The Senior Source‘s 2024 Charles C. Sprague Sage Society Dinner scored a trifecta speaker on Wednesday, October 23, with George W. Bush Presidential Center President/CEO, Texas Rangers Board Member and best-selling author Ken Hersh. Taking place at “a local country club,” Event Co-Chairs Beth and Chuck Thoele announced a $15,000 match for the evening that included Mike Massad, Sejal Desai, Den Bishop, Rebecca Wynne and Chad Park. Here’s a report from the field:

You know those people who will share what’s on their mind without any prompting and it’s always interesting? You’ll be sitting in silence and suddenly they’ll pipe up with “You know what I’ve been thinking about lately?” Lucky for our city, we have a lot of those, and they usually have kind hearts, deep pockets, and big visions. Ken Hersh – president and CEO of George W. Bush Presidential Center and board member of the Texas Rangers Baseball Club – is one of those people. Perhaps that’s why he was such a fitting speaker at The Senior Source’s Charles C. Sprague Sage Society Dinner on Wednesday, October 23, titled “What’s on My Mind.”
Sponsored by Bank of Texas, The Senior Source’s Sage Society Dinner put the organization’s mission of helping older adults in Dallas front and center. The event kicked off with a cocktail reception featuring traditional egg white whiskey sours with the Sage Society logo stenciled on top before 130 guests moved into the ballroom of a local country club for the program. The Senior Source Board Chair Den Bishop gave a welcome, Dinner Co-Chairs Beth and Chuck Thoele shared words of appreciation and The Senior Source President and CEO Stacey Malcolmson enlightened attendees about our city’s aging population’s growing and changing needs. Beth and Chuck then surprised the audience by announcing a $15,000 matching gift, challenging those in the audience to give not only for today’s seniors, but for tomorrow’s as well.
“When you make the right investment, the rewards can be far reaching and have an impact not only on the people directly involved, but on an entire company, or city, or even the world,” said Chuck. “We strongly believe that The Senior Source is a great investment. Not only for the seniors served today, but also for tomorrow’s seniors who will face challenges that we likely can’t imagine today.”
After dinner, Pat Staudt with presenting sponsor, Bank of Texas, thanked the audience for their support of The Senior Source’s work and emphasized Bank of Texas’ commitment to building a whole, thriving community that honors seniors for the value they bring to society.
Ken then took the stage and regaled audiences with tales from his best-selling book, “The Fastest Tortoise, Winning in Industries I Knew Nothing About.” He also shared some “sage” wisdom on the election that was fitting for either side of the aisle. Ken graciously kicked in another $5,000 gift to Beth and Chuck’s challenge.

Ken, known for his “lightening round questions” when interviewing The Bush Center guests, was in the opposite chair as Stacey had a few questions of her own for Ken. (Expect a surge in dinner reservations at Quarter Acre — recently invited to the November 11 Michelin awards in Houston — after he cited it as his favorite Dallas dining spot.)
Guests were thrilled to walk away with donated and signed copies of Ken’s book, and a look at his Texas Rangers World Series ring.

Sage Society members in attendance included Diane and John Scovell, Kathy and Larry Helm, Lottye and Bobby Lyle, Katherine and Bob Penn, Hemang and Sejal Desai, Connie O’Neill, Sandra Estess, Darden McFarlin, Debbie and Nickey Oates and Margo and Bill Goodwin.
The Sage Society Dinner was successful in raising more than $235,000, which will go directly toward The Senior Source’s services – such as financial assistance and guidance, fraud and scam prevention, employment services, volunteer opportunities and support for local family caregivers.
* Photo credit: Kristina Bowman