Rice Athletics Get a Boost From Powerhouse Alumni in River Oaks: This Black-Tie Affair is All About Teamwork

Rice University alumni are a tight fraternity of brainy swells and when it comes to the Rice Owls sports teams that fraternity grows even tighter. Case in point is “An Evening in Rice’s Honour,” the biennial black-tie fundraiser for Rice Athletics.

Since the event’s founding in 1984, Cynthia and Bucky Allshouse, class of  ’71, and Linda and Dr. Walter McReynolds, class of ’65, have chaired the evening at River Oaks Country Club. To date, they have raised more than $6 million for the Owls’ sports programs and scholarships.

Wednesday night was no exception to the time-honored tradition as 300 Rice alumni, coaches and friends gathered to raise $300,000. The spirit of “teamwork” and “brotherhood” resonated through the ballroom.

Each year, several community leaders are tapped as recipients of the Distinguished Owl Club Award. On this night, Donald Bowers, football, class of ’91; Adam Peakes, basketball class of ’95; and Dr. Leland Winston, track and field class of ’69, joined the prestigious group that includes Steve Trauber, Bobby Tudor, Charles Duncan, Jim Crownover, Tommy Reckling and Bob McNair.

A dozen coaches joined the party including football coach Mike Bloomgren, men’s basketball coach Scott Pera, women’s basketball coach Tina Langley, and baseball coach Matt Bragga.

Owl spirits ran high through the night that closed with dancing to the sublime sounds Yvonne Washington.

Who: Rice University president David Leebron and Y. Ping Sun,  Judy Ley Allen, Evette and Tom Hetherington, Anne Duncan, Leticia Trauber, Al Lasher, Chelsey and Kenny Baugh, Jen and Joe Savery, Jill and Joe Karlgaard, Channing Allshouse, Chance Allshouse, and Christin and Trevor Cobb.