The trees had scarcely had time to change from summer-colored crepe myrtles to fall’s golds, browns and oranges before, lo and behold, winter was on the doorstep. Just before a frigid blast hit, though, The Family Place’s ReuNight was taking advantage of a beautiful evening at the Mansion on Turtle Creek’s Lawn on Wednesday, November 6.
Family Place CEO Paige Flink reported that, despite most all systems going gangbusters, she was having to search for a new CFO. Seems her longtime chief financial officer had parted company to go to work for the Family Place’s audit group.
But that was before Paige and husband Randy Flink discovered their place cards at the tables in the decked-out dining room, where mammoth floral arrangements by Grey Gardens were suspended from the tented ceiling. Seems Co-Chairs Catherine Cox, Natalie Lorio, Melinda Bell and Melinda’s pal Brett Levy had come up with a creative seating arrangement based on the evening’s theme: “Old Hollywood.”
On one side of each tented place card — the side facing the plate — was the guest’s name. On the back was the guest’s supposed cinematic alter ego. For instance, Paige was Shelley Fabares; Randy was Ed Sullivan; Carol Seay was Dolores Hart; Linda Bell was Priscilla Presley; Carl Bell was Elvis Presley; Muffin Lemak was Ann-Margret; Dwight Emanuelson was Walter Matthau; Claire Emanuelson was Barbara Eden; Jan Miller was Raquel Welch; Josie Sewell was Angela Lansbury; Carl Sewell III was Mel Ferrer. Some members of the younger set were sorta clueless about these celebs of yesteryear.
Before the 175 or so guests discovered their dual personalities, they partied on the other side of a black curtain separating the dining room from the crowded cocktail party.
On the cocktail side of the divide, there were guests like Venise and Larry Stuart, Kristi Hoyl and her sister/Family Place Development VP Melissa Sherrill, Lisa and Bill Ogle and Lynn McBee with Nick Even. Vinette “V” Montgomery was wearing a diamond-encrusted cross that had belonged to her late mother-in-law Faye Briggs. Husband Mike Montgomery told Honorary Co-Chair John Hallam that the jeweled cross would be given to Faye’s daughter Pebble McGhee and that he had had a similar one created for V. … Retiring Georgia Congressman Tom Graves was among those attending. He was the guest of Catherine and Brad Cox. … Working the cocktail crowd was Elvis impersonator Victor Trevino. Speaking of the evening’s entertainment, Jordan Kahn was providing the cocktail tunes while dinner guests would soon be mesmerized by the Ricki Derek big band.