Rumor Has It - November 2023

Surprise celebration. It just isn’t his thing and that is why Mala Salvador was so surprised when her husband, Gerry Salvador, pulled off a surprise “Welcome Mala to Medicare” party for her 65th birthday. They were setting up for their weekly Friday Happy Hour neighborhood gathering in their driveway when their daughters Sumeeta, from Chicago, appeared with balloons and Anjali carried a Medicare “card” themed cake. Seventy friends from six walks of life arrived singing happy birthday. Catered Indian food from Himalaya and Texas barbeque from Lenox Barbecue was delivered across the street to Erik and Noni Mrok, and folding tables and chairs were hidden behind the garage with a frozen margarita machine. Everyone was in on the surprise and helped set up to give cheers to Mala but even more kudos to Gerry. 

PARTY WITH HEART The Supper Club fundraiser benefiting The Texas Heart Institute was chaired by Kelli Kickerillo and Todd Forester, with Kelli’s parents, Mary and Vincent Kickerillo, serving as honorary chairs. Pictured (from left) are Todd Forester, Kelli Kickerillo, Kick Forester, Vincent and Mary Kickerillo. (Photo: Michelle Watson)

A life saved. A 33-year-old mother who suffered a cardiac arrest at her office and remained unconscious in the ICU for eight days before her heart started beating on its own gave a video testimony at The Supper Club fundraiser for The Texas Heart Institute. She spoke about the value of the new and old research that saved her. The ’40s themed gala was chaired by Kelli Kickerillo and Todd Forester, with Kelli’s parents, Mary and Vincent Kickerillo, serving as honorary chairs. Pink martinis were served and the Pink Martini band entertained the 400 guests before the after-party speakeasy opened behind black drapes. Dr. Joseph Rogers, president & CEO of The Texas Heart Institute, was heartfelt at the $800,000 raised for the high-risk, high-reward research. Hearts beating to the tunes were Theresa and Matt Blades, Dr. Stephanie Coulter and Will Brown, Dr. Bud and Rachael Frazier, Lisa and Jerry Simon, Leslie and Eric Wade, chair of the board, and Marcia Strauss and David Frantz. 

THE FORCE IS WITH THEM Austin and Ali Hoffman with baby Ryder Sky. (Photo: Lauren Holub)

The newest Jedi. A lot of cosmic excitement led up to Baby H’s arrival on Sept. 7. Parents Ali and Austin Hoffman joined hands to the tune of the Star Wars theme song in a gender reveal moment and virtually beamed “the force” to a big baby Yoda balloon that shed blue confetti and balloons. A baby shower on a beautiful night was held with a mariachi band and Armandos food truck. Ryder Sky, born at 8 lbs., 6 oz, had no idea any of that was going on but will pave his own galactic path, no doubt, and will be the newest Jedi in Memorial or in the galaxy.

Sister trip. Their brother Jimmy always talked about how beautiful Mount Rushmore was and so it was that his sisters, Sandy Wilkens and Mary K. Burtner, found themselves in South Dakota to honor him. Another important monument they were awed by was Crazy Horse, under construction since 1948 and far from completion. It’s on target to become the world’s second tallest statue. Other stops included Sturgis and a drive down the Needles Highway, through the Badlands, Fort Meade Museum, and Wall Drug, most famous for its Wall Drug Store. And of course, they saw a reenactment of a gunfight in Deadwood, aptly named.

ITALIAN VACATION Regan Burrows loved adventuring around the Mediterranean.

Pisa pizza. Regan Burrows said her 14-day journey to the Mediterranean went by too fast. It was hot in Rome when she and a friend took the city-wide tour in September. They were two of the 30,000-per-day visitors that see the Vatican. Her favorite excursion was to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which was built in 1173 and survived four earthquakes since 1280. Although the government is worried about it falling over (various attempts keep it stable) the leaning aspect brings tourists.

BEACHIN’ Susan and Joe Braden enjoyed a family wedding in Costa Rica at the Four Seasons. Here, they are pictured with family on the beach.

Monkeying around. A family destination wedding was an excuse for Sue and Joe Braden to sloth around in Costa Rica for a week. They explored the Papagayo and Tamarindo regions with their taste buds. At La Fortuna, where the Arenal Volcano is a backdrop, they marveled at the Howler monkeys in the natural springs below.

PAW-SITIVE PARTY Houston PetSet’s Fierce & Fabulous Soiree brought 500 together to raise funds at The Post Oak Hotel. Pictured are co-presidents Tena Lundquist Faust and Tama Lundquist with (middle) mom Marge Lundquist. (Photo: Priscilla Dickson)

Anything is paw-sible. To ease the homeless animal crisis, Houston PetSet’s Fierce & Fabulous Soiree’s 500 patrons howled with fun as funds were raised at The Post Oak Hotel. Co-presidents Tena Lundquist Faust and Tama Lundquist, and animal lovers and event co-chairs Brisa Field and Sandra Smith-Cooper honored the Leslie L. Alexander Foundation with Great Day Houston’s Deborah Duncan as emcee. Winners of live auction items bagged a trip to Super Bowl LVIII with Rob Gronkowski, a VIP experience at the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Vegas and more. PetSet’s services also support more than 90 local animal welfare organizations. Wagging their tails in the crowd were Susan and Dan Boggio, Judi McGee, Karen Pulaski, Tyson Faust, Alicia Smith, and Brigitte Kalai. 

MARKING A MILESTONE Geoff Russell celebrated a milestone birthday with a dinner hosted by Mike Good and Matt Masek at Grace’s.

Retired but not tired. Geoff Russel’s monthly regiment is to lunch with friends mostly from his past real estate life. Two of them, Mike Good and Matt Masek, threw a celebratory dinner for him at Grace’s with the mandate to wear black and white for his 80th. Although nothing in real estate is black and white, many agents toasted him with industry war stories including Nancy Younger, Claire Wilkens, Peggy Dunn, Evelyn Lozmack, Cliff Helmcamp, and Charlie Neath. Two delicious cakes were served while the laughs lingered on. 

EXPLORING BUDAPEST Dana Kervin and Dr. Glenn Wilkerson visited Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, and Budapest in 16 days.

Enlightening. It was an eye-opening trip for Dana Kervin and Dr. Glenn Wilkerson as they visited Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Budapest, and Hungary in 16 days. They feasted in Transylvania at Dracula’s Castle in Brasov and saw miles of 18-wheelers carrying grain from Odessa, Ukraine to the Romanian Port of Constanta. Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Budapest, and Hungary had inspiring stories of freedom and many photo ops with all the beautiful bridges. A magical visit to the House of Houdini left them in awe. 

ADVENTURING IN AUSTRALIA Laura Lempert traveled through Australia solo for four weeks.

Beware of koalas. She traveled alone but never felt alone, says Laura Lempert of her four-week adventure in Australia. She reconnected with a pen pal she’s known since she was 14 years old and even joined her book club upon arrival. Laura stayed in a suburb of Melbourne for two weeks and used a commuter train to take day trips. Other day trips were from Sydney and Canberra. Seeing koalas and mobs of kangaroos in the wild was a visual treat as well as teeny blue penguins, wombats, and a pink albino parrot feeding its baby. Several wineries and lunch in the Yarra Valley was a good way to wind down from chasing kangaroos.

Have some good news to share? Email us at [email protected].