They had only expected around 50 guests for the Women’s Council of the Dallas Arboretum’s Lisianthus Society Garden Tea last Wednesday (May 26). But it didn’t turn out that way. Maybe it was because it was a beautiful day; maybe it was just the idea of “unsheltering” and seeing friends; maybe it was the location of the tea at Lisa and Clay Cooley’s estate; maybe it was all of those things that resulted in nearly 90 showing up.
Looking over the crowd filling the living room, one of the organizers shrugged, “People just don’t RSVP anymore.”

Luckily, the valet parkers and the Cooley’s team were prepared for such a showing, so none of the ladies were left wanting. However, due to the days of rain, the original plan of holding the event outdoors was shifted inside the mansion for guests like 2021-2022 Women’s Council President Lisa Loy Laughlin, Venise Stuart, Dyann Skelton, Kunthear Mam-Douglas, Giana DePaul, Ramona Jones, Barbara Bigham, Mari Epperson, Joani Krieg, Susan Stanzel, Jolie Humphrey and Jill Goldberg.


However, before the program got underway, it was obvious that the turnout had resulted in additional seating being necessary. So chairs were carried in from all parts of the house.

To start the program, Carol Ann Brown gave a brief history of the Mad Hatter’s Tea when the late Scottie Buehler told her that she really needed to get involved with the Arboretum in 1989. Carol Ann admitted to Scottie that she’d never heard of it. Scottie convinced her that she not only needed to get to know the place east of White Rock but put together an event to introduce people to it, adding, “You don’t need to raise any money.”
Carol Ann then shifted to more current times when The Lisianthus Society was created in 2015 “to recognize members and friends for their generosity, dedication and support of the Women’s Council’s annual fundraising events.”

Women’s Council President Kay Weeks and Lisianthus President Kathy Cothrum thanked the guests, who had paid $500 to be Lisianthus members. One humorous moment resulted in laughter, when Endowment Campaign Chair Sharon Ballew recalled being approached about undertaking the task of gathering funds during a pandemic.
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