You can always bet that Thanksgiving will take place on the fourth Thursday in November and that The Senior Source‘s “Spirit of Generations” luncheon will be full of fun and surprises. This year was no different for the 950 guests at the Hilton Anatole, thanks to Luncheon Chair Nancy Carter and The Senior Source team.
Folks like Joel Allison, Marianne Staubach, Emilynn Wilson, Pat McEvoy and Joyce and Linus Wright gathered in the Plum Room for the VIP reception. Veteran luncheoner Claire Emanuelson nudged her gal-pal Pam Perella and asked, “There are so many men here. What’s up?”
Perhaps it had to do with the day’s honoree being T. Boone Pickens, who had excused himself just minutes earlier from the reception. Seems he needed to change into an orange tie. Not UT burnt orange, but OSU Pantone 166 orange. But he never made it back to the reception. He got hijacked into conversation by everyone walking by.
At 11:45, as 84-year-old Boone moseyed on over to the Grand Ballroom, his right-hand man Jay Rosser was asked if Boone was going to talk for a half hour or so. Jay’s comeback: Boone would keep it short and sweet if the program seemed to be running long. Seems that at a recent lunch that was getting a bit long in the tooth, Boone talked for less than two minutes.
Within 15 minutes the elevated head table was seated and being introduced by The Senior Source Chairman of the Board Anne Mostenbocker. Since it was a extensive group. . . but not nearly as never-ending as the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council luncheon’s two-tier head table . . . Anne asked that everyone hold their applause until the end. Unfortunately, Nancy Carter’s fan club was in full turnout mode and could not keep from ripping loose with cheers.
Jay R. was talking with Randall Graham, 101-year-old Ebby Halliday‘s right-hand man. When asked if the two of them are negotiating a marriage between Boone and “cougar” Ebby, they laughed and one of them replied that both seniors were available.
After the invocation, Nancy Carter warned the audience that it was her “duty to squeeze the last dollar out of you. . . We accept anything of monetary value.”
There was reason for this plea, as Baylor Health Care System President/CEO Joel Allison reminded guests that with the baby boomers becoming seniors, they were showing more interest in The Senior Source. Perhaps that’s because they’re starting to look like a tsunami of potential clients?
Anne returned to the podium admitting that Nancy wasn’t the last one to make a pitch for money. She advised luncheoners that the envelopes on the table were there for a purpose and hoped that they might be put to use.
At 12:14 p.m., as lunch was served, “Booneisms” began appearing on the room’s mammoth screens. What is a Booneism? Here are some samples:
- Booneism #1 — “Don’t rush the monkey and you’ll see a better show.”
- Booneism #2 — “Chief executives who own few shares of their companies have no more feeling for the shareholders than they do baboons in Africa.”
- Booneism #5 — “Work eight hours and sleep eight hours, and make sure that they are not the same eight hours.”
- Booneism #8 — “I have always believe that it’s important to show a new look periodically. Predictability can lead to failure.”
- Booneism #10 — “Keep things informal. Talking is the natural way to do business. . . talk generates ideas.”
- Booneism #12 — When you blow away the foam, you get down to the real stuff.”
- Booneism #13 — “When you are young, fitness is a sport. As you grow older, it’s a necessity.”
- Booneism #14 — “Fight your way out of the corners. I play pretty good off the wall.”
- Booneism #18 — “I may have been born at night, but not last night.”
- Booneism #20 — “We’re flexible, quick on our feet and able to get the job done.”
- Booneism #22 — “You win with a team, and I’m a good team builder.”
- Booneism #24 — “If you are going to run with the big dogs, you have to get out from under the porch.”
- Booneism #29 — “A fool with a plan can outsmart a genius with no plan any day.”
- Booneism #44 — “It may smell like manure to you, but it smells like money to me.”
- Booneism # 48 — “There are three reasons we can’t do it. First, we don’t have the money, and the other two reasons don’t make a damn.”
Along with the Booneisms were photos of Boone ranging from his childhood to current boardrooms. One shot in particular was rather amazing. It was of Boone appearing to hit a racquetball directly at the camera. Wow! What a shot! Was the photographer hit? Nope. It was “trick photography.” Seems the ball was taped to the racquet.
At 12:25 p.m., coffee was being served at the head table. Minutes later Senior Source Executive Director Molly Bogen introduced a video about the Senior Source.
At 12:47 p.m. The Ticket’s George Dunham took charge of the program with Dave Tanner at the keyboard. Seems they’d decided the surprise this year would be readings about Boone by local “talent” and friends of Boone including Ebby (“The Role Model”), Roger Staubach (“The Sports Icon”), Larry Reece (“The OSU Connection”), Jerry Jones (“The Other Cowboy”), John Yeaman (“The Longtime Compadre”) and Alan White (“The Lucky Banker”). As his “friends” read and teased the man of the hour about everything from his multi-marriages to his multimillions, Pickens’ smirk never diminished.
Finally, in an attempt at a bit of seriousness, Forrest Hoglund presented the Spirit of Generations Award to Boone with Anne. But even this part of the day couldn’t go without a couple of laughs, as Forrest described Boone at The Senior Source’s “Dream Idol,” having given away $1 billion to charities. According to Forrest, Boone claimed, “Giving away the money is almost as much fun as making it.”
At 1:06 p.m. Boone graciously and sincerely accepted the accolades, awards and ribbing. His words lasted just barely two minutes. You see, he had to get back to business to raise more money to give away.
* Photo from The Senior Source