The Junior League of Dallas Centennial Milestones Event Gave Us Martha Stewart, Laura Bush, and an Unforgettable Luncheon
Inside the Once-in-a-Lifetime Afternoon
BY Caitlin Clark // 05.02.22Centennial Milestones Luncheon Featured Speaker Martha Stewart. (Photo by Celeste Cass)
WHAT: The Centennial Milestones Luncheon, chaired by Isabell Novakov Higginbotham and Lydia Novakov, benefiting the Junior League of Dallas Community Service Fund.
WHERE: The Chantilly Ballroom of the Hilton Anitole on Thursday, April 21.
THE SCENE: There was a bit of a frenzy when the doors opened to the Milestones VIP reception that morning, but it was certainly understandable — this was an opportunity to mingle with Martha Stewart after all. But the original lifestyle influencer wasn’t the only glittering name on the day’s agenda, however. Former First Lady Mrs. Laura Bush was also set to accept an award once the luncheon officially began. It was an all-star luncheon docket worthy of marking the Junior League of Dallas’ Centennial year.
After settling into the colossal Chantilly Ballroom (it should be noted that the event was completely sold out), the program swiftly got underway, awarding Mrs. Bush with the Lifetime Achievement Award and honoring Veletta Forsythe Lill for her 20-plus years of phenomenal work with the 2022 Sustainer of the Year award. “Maybe someone in this room will become First Lady one day,” Mrs. Bush said in her acceptance speech. “Or President.”
NBC news anchor Meredith Land and Stewart then took to the stage for a lively conversation that covered everything from her new white wine (Martha’s Chard, naturally) and her friendship with Snoop Dogg to her recent experience with the Kardashians. (She’s a fan!)
Beyond Stewart’s celebrity, however, it was the omnimedia mogul’s incredible business savvy that offered some of the most cherished sound bites of the day.
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“The whole of my business is to teach and to inspire,” Stewart said. “I think we’ve done that for a good long time. I have to learn every day in order to teach, so that’s what I do.”
The Seen: Junior League of Dallas Centennial Milestones Luncheon Co-chairs Isabell Novakov Higginbotham and Lydia Novakov, Junior League of Dallas President Christa Sanford, Junior League of Dallas Centennial Co-chairs Andrea Cheek and Margo Goodwin, Junior League of Dallas Sustainer President Patti Flowers, and Junior League of Dallas Development Vice President Elisabeth McHugh. Also spotted at the event: Marjon Henderson, Lynn McBee, Peggy Sewell, and Kimberly Schlegel Whitman.
