The usual Lucy Billingsley greeting — a wide-open, V-shaped arms-in-the-air gesture — had changed to a less expansive, W-shaped welcome for guests of The Stewpot Alliance‘s Soup’s On! Luncheon patron party on Wednesday, February 19, at the Billingsley homestead.
The move from “V” to “W” was due to Lucy’s left shoulder having gone under the knife a couple of weeks earlier.
Still, Lucy and husband Henry Billingsley looked like they could have easily been on a cheer squad for the arrival of guests who, despite the rain, cold temperatures and traffic jams, made their way to meet Soup’s On Co-chairs Amy Hegi and Libby Hegi and Honorary Co-chairs the Hallam family, including Fanchon and Howard Hallam.
As guests including sisters-in-law Amy and Libby, Margie and Ray Francis and Stewpot Founder Dr. Bruce Buchanan visited in the Billingsleys’ charming abode, others noted the home’s warm decor, from its elegant Chinese screens and photo of Winston Churchill on the wall to the colorful mural in the powder room showing Lucy making her famous V sign. The V might as well have been for Soup’s On, the annual fundraiser for The Stewpot that Lucy co-chaired last year with Linda Owen Barnes.
Luncheon speaker Judge Craig Mitchell, founder of the Skid Row Running Club, arrived with Gabi and Mark Hayes, who had served as producer and director of the Skid Row Marathon. Earlier in the day they had toured The Stewpot. Guests were told that the following Friday, there would be a special one-night screening of the film at the Alamo Drafthouse on Lamar followed by a Q&A with Craig, Gabi and Mark.
This year’s luncheon, guests knew, would be held at the Omni Dallas Hotel on Thursday, February 20, featuring soups from a who’s who of Dallas chefs led by Chef Brian Luscher.
This evening, the weather was so raw that even across-the-road neighbor Nancy Cain Marcus decided to hitch a ride instead of walking, thanks to sister Nelda Cain Pickens. When spying Nancy’s button reading, “I Like Mike,” Nelda grimaced that she had forgotten to wear hers. Asked whether the sisters were going to get home in time to watch the Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas, they responded in unison, “Yes!”