Houston Nurses Honor a Grand Restaurant Dame

What: Friends of Nursing 30th anniversary luncheon and fashion show

Where: River Oaks Country Club

PC Moment: Everyone who knows Donna Vallone simply adores Donna Vallone. A loving mother, dedicated wife, loyal friend and devoted community volunteer, she carries on across the city with a quiet dignity that belies her influence. Donna is the smiling face that regularly welcomes visitors to the venerable Tony’s For all of that and more, she was roundly applauded and presented the inaugural Bobby Sue Smith Cohn Excellence in Philanthropy Award at the luncheon benefiting nursing fellowships and nurse-led research at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center.

The luncheon was chaired by three sisters, longstanding friends of Donna and Tony Vallone. Holding the reins of the luncheon were Kirby McCool, Lindsay Holstead and Courtney Hopson. The award was named after their mother. Their father, Morton Cohn, and his late wife, Bobby Sue, have been long-time close friends of the Vallones. Cohn was there to applaud Donna and his daughters.

In a return of the day’s favor, Donna, incoming chair of Friends of Nursing, paid a heartfelt tribute to Bobby Sue Smith Cohn and to the other founders of the Friends of Nursing.

Highlight of the luncheon was the Neiman Marcus fashion presentation in which six St. Luke’s nurses joined professional models on the catwalk, modeling the latest spring fashions.

PC Seen: Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center president T. Douglas Lawson, Shelia Ultes, Sandy Barrett, Polly Bowden, Martha Long, Grace Kim, Emily Crosswell, Sylvie Crum, Kiki Wilson, Rose Cullen, Courtney Sarofim, Susan Sarofim, Scott McColl, Soraya McClelland, Regina Rogers, Aliyya Stude, Virginia Trier, Rita Madden, and Catherine Langlois.