Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/221568
Auctions Speak Louder than Words Don Daseke TACA's Record-Breaking Gala at the Mansion Barbara Daseke Wanda Gierhart Bill Esping Heather Esping BY BILLY FONG. PHOTOGRAPHY DANA DRIENSKY. W hen my invite to the TACA RBC Wealth Management Custom Auction Gala arrived, I immediately made a to-do list: Pull something spectacular from my wardrobe arsenal, as this night is not for amateurs; dial up Fort Worth it-girl Amy Yudiski to confirm a chic date; and reserve our usual driver to ferry us to Rosewood Mansion Lisa on Turtle Creek. This evening always satisfies Runyon every sense — sight, in particular, as I surveyed the ladies in the Mansion's well-appointed rooms designed for the event by the brilliant Todd Fiscus. Some of the fashion standouts I spied included Ann Hobson, looking ever so girl-on-the-go but kicked up a notch with an atomic bomb of a diamond necklace; Capera Ryan decked out in gorgeous Vera Wang; Muffin Lemak in a feathered Ralph Lauren skirt; and Lisa Runyon wearing Dior. With chairs Heather (in Lanvin) and Bill Esping and honorary chairmen Barbara and Don Daseke at the helm, the soldout event drew more than 325 guests and raised upwards of $600,000 — a record! — to support performing arts in North Texas. Aficionados: Gillian and Mark Breidenbach, Nancy and Clint Carlson, auction chair Wanda Gierhart, Jill Tananbaum, Jan and Jim Showers, Maria Donna Wilhelm, John Wright Hurley Schaefer, Sharon and Michael Young, Emmanuel Villaume (newly appointed music director for The Dallas Opera), Duane Cote, Virasb Vahidi, Gus Hinojosa, Steve LaFredo, Gwen and Leldon Echols, Jim and Margo Keyes, Ed Tauriac, and Courtney Dunn. Niven Morgan John Runyon Shelby Wagner Geoffrey Wawro Brad Todd Ed Tauriac Becky Todd Marianne Cooke Courtney Dunn Clay Hurley Paige Slates Samantha Hawkins Lynn McBee Gus Hinojosa Beth WilsonEason Keith Laycock Jim Showers Jim Nugent Jan Showers Doug Houser Deborah Nugent Jennifer Houser Andy Teller Kersten Rettig Charles Sulak John Schaeffer Capera Ryan Kimberly Sulak Donna Wilhelm Gillian Breidenbach Mark Breidenbach Nancy Carlson Clark Knippers Carrie Teller With which cinematic role do you most identify? "Probably a combination of the three female characters from one of my favorite films: Dangerous Liaisons." — Lisa Runyon "Auntie Mame." — Niven Morgan "Little Edie from Grey Gardens." — Shelby Wagner "I'd like to be Arnie's [Arnold Schwarzenegger] character in True Lies." — Keith Laycock "Octopussy." — Beth Wilson-Eason "I think I have a hint of Scarlett O'Hara in my personality due to my Southern roots. A dash of Elizabeth Taylor from Cleopatra, since she had the most gorgeous ravenblack hair and jewels … and a lot of Holly Golightly, because I could spend every day having breakfast at Tiffany's." — Capera Ryan