West U’s Green Champions Keep Their $8 Million-Plus Mission Thriving With One Starry Night

What: The 33rd annual Park Lovers’ Ball

Where: The Post Oak Hotel

PC Moment: The black-tie evening raised some $700,000 for the Friends of West University Parks Fund. Since its inception in 1986, the fund has raised more than $8 million dedicated to the development and maintenance of green spaces within the City of West University.

Applause, applause for the 2025 gala chairs Kristen and Scott Browning, Jordan and Andrew Jewett, and Liz and Crosby Scofield for the success that saw more than 700 West University Place neighbors and friends turn out for the evening.

The theme of the Park Lovers Ball, “A Starry Night,” inspired a starry-themed martini bar where attendees could fuel up for the various activities that filled the ballroom and its foyer.

There was never a slow moment as activities beyond perusing and bidding on silent and live auction items included games of blackjack, a wine pull, and after dinner a lively game of Heads or Tails. That lucky winner went home with a stunning diamond bracelet courtesy of West University’s LeMel Jewelry and generous donors.

The live auction featured an array of alluring items including a getaway to a private home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; a trip to the 2025 US Open Tennis Championship in New York; a diamond necklace stack courtesy of LeMel; a seven-night stay at a private home in Aspen; a stunning masterpiece by Texas muralist Jen Hughes; and a crowd favorite goldendoodle puppy. Credit goes to that committee that worked to garner the various auction items — Travis Johnson, Jennifer LaForge, Meagan Glover and Eliza Coleman.

Retired ABC Channel 13 news anchor and a West University resident Ilona Carson served as emcee of the evening.

PC Seen: Rachel and John Montgomery, Claire Day, Tami Wall, Cara Nunnally, Marc LaMond, Arianne Walker, Meghan Johnson, Courtney Hughes, Melissa and Christian Fitkin, Kim Eads, Maria Zuniga, Jordon Jewitt, Elise Madray, and Caroline Williams.