Tilman Fertitta Stays True Blue In Lavish Family Mansion Party, Helps Houston Police Raise Record $1 Million With Crime Pool Dip

How lucky for the Houston Police Foundation that on the evening of its 15th annual fundraiser a cool front slipped into town making this outdoor event. That made things so much more enjoyable than they would have been only a few days earlier when temperatures were soaring.

Perhaps it was the pleasant weather that enveloped the Fertitta family home, but really who knows, that inspired the generosity that sent evening proceeds climbing past the record $1 million mark.

Congratulations to “True Blue Gala” chairs billionaire hospitality mogul Tilman Fertitta and Houston Police Chief Troy Finner and dinner chair Laura Ward. Proceeds from the event will provide equipment and training for the police department. Joining Fertitta as party hosts were his children Blayne, Blake and Patrick.

As the party was only weeks ahead of the November election, a handful of those running for office worked the crowd including Mayoral candidate John Whitmire, accompanied by his daughter Whitney Whitmire; city council candidate Tony Buzbee on the arm of his lovely bride Frances Moody Buzbee; and city council-at-large candidate Twila Carter, the former Houstin Astros senior vice president of community affairs and executive director of the Astros Foundation.

As is tradition, the evening featured a faux crime, this year an attempted burglary of a fabulous necklace, that required multiple segments of HPD to thwart. At the request of Fertitta, the masked bad man, once captured, was thrown in the vast hotel-like swimming pool. In fact, the pool is so expansive that the brief program took place on a bridge stretching across the center.

From his post on the bridge an Elvis impersonator (Remember Blue Hawaii? Probably not) began his entertainment for the “True Blue Hawaii” themed evening. Highlighting the theme, the sellout crowd of 600 were given leis at check-in, some of the blinking variety and were greeted by luau performers that included hula dancers, male warriors and drummers.

This event is always spectacular in so many ways beginning with demonstrations from several of HPD’s units including SWAT, bomb squad, helicopter simulator, K-9 and a host of other interactive displays including a taser weapon demonstration with targets.

The Events Company, under direction of Richard Flowers, once again created the perfect al fresco setting, while the lavish buffet offered much-loved dishes from the Landry’s stable of restaurants. Special this year was the scrumptious suckling pig, a nod to the Hawaiian theme.

The evening closed, as is tradition, with a spectacular 15 minute fireworks finale.

PC Seen: Houston Fire Department Chief Sam Pena and wife Caroline, Constable Alan Rosen, State Senator Joan Huffman, Houston Rodeo president Pat Mann Phillips and Tim Phillips, Tissy and Rusty Harden, Julia Morales Clark and Matt Clark, Alice and Keith Mosing, Dr. Michael Kaplan, Whitney Whitmire, Kristina and Paul Somerville, and Dancie and Jim Ware.