As the 70+ guests gathered at Joyce and Larry Lacerte’s Highland home for the Les Femmes du Monde Couple Of The Year Awards Dinner, Dinner Chair Mary Lee Cox said it was just a celebration. There would be no talking. Really?
Then she pointed to the 2016 Les Femmes honorees (aka first-ever Couple of the Year) — Nancy and Herbert Hunt. It was hard to spot them, though. They were engulfed by well-wishers like Sara and David Martineau, Billie Leigh Rippey, Venise Stuart, Sharon Ballew, beneficiaries World Affairs Council’s Jim Falk and Children’s Medical Center Foundation’s Brent Christopher, who admitted that shifting gears from Communities Foundation of Texas to Children’s Medical Center Foundation had been easier that he had expected. Why he had even had time to catch a movie — “Sully.”
For a photo opp, the responsibility was handed over to daughters Barbara Hunt Crow and Libby Hunt Allred. As the photos were snapped, one of the daughters encouraged, “Come on, Dad. Big smile.” Herbert laughed, “I am.”
When asked how long the Hunts had been married, Barbara popped up, “Well, I’m 62.” Nancy laughed, “I married young.”
In the Lacertes’ great room, while Papa Larry Lacerte chatted with guests, Caroline Rose Hunt (aka Herbert’s kid sister) smiled alongside Bob Brackbill. When someone described her having a cute smile, Bob said, “She’s always cute.”
Just minutes into the event, word was passed that Mary Lee had indeed had a change of mind. At 7:15, there would be a brief presentation recognizing Nancy and Herbert and thanking the Lacertes and various people who were making the dinner on Tuesday, October 25, at the Dallas Country Club possible. Ah, so that’s what the bouquet of flowers on the bench next to the fireplace was doing there.
Touch of trivia: In addition to being the 2013 honoree and serving as Les Femmes president in 1995, Mary Lee chaired the 1988 fundraiser when Barbara Bush was the keynote speaker and Caroline Rose Hunt was the honoree.
Tickets are still available here.