Last Thursday it was announced at a reception that Haynes and Boone will be the museum’s first presenting sponsor of the museum’s Corporate Council, “an advisory board that helps connect local businesses and the community with the museum.”

Photo: Jason Janik

According to the museum’s VP of Development Hal Rose (pictured second from the left with, from the left, Emily Snooks, Sara Vale and Noel Shastid), “Our Corporate Council is comprised of a powerful set of professionals that apply their expertise and connections to further our cause. Haynes and Boone’s support allows us to bring these influential people together and ultimately deliver more STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education opportunities to kids.”

Photo credit: Jason Janik

Speaking of kids, there were a bunch of them at the event. A pre-teen group of Dallas-area kids, XS NRG (pictured), reprised their FIRST LEGO League Competition  robotic performance that won them first place. According to one mom-type who attended the event, “These are the most articulate, sweet, fun kids who just happen to be brilliant to boot. They used words like ‘ultra-capacitor’ and ‘zero-sum’ when describing ‘strategies they considered’ for their various projects.”

The XS-ers had also researched sustainable solutions for reducing jet plane fuel inefficiencies at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and cited their estimated economic-, airline-ticket-price-, and environmental-impact nationwide.

Gee, maybe one of these kiddos could connect our TiVo for us.

How about some factoids about the future museum digs, which will open in late 2012/early 2013? Take a jump and learn some to impress your friends:

• Elevators and wiring will be visible so visitors can see how buildings are made and work.
• All but 20% of the building will be available to the public to see and/or interact with.
• The museum’s rooftops will reclaim rainwater for use in the museum.
• All the water used by the museum except the drinking fountains will come from the rooftop reclaimed water.

Now, don’t you feel so much smarter? Think of all the folks you’ll impress at your next cocktail party.

Photo provided by Memnosyne Foundation

We regret to report that Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance Director Elliott Dlin died today of a heart attack. “Elly” was internationally renowned as one of the leading experts on the Holocaust.

Just a week ago Tuesday, he was part of a panel discussion at SMU on the newly-established Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission.

May he rest in peace.

Last Tuesday at SMU, the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance joined forces with the Memnosyne Foundation Center for Interfaith Inquiry to discuss “History That Moves Texans Forward.” The purpose was to explore the thinking behind the newly-established Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission.

According to organizers,

“the commission is significant because by law, the commission — considered the most important development in Holocaust education in Texas in years — is to help preserve information and experiences of the Holocaust and other genocide events.”

The commission is slated to work with organizations, agencies, museums, survivors, and liberators to preserve and provide information and experiences, as well as coordinate memorial events within the state.

Photo by Steve Foxall

Our own State Sen. Florence Shapiro co-sponsored the commission’s legislation and was part of the panel that included Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission Chairman Peter Berkowitz, Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance Museum Director Elliott Dlin, and University of Dallas Associate Professor of Psychology Dr. Amy Fisher-Smith (pictured right with, from the left, Memnosyne Foundation founder Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk, Berkowitz, Rena Pederson, Shapiro, and Dlin.)

Texas Tribune Editor/CEO Evan Smith was originally scheduled to moderator the panel, but that snowstorm that missed Dallas hit Austin and prevented Evan from attending. Luckily, journalist/author/Communications Director for the National Math and Science Initiative Rena Pederson stepped in at the last moment to fill Evan’s shoes.

Now wouldn’t it  be quite lovely to have some of that lovely Chase money end up here in Biggest D?

6:00 p.m. — As the early bird arrivals of the 1,200 guests check in, a few notice a handful of large floor fans (pictured) being positioned around the silent auction/bar tent. Strange. It’s chilly, why the fans?

6:30 p.m. — More and more people start arriving. Goodness, it’s getting a little crowded. . . and a tad bit warm. But that’s okay. Everyone’s having a jolly good time with the food and drinks flowing seamlessly.

7:00 p.m. — Things are getting a little dicey. Instead of sliding through the crowd, people are having to wedge themselves through walls of people like the party scene from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Let’s be grateful that people aren’t smoking. But people are starting to glisten. No, wait. That’s  perspiration. It’s getting steamy. Putting over 1,000 people in a tent with a few floor fans around the edges just isn’t cutting it.

Word starts circulating among a very few to head to the bathroom. That seems strange. Why are all these people heading to portable powder rooms? What’s that? Why it’s an oasis!  Seems that there’s a very small, open-air courtyard with tables and chairs between the tent and the mobile potties. Only problem is that squatter’s rights are in place and those folks aren’t moving.  Even now, the courtyard is taking on the feeling of the party pass situation at the debut of Cowboys Stadium.

7:15 p.m. — It’s really getting stifling for some in the big tent. But heck, when you’re with a bunch of fun folks, who really notices? For instance, Ross and Margot Perot are showing Sydney Hall (pictured center with Ross and Margot Perot) how to work computerized bidding. . . . The silent auction items are in abundance and getting a once- and twice-over. . . .Natalie and Michael Waldman are giving their buddies Joe and Lauren Savariego a hard time. Lauren is due to have her child in the next couple of weeks. There is fear of an early arrival. Joe and Lauren are opting to wait til the birth to learn if it’s a boy or a girl, so don’t bother asking. BTW, Lauren exemplifies the idea of pregnancy is beautiful. . . . Betty and John Crawford seem to know absolutely everyone in sight and are inviting all to Friday night’s Christmas lights event at Neiman’s and Main Street Garden.  . . . Pamela Clymer-Neves, a dead ringer for Annette Benning, has dressed up her black outfit with a mile-long (okay, so we exaggerate) taupe silk embroidered scarf. She is having a great time with Greg Traylor. . Nancy Halbreich is wearing a smashing necklace (“I can’t remember the designer”) and confesses that on the way to the party, she stopped by to see her Dad Ted Strauss, who thought the necklace was awful. Ah, taste! . . . J. Collin Chleback is keeping company with Kelly Donohue and Mallory Fosdick. . . .Power table group: Political princess Carol Reed is holding court with Craig Holcomb, City Councilperson Pauline Medrano and checking in with Dr. Gail Thomas (pictured from the left, Pauline, Carol, Craig, and Gail).

7:30 p.m. — Someone finally takes mercy on the crowd that is now moving at iceberg speed and starts opening some of the sides of the tents. Guests start congregating near the openings. They stare at the valets who are bundled up in windbreakers because of the outdoor breeze and chill.  Dinner isn’t scheduled til 8 in the adjoining tent. Can the wilting members of the party hold out that long?

7:35 p.m. — The decision is made to open the adjoining tent and let the guests in. A big voice over the PA systems announces that the dining room is open, but the silent auction continues. The servers are lined up and ready to provide care for those in need. It’s cooler a bit in the second tent, but there’s more room even with the tables and chairs. The decorations are in keeping with the construction theme — paint splattered table clothes, toolboxes with flowers, paint trays filled with lime green flowers, and gargantuan glass tubular vases with flowers.

8:15 p.m. — People aren’t sitting down. The big voice over the PA is sounding a little more forceful in encouraging people to sit down, but the guests are happy in their new surroundings. Some of the guests near the edge of tent are having visual issues due to the blinding floor lights, which are also starting to act like heat lamps. Finally, seats are taken and someone is on the boxing-ring-like stage in the center of the room.  Despite four video screens hovering over the stage, he can’t be heard. He must have said something important because guests near the stage are cheering and applauding. The outer tables are becoming more like Pluto in the solar system. They’re there, but they’re not really a part of the activities.

8:30 p.m. — The big voice is now sounding like an irritated junior high principal and orders everyone to sit down. Obedience is rewarded with food and it’s delicious. Yum, yum! Mayor Tom Leppert makes a video appearance welcoming the group and congratulating them. He’s still in China. One guest notes that he’s wearing the same outfit that he wore in his video remarks the day before at the groundbreaking. What can you expect? He probably taped the remarks before he left and had already packed all his clothes for the trip. It’s hard to hear what he’s saying. Where is big voice when you need his PA system?

Event co-chair Ka Cotter (pictured) is speaking. Doesn’t she look great? Can anyone hear what she’s saying? It’s probably gracious because that’s just what Ka is like.

Ross Perot Jr. is about to speak. People start tapping their glasses for silence at the tables. It works! You can hear him. He talks about his parents coming to Dallas and how happy the family is to be involved with the creation of the new museum. It is going to be a real eye catcher.

9:00 p.m. — The sides of the big tent are now being opened. It’s so much better. Museum CEO Nicole Small (pictured) is looking quite adorable and table hopping making sure that everyone is cooling off and happy.

9:15 p.m. — The live auction starts. Despite the fact that a number of people are bailing, the bids are getting healthier and healthier.

3:00 a.m. — It finally rains.

All of which goes to show that even the best of backup plans still need to be managed.

• A steel-drum band welcomed attendees at the bash today (picture).
• Other pic is Nicole Small, president and CEO of the museum.
• In the crowd: Pierce and Allie Beth Allman, Carol Reed (she has the PR contract), John Crawford, developer John Sughrue (sp?) –Said state Rep. Dan Branch, addressing the crowd: “It kind of feels like “Jurassic Park” comes to Victory Park.”
• Caraway said: “Dallas today scores more points. We continue to put points on the board.”

The above info was provided with typos and grammatical errors nicely intact.

This situation will be reviewed with the blogger later, but for now let the SweetCharity home team try to salvage the event with what we’ve been able to pry out of the reluctant FB cub reporter.

The ground breaking of future $185 M “Perot Museum of Nature and Science” had VIP’s and generations of Perots by the score. Rightly so. Word has it that this museum is going to set a whole new standard for its like. So naturally (no pun intended), you just can have an ordinary dirt turning photo opp. And, of course, it was an event to behold. (Why the televisions and radio folks even showed up for this one!) How do we describe it?  Think Rube Goldberg — at one end of the stage were dignitaries shoveling dirt triggering an “object” to move through tubing with lights dramatically going off. At the end of the object’s route, a black curtain rose revealing construction workers jack hammering to “break ground.”

Next a big sprig came walking onto the stage. Think it was the same sprig that showed up at the Continental Bridge party.

Under each seat in the tent was a goody bag of gadgets including a propeller, sunglasses that lit up, etc. relating to the museum’s education mission. Darn it, there weren’t any dinosaur eggs.

The event was financially supported by K&L Gates LLP and Talley & Associates.

We can guarantee that tomorrow night’s Dinner in the Wild 2009′s “Construction Zone” gala at the Museum site will have SweetCharity’s first team coverage. Chaired by Ka and L.L. Cotter, the event is a definite sellout with 1200 guests expected, a backup plan in place if the weather changes, and underwritten by 

• Glass sponsors($50,000) — Balfour Beatty Construction, Sarah and Ross Perot Jr., Nancy Perot Mulford, Suzanne and Patrick McGee, Carolyn and Karl Rathjen, and Katherine Perot. 
• Steel sponsors ($25,000) – American Airlines, Bank of America, Ka and L.L. Cotter, and Perot Systems Corporation. 
• Copper Sponsors ($12,500) —  Nancy M. Dedman, Fine Minerals International, Bert Headden and Cindy Thomas, The Hoglund Foundation/Sally and Forrest Hoglund, Kent Rathbun Catering, Ketel One Vodka, Nokia Siemens Networks, Susan and Prentice Spradley, and Daniel Trinchillo. 

 So the SweetCharity lesson of the day: First hand coverage is always the best. Don’t rely on others to cover events for you.