A Polished, Posh Crowd Fetes the Twin Sisters of PetSet and Their Animal-Loving Cause

Quy Tran
A Polished, Posh Crowd Fetes the Twin Sisters of PetSet and Their Animal-Loving Cause

Tena Faust, Brigitte Kalaifor, Tama Lundquist

FOR THE 17TH time, Houston's In Crowd came together for a chic event benefitting one of its favorite causes.


"Houstonians came out in full force and opened their hearts and wallets to make this year's gala a resounding success," said a rep for organizers of the annual Fierce and Fabulous Soirée in support of Houston PetSet, which provides grants to Houston area animal charities and is committed to spaying, neutering, rescuing, adopting, and otherwise caring for the city's homeless pet population.

Guest tippled and mingled and perused the silent auction in the vestibule outside the ballroom at The Post Oak Hotel, at a spirited cocktail hour before entering the dining room for dinner and the evening's program. Highlights of the evening included a live auction and remarks by PetSet's longtime leading ladies, twin sisters Tama Lundquist and Tena Lundquist Faust. They were joined this year by Brigitte Kalaifor as co-chair. Deborah Duncan was a vivacious and sometime musical emcee, and Jan Duncan, the honoree of the evening, delivered moving remarks via video.

Faces in the crowd included Susan and Denis DeBakey, NickBoulle, Denis Boulle, Bill King, Tracy and Harry Faulkner, Peter Farrell, Sandra Smith-Cooperand, Matthew Cooper, Jamie and John Sparacino, Jonathan Cooper, Courtney Hopson, Ellen Weitz, Elaine and Tim Day, Melissa and Michael Mithoff and Trini Mendenhall. Other VIPs such as Sue Smith, Les Alexander and Don Sanders attended the event remotely.

Allison Bereswell, Nick Boulle

Cheryl Byington

Debra Law, Harriett Gertner

Doug Sain, Erin O'Neill

Harry and Tracy Faulkner

Jamie and John Sparacino

Jeff and Kathryn Smith

Jimmy and Betsy Montgomery

Marnie Greenwood, Josh Green

Max Meeks, Kristen Cannon

Melissa and Michael Mithoff

Natascha LaFranchesca, Rob Rutherford, Mauney Mafridge

Tim and Elaine Day

Parties
Fall Philanthropy Report: Children’s Assessment Center Touts ‘Healing’ for Child Abuse Victims

What is your mission? The Children’s Assessment Center (The CAC) provides healing services to over 6,300 child sexual abuse victims and their families each year. We offer forensic interviewing, family advocacy, mental health services, medical care, and court services at no cost. We facilitate community outreach and prevention training to raise awareness about child abuse in our community and how to keep children safe. Last year, we provided prevention training to over 35,000 community members, including 23,500 children in schools.

Keep Reading Show less

Gayla Gardner, Jacquie Baly and Julie Baker Finck

THE DOCTOR IS in! One of Houston’s most engaged civic leaders, Jacquie Baly, has a new title after earning her Doctorate in Education and Organizational Change & Leadership from USC. And some of the city’s heavy hitters turned up for a swanky reception at Tony’s to congratulate her. “Education and community leadership go hand in hand,” said Dr. Baly. “This honor fuels my continued mission to create meaningful change.”

And they weren’t alone in their admiration. Both the City of Houston and the State of Texas declared the day of the to-do “Dr. Jacquie Baly Day,” complete with official proclamations.

Keep Reading Show less
Style+Culture

Houston Arboretum

WE ALL LOVE a Rodeo, but sometimes we need options for events that have a different energy, speed — and crowd size. Check out some artsy, unique happenings around Houston in March!

Keep Reading Show less