Trust us. Having Bill and June talk to you first thing in the morning is better than three shots of espresso in your latte with a Red Bull chaser.

But they’re not going to be pitching folks for sponsorships or tickets. Rather they’re going to share “stories about achieving their dreams.” You see, the breakfast is just the first of three “Dream Achiever Breakfasts” held in connection with the year-long CISDR’s 25th anniversary celebration.

According to Jeff Morris, President/CEO of ALON USA and CISDR Endowment President, “The CISDR model is proven to be successful and makes the future much brighter for thousands of young people. ALON USA has committed to supporting CISDR’s yearlong 25^th birthday celebration and we look forward to seeing what the organization will accomplish in the future.”

After TREC Vice Chairman Melissa Eastman handled “the housekeeping issues” like reminding guests of the May 6th “Fight Night” at the Anatole and that TREC’s new website was up and running, she introduced a well-done video showcasing the many community projects in which TREC has been involved.

Then Melissa got to the featured act — Terdema Ussery (pictured above). The guy’s credentials not only go on for a week, but each one is a showstopper. Ivy Leaguer, lawyer, president/CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Dallas Housing Authority.

Still the audience was hardly prepared for the talk. If you thought the group was in overdrive before, they took off in warp speed thanks to Terdema. Not only did everyone stay throughout the entire talk, hardly a soul checked their Blackberry or iPhone.

To get things going he had a brief video shown of the Dallas Mavericks. Smart move. There’s nothing like basketball players, cheering fans, and adorable cheerleaders to perk up a crowd of real estate pros. This guy knew how to please the crowd.

While the video was being shown on two screens, Terdema was standing on the stage with a cool aura that hasn’t been seen since the last snowfall. But this was only a warm up.

After the video ended, Terdema took the guests on a verbal ride. He talked about his childhood in Watts, teachers who influenced him, studying at Princeton and Harvard, his father’s being shot, and his journey to Dallas thanks to Ross Perot Jr. Using no teleprompters, he constantly looked into his audience making them feel as if they were having a personal conversation. He interjected humor just at the right spots like a chef knowing when and how much spice to add.

But he never let it interfere with his message –”I was the child that was looked through. I was the guy in the back of the pickup with the others that no one noticed.”

Yet Terdema admitted that in his case, someone. . . no, make that several someones did notice him and did make a difference. Teachers, relatives, and other adults made him aware that his future was not limited to life in Watts. “Someone said ‘I see greatness in you.’”

Terdema went on to admit that every morning he wakes up living a life that many envy but acknowledging, “I don’t have a choice. I am acutely aware people interceded in my life.”

Perhaps it was with this in mind that he became involved with the Dallas Housing Authority.  “If I had read The Dallas Morning News, I wouldn’t have taken it on because of all the political mess. . . . But one day the Dallas Housing Authority is going to be a kind of group that people will greet, not dread.”

Turning the talk to real estate, he gently admonished the group, “We can’t just build big buildings. Let’s make sure that the least are take care of.”

Finally, his concluded his talk with Haiti and how “there is beauty out of tragedy.” Despite the devastation and loss of life, he pointed out how within 24 hours of the Haitian earthquakes, countries throughout the world were on the spot rendering aid.

Unlike other speakers who motivate, Terdema managed to take on Dallas’ most industrious professionals and “to see greatness in” them.

Oh, you already knew about his growing up in the Watts section of south central LA? Then you know what drove him to achieve such accomplishments as being an Ivy Leaguer and law school. If you don’t or just want a great way to start the day, make reservations to hear Terdema tell his story at  The Real Estate Council Community Breakfast on Thursday, January 21, at the Fairmont. Reservations have to be in by January 18, so get on it.

Event sponsors include Ernst & Young, Haynes and Boone LLP, and Stewart Title.

The ever-changing, mega-train world that Ban has created over the years takes 9 engineers, three exhibit managers and a  mere 1,500 volunteers to operate daily from Saturday until January 3 except for Thanksgiving and Christmas days. So far the trains have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles since they debuted in 1988 resulting in raising $5M for the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas. Last year over 83,000 people ooh-ed and awed at the incredible world with the 30+ trains running the rails.

While Ban, who is also president of the Preston Center Rotary Club and a VP at Merrill Lynch, will attribute the choo-choo effort to his saintly wife Kathleen, he’s been a sucker for the mini-trains since he was a kid. First his dad started buying the model trains for Ban’s older brother David and then Ban saw the enormous train set that used to reside at the former Preston Road Neiman Marcus, where Tootsie’s and Houston’s now call home. Since then he’s been designing and building huge sets and smaller ones like the one on display in front of the NorthPark Train Depot that will be raffled off this year on December 17 at 6 p.m.

The 2009 honorary chair family is Carol and Sam Dalton and their four children. Serving as “Kid Conductor” was four-year-old Peyton Nichols, who was born 15 weeks early and stayed at RMHD with his family. 

Among the crowd were Callie and Lyle (pictured) Hawkins, who stopped by Victoria’s Secret. No, not for shopping. The blond twosome know that makeup is everything when you’re partying, so they had “Ms. Connie” paint their faces with snowflakes.

But for Lee Ann White (pictured), “No way situations” are “Hey, no problem.” She somehow managed to not only get a jammed crowd to toddle down to the Belo Mansion for the 25th annual Dallas C.A.R.E. breakfast, she actually turned it into a rock fest. Stay tuned. We’ll explain after the jump.

As you probably know, C.A.R.E. stands for Chemical Awareness Resources & Education and is very near and dear to Lee Ann. Her son Michael struggled with “demons” for 15 years and thanks to professional help and Lee Ann’s husband, Alan White (picture, right, with Rick Hubbard) Michael has been clean, sober, and the pride of the White household for four years, four months, and “a number of days.”

So taking on a fundraiser for C.A.R.E. was an effort of love and a celebration for Michael’s accomplishments. Little did the folks at C.A.R.E. know what they were getting in the brunette cutie from Arkansas. Little did Lee Ann know the challenges she was facing.

The breakfast has always been held at the Dallas Country Club before the crack of dawn on a Monday. Every aspect of that last sentence was a problem. The DCC is undergoing major surgery and there was no way it would be the location this year. Second, the crack of dawn is not a pleasant prospect for most folks, but it had to be a breakfast. No brunch would do. And then there was that Monday issue.

Negotiations were undertaken. Monday would stay, but the start time would be 8 and the location would be at the Belo Mansion.

Then Lee Ann decided to hit the ball out of the park by arranging to have Chuck “Three Dog Night” Negron (pictured) as the keynote speaker.

All of the adjustments ended up with a record-breaking crowd and a take of $300,000 plus the involvement and participation by many who had never attended the breakfast.

They weren’t disappointed. Chuck proved to be a charmer and one of the most approachable folks that ever graced a stage. Speaking of stage, he actually broke up his talk with songs starting with “One.” Major showstopper. Toes were tapping, heads were swaying, and smiles were exchanged. The resounding applause almost made one think that a mosh pit was going to be formed for the next one.

SIDENOTE: Chuck’s delivery is not the highly-polished type that one encounters on the speaking circuit. Rather, it’s almost as if he’s telling his story–life in an orphanage wearing a sign “Wets bed,” his first encounter with drugs (a girl kissed him slipping peyote into his mouth),  and his estranged relationship with his eldest child–for the first time.  Everyone in the audience felt like they had just added a new best friend to their Christmas card list.

Now for the crowd that packed the room: The ladies-you-envy looked simply wonderful despite the early hour. Leading the pack was Lana Andrews, of course, with husband Barry at the Numero Uno table. . . Scott Murray handled the MC duties and admitted that during his disc jockey days/nights, he met most of the great rockers from the past, but Chuck was his first “Three Dog Night” member. When asked how Chuck was to work with, Scott didn’t hesitate–”Him? He’s grrreat!”. . .  Lydia Novakov looked wonderful despite a late night before having attended the dinner honoring Bill Lively. . .  Dallas C.A.R.E. Director Susan Hutchison was not even thinking of how they’ll top this year’s event, but then she has a couple of months before she has to tackle that problem. Heads up, Susan! If you’re thinking of drafting Lee Ann again, forget it. Alan says she’s done for a while.

And then there was that time challenge. Traditionally, it’s started before the roosters got out of their jammies, so smart Lee Ann moved the start time to 8 a.m. Bless her!

And to make the whole package unbeatable, she arranged to have Chuck “Three Dog Night” Negron be the featured speaker. Don’t expect him to sing anything about “Jeremiah.” Rather he’ll talk about his years of battling drugs and alcohol, three dozen attempts at rehab, a hundred detoxes, and how he finally found the inner strength, and help to get clean and sober on September 17, 1991.

Get some sleep Sunday, because Monday morning is going to be memorable.