob deGrom and Stacey deGrom, Josh Sborz and Alexis Sborz, Josh Smith and Claire Smith, Michael Lorenzen and Cassi Lorenzen, Travis Jankowski and Lindsey Jankowski, Tyler Mahle and Ashley Mahle, and Rangers manager Bruce Bochy and Kim Bochy.

When the West Marketplace gates opened, guests descended on the field for cocktails and carnival-style games in a replica State Fair Midway. Attendees nibbled mini corn dogs and funnel cakes and sipped stout signature cocktails Neon Moon (Jack-and-Coke) and Red Dirt Road (Teremana Tequila and Topo Chico) as they tossed rings and shot hoops, visited a Flea Style custom hat bar, and purchased Kendra Scott mystery boxes.

A silent auction was filled with autographed Rangers and other sports memorabilia, music and Hollywood treasures (a Post Malone-autographed guitar attracted much attention), gift baskets, art, local shopping and dining experiences, and more. While photo opps were plentiful, the most popular stop of the night was a chance to take a pic with the World Series winners' Commissioner's Trophy.

During a seated dinner of Braised Black Angus Teres Major steak with gnocchi, asparagus, and Creme Brulee with Bailey's Mousse, and a brief video about the Texas Rangers Foundation was played. The charitable organization helps fund the Texas Rangers Youth Academy, education-based initiatives and scholarships, community distributions, and military/first responder-focused initiatives. Rangers chairman Neil Leibman and foundation executive director Karin Morris helped underscore the impact it has in the community.

The fundraising efforts ramped up first with a rousing game of "Heads or Tails," followed by a live auction for luxury trips to Cabo and Los Angeles, a VIP experience during the MLB All-Star Week, and more. In a surprise addition, country music star Pat Green took the stage to auction off a private concert; bidding was so fast and furious that he ended up giving away two.

When all the funds were tallied, the 2024 TEX Gala had raised a record $2.5 million for the Texas Rangers Foundation.

To cap off the celebratory night, guests boot-scooted down to the stage for a private concert by Brooks & Dunn. The legendary country music duo played for a full hour (unlike at many charity galas, where the featured performer says goodnight after four or five songs), keeping the crowd singing along to hits like "Neon Moon," "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone," "My Maria," and "Only in America."

Since the first TEX Gala in 2021, the event has raised an impressive $7.975 million for the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation.

Photo courtesy of Texas Rangers

Cassi Lorenzen, Michael Lorenzen

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Roll call of the rich

19 Dallas-area billionaires make 2025 Forbes list of richest Americans

Chewthedirt.com

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Nineteen Dallas-Fort Worth billionaires have landed on Forbes' prestigious list of the 400 richest Americans in 2025. And it's been a good year for this elite club: America's wealthiest billionaires are $1.2 trillion richer in 2025, bringing their collective worth to a staggering $6.6 trillion.

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.

"It’s been a year unlike any we’ve seen in the four decades we’ve tracked America’s billionaire class,” said Forbes senior editor Chase Peterson-Withorn in a press release. "The super-rich at the very top are richer than ever — and between the White House and the booming stock market, they’re as powerful as they’ve ever been."

The richest Dallas resident in 2025, according to Forbes, is Elaine Marshall and her family, who are stakeholders of Koch Inc., a multinational conglomerate corporation. Marshall, 83, inherited her late husband's 16 percent stake in the company after he died in 2006.

The publication estimates her net worth at $30.9 billion (up from $28.3 billion last year) and Forbes proclaims her as the 8th richest woman in America, the fourth richest Texan, and the second richest billionaire in DFW. She also appears in Forbes' separate list of the world's richest billionaires.

Fort Worth's Walmart heiress Alice Walton is the richest woman in America, and the richest billionaire in all of Dallas-Fort Worth, and she simultaneously holds the title as the richest woman in the world.

Fort Worth's Alice Walton is the wealthiest woman in America - and in the world. Getty Images

Walton's estimated net worth has risen to $106 billion this year, up from her 2024 net worth of $89.2 billion. Forbes says she is the first female centibillionaire (a person with a 12-digit fortune) in America. Now that's wealth.

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

Endeavor Energy Resources chairman Lyndal Stephens Greth and her family rank No. 35 nationwide with an estimated net worth of $27.4 billion. Last year: $32.3 billion.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones of Dallas sits at No. 50 in the U.S. with an estimated net worth of $19.6 billion. Last year: $15.2 billion.
Money manager Ken Fisher of Dallas ranks 86th nationally (for the second consecutive year) with an estimated net worth of $13.2 billion. Last year: $11.2 billion.
Banking and real estate mogul Andy Beal of Dallas holds the No. 101 spot nationally. His estimated net worth is $12 billion, unchanged from 2024.
Hotel and investment guru Robert Rowling of Dallas ranks 149th nationally with an estimated net worth of $8.8 billion. Last year: $8.6 billion.
Gas tycoon Kelcy Warren of Dallas ties for No. 192 nationally with an estimated net worth of $7.5 billion. Last year: $6.7 billion.
Oil and real estate titan Ray Lee Hunt and real estate bigwig H. Ross Perot Jr. of Dallas tie for No. 224 nationally with an estimated net worth of $6.5 billion. Last year: $6.9 billion and 4.6 billion, respectively.
Oil and investment mogul Robert Bass of Fort Worth ranks 244th nationally with an estimated net worth of $6.1 billion. Last year: $5.9 billion.
Media magnate and Cost Plus Drugs cofounder Mark Cuban of Dallas ranks No. 246 nationally with an estimated net worth of $6 billion. Last year: $5.7 billion.
Margot Birmingham Perot of Dallas, widow of tech and real estate entrepreneur H. Ross Perot Sr., and private equity firm cofounder Carl Thoma tie for No. 264 nationally with an estimated net worth of $5.7 billion. Last year: $5.3 billion and $4.4 billion, respectively.
Oil and gas honcho Trevor Rees-Jones of Dallas ties for 255th nationally with an estimated net worth of $5.9 billion. Last year: $5.1 billion.
Airplane leasing industry founder Steven Udvar-Hazy of Westlake ranks No. 339 nationally with an estimated net worth of $4.5 billion. Last year: $4.4 billion.
Oil heir Sid Bass of Fort Worth and oil and gas magnate Ray Davis of Dallas tie for No. 389 nationally with an estimated net worth of $3.8 billion. Last year: $3.7 billion and $3.5 billion, respectively.

Jerry Jones, Cowboys movie premiere Jerry Jones saw his fortune go up this year. Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

New to the list is biotech billionaire David Dean Halbert of Colleyville. Halbert, 69, earned his billionaire status after his diagnostics firm, Caris Life Sciences, went public on the Nasdaq in June. Forbes estimates his net worth at $4.9 billion.

Missing from the 2025 list is David Bonderman of Fort Worth, who died in December 2024. Bonderman, 82, was a founding partner of private equity firm TPG, was a board member of The Wilderness Society, and had a net worth of $6.4 billion.

In all, 43 billionaires across Texas made it on the 2025 Forbes 400 list.

Unsurprisingly, the richest person in America in 2025 is Austin-based Elon Musk. Musk, 54, saw his net worth skyrocket to $428 billion this year, or $184 billion more than his 2024 net worth. He claimed the No. 1 spot for the fourth time.

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