The idea of having a luncheon honoring the past 30 years of Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary Dallas Fashion Show Chairs and presidents had been the brainchild of 2023 SAWA Fashion Show Chair Kim Quinn and SAWA President Jennifer Dix with the blessing of Salvation Army North Texas Major Dawn McFarland.
But the luncheon on Wednesday, February 8, at Neiman Marcus Downtown’s Zodiac Room didn’t get off to a promising start. Between the cold rain and the valet parking staff being shorthanded, one former chair muttered, “It was a ____ [rhymes with ‘twitch’] getting here.”
When the valet was asked why the lack of runners, the answer was, “Nobody told us there was going to be an event today.”
Adding to the challenges of the day, Jennifer had the sniffles and was popping lozenges in hopes of changing her “Brenda Vaccaro/Kathleen Turner” voice to norm just in time for daughter Gracie Dix‘s being on stage Saturday at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra League 2023 Presentation Ball. And Kim Q would be chairing the 2023 Cattle Baron’s Ball reveal just hours later at The Village Country Club.
But the challenges were soon forgotten as the back of the Zodiac Room soon looked like a family reunion, with former chairs like Heidi Dillon (2002), Joyce Fox (2004), Carol Seay (2005), Margaret Hancock and her mom-in-law Barbara Hancock (2010), Patti Flowers and Pam Busbee (2011), Therese Rourk (2012), Dixey Arterburn (2015), D’Andra Simmons-Lock (2017), Lisa Singleton (2018), Kim Hext (2020 and 2021) and Nikki Webb (2022) and past SAWA presidents Sarah Freeman (2006) and Connie Rhoades (2013) recalling their past events as models drifted in wearing frocks from the Oscar de la Renta trunk show downstairs and jewelry designer Tanya Farah. In addition to having her rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces on display for the luncheon, Tanya was also donating a “Tree of Life” pendent necklace to the SAWA Fashion Show silent auction.
Susan Farris and Suzy Gekiere laughed at the day’s rain as they remembered their moving the fashion show from the Dallas Country Club to Brook Hollow in 2009 only to face a torrential rainstorm drumming down on the tent.
Since then the show has stopped off at the Fairmont Hotel Dallas in 2012 and then onto the Meyerson, where it will take place on Tuesday, May 16. While Jan Strimple, who has coordinated the show over the years, will be turning the job over to 14-year NM vet Robin Chauvin, Jan will be honored with the Legacy Award at this year’s fundraiser.
But all the walks down memory lane were restricted to the SAWA ladies. With a handful of NM executives on
hand and a changing of roles, one needed a chart to understand how they had all journeyed through NM for the past years. Tim Adair is now reporting to 35-year NM vet Scott Mitchell who is Market General Manager over NM NorthPark, too. Tim laughed that they were used to the relationship, since he had worked for Scott when they were both at NM Fort Worth.
As for Scott, before he was at the Fort Worth store for more than a decade and at Houston’s two stores (Galleria and Town And Country), he had worked at NM NorthPark, so returning to this side of the Metroplex is a homecoming of sorts..
In his newest role, he’s not only replacing Mary McGreevy at NorthPark, he’s reporting to her in her new role as NM Regional VP.
For more looks at the guests and hosts, check out MySweetCharity Photo Gallery.