Museum Supporters Live La Vida Loca at Fab Four Seasons Gala

Wilson Parish
Museum Supporters Live La Vida Loca at Fab Four Seasons Gala

Emilio Armstrong and Kelly Robichau

NEVER BEFORE HAS the importance of experienced, compassionate healthcare professionals been so pronounced as the last three years. Houston is lucky to be home to some of the world's best, several of whom were honored at The John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science's annual fundraiser.


Chaired by David and Sara Cordúa, the Viva la Vida gala was held at the Four Seasons Hotel, which recently unveiled its spectacularly renovated ballroom. The Dia de los Muertos-themed night, which included a Cordúa-approved menu and Latin tunes courtesy of Divisi Strings, raised nearly $300K to support the museum's education and community programming.

An exciting live auction touted items like a Colorado vacation and a private party for 50 at the Health Museum — but nothing was quite as exciting as cheering on the Astros while simultaneously dancing to Divisi String's lively Collide band.

Maria Fernandez and Jennifer Franco

David and Sara Cordua

Honoree Daryl Shorter

Erica Little,John Burnette and Robert Burnette

Phillip Chang and Elizabeth Holt

Lucia and Michael Cordua

Carol Paret, Daryl Shorter, Toma Omofoye, John Arcidiacono, Maria Fernandez, Jesus Villejo, Jackie Ward and Gary Sheppard

Jennifer and Jim Drew

Ken and June Mattox

Parties

David Ansell, Bennie Flores Ansell, Thuy Tran and James Tiebout

THE ROTHKO CHAPEL held its Inspirit fundraiser — a celebration of the power of art and activism — at the industrial-chic Astorian. The evening featured cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and an onstage conversation with actor Cheech Marin, one of the world’s foremost collectors of Chicano art; 2023 Art League of Houston Texas Artist of the Year Vincent Valdez; and legendary civil rights advocate Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers of America with César Chávez. (She’s 93, by the way!)

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Cheech Marin reflecting outside of The Cheech (photo by David Fouts)

WHEN YOU TALK to Los Angeles-born actor Cheech Marin, regardless of how serious the subject, you can’t help but smile. His pop-culture presence is infused with an astute awareness of politics and history, and a “can do, make do, find a way to move ahead” spirit he connects to the word “Chicano,” a derogatory term that came to signify resilience, creative thinking, and social consciousness. “My dad, who died at age 93, always described himself as a Chicano, because it described him,” says Marin.

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