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Brit Hume And Laura Bush Add Political Aura To Annual Salvation Army Lunch

Thursday’s Salvation Army luncheon packed Trinity Hall at the Anatole. Traditionally the lunch provides the crowd with inspiration, but this year they got a double dose of political fiber from the start. As guests arrived at their tables, it was obvious that things were stirring at the front of the room. With FOX News Senior Political Correspondent and featured speaker Brit Hume (pictured) at one table and across the aisle former First Lady Laura Bush (pictured) at Gene Jones’ table, guests were stretching their necks from watching the two. Photographers were being pulled in two different directions. Luckily, Brit and Laura came together like old classmates at a reunion. Then Brit graciously stepped back just a smidgeto let fans. . . or rather, friends both old and new, surround her. It was rather endearing to see even the most sophisticated ladies -who-lunch come clear across the ballroom (and that’s quite a hike) to say “Hi” to Laura. But as typical of the Laura, she greeted each one as if they were the only ones in the room.

Then it was on with the big show!

First, there was the singing of the national anthem by Captain Michele Matthews. Now, co-chairs Gene Jones (pictured) and Charlotte (Jones) Anderson  are well aware of Dallas’ flag issues so they nipped that problem with flags everywhere — paraded around the room and shown on three humongous screens.

Check that one off the list. Whew!

Next on the list was SA’s success story of Delora Evans’ rise from crack cocaine addict to graduate school student with a position as a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor with Metro Care Services in Dallas with Delora being presented. Bravo!

Then SA Major Ward Matthews (also Michele’s husband), who had just moved here four months ago,  introduced Advisory Board Chairman Judy Gibbs. But before he turned the podium over to Judy, he announced that the event had earned $2,582,828 on the tote board. That’s nearly $200,000 more than last year’s take. He attributed this amazing figure to luncheon chairs the Jones girls and Jan Pickens, and underwriting chair Charles Wyly.

Judy then took over and introduced Brit.

For the politicos in the audience, the choice of speakers was great. For those seeking heart-wrenching inspiration, Brit’s only brush with that was during the first few minutes. He told the group how he truly enjoyed hearing Amazing Grace because it reminded him of his days at an Episcopal boys school.  He then went on to say how much “I appreciate and respect this organization.”

Then it was on to his forte — today’s political scene. He talked with a recurring frog in his throat about the country’s still being center right on the political scale despite the election of a Democrat president, a brief analysis of the most recent elections, the priority list of concerns facing the country (the economy is still #1 with health care farther down the list), the reason for the Democrats trying “to ram through” the health care package, etc.

He described this past year’s stimulus package as “the second worse thing I ever saw Congress do. The worse thing I ever saw Congress do was to pull the plug on the support for South Vietnam in the aftermath of the American pullout from South Vietnam, which had devastating consequences for that country.”

Gee, Brit, don’t hold back on your opinions. Let us know what you really think.

Two comments that got chuckles from the audience were

• Global warming: “Now they call it ‘climate change’ because there hsn’t been any global warming in the past 11 years.”
• Ross Perot: “the little guy with the charts and graphs” and “he quit the race and was claiming that President Bush 41’s administration was trying to make a mess his daughter’s wedding and he was behaving sorta in a way that is not normally the precursor to being elected.”

Brit’s parting comment was a question for the group to mull over: “What will President Obama do if he and his party suffer major losses in next year’s election?”

Didn’t notice, but did Laura Bush looked relieved that her husband wasn’t going to have to worry about that question?

Major Ward then returned to the podium with eyes to next year, but not about the election. Rather, he told the group to put November 18th down for next year’s lunch. As you know, it’s always held the Thursday before Thanksgiving, which kicks off the annual kettle campaign. Ring, ring!

And did we mention that this year’s $2M+ results from this year’s lunch were largely due to the following sponsors:

Diamond — Anonymous

Crystal — Bosque Foundation, Jack Furst, Judy and Jim Gibbs, Gene and Jerry Jones Family, Dr. Bobby B. Lyle, Anonymous, Alice and Erle A. Nye, Sarah and Ross Perot Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Elliott Roosevelt  Jr., Rowling Foundation, Anonymous, Cheryl and Sam Wyly, andDee and Charles Wyly

Titanium — Anonymous, AT&T Inc., and Morningstar Family Foundation

Platinum — Anonymous, Ruth Altshuler/Susan Sharp, Carreker Family Foundation, Ginger Murchison Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Frank King, Chase, Old Mutual, Margot and Ross Perot, Boone Pickens Foundation – A Communities Foundation of Texas Fund, Mr. and Mrs. R.H. Pickens, Dottie Thompson – Thank Heaven Foundation, Jean and Tom Walter, William Noble Rare Jewels, and Kim and Evan Wyly

Gold — American Contractors / Mr. and Mrs. William S. McIntyre IV, Anonymous, Ashford Hospitality Trust and Remington Hotels, Marilyn Augur Family Foundation, Faye C. Briggs, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel O. Chesnut, Sandy and David Cole, Mollie Allen Crow, Linda and Bill A. Custard, Joy and Ralph Ellis, Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Farrow,The Gayden Family Foundation, Hunt Consolidated, Inc. / Hunt Oil Company, David B. Miller Family Foundation, Estate of Alva Mae Moore Foundation, Vin and Caren Prothro Foundation, Carolyn and Karl Rathjen, Mardie and Alan Schoellkopf, Charles E. and Sarah M. Seay Charitable Trust, Peggy and Carl Sewell, Harold Simmons Foundation, The Ted and Shannon Skokos Foundation, Michelle and Phil Swatzell, Mr. and Mrs. Kenny Troutt, and John and Susan Wilder Foundation

Silver — Lana and Barry Andrews /Natalie and Mike McGuire, Anonymous, AT&T, Mrs. Shea Boscamp and Mrs. Tiffany Willeyon behalf of Granite Advisory LLC, Broadview Security, Jim and Gayle Caldwell, Nancy and Clint Carlson,Ann and David Carruth, Central Market / H.E.B., Governor and Mrs. William P. Clements Jr., DAVACO Inc., The Robert and Nancy Dedman Foundation Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas, Heather and Bill Esping,Jacqueline and Joe Fojtasek, Mr. and Mrs. James B. Francis Jr., J.M. Haggar Jr. Family Foundation, Carol and Jim Hailey, Elizabeth and Joseph W. Harris, Sally and Houston Holmes, Stacie Hyatt,Dorothy and Don Iglehart, Carole M. Lee, Lincoln Property Company, Denise and William Lindquist, Robert L. Mason,J.D. and Anne McCaslin, McGuire Craddock and Strother P.C., Anonymous, Lydia and Dan Novakov,Mark Oetting, Mr. and Mrs. W.M. C. Pickens, Plains Capital Corporation, Judith Scott,Shelle Sills/Muffin Lemak/Claire Emanuelson, Mersina and Phineas Stubbs, Target, The Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, The Rosewood Foundation, Thompson and Knight Foundation, Dorothy (Dee) Collins Torbert, and Billie and Wayne Watts

Bronze — Anonymous, BenefitMall, Susan Brown and Sally Stout, Comstock Resources Inc., Cooper Aerobics Center, Dallas Mavericks, Dean Foods Company, Essilor Vision Foundation, Godwin Ronquillo PC, Patricia and Steven Haworth, Haynes and Boone LLP, Jennifer and Doug Houser, Vester Hughes, Libby Hunt/Sharon McCullough, JCPenney, Luther King Capital Management, A.K. and Monica Mago, Sara and David Martineau/Linda and John McFarland, Northern Trust, Parkland Foundation, Robertson Griege and Thoele/Financial Advisors, Carol and William Ross, Sammons Enterprises Inc., Kathleen and Wayne Sanders, Annie and Lou Schaufele III, Southern Methodist University, Stallings Foundation, The Biggers Law Firm P.C., and The Hockaday School and St. Mark’s School of Texas