Dallas Historical Society’s Dallas History Makers Awards For Excellence Luncheon Celebrated Distinguished Community And Business Leaders Topping It Off With A Rousing Champagne Toast To Texas
(Featured photo: Back Row: Melanie Vanlandingham, Friends of Aldredge House, Humanities Honoree; Steven Jones, Lyric Stage, Creative Arts Honoree; Dr. Carine Feyten, Texas Woman’s University, Education Honoree; Talmage Boston, History Honoree; Stan Graff, DHS Benefactor of the Year Honoree.
Front Row: Tori Mannes, Volunteer Community Leadership Honoree; Brad Sham, Sports Leadership Honoree; Marianne Howells, Friends of Aldredge House, Humanities Honoree; Gail Sachson, Arts Leadership Honoree; Michael Boone, Jubilee History Maker Honoree. )
Dallas Historical Society kicked off its second century with a new awards luncheon logo and name while continuing to honor its traditions, the Dallas History Makers of today and introducing a new awards category: Dallas Historical Society’s Benefactor of the Year.
Now named the Dallas History Makers Awards for Excellence Luncheon, the awardees joined in to celebrate their fellow distinguished civic and business leaders who are literally living and writing history today.
Karl Chiao, executive director of the Dallas Historical Society, greeted honorees and guests and they arrived for this inspiring luncheon. Dallas History Makers Awards for Excellence luncheon chairs Daniel Murchison and Laura Woodall gathered together with the awards recipients and chatted during the welcome reception as everyone caught up with friends old and new. Honorary chairs were The Collins Family: Dick Collins, Calvert Collins-Bratton and Vince Bratton, Genevieve Collins-DeCarme and Dwight DeCarme,
Stewart H. Thomas, Master of Ceremonies and brother of Tori Mannes, one of today’s award recipients, welcomed everyone and recognized former awards recipients, the DHS board of directors and officers, giving special thanks to Louise Caldwell, who organized the first awards luncheon.
After the invocation by Brandy McDonald, Trinity Dallas, Dick took the stage along with members of his family and gave a very interesting overview of his family’s longtime history of working in the business and nonprofit sectors of Dallas throughout the years saying, “It’s the people who make the city,” paying tribute to everyone’s past and ongoing efforts in support of the community.
Thanking the honorary chairs, Karl said that today is the celebration of the 41st luncheon and that history lives at the Hall of State. After an informative video portraying the history of DHS, it’s formation over 100 years ago and its mission as stewards of local and regional history, he said there are many opportunities to join and participate in the Dallas Historical Society today through lectures, programs, tours and exhibits. Particularly exciting was the news about upcoming digital immersive exhibits and the great success of the interactive Alamo exhibit.
Presentation of the 2023 Awards for Excellence followed the luncheon, as Stewart introduced each recipient, along with inspiring videos honoring the award recipients sharing their often untold stories highlighting their contributions to Dallas and their personal drive and commitment to their goals and civic duty, followed by presentation of the awards by co-chairs Laura and Daniel and earnest thanks from each recipient. The event was topped off with the traditional A.C. Greene Champagne Toast.
The awards were established on behalf of the Trustees of the Dallas Historical Society in 1981. Outstanding individuals and organizations are selected for this honor from nominations solicited from the Dallas community. The recipients were chosen for their contribution to the quality of life in Dallas in multiple categories, listed below.
Awards recipients are:
Dallas Historical Society Benefactor of the Year – Stan Graff – Committed to the Dallas Historical Society and its work in education and preservation of history, specifically Texas history;
Arts Leadership – Gail Sachson – Committed to the arts as a planner, organizer, fundraiser, collector, historian and educator serving as Chair of the Dallas Cultural Affairs Commission, founding Inspire Art Dallas and serving on countless boards benefiting the arts;
Creative Arts – Lyric Stage – Preserving and developing the great American musical with a commitment to bring exemplary productions to the heart of Dallas at the historic Majestic Theater;
Education – Dr. Carine Feyten – Chancellor of Texas Woman’s University and serving many of Dallas’ educational organizations with a deeply rooted commitment to educational excellence and equal access opportunities;
History – Talmage Boston – Dedicated to advancing historical knowledge and inspiring others to learn, enriching our understanding of the past and strengthening our connection to the present;
Humanities – Friends of Aldredge House – Supporting the operations of the Aldredge House, a living example of history and crown-jewel of Swiss Avenue, providing creative performance pieces and speaker series;
Jubilee History Maker – Michael Boone – Embodying community spirit and civic leadership that have made a positive impact on public education, the arts, and business in Dallas;
Sports Leadership – Brad Sham – The voice of the legendary Dallas Cowboys football team for over 40 years, and beloved leader in the Dallas and national sports scene;
Volunteer Community Leadership – Tori Mannes – Long-time dedication to bettering the lives of families and the future generations of Dallas through education and leadership.
Visit the website for information at www.dallashistory.org
The Dallas Historical Society:
Whether someone is new to Dallas or a native Texan, the Dallas Historical Society offers programs and exhibits that educate and inform visitors about their home city and reveal insights and little-known facts that one might be unable to attain from history books alone, especially with the museum’s newest permanent exhibit, the interactive Texas Liberty Forever: The Battle of the Alamo diorama by Tom Feely.
Ongoing events include Brown Bag Lectures, An Evening With programs, and Pour Yourself Into History happy hours. Join in discovering more about Dallas and take part in one or more of these wonderful programs. Visit the website for more information at www.dallashistory.org
The Dallas Historical Society Celebrated Its Centennial Year In 2022
The stories of Dallas are shared each day at the Dallas Historical Society through the three million items that comprise our archives and artifact collections. Established in 1922, the Dallas Historical Society collects, preserves, and exhibits the unique heritage of Dallas and Texas to educate and inspire future generations.
Housed at the Hall of State in Fair Park since 1938, DHS presents these collections through education programs, exhibitions, tours, access to research materials and workshops.
Among the three million historical artifacts at DHS are such treasures as Sam Houston’s handwritten account of the Battle of San Jacinto, the only known original Juneteenth document, James Fannin’s watch, and Santa Anna’s spurs. The DHS collection houses over 10,000 bound volumes and receives more than 1,500 research requests annually.
Each year, the Dallas Historical Society is visited by over 160,000 people and serves more than 20,000 students through guided tours and educational programming at the Hall of State, as well as outreach programs at schools. Visit the website for more information at www.dallashistory.org
Photos by Rob Wythe/Wythe Portrait Studio
(Sharon Adams, Adams Communications Public Relations, is honored to represent the Dallas Historical Society and its special events and announcements and post this Philanthropy Lifestyles Scene.)
