News & Legal Events

Around Town: Casual party goes for red

 By Joan Gilmore

[ June 21, 2011 - Oklahoma City ] Rendezvous for Red, the annual fundraiser for the American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma, drew a big crowd to the Skirvin Hilton Hotel. The invitation asked that guests wear “party casual with a touch of red.”

Obviously, the guests didn’t know what a “touch” was. The ballroom looked like a crowd of Sooner fans – red shirts, red dresses, red shoes, red shorts, red scarves, red jewelry.

Then there was Mike McAuliffe in a snappy black tuxedo.

Dr. Suzanne Chambers and Patti Mellow planned a great party: cocktails, live and silent auctions, delicious dinner and dancing to the music of Zoom City.

The best part of the evening was the inaugural presentation of the American Red Cross Ruby Award for Humanitarian Services. The recipient was Oklahoma City Councilman Gary Marrs, who was fire department chief at the time of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

Congratulations, Gary.

Major donors to the festive event included AT&T; American Fidelity Foundation; Bank of Oklahoma; First Fidelity Bank; Hal Smith Restaurant Group; Hall Estill Attorneys at Law; PSA Consulting Business; Dr. Mark and Patti Mellow, OG&E; Phillips Murrah P.C., attorneys at law; SAIC: From Science to Solutions; Smith, Carney & Co. P.C., Certified Public Accountants; Drs. Kyle Toal and Suzanne Chambers; and Williams, Box, Forshee and Bullard.

Others were Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Hudiburg Auto Group, Stillwater National Bank, Tinker Federal Credit Union and Clayton and Marnie Taylor.

Red Cross is the organization chartered by Congress to respond to all disasters. All funds raised support the American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma.